The Kings couldn’t hold on to a fourth quarter lead Monday night, as the Portland Trail Blazers completed their late comeback to hand Sacramento a 98-94 loss.
The Kings, who have now dropped four in a row, held a 87-86 lead with a little over 2 and-a-half minutes to go in the fourth. But Portland’s Damian Lillard lead the late charge, dumping in 6 of his 22 points in the last 90 seconds of play to secure the win.
Portland left the door open for a late Sacramento tie, as Lillard and Nicolas Batum missed 3-of-6 free throws in the waning seconds of the game to keep it a one score game.
But a miss by Rudy Gay and a Darren Collison turnover sealed the Kings fate as Portland held on for the win following a Batum free throw.
Lillard’s team-high 22 points were accompanied by six rebounds and five assists. Gay lead all scorers on the night with 26 points for Sacramento. He was followed by DeMarcus Cousins who added 22 points of his own while hauling in 19 rebounds.
The Kings continue to be hurt by sloppy play after a total of 23 turnovers contributed to 29 Portland points. Sacramento will look to get back on track against the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday.
Sacramento Kings Head Coach Tyrone Corbin summarized the game versus the Miami Heat (18-22) on Friday night in five words, “It was a disappointing loss.”
The Heat, without Dwayne Wade, rode the play of their star forwards Chris Bosh and Luol Deng to a 95-83 runaway victory over the Sacramento Kings (16-23) at Sleep Train Arena.
Bosh led all scorers in the game with 30 points to go with seven rebounds, three assists, three steals and one blocked shot. Bosh was a perfect three for three from beyond the 3-Point arc.
Luol Deng added 25 points for the Heat on just 18 shots. Deng grabbed six rebounds, had four assists, two steals and two blocked shots in his 37-minutes on the floor.
Miami guard Shabazz Napier was the only other Heat player to score in double figures with 12 points. Napier also had five assists, two steals and one blocked shot.
DeMarcus Cousins led the Kings scoring with 17 points but 14 of those points came in the first half. Cousins made it a double-double game pulling down 11 rebounds. One stat that Cousins would like to forget was his eight turnovers.
Ben McLemore (15), Darren Collison (13), Ray McCallum (11) and Derrick Williams (10) all scored in double figures for the Kings. McCallum was a perfect three for three from 3-Point range.
The Breakdown
The opening quarter was really a precursor of what was to come in this game. Miami’s Hassan Whiteside picked up two personal fouls in less than two minutes. The Kings committed three turnovers that led to four Heat points. The Kings controlled the boards (8-4) but committed five turnovers to one for Miami. Sacramento got into early foul trouble as Cousins, Casspi and Thompson all picked up two personals. Tyrone Corbin was forced to go to a two forwards and three guards small line-up. The Heat led the Kings 26-22 after one period.
Miami came out in the second quarter determined to control the pace. With Cousins on the bench, the Heat defense forced the Kings to take high percentage outside shots that were not falling. Cousins returned to the game and scored 10 points all in the paint. The Heat used a 7-0 run at the end of the quarter outscore the Kings 26-22 in the second. Miami shot 55.6-percent (10 for 18) while the Kings shot 38.9-percent (7 for 18). There were no second chance points scored in quarter.
At the half, Miami led Sacramento 52-44.
The Heat opened the third quarter by going on a 5-0 run. Miami then took control of the pace and slowed the tempo down to the way they like to play. The Kings cut the Heat lead to 10 but that was as close to the lead they would come in the second half. Sacramento’s poor shooting (6 for 19, 33.3-percent) allowed Miami to open up a lead of up to 17 points. Corbin even tried going back to his small line-up of two forwards and three guards, but it did not help. Miami outscored the Kings 23-17 and led the game 75-61 after three quarters.
The Kings opened the fourth quarter with a turnover on their first possession which was symbolic of the entire game. Miami played tough defense and controlled the clock preventing the Kings from making a run to get back into the game. Sacramento did outscore Miami 22-20 in the final quarter but it was too little too late. DeMarcus Cousins did not score in the fourth period while Chris Bosh led the Heat with eight points. With 2:04 to go in the game, Coach Corbin cleared the bench and the Heat coasted to their third victory on this five game road trip.
