DeMarcus Cousins – Page 6 – Sports Radio Service

All over the place: Contrite, then brash, Cousins scores 55 as the Kings tip the Blazers

Published on December 21, 2016December 22, 2016 by moepeaLeave a comment

By Morris Phillips

SACRAMENTO–DeMarcus Cousins, this is normal? Really?

Well, don’t get upset, DeMarcus, if I term it the new normal.

Cousins started Tuesday by admitting that his menacing act heaped upon Sacramento Bee columnist Andy Furillo was poorly timed, poorly placed, another one of those DeMarcus misunderstood moments that was just the Kings’ star trying to stick up for those close to him, in this case Cousins’ younger brother Jaleel. The two brothers were involved in an incident earlier this year that Furillo used in his column to illustrate Cousins’ disturbing pattern of poor choices leading to the publicized incident in New York involving Cousins and teammate Matt Barnes.

The Kings–looking for a more definitive statement than the one released by Cousins prior to Tuesday’s game against the Trailblazers–fined their star. The amount of the fine was $50,000, according to Bee.

Nothing to sneeze at, but probably an amount equal to what Cousins spent on his fall/winter fashion purchases, minus the cost of deodorants, which he borrowed from a teammate before speaking to the assembled media, after the 6’11” star hand delivered a win for Sacramento with 55 points, including 17 in the fourth quarter.

“Hi friends, how have you been?” Cousins asked before taking questions.

The bit was so revealing of the star’s many moods and thoughts that his locker room q&a was shown for nearly three minutes on the late SportsCenter. Of course, the main topic of discussion postgame was the technical foul that caused Cousins’ ejection was rescinded by the referees, after a group discussion, no video review, allowing the star to return from the dressing room, and finish off the Blazers.

“I hope the world can see now what’s really going on out here. It’s really ridiculous,” Cousins said to sideline reporter Kayte Christensen immediately following the game’s conclusion.

Cousins has an NBA-leading 103 technical fouls since he entered the league in 2010. Number 104 could have changed the discourse on Tuesday. Already without second leading scorer Rudy Gay, and bludgeoned by the Blazers’ 72-point first half, no Cousins in the final 35 seconds could have wiped the season’s best win off the books for the 11-17 Kings.

But it didn’t. Cousins strutted out of the arena’s tunnel, with that familiar, frustrated look on his face, and hit a free throw that completed a three-point play that gave the Kings the lead for good.

“Certainly DeMarcus had a nice game,” Coach Dave Joerger said. “Okay, that’s kind of an understatement, but very impressed that any of us who would get thrown out in what we think is a questionable deal. You go back and you’re feeling terrible, mentally you’re done. And to come back out–all the way back out–and step out and make the free throw was very impressive. I was impressed with him.”

The Blazers did their part in Cousins’ stage play in three acts by collapsing on cue late. Portland’s 72-point, first half devolved into a 22-point, fourth quarter. Damian Lillard and crew missed 22 of their 26 three-point attempts, which certainly would have been the story had not Cousins’ Christmas play not been booked for Golden One Arena on Tuesday.

So what exactly happened with 35 seconds remaining in the game? You would ask.

After beating Portland’s Mason Plumlee down the lane, to the basket, for a nifty layup and a foul, Cousins stomped towards the Blazers’ bench screaming. In the process of dropping some choice words that Blazer Meyers Leonard said were unrepeatable, and directed at him, Cousins mouthpiece flew out, and at the feet of the Blazers.

Coach Terry Stotts and his staff screamed for a technical to be issued, and it was, by referee Brian Forte. But aftet all three refs huddled, and Cousins departed, ripping his jersey off in the process, the call was rescinded.

“I conferred with my partners and they confirmed that he did not throw the mouthpiece, and that it came out of his mouth and that’s how it ended up there,” said Forte afterwards to pool reporter Mike Richman.

Kings fail to show up; lose to Mavs 99-79

Published on December 18, 2016 by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

Sacramento Kings v Dallas Mavericks — Cousins was the Kings offense in Dallas on Sunday photo: NBAE

by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings went into Dallas on Sunday with a chance to finish a three-game road with a winning record and hand the Mavericks their second loss to the Kings in 12 days at the American Airlines Center. Instead, the Kings never had a lead in the game, allowed the Mavericks to dominate from beyond the 3-point arc, did not support a 33-point performance by DeMarcus Cousins and lost the game 99-79.

The Kings (10-17) were coming off a big victory in Memphis on Friday night were they to had grind their way to a 96-92 win against a team that makes it living grinding the opposition down to defeat them. Momentum should have been with them as they faced a team they had destroyed just days earlier.

The Mavericks (7-20) were coming off a devastating loss in Utah on Friday night. Dallas had tied the game up at 100-all with seconds remaining. Deron Williams missed a shot that could have won the game for Dallas and Rodney Hood drove the ball into the frontcourt for the Jazz, pulled up hitting a 26-foot jump shot to give the Utah a 3-point lead with 0.8-seconds remaining. The Jazz won the game 103-100.

