Tag: DeMarcus Cousins

Charlotte Hands the Kings a 113-103 Loss

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

Image

Photo credit: Rocky Widner NBAE/Getty Images

By Charlie O. Mallonee

The Charlotte Bobcats came into Sacramento on Saturday night having lost five games in a row. The Kings game into the game looking for redemption after the disappointing loss to the Sixers on Thursday night. Both teams saw each other as being a beatable team.

The Bobcats were more motivated than the Kings and left Sacramento with a win 113-103.

The Bobcats were led by point guard Kemba Walker with 30 points. Walker was 12 for 19 from the field and four of six on 3-point attempts. He also dished out six assists and pulled down four rebounds.

Center Al Jefferson also had a big night for Charlotte. He poured in 27 points, grabbed nine rebounds, had two assists and two steals. Gerald Henderson hit for 16 points, Ramon Sessions scored 12 off the bench while Chris Douglas-Roberts added 10.

The Kings finished with some strong performances of their own. Cousins posted his 20th double-double of the season scoring 26 while grabbing 11 rebounds. Rudy Gay had a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Jason Thompson recorded a double-double putting up 15 points and being credited with 14 rebounds. Isaiah Thomas added 21 points and eight assists.

The problem for the Kings was another slow starting first half. The Bobcats shot 64.3% (27-42) from the field while hitting on five of seven (71.4%) from beyond the 3-point line. Charlotte scored 65 points in the first half. It’s going to be a long night when you give up 32 points in the first and 33 points in the second quarter to your opponents. The Kings trailed 65-52 at the intermission.

The Kings played better basketball in the second half. The defense stepped up and stopped giving up easy shots. Sacramento started moving the ball and attacking the rim. The problem was even with the improved effort the Kings were unable to take back the lead from Charlotte. The Kings cut the lead to three with 8:02 left to play in the game, but the Bobcats roared back to open up a lead of 12 points with 1:02 to go. The Kings had to expel so much effort trying to get back into the game that they were never able to put themselves in a position to win.

After the game, a disappointed Kings Head Coach Michael Malone spoke about his team’s lack of defense in the first half. Allowing Charlotte to score 65 first half points obviously frustrated him. He said that at some point his team needs to become “embarrassed” about being 29th in multiple defensive categories. Malone feels there will be no significant change until they do.

Malone also pointed out that his team lost two winnable games versus Philadelphia and Charlotte. After playing at such a high level against San Antonio and Houston, the poor effort put forward in the Sixers and Bobcats games is very disappointing.

Things do not get easier for the Kings as they must prepare to play the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday. The Blazers downed the Bobcats 134-104 Thursday. Portland lost to the Sixers 101-99 on Saturday. The Kings need to anticipate facing an angry Blazers team that is looking to revenge a loss to a team they should have beaten.

Kings Lose Heartbreaker in San Antonio

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

Image

Photo Credit: D. Clarke Evans

By Charlie O. Mallonee

If effort counted, the Kings would have defeated the Spurs on Sunday night in San Antonio. Unfortunately, effort counts but point totals decide the winner, and the Spurs outscored the Kings 112-104 to win the contest.

This game was the first of a “Texas Two Step” road trip that takes the Kings to San Antonio and to Houston to end the 2013 portion of the season. The toughest game of the trip was going to be the battle with the Spurs.

The Kings came out strong in the first quarter. Rather than falling 12-15 points down as has been the pattern, Sacramento stayed even with San Antonio. DeMarcus Cousins came out strong and put up 10 points in the first period. Tim Duncan and Tony Parker scored nine points each. When the Kings second unit took the floor, the Spurs were able to open up a small lead and end the quarter leading Sacramento 27-23.

The Kings second unit stayed on the floor to open up the second quarter and proved to be no match for the Spurs’ strong bench players. The Spurs quickly opened up a 15 point lead as the Kings tried to live on outside, low percentage shots that were not falling. Sacramento also hurt themselves at the free throw line hitting just 60.0% of their shots. The Kings starters came back on the floor and cut the Spurs lead to seven. The teams went to the locker rooms with San Antonio leading the Kings 57-49.