The final score was Miami 95 Sacramento 83.
By the Numbers
Miami shot 47.3-percent (35 for 74) for the game. They were 8 for 17 (47.1-percent) from 3-Point range. The Heat out-rebounded the Kings 38-35. Miami had nine steals and six blocked shots in the game. They turned the ball over 10 times (eight points).
The Kings shot just 42.7-percent (32 for 75) from the field. They actually shot better from beyond the 3-Point arc connecting on seven of 16 attempts (43.8-percent). Sacramento went to the free throw line just 14 times compared to 21 opportunities for Miami. The Kings turned the ball over 15 times and that allowed the Heat to score 17 points.
The Kings outscored the Heat 32 to 28 in the paint. Miami won the battle for second chance points 12-8. The Heat tallied 17 fastbreak points to just seven for the Kings.
In Their Own Words
Kings Head Coach Tyrone Corbin said after the game, “Well it was a disappointing loss. We just couldn’t find our place to generate points. We thought we had a chance at the end of that second quarter … We can’t feel sorry for ourselves because we have another tough opponent (LA Clippers) coming in here tomorrow. Hopefully, we can get some guys back tomorrow, but if not we have to be ready to go.”
Speaking on the pace of the game Corbin commented, “I just thought that we couldn’t create pace all night. We were looking around for someone to bail us out. We can’t afford to do that. This team (Miami) wanted to play at a slow tempo, so we talked about creating pace and pushing the ball down the floor. We ended falling into a trap and playing at a pace that was favorable to the other team.”
When asked about how the Kings can find some consistency DeMarcus Cousins said, “Craziest thing about it is, we know what the problem is. We know we’ve got to be a consistent defensive team and just don’t do it. So that’s something the guys on the floor have to figure out. We have to come together and figure it out – either you want to get it right or you want to continue to have nights like this.”
Game Notes
The Kings are now 10-13 at home and 2-3 on the six-game homestand … Sacramento played without Rudy Gay (knee), Carl Landry (wrist) and Ramon Sessions (back) – all three are considered day-to-day … DeMarcus Cousins’ double-double was his 23rd of the season … Ben McLemore scored in double figures (15 points) for the 27th time this season.
Miami is now 11-10 on the road … they were 3-2 on this five-game road trip … the Heat played without Dwyane Wade for the 10th time this year … this was Chris Bosh’s fifth 30-point game of the season … it was Luol Deng’s sixth 20-point plus game of 2014-15.
Up Next
Sacramento plays the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday night.
Miami is off until next Tuesday when they will host the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Cleveland Cavaliers (19-19) came into Sacramento without LeBron James in the line-up and left town having lost their fifth consecutive game. The Sacramento Kings (16-21) handed the Cavs a 103-84 loss and improved to 2-1 on their six game homestand.
After losing a shootout to Denver on Friday, the Kings needed to find their defensive focus, take care of the basketball and hit high percentage shots against the Cavaliers.
Sacramento gave up 29 points to Cleveland in the first quarter by allowing them to shoot 63.2-percent from the floor and 44.4-percent (4 for 9) from 3-Point range. The Kings locked down their defense in the second quarter and held the Cavs to a 31.6-Field Goal Percentage (6 for 19) and only allowed Cleveland to score 15 points in the period.
The teams went into halftime with the Kings leading the game 59-44.
The Kings gave up 20 points to the Cavs in the third quarter on just 7 for 18 shooting (38.9-percent). Sacramento did not let up on Cleveland in the fourth quarter allowing just 20 points on 8 of 22 shots (36.4-percent). For the game, the Kings held the Cavaliers to 42.3-percent (33 for 78) shooting from the field and 34.4-percent (11 for 32) from beyond the 3-Point arc. Cleveland had been averaging 90.1 points per game over their last eight games. The Kings held them to just 84 points on Sunday night.