It appears the motivation of overcoming a loss was stronger than the motivation of establishing a winning streak on Sunday night.

New season low point total for the Kings

The final total of 79 points was a new season low for Sacramento. Why did the Kings score so few points? Poor shooting percentage would be the number one problem:

The Kings shot 39.5-percent (30-for-76) from the floor. The odds of winning an NBA game really drop when a team shoots under 40-percent
Converting just 8-of-31 (25.8-percent) 3-point shot opportunities. It is a 3-point league and a long-range shooting percentage in the 20s is going to make it tough to win
Going just 11-for-17 (64.7-percent) from the free throw line. They call it the “charity stripe” for a reason. A team has to take advantage of those uncontested shots. The small total of 17 attempts tells you that the Kings did not drive it to the basket enough in the game

Lack of scorers in double figures for Sacramento

The Kings had only two players post totals in double figures on Sunday night. DeMarcus Cousins put up 33 points while shooting 50-percent from the field. He also recorded nine rebounds. Ty Lawson was the only other Kings player to score in double figures in support of Cousins big effort. Lawson scored 10 points off the bench.

Sacramento had only two players who had scored more than three points at the half.

By contrast, the Mavericks had six players post scoring totals in double figures. Four of the five Dallas starters scored in double digits. Former King Seth Curry scored 13 points coming off the bench for the Mavs.

The Mavericks guards dominated the backcourt play

Dallas guards outscored the Sacramento guards 57-17 in the game. The Mavericks guards helped lead a 44.2-percent (34-for-77) shooting barrage that included hitting 13-of-33 shots from 3-point land.

A major loss of momentum for the Kings

A win in Dallas would have given the Kings a winning record on the three-game road trip. Now the Kings come home on Tuesday to face a Portland team that they have already lost to once this season before heading back out on the road for two more games before Christmas.

The Kings then have to go to Utah on Wednesday night for second game of a back-to-back set. They lost 104-84 on their last visit to Salt Lake City.

After facing Utah, the Kings have to travel to Minnesota to face the Timberwolves on Friday night. The T-Wolves have won just seven games this season but so has Dallas. Plus, we know that the road is a very fickle place in the NBA.

The Kings will need Gay and Casspi back

Sacramento was without Rudy Gay (right hip flexor strain) and Omri Casspi (illness) for the second consecutive game on Sunday night. The Kings could use the firepower of both players back in their lineup on Tuesday when they face the Trail Blazers.

Some words of advice for DeMarcus Cousins from an “OG” reporter

Published on December 18, 2016December 18, 2016 by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

by Charlie O. Mallonee

SACRAMENTO–DeMarcus Cousins is back in the news and not in a good way. On Friday, a story with video of the incident was released showing DeMarcus Cousins shouting at and frankly trying to physically intimidate Sacramento Bee sports columnist Andy Furillo over his story on the Barnes – Cousins incident in a New York City nightclub. Cousins was upset over a reference Furillo made to another incident from last summer about a fight that involved Cousins’ brother and himself in Florida.

You can click on the link to see the video and read the column: (http://www.sacbee.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/andy-furillo/article120107843.html). Let me just say I enjoy reading Andy’s column’s on sacbee.com and I have enjoyed the few conversations I have had with him at Kings games. He like myself has a few road miles on him and he probably carries a AARP card for discounts. I mention that to highlight the fact that Furillo is an experienced reporter and observer who understands the rules of the road. He is also the son of a famous Southern California sports writer and broadcaster so he knows his way around this business better than most.

I have read the column and there is nothing in the story that should have elicited the kind of over-the-top response from Cousins gave to Furillo. I would not have expected Cousins to have given Furillo any kudos for the column but his response in the locker room was uncalled for in this case.

This is my response to Mr. Cousins.

DeMarcus:

First, let me say that I have really enjoyed watching you play basketball as I have covered the Kings for the past three seasons. What you do on the court amazes me. You see, I am an “OG” who saw “the Big O” – Oscar Robertson and Bill Russell play each other in the first NBA game I saw in live and in person. I have had the privilege of seeing many of the best big men of the game play live and you fit right in on that list.

When you execute a dribble-drive from the arc into the paint then add a spin move with an underhand layup that makes every guard in “the association” jealous, its amazing. You will then turnaround on the next possession and bury a 3-pointer. Later, you are battling double-teams with your back to the basket and pull off a hook shot that’s good for two. We have not even started to consider your passing ability. George Karl said you were the best passer on his team and that was from a man we are fairly sure did not like you much.

You wear “best big man in the NBA” mantle well.