The Kings came out hot to start the third quarter. Big baskets by Cousins, Gay, Thomas and McLemore helped them to cut the Spurs lead to three points. Sacramento continued to hustle, take high percentage shots and took the lead with 5:28 to go in the period 69-67. Isaiah Thomas led the effort scoring 15 points in the quarter. With the Sacramento starters playing almost the entire time, the Kings scored 38 points in the third. That is the most points given up by the Spurs in one quarter this season. After three quarters, the Kings led the Spurs 87-81.

The Sacramento second unit started the fourth quarter. They began to attempt low percentage shots and were giving up points on defense. The San Antonio bench led by the incredible Manu Ginobili pulled the Spurs back into the game and cut the Kings lead to three. With 2:45 to play, Tim Duncan completed a three point play by hitting the free throw, and the Spurs took the lead 105-102. The Kings were not able to get decent open shots and were unable to score. Tony Parker hit a killer 3-pointer with 50.0 seconds to go to up the Spurs lead to 108-102. The Spurs would score four additional points to make the final score 112-104 in favor of San Antonio.

The difference in the game was the bench play of the Spurs. Ginobili scored 28 points off the bench while Boris Diaw scored 14. San Antonio’s bench never allowed the game to run away from them. When the Sacramento bench was on the floor, the team went backwards. That is the difference between an upper echelon team and a rebuilding team.

The Kings had some outstanding performances in the game. DeMarcus Cousins posted his 17th double-double scoring 29 points and gathering in 14 rebounds. After scoring just five points in the first half, Isaiah Thomas finished with 27. Rudy Gay recorded 24 points and grabbed nine rebounds. The big three did their job in the game. The Kings bench scored just 12 points and played poor defense. That is where the game was lost.

The Kings have Monday off and then they face another tough opponent on Tuesday in the Houston Rockets. It will take another strong effort by the starters if they are to defeat the Rockets in their own house.

Kings Surprise Heat in OT 108-103

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

Image

Photo credit: Rocky Widner

By Charlie O. Mallonee

“The Big Show” came to town in Sacramento on Friday night when the Miami Heat played the Sacramento Kings. The sellout crowd was there to see LeBron, Bosh and company, and by the way the Kings as well. By the end of the night, the Kings and not the defending World Champions were the stars of the show.

The Sacramento Kings defeated the Miami Heat 108-103 in overtime at Sleep Train Arena. If you watched the game at the arena or on TV, you know that after the first quarter the final result was not foreseeable. The Kings trailed the Heat 32-19 after one quarter. You could literally feel the air leaving the building as 17,317 fans sat back preparing for another loss.

The Kings did show a little life when the second unit hit the floor. The second unit stayed on the floor to start the second quarter and the tempo of the Kings improved. Quincy Acy scored 8 points and Travis Outlaw added four. When the starters returned to the game, they appeared to have renewed energy. The Kings went on to win the quarter 26-23.

The Heat led the Kings 55-45 at the half, but there was something different about the Heat in that second period. They stopped attacking the rim and began shooting long shots, but they were only hitting 37.5% from beyond the arc. The Heat had changed their approach to the game.

The Heat came out in the third quarter playing as they had late in the first half. Miami attempted long 2- pointers and 3-pointers. The Heat’s shots were falling just short, and they appeared to be tired. Miami shot just 27.8% (5-18) from the field in the third.

While the Heat were missing shots, the Kings began making shots. The Sacramento starting five played the entire third quarter. Rudy Gay put up 11 points, Cousins scored seven, Jason Thompson added six while Isaiah Thomas hit five points. The Kings field goal percentage was 68.8% (11-16). Sacramento outscored Miami 29-18. After three quarters, the Kings led 74-73.

The fourth quarter proved to be a slug fest. Neither team shot particularly well. The Kings lead turned into a six point Heat lead with 6:31 left in the game. The Kings kept battling back and tied the game at 89 all on a Rudy Gay 14 foot jumper. LeBron James had a chance to win the game for Miami but missed a 25 foot jumper at the buzzer. An extra five minutes would be needed to decide a winner.

The Kings scored first in overtime on a Rudy Gay 24 foot 3-pointer and they would never trail again in the game. Sacramento led by as many as eight points, but LeBron James was not going to allow the Kings to cruise to a win. James had a three point play the old fashion way and two 3-pointers in OT, but it was not enough to stop the Kings from winning the game 108-103.