Sacramento came into the game averaging 16.5 turnovers per game. They turned the ball over just five times against the Cavs (a season low). The Kings had zero turnovers in the second quarter.
The Kings outrebounded the Cavs 45-41.
The Kings needed to take higher percentage shots and they did. Sacramento outscored the Cavs 40-30 in the paint and led the game in Fastbreak points 17-5. The Kings scored 12 Second Chance points to just 7 for Cleveland.
The Kings dished out 20 assists for the game. Darren Collison led the team with six assists. DeMarcus Cousins added five, Ben McLemore four, Derrick Williams three and Rudy Gay two assists.
DeMarcus Cousins recorded his 21st double-double of the season putting up 26 points (game high) and grabbing 13 rebounds for Sacramento. Rudy Gay put up 23 points, Darren Collison 16 and Carl Landry 11.
Kevin Love led Cleveland with 25 points and 10 rebounds. Kyrie Irving added 21 points and seven assists. Timofey Mozgov, who just joined the Cavs from Denver, had a double-double with 14 points and and 12 rebounds.
Jason Thompson had the task of guarding Kevin Love on Sunday night. Love did score 25 but he had to put up 21 shots to record those points because of Thompson’s relentless defense.
There was a LeBron James siting. “The King” worked out before the game in front of adoring fans. James is expected to be back in the starting line-up as early as Thursday versus the Lakers in Los Angeles.
The Kings return to action on Tuesday when the host the Dallas Mavericks at Sleep Train Arena.
The Detroit Pistons (10-23) won their fifth a game in row as they defeated the Sacramento Kings 114-95 in Detroit on Sunday night.
Detroit road the “hot hand” of guard Brandon Jennings who scored 35 points on just 21 shots. Jennings was five for eight from 3-Point range and a perfect two for two from the free throw line. Jennings accomplished all of this in just 30 minutes of playing time.
The Pistons as a team shot 49.5-percent from the field (45-91) and 12 for 31 (38.7-percent) from beyond the 3-point arc. Detroit out-rebounded the Kings 49-41. The Pistons had 12 second-chance points to just one for Sacramento.
DeMarcus Cousins posted another double-double (18 points, 15 rebounds) in the Kings losing effort. Darren Collison was the bright light for Sacramento scoring 17 points on just seven shots including going two for two from 3-Point range. Derrick Williams scored 12 points off the bench for the Kings playing well in uptempo situations. Rudy Gay was held to just 12 points.
The Kings(14-20) shot just 42.7-percent (32-75) from the floor and three for 15 from beyond the 3-Point line. Sacramento recorded 18 assists, nine steals and four blocked shots in the game.
Kings Head Coach Tyrone Corbin was disappointed in his team’s defensive effort, “To give up 90 points in three quarters, you can’t say you had good effort. To have 31,29 and 30 (points) in three consecutive quarters regardless of how well they shot the ball … we could have found a little more than that.”
Game Flow
Both teams started the game slowly. In the first quarter, the Kings shot a very poor 39.1-percent (9-23) and were 0-4 from beyond the 3-Point line. Detroit put up 27 shots but hit on just 10 of those opportunities for a 37.0 Field Goal Percentage. The Kings used a late 8-2 run to keep the game close in the opening frame. Jason Thompson, who returned to the Kings starting lineup, led the team with seven points in the quarter. Detroit led the Kings 24-22 after the first 12 minutes.
DeMarcus Cousins made his presence known early in second quarter. Cousins filled the lane taking charges and causing Jonas Jerebko to pick up three personal fouls early in the period. McCallum brought the Kings some needed energy off the bench. When the Pistons starters returned to floor, they began to pull away from the Kings. Detroit shot a blistering 52.4-percent from the field and went 4 for 11 from 3-Point range. Jodie Meeks led the Pistons with eight points and Anthony Tolliver added six. Cousins and McLemore led the Kings with seven points each. The Pistons led the game 55-46 at the half.