Isaiah Thomas scored seven points in overtime while Gay and Cousins added five points each and Marcus Thornton recorded two. LeBron James led the Heat with 11 points in OT.

The victory was just the Kings first win in the last 11 games versus the Heat. The Kings improve to 9-19 on the season while Miami falls to 22-7.

The Kings big three led the way to victory. DeMarcus Cousins recorded his 16th double-double with 27 points and 17 rebounds. Rudy Gay hit for 26 points with 20 of those points coming in the second half. Isaiah Thomas posted a double-double with 22 points and 11 assists.

LeBron James led all scorers in the game with 33 points. Chris Bosh scored 18. Mario Chalmers had a double-double with 11 points and 10 assists.

The Kings defense held the Heat to just a 44.2% (38-88) field goal shooting percentage. The Heat shot just 34.4% (11-32) for 3-pointers. Sacramento out-rebounded Miami 51-36 for the game.

The key to the win was the Kings ability to score in paint while stopping Miami from doing the same. The Kings scored 60 points in the paint while the Heat scored just 38 in the paint.

The Kings will have to remember that they beat the Heat while Dwyane Wade, Ray Allen and Chris Andersen were kept out of the game. That is not to say it was not a legitimate victory, but the Heat did beat the Lakers on Christmas Day with those three players in the lineup.

After the game, Head Coach Michael Malone had some thoughts on his team’s comeback after giving up 32 points in the first quarter: “I want to give a lot of credit to our second unit. We started out that game tonight by being down 17 points and our starting group didn’t have the best start in the world. The second unit came in and got us back in the game. Quincy Acy brought effort and energy. We cut the 17 point deficit to 10 and kept it competitive. We’ve been preaching defense, and I know we haven’t played a lot of it this year, but tonight I thought that the guys really bought in after that 32 point first quarter. We did a great job the rest of the game, really up until the last minute of overtime when LeBron James went crazy and we kept giving him open looks. I’m very proud of everybody in that locker room: starters, guys on the bench – everybody contributed.”

The Kings will not have any time to savor this victory as they must head out on a two game road trip in Texas. Sacramento will face San Antonio on Sunday and Houston on Tuesday.

Kings Stop the Magic 105-100

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

Image

Photo credit: Fernando Medina

By Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings desperately needed a win on Saturday night in Orlando. The Kings had lost the first three games of the four game road trip and had been blown out in two of those games. The game against the Magic appeared to be the most winnable of the trip. The Kings stepped up, shook off the blowout in Miami and beat the Magic 105-100.

The game did not begin in a manner that would instill confidence that a win was in the cards. The Kings gave up 31 points to the Magic and trailed 31-25 after one quarter. The lack of defense made it appear that is was going to be déjà vu all over again for Sacramento.

The Kings offense stepped up and starting putting points up on the board in the second quarter. Head Coach Michael Malone felt that his team’s 12-4 run to close out the quarter was a key to their victory. The Kings went to the locker room trailing the Magic by just two points, 58-56.

Both teams came out in the third determined to play defense. The Kings and the Magic scored only 19 points each in the quarter. Malone called his team’s defensive efforts in the period, “Terrific!” After three quarters the Magic led the Kings by just two points.

The Kings offense came alive in the fourth quarter as they went on an 18-4 run to kick things off in the final 12 minutes of the game. The Kings outscored the Magic 30-23 in the fourth period and capped off their 105-100 win.

After the game, Michael Malone said, “We battled back tonight.” He also praised guard Marcus Thornton, “Marcus has been a true pro. He was ready tonight.”

Thornton has been the forgotten man on the Sacramento bench. He had gone from being a starter to being completely out of the rotation. Saturday night Thornton got the chance to play and he did the most with his opportunity. Thornton scored 15 points in his 22 minutes of playing time. After the game he said, “I’m happy to have the opportunity.”

Isaiah Thomas had another terrific game for Sacramento. His play in the first half really kept his team in the game. Thomas finished with 23 points, nine assists and five rebounds. He shot eight for 15 from the floor.

Rudy Gay also poured in 23 points for the Kings in his 38 minutes of playing time. Gay grabbed six rebounds and added two assists.

DeMarcus Cousins recorded another double-double. Cousins scored 14 points and pulled down 11 rebounds.

The Kings had a strong night shooting the ball. They shot 49.4% (39-79) overall and 52.2% (12-23) from beyond the 3-point line.

The Kings now head back to Sacramento where they will host the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday night at Sleep Train Arena.

Kings Handle Houston 106-91

Published on by Charlie O. Mallonee1 Comment

Image

By Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings took the floor on Sunday against the Houston Rockets and looked like an entirely different team than the one that lost to Phoenix on Friday. They moved the ball on offense, blocked shots, made steals and played solid defense. The Kings beat the Rockets 106-91 because they played like a different team.

The game came down to the fact that Sacramento’s big three – Cousins, Gay and Thomas outplayed Houston’s big three of Howard, Harden and Parsons. The Kings big three outscored the Rockets big three 66-57.

Rudy Gay had a big game in his Sacramento home court debut. He scored 26 points (14 in the first quarter), shot 50.0% (10-20) from the floor, pulled down 5 rebounds, added four assists, made four steals and had one blocked shot. Yes, Rudy Gay is a difference maker for this Kings team.

DeMarcus Cousins posted a double-double, 21 points and 10 rebounds, despite not scoring his first points until 6:01 in the second quarter. Isaiah Thomas scored 19 points, had eight assists and made two steals in his 41 minutes on the floor.

Dwight Howard scored 13 points for the Rockets. He really hurt his team at the free throw line where shot 5 for 13. “Hack-a-Howard” looks like a solid defensive plan.

Harden put up 25 points and was 3 for 9 from 3-point land. Chandler Parsons recorded 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists in 40 minutes of playing time.

The Rockets jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead in the first quarter. It looked like Houston might make it an early runaway. Then, Rudy Gay made a steal and a score that led the Kings on a 6-0 run. Gay, in his home debut, kept the Kings in the game with 14 first quarter points. Sacramento needed that from Gay as Cousins was held scoreless in the first period. At the end of one, the game was tied at 28 all.

The second quarter started off with the teams trading easy baskets. Derrick Williams led the Kings early in period and ended the first half with nine points. Isaiah Thomas hit a 3-pointer and was fouled. He hit the free throw for the rare 4-point play. Cousins scored his first points with 6:01 left in the half on a breakaway dunk. Sacramento opened up a 48-38 lead. The Kings also helped themselves from the free throw line. The Kings shot 16 for 19 (84.2%) from the line while Houston went just 10 for 20 (50.0%) from the stripe. Dwight Howard went 3 for 8 for free throws.

At the half, the Kings led the Rockets 57-49. Sacramento held Houston to just 21 points in the second quarter.

James Harden opened up the third quarter with a long 3-pointer. The Kings answered with an “alley oop” from Isaiah Thomas to Rudy Gay. At 10:54, Harden rolled his ankle while driving the lane. He shot two free throws one footed and left the game. The Rockets responded by stepping up their game and cut the Kings lead to one, 61-60. The Kings woke up and started scoring. Dwight Howard continued to kill his team from the charity stripe. Sacramento made steals, blocked shots and make baskets that allowed them to open up a 10 point lead. Harden returned at 5:26 but was obviously not at 100%. The third quarter ended with the Kings leading 81-71.

The Rockets made a mini run to open the fourth quarter cutting the Kings lead to 81-75. Howard continued to shoot poorly from the free throw line. The Kings settled down and opened up a 91-78 lead. Cousins, Thompson and Gay continued to break down the Houston defense and score baskets down low. The Rockets started looking tired, Harden was quiet and the Kings opened up a lead that they would never relinquish. Sacramento won the game 106-91.

After the game, Kings Head Coach Michael Malone said, “I felt better about the defense. We must have had a great film session.” Malone felt his team was ready to play.

Malone also stated, “I want DeMarcus (Cousins) or Rudy (Gay) on the floor at all times. Rudy makes us tougher to guard.”

With his team facing four games in five days on the road, Malone is hoping that the tough road trip will help his team build chemistry.

Note: Quincy Acy saw his first playing time as King versus the Rockets. He played 12 minutes, scored four points, had three rebounds and blocked one shot. Aaron Gray did not play on Sunday, but Malone indicated that Gray would see action on the road trip.