The Kings opened the third quarter with Darren Collison being fouled and going to the line sinking three free throws. Sacramento had a 5-0 run to open up the period. Collison hit the Kings first 3-Pointer of the game and it began to feel like Sacramento could make a run at taking the lead back. Derrick Williams came off the bench and brought energy to the floor for the Kings. Williams drove to the hoop for a lay-up and was fouled. He hit the free throw to cut the Pistons lead to one point, but Brandon Jennings came back to life scoring seven points in the last 2:37 to help Detroit go back up by six points, 84-78, at the end of the quarter. Jennings scored 15 for the Pistons in the period while Collison had 10, Gay 8 and Williams 7 for the Kings.
Ray McCallum opened the fourth quarter with a field goal for the Kings, but things went downhill quickly for Sacramento. The Kings were unable to put together any kind of run, and they shot very poorly (5-15, 33.3-percent) from the field. While the Kings faltered, the Pistons heated up shooting 11 for 21 (52.4-percent) from the floor and hitting four of nine from 3-Point range. The Kings had no second chance points and zero fastbreak points in the quarter. Brandon Jennings was a perfect 3-3 shooting, good for eight points while Drummond added seven points. Jodie Meeks and Caron Butler scored five points each. The Pistons outscored the Kings 30-17 in the final period.
Game Notes
Sacramento finished the four game road trip with a 1-3 record … the Pistons five game winning streak began after the team waived forward Josh Smith … Brandon Jennings’ 35 points was a season high … the Kings return to Sacramento for a six game homestand that begins on Wednesday with the Oklahoma City Thunder … Added note: Rookie forward Eric Moreland has undergone successful surgery to repair the torn labrum in his left shoulder. The surgery was performed the renown Dr. Arthur Ting. Moreland will begin rehab immediately and should be available for the NBA Summer League.
The Sacramento Kings snapped their two-game road skid on Thursday night using an opportune matchup against the cellar dwelling Minnesota Timberwolves, battling their way to a 110-107 victory.
After dropping consecutive games to Brooklyn and Boston, the Kings used a balanced scoring attack that saw all five starters in double digits to down the Timberwolves, who are currently tied for the second worst record in league with just 5 wins on the season.
Rudy Gay and Darren Collison led the team with 21 points a piece, while DeMarcus Cousins followed closely behind with another strong showing, posting 19 points and seven rebounds in the winning effort.
But despite the scoring outbursts from the Kings’ starting five, another weak night from Sacramento’s bench allowed Minnesota to make it an interesting game down the stretch. Sacramento had lost both of their key starters in Gay and Cousins with the score tied at 99, with just a little over 4 minutes left to play.
But Collison came up clutch for the Kings down the stretch, sinking two key free throws that forced Minnesota into a last second three pointer that missed its mark, securing the win for Sacramento in the tight contest.
Rookie standout Andrew Wiggins had an impressive showing for Minnesota, posting 27 points and nine rebounds while keeping the Timberwolves within striking range.
After dropping the first two games of the roadtrip, Sacramento can now finish the four game series with a 2-2 showing, as they look to keep their win streak alive against the Detroit Pistons on Sunday.
The Sacramento Kings dropped the first game of their four game roadtrip to the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night, after sloppy play and a lack of bench scoring neutralized a big night from DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay.
Gay led all scorers in the game with 25 points on 9-of-21 shooting, while Cousins continued his strong play, following closely behind with 24 points on an efficient 9-of-12 shooting from the field, accounting for 49 of the Kings 99 total points.
But while four out of five starters finished Monday’s contest in double digits for the Kings, the bench failed to provide the necessary support during their minutes on the court, adding just 19 points while contributing to the losing effort.
Nets center Mason Plumlee continues to shine in place of Brook Lopez, who has been reserved to a bench role as of late, as he dumped in 6-of-7 attempts good for a team high 22 points on the night.
The Kings continue to hurt themselves with sloppy play, as a total of 21 turnovers on the night led to 25 points for the Nets at home. Brooklyn’s bench also outscored the Kings by 19 points.