 

 

Kings Beat Jazz in Overtime

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

Image

 

Photo credit: Melissa Majchrak

By Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings defeated the Utah Jazz on Saturday night in overtime 112-102. It was not only a big road win, but it was a win in a close game that Kings needed very badly.

The Kings had lost the proverbial heartbreaker to the Los Angeles Lakers at home on Friday night. The team, the coaching staff and the fans were beginning to wonder if the team would ever be able to win a close game this season.

Saturday did not start off the way the Kings would have liked. DeMarcus Cousins picked up two personal fouls in the first minute of the game. With Cousins on the bench, the Kings had their work cut out for them to just keep the game close until their star center could return.

The Jazz led the game 50-47 at the half.

In the third quarter, the Kings began to open up the game. The Jazz had no answer for Cousins down low in the paint. Isaiah Thomas was breaking down the Utah defense driving the lane and distributing the ball at will. The Kings led 74-70 after three quarters, and it felt like the Kings could run away with the game if they could continue playing the way they did in the third.

Early in the fourth quarter the Kings shooting went cold. At one point, the Kings were shooting just 29% while the Jazz were shooting 54% from the field. It began to look like the Lakers, Golden State and Oklahoma City games all over again.

After the game, head coach Michael Malone said he kept calling timeouts not to set plays or the defense, but to try and instill confidence in his team that they could win a close game.

With 11.9 seconds to go in the game, the Kings trailed the Jazz 97-94. Isaiah Thomas took the ball and started to drive the lane when looked to his right and saw Ben McLemore. He swung the ball to McLemore who shot a 25 footer that was good for three points tying the game at 97-97. The Jazz were unable to score, and it was off to overtime for the second time this season for both teams.

DeMarcus Cousins scored the first points in the extra period on a layup with an assist from John Salmons. That basket set the tone for the Kings who would go on to outscore the Jazz 15-5 in overtime. Sacramento closed out the period on a 10-0 run to win the game 112-102.

Cousins led all scorers with 28 points. He added seven rebounds, three assists, two steals and three blocked shots. Isaiah Thomas tallied 26 points, eight assists and four steals. Ben McLemore posted 15 points, nine rebounds and two steals in his 38 minutes of playing time.

Gordon Hayward led the Jazz with 22 points, four rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots.

Sacramento’s record improves to 5-13 on the season. Utah falls to 4-18 for the year.

The Kings flew home after the game and will now prepare for a Monday night contest with the Dallas Mavericks at Sleep Train Arena.

Kings Fold in the Fourth; Lose to Lakers 106-100

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

Image

Photo Credit: Rocky Widner/NBAE/Getty Images

By Charlie O. Mallonee

The Kings lost at home on Friday night to the Los Angeles Lakers 106-100. It was game they did not have to lose. It was a game the Kings should have won.

After the game, Kings Head Coach Michael Malone said one word was on his mind, “discipline. And, we had none in this game tonight.”

Turnovers and lack of defense in the fourth quarter led to the Kings defeat. The Kings turned to ball over five times in the final period. The Lakers outscored the Kings 25-13 in fourth. That lack of discipline cost Sacramento the 87-81 lead they had after three periods of play.

The game started slow for the Kings. It looked like they might fall back into their habit of falling seriously behind and then having to play catch up later in the game. With 3:19 to play in the first, Isaiah Thomas came into the game for Vasquez and the Kings’ tempo changed dramatically. They went from trailing the Lakers by seven to leading the game by two points (30-28) by the end of the quarter. The crowd knew their team could win the game if they continued to play at that level.

In the second quarter, Thomas continued to lead the way. He played the entire 12 minutes, scored 10 points and dished out three assists. The problem for the Kings became their shot selection and shooting percentage. Sacramento’s field goal shooting dropped to 36.0% (9/25) while the Lakers shot 50.0%. The Kings managed to outscore the Lakers 25-24 in the quarter and took a 55-52 lead with them to locker room at the half.

The Kings came out in the third quarter ready to do battle. They established an eight point lead (68-60) by the 7:39 mark in the period. Then with 6:39 to play, DeMarcus Cousins picked up his fourth personal foul which would ultimately have a dramatic impact on the game as he had to sit on the bench. The rest of the Kings went to work picking up the slack. When Ben McLemore hit back-to-back 3-pointers, it looked like the Kings were poised to beat the Lakers. When the quarter ended, the score was the Kings 87 and the Lakers 81.

Then came the disastrous fourth quarter and the Kings shot just 23.5% (4/17). Isaiah Thomas was 0/4, Cousins was 0/4 and Williams 0/1 from the field. Sacramento turned the ball over five times. They allowed the Lakers to steal the ball five times in the period. The Lakers outscored the Kings 25-13. The Kings ran out of gas, things got ugly and they lost the game 106-100.

“Obviously this isn’t what we worked on, diagrammed or hoped for,” said Michael Malone. “It’s obvious that we have to do a lot more. I thought we had great late-game execution against Golden State. We got whatever we wanted, we scored, and we executed. Tonight, down the stretch, we turned the ball over on almost every possession. It was very disappointing, obviously. We’ll have another chance tomorrow in Utah and we need to regroup to find a way to get a road win.”

DeMarcus Cousins and Ben McLemore led all scorers in the game with 20 points each. Isaiah Thomas tallied 14 points before going cold in the fourth quarter. John Salmons added 13 points; Williams and Thompson had nine points each.

Cousins made it a double-double game with his 20 points and 11 rebounds.

Pau Gasol and Jodie Meeks led the Lakers in scoring with 19 points each. Nick Young scored 14, Wesley Johnson and Steve Blake 13 each and Robert Sacre added 11 points.  Blake posted a double-double by adding 10 assists.

The Kings boarded a plane for Salt Lake City after the game. They will play the Utah Jazz on Saturday night. The Jazz were destroyed by the Trail Blazers on Friday night 130-97. On paper, the Kings should have real chance to defeat the Jazz, but that’s on paper. The reality is the game is on road versus a team that is just as hungry for a win as are the Kings.

Kings Lose Heartbreaker to Warriors 115-113

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

Image

By Charlie O. Mallonee

No matter who won the game, the opening paragraph was going to be the same. For one team it would be a well-deserved, hard fought victory and for the other team it would be a heartbreaking loss.

It was a well-deserved, hard fought 115-113 victory for the Golden State Warriors and a heartbreaking loss for the Sacramento Kings. The game literally came down to the final second on Sunday in Sacramento.

The fact that the game came down to last moment was a testament to the Sacramento Kings bench who did everything they were asked to do and more. With 2:08 left to play in the third quarter, the Kings trailed Golden State 88-72. Kings Head Coach Michael Malone said his team could have lost by 30 or fought back in attempt to win the game. The Kings fought back and Malone seemed very proud of his players.

The fourth quarter began with the Kings down by 10 points (GSW 90-SAC 80). Malone went with Patterson, Salmons, Thomas, Thornton and Hayes to start the period. That group closed the gap to six points. Green hit a 3-Pointer for the Warriors to make it a nine point lead as time was called with 8:13 to go in the game.

Coming out of the timeout, Cousins entered the game for Hayes. Cousins had an immediate impact with an assist and driving dunk that cut the Warrior lead to six.

Following an Isaiah Thomas steal and a Marcus Thornton 25 foot jump shot, the Warrior lead was down to one.

The Kings took the lead on a Thomas 3-Pointer off an assist from Cousins 104-102.

The game continued to see-saw back and forth. With 47.8 seconds to play, the game was tied at 111-111. Draymond Green put the Warriors back on top with a put-back of a Curry missed jumper.

After a 20 second timeout, Cousins hit a five foot jump hook to re-tie the game at 113-113. Salmons fouled Curry who hit both of his free throws to put the Warriors back in front 115-113.

Isaiah Thomas missed a lay-up with 1.8 seconds left to play. Bogut grabbed the rebound and the game was over. Golden State had defeated the Kings 115-113.

After the game Head Coach Michael Malone said, “Our guys have a ‘no quit’ attitude. I challenge them a lot. I never want them to be a team that just rolls over. What I like about our guys is that it could’ve been a 16 point deficit that turned into 30 but it turned into a two point lead and giving ourselves a chance. We were only one defensive rebound away from winning that game. The challenge that we have as a team is to stay together and find ways to close things out. Yes, we play the toughest schedule in the NBA but the reality is that we have another team coming in Tuesday night that’s not going to feel sorry for us. We have to do a better job at taking care of the ball and defending at a much higher level.”