Despite the lack of bench play, the Kings pulled to within 5 points with just over five minutes to go in the fourth quarter. But the defense couldn’t hold off the Nets, who used a pair of runs to solidify their victory over the visiting Kings for their 14th win of the season.
The Kings will take on the Celtics on Wednesday, December 31 at 10 a.m.
The Golden State Warriors dominated the Sacramento Kings in Monday night’s Bay Area battle, cruising their way to a 128-108 victory.
On the second night of a back-to-back, the Kings were outplayed in nearly every facet of the game by the Warriors, who currently own the NBA’s best record at 23-3 on the season.
The lone bright spot for Sacramento was C DeMarcus Cousins, who excelled in Andrew Bogut’s absence, leading the team with 22 points on the night. Darren Collison followed the big man with 17 of his own.
The Warriors were led by Klay Thompson, whose 25 points led all scorers for the contest. Steph Curry was limited to just 12 points, but tallied 11 assists on the night. In place of Bogut, Festus Ezeli notched a career high 15 points while adding six rebounds.
After losing the lead early in the first quarter following a 25-9 run for Golden State, the Kings were unable to fight their way back into contention, as the Warriors maintained a comfortable lead throughout the game.
The Warriors received a big boost from their bench, who outscored Sacramento’s bench 62-39 on the night.
The loss now drops Sacramento to a 12-16 record, good for fourth in the Pacific Division. The Kings continue their season skid, losing 11 of their last 14 games.
The Sacramento Kings snapped a five game losing streak and gave Tyrone Corbin his first win as Kings Head Coach by beating the Los Angeles Lakers 108-101 at home on Sunday.
The Kings used a 15-0 run in the third quarter and a strong defensive effort in the second half to come away with the victory.
“(It was) our defense. We did a great job paying attention to details of our game plan in the second half. As a result, they had 20 points and 21 points in that second half,” said Kings Head Coach Tyrone Corbin.
The Lakers shot just 27.3-percent (6 for 22) in final period. Kobe Bryant was just 1 for 7 from the field the fourth.
The Lakers opened up a five point lead in final quarter after the period started with some sloppy play from both sides. The Kings took the lead with 5:34 to go on a Cousins’ tip shot and Sacramento never trailed again. Ben McLemore hit a 23-foot 3-Pointer and followed that up a driving layup that was set up off a blocked shot by Rudy Gay.
A Cousins’ dunk shot with 1:19 to go put the final nail in the Lakers’ coffin.
“The guys are coming together. I can’t say enough about how I respect their effort. After all we’ve been through in the last week and a half here, just coming out and competing tonight,” added Corbin.
The Kings were led by DeMarcus Cousins’ 29 points and 14 rebounds. Rudy Gay scored 24 points and had six assists while Ben McLemore added 23. Darren Collison had a 19 point night.
The Kings shot 48.1-percent (38 for 79) from the field and were 7 for 23 (30.4-percent) from 3-Point range.
The Lakers scoring was led by Nick Young’s 26 points off the bench. Young was 4 for 9 from beyond the 3-Point arc. Kobe Bryant had a 25 point game but shot just 8 for 30 from the field.
As a team the Lakers had just a 37.9-field goal percentage (33 for 87).
The Lakers out rebounded the Kings 47-44.
Sacramento scored 23 points off fast breaks to just 9 for the Lakers.
The Kings took the lead in the game and never relinquished that lead in the first quarter. Sacramento led by as many as 10 points. The Kings shot 54.5-percent (12 for 22) from the field with two 3-point baskets in the period. Darren Collison led the Kings with eight points while Cousins scored six for Sacramento. Kobe Bryant was 2 for 7 in the opening quarter. The Kings led the Lakers 26-23 after one.
The second quarter belonged to the Lakers. Los Angeles took their first lead of the game on a Carlos Boozer layup at the 8:33 mark. The Lakers outscored the Kings 37-26 in the second period. They hit on 5 of 7 3-Point shots to open up their lead. Nick Young scored eight points to lead the Lakers. DeMarcus Cousins scored nine points for the Kings. At halftime, the Lakers led the Kings 60-52.