The Kings came into the needing to shoot better on offense and to do a better job of defending the other team especially from beyond the 3-Point line. They accomplished one of those two goals on Sunday.

The Kings took advantage of a Warriors team that does not play great defense. Sacramento shot 52.6% (40/76) from the field and shot an impressive 47.4% (9/19) for 3-Pointers. As a team, they shot 85.7% (24/28) from the Free Throw Line. On offense, the Kings did a great job.

Their defense however let them down. The Kings allowed Golden State to shoot 51.2% (42/82) overall and an incredible 60.0% (15/25) from 3-Point land. Stephen Curry scored 38 points with 15 of those points coming from beyond the arc. Klay Thompson scored 28 points and 24 of his points came off of eight 3-Point goals.

DeMarcus Cousins led all Sacramento scorers with 24 points. Marcus Thornton scored 21 coming off the bench including five 3-Point goals. Patrick Patterson shot 100.0% (8/8) scoring 18 points in his off the bench role. Isaiah Thomas scored 19 points. The Kings bench scored 65 points on Sunday night against the Warriors.

POST GAME NOTES:

The Kings fall to 4-11 overall and 3-7 at home. It was the fourth consecutive loss for the Kings.

DeMarcus Cousins 24 point game was his ninth 20 point plus game of the season.

The Warriors are now 10-6 overall and 5-6 on the road.

Golden State has won both games with the Kings this season.

The Warriors and Kings will play again on Wednesday 2/19/14 in Sacramento.

 

Kings Lose to Clippers 104-98 in OT

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

Image

 

By Charlie O. Mallonee

Round three of the 4-game season series between the Clippers and the Kings was just as exciting as last Saturday’s 103-102 Los Angeles win. This time it took overtime to decide who the victors would be in Sacramento. When the final buzzer sounded, the Clippers had won the game 104-98 to take a commanding 3-0 lead in series.

The Clippers have not lost a game this season in which they have scored at least 100 points. On Friday, they started a new streak of winning a game with Chris Paul on the bench for the entire contest. The league’s best point guard could not play on Friday due to the strained hamstring that he experienced against the Knicks on Wednesday.

Darren Collison started at the point for LA and handled the team very well. He had 15-points, 2 assists and 1 steal in his 40 minutes of playing time. Collison quietly kept the ball moving into the hands of his teammates who did the most with their opportunities.

Jamal Crawford came off the bench for the Clippers and showed us that it is his world and we are just allowed to live in it. Crawford poured in 31-points (12/22 FG, 3/7 3-pt, 4/4 FT) with 11 assists and seven rebounds in 37 minutes of playing time. No matter where you looked, it seemed like Crawford was there. His 31-points led all scorers in the game.

DeMarcus Cousins played tough and at times moved Griffin and Jordan around underneath the basket at will. Cousins played 41 minutes posting 25-points, nine rebounds, six assists and three blocked shots. He played with fire and determination which was required especially against DeAndre Jordan who played a take no prisoners’ type of game all night.

The Kings may have had their best first quarter of basketball of the season. They played a high energy type of game on both offense and defense. The Kings were 11/20 (55.0%) from the field and held the Clippers to just a 38.1 (8/21) field goal percentage. The Kings led 24-23 after one quarter.

The game settled down in the second quarter and Jamal Crawford began his domination of the game. Crawford scored nine-points and had five assists in period. The pace of the game was also affected by the referees calling offensive and loose ball fouls. It was like the league office called and ordered them to call more of those type of fouls. That did not continue in the second half. The Clippers outscored the Kings 27-21 in the quarter and led at half-time 50-45.

The third quarter saw a change in the style of play. Rather than running the fast break or taking outside shots, both teams began playing tough under the basket and looking for high percentage shots which was reflected in the shooting stats. The Clippers shot 7/12 (58.3%) while the Kings shot 11/21 (52.4%) from the field. The Kings outscored LA 27-23 and trailed the Clippers 73-72 at the end of three quarters.

The fourth quarter was tough and gritty. Points came hard for both teams. The crowd became more involved as the teams battled for supremacy. The Kings won the quarter 22-21 and after 48 minutes of play the game was tied at 94-all.