Game notes: The rumored trade between the Kings and the Nets appears to have “legs”. Deron Williams would come to Sacramento along with another player in exchange for Darren Collison, Jason Thompson and Derrick Williams. The Kings want the second player from Brooklyn to be center/forward Mason Plumlee. The Nets are balking at giving up the young Plumlee who they see as a star of the future … 5 of the Kings next 7 games are on the road … Sacramento travels to the Bay Area to take on the Warriors on Monday night … the Kings have a back-to-back games at home – on Friday they host the Suns and on Saturday the Knicks will be in Sacramento … the Kings will end the year and start the new year on the road in Brooklyn, Boston, Minnesota and Detroit.
Kings center DeMarcus Cousins has undergone additional evaluation as he tries to recover from a viral infection. The infection has kept him out of three games to date.
Dr. Jason Brayley of Kaiser Permanente, the team’s lead physician, has admitted Cousins to the hospital for treatment and rest. Per the doctors, Cousins’ condition is improving daily and they expect him to make a full recovery.
Cousins will not play this weekend versus Indiana and Orlando. Doctors anticipate Cousins being able to return to play next week.
There were too many 3-Pointers, too much dribble penetration and too much Tony Parker for the Kings on Friday night in San Antonio as the Spurs downed the Kings 112-104.
The Kings entered the game at a great disadvantage with DeMarcus Cousins out due to a virus and with Rudy Gay and Darren Collison playing at less than 100-percent. Gay (Right Achilles Tendinitis) and Collison (Left Quadriceps Contusion/Strain) had missed the games in Houston and New Orleans.
The lack of Cousins and the lack of defense was the story of why the Kings lost. Without Cousins to fill the lane on defense, the Spurs controlled the paint scoring 56 points in high percentage territory. The Kings allowed San Antonio to shoot 51.2-percent (42 for 82) from the field and 50.0-percent (12 for 24) from beyond the 3-Point arc. Sacramento gave up 35 points to the Spurs in the second quarter.
The Kings tried to make up for their lack of defense by playing offense with reckless abandon. Sacramento shot a 50.7- field goal percentage (38 for 75). They shot a season-high 60.0-percent (6 for 10) from 3-Point land. The Kings were very productive from the free throw line hitting on 22 of 26 (84.6-percent) attempts. Even with those incredible stats, the Kings could not overtake the Spurs.
Rudy Gay lead the Kings with 28 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and one steal. Ryan Hollins scored 15 points and grabbed six rebounds as he filled in for Cousins at center. Darren Collison posted 15 points but had just two assists and turned the ball over three times in his 34 minutes on the floor. It was apparent that Collison was not playing at 100-percent.
Ben McLemore came alive for the Kings in the third quarter and finished with 14 points. Carl Landry recorded a double-double coming off the bench with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
“Turnovers and no defense is the reason we lost,” said Kings Head Coach Michael Malone. Malone pointed out that the Spurs connected on 12 3-Pointers mostly off relentless dribble penetration. He also was concerned about the 20 points San Antonio scored off of the Kings’ 15 turnovers. Referring to his team’s lack of defense Malone said, “(I) never know which team is going to show up.”
Malone did mention Ryan Hollins and said he was proud of Hollins’ effort in the game.
Tony Parker lead the attack for San Antonio with 27 points and eight assists. He shot 10 for 17 from the field in his 38 minutes on the floor. Tim Duncan dropped in 18 points along with eight rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots. Kawhi Leonard put up 19 points and was four for six from downtown.
The Kings finished the four game road trip with a record of 2-2. Sacramento now comes home and will play 10 of their next 11 games on their home floor. They have just four games on the road in the month of December.
The Kings will play the Memphis Grizzlies at home in Sacramento on Sunday afternoon. The Kings will be seeking revenge for the stinging 111-110 loss to the Grizzlies back on November 13.
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