In the overtime period, the depth of the Clippers came to bear on the Kings. The Clippers outscored the Kings 10-4 in the extra five minutes. Jamal Crawford and Blake Griffin led LA with four-points each. Patrick Patterson scored all four of the Kings overtime points. When the buzzer sounded, the final score was Los Angeles 104 – Sacramento 98.

After the game, Kings Head Coach Michael Malone said, “It was another tough loss against a team that we’ve played against three times already. We can’t get over the hump. I loved how hard our guys played tonight and there were a lot of great things that came out of the game. We don’t play them again until the last week of the season and maybe by then we’ll figure out a way to get a win against them.”

One of the major stories of the night for the Kings was the play of their newest acquisition Derrick Williams. Williams was traded to the Kings from Minnesota earlier in the week. He played 32 minutes, scored 12-points, had four assists and pulled down 6 rebounds.

Per Coach Malone, “I thought he was terrific. Right away I said that he’s a guy that brings great athleticism and versatility. We had great plays and transitions, we got out and ran. We had some plays at the rim and he was a big part of that. He’s only going to get better as he gets his feet set and gets more comfortable.”

UP NEXT: The Golden State Warriors will be the next opponents for the Sacramento Kings on Sunday at 3:00 PM in Sleep Train Arena. It will be the second meeting of the season between the two teams. GSW won the first game on November 2 in Oakland 98-87. The game will be the second contest in a four-game home stand that includes the OKC Thunder next Tuesday and the LA Lakers on Friday December 6. Per Kobe Bryant, Friday could be his first game of the 2013-14 season.

GAME NOTES: The Kings and Clippers next and last meeting of the season will be on April 12, 2014 at the Staples Center. It will be game 80 of the season for the Kings. The schedule was designed to create some early excitement for the new season, but four months between games in the division is bit much. There must be a better way to make divisional play more exciting spread out over the entire season.

Kings vs Clippers Preview

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

Image

By Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings have not played a game since their loss last Sunday to the LA Lakers 100-86. The team looked tired in the second half of the Lakers game after losing a heartbreaker to the Cippers 103-102 on Saturday night.

The Clippers defeated the Knicks 93-80 on Wednesday night even with Chris Paul having to leave the game with a strained hamstring.

After the Knicks game, the Clippers seemed very pleased with their defense that held NYK to just 80 points. The Clippers have primarily been defeating teams with their offense. They have not lost a game this season when the team has scored 100 points or more in the contest.

The Kings will need to concentrate on controlling the defensive boards tonight. Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan can dominate the rebounding situation and kill a team with easy put back shots off the rebound. The Kings will need more than just Cousins to battle under the bucket to keep the Clippers from having multiple opportunities on offense.

The Kings must also play better defense on Friday. The Clippers are shooting 47.9% as a team. The Kings need to bring that percentage down into the low 40’s in order to post a victory.

The Kings will also need to show improved shooting versus the Clippers. Sacramento is averaging just 42.7% shooting from the field. That shooting percentage will not get it done against the Clippers.

The Clippers must contain DeMarcus Cousins if they are to win. Cousins scored 23 points and pulled down 19 rebounds versus LAC last Saturday. Cousins may have some help on the front line tonight with Derrick Williams starting at small forward. This will be Williams’ first game as a King.

The Clippers have two players with health issues coming into the game. Paul’s hamstring is questionable, but he has said he will be ready to play Friday night. Blake Griffin is nursing a tender elbow that had to have fluid drained off it earlier this week.

Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 PST. The game can be seen on CSNCA and heard on the Kings Radio Network.

 Ray McCallum Returns from Reno

 The Kings have recalled rookie guard Ray McCallum from the Reno Bighorns of the NBA D-League. McCallum joined the Bighorns on November 21.

McCallum averaged a team high 22 points (45.5 FG%, 30.8 3pt%, 66.7 FT%), 5.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.33 steals and a team high 38.0 minutes of playing time in three games with Reno.

McCallum should probably buy some tire chains as he may well be making the trip between Sacramento and Reno several times this season. The Kings want him to get playing time. If the PT does not come in Sacramento, he will be sent to Reno to get some game experience.