DeMarcus – in the spirit of full disclosure – I have called for the Kings to trade you. I have two reasons for calling for a trade:

You are the Kings best asset. This team needs a lot of pieces in order to truly become a playoff contender. Sometimes, you have to part with an asset in order to get back the multiple assets you need. Trading you would probably bring the Kings two serviceable starters and two very valuable number one draft picks based on the projections I have read. Sacramento needs those extra first round picks to create the foundation they need to build a winning situation.
The other reason I have called for a trade is because it is what I think is best for you. This next contract is your “BIG” contract. You will be at the apex of your career. This your chance to be on a team and play for a ring. A chance to play in a larger market and cash-in on the endorsement business. You can be one of players helping to carry the team rather than having to carry the entire team on your shoulders. It could be your chance to really become one of the best known players in the NBA by playing in a major market.

With that out of the way, I am now going to give you some “OG” words of advice from my personal perspective.

A battle with the press is a losing proposition. There are more of them than there are of you and they will not go away. You are in the sports and entertainment business. One of the reasons professional sports makes the money it does is because of the coverage it receives from the press. If television, radio, newspapers, magazines, websites and other social media ignored sports, the money that teams and players make would be much less than it is now. Of course the same is true for the press, they need the teams and players to sell the advertising that makes them their money. It really is a codependent relationship. Sports and the press need each other.

You can fight and intimidate the press in Sacramento easier because it is a smaller market where there are less media players and loss of access would have a larger impact. If you would be traded – say to Boston as some of the rumors have suggested – you would be in for a rude awakening. Boston is a large city with major media competition. Reporters in that kind of situation eat their young for breakfast. They are looking for something to set you off into a tirade so they can report it first. It is a minefield that you cannot control.

Fighting the press does not pay off in the long run – ask Barry Bonds. Bonds had an adversarial relationship with the sports press during his entire career. When his shortcomings came to light, reporters were delighted to report the story. At a time when a person could have used a friend in the press, he had none.

Bonds is still paying for his poor relationship with the press. Baseball’s all-time home run leader received just 195-of-440 votes from eligible voters for baseball’s Hall of Fame. Of course, there is the PED controversy but I believe that attitudes would be softening toward Bonds faster had he been less of an enemy to the press. We are talking basic human nature in this situation. Bonds has six more years on the ballot and will probably make it into the Hall but I think there are voters who are determined to make him wait until the final opportunity because of his attitudes toward the press when he was a player.

I know the press can be a pain, 20-plus people asking the same questions 20 different ways. After a loss, how many times do they expect you to answer “how do you feel?”. People not caring that you do not feel like talking after a loss. People who do not care if you did not like what they wrote about you, your friends or family. People who do not know how to play the game but just talk about it.

DeMarcus – when was the last time you read something negative about LeBron and the press? You do not read those stories. Is LeBron always up and happy with reporters? I will guarantee you he is not. He has made it part of his career to learn how to deal with the press in the best way possible. When he has an off night with the press, you do not hear about it because the press corps remembers all of those nights when he accommodates them and their questions.

Dealing with the press is as much a part of your job as is pulling down rebounds. That is one of the reasons you get paid so well. Actors do not get paid just to act. They have to be interviewed and promote their work. It is all part of the entertainment business and sports is part of the entertainment business. When you sneeze, it’s news. Eat at a new restaurant, it’s news. Get a traffic ticket, it’s news. Score 50 points, it’s news.

I close with three pieces of heartfelt advice:

If you are unhappy about something a reporter has said or written, tell a member of you great media relations staff and ask them to let the reporter know or better yet – ask them to bring the reporter back for an off-the-record chat. Andy Furillo would have listened to you. It would not have changed his story but he would have politely listened to your opinion. And who knows, you might change someone’s mind once in a while.
Hire a press consultant to teach you how to think and speak in sound bites. If you do this, you will be prepared after the tough loss when really do not want to talk about it. You know what questions are coming. Learn how to give those five to 10-second answers that will delight the readers and viewers at home while getting the reporters out of your hair.
Finally and this is my most important piece of advice, stop reading and watching what we as reporters are saying about you on TV, radio, in the newspapers, the internet and social media. Do not let your staff tell you about we are writing. Do not let us count. The people who should count for you are Dave Joerger and the assistant coaches, your teammates, Vlade Divac and Vivek Ranadive. Trust me – you will be much happier.

DeMarcus – good luck with the rest of the season. Happy holidays and Peace on Earth.

Kings grind out a win in Memphis 96-92

Published on December 16, 2016December 16, 2016 by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

Sacramento Kings v Memphis Grizzlies — Cousins takes the shot in Memphis photo: NBAE

by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings went into Memphis seeking a win in a city where they had not recorded a victory since 2009 but have posted 12 straight losses. The Kings were also taking their new head coach Dave Joerger back to the city where he was the head man for three years and an assistant coach for six years before they went their separate ways after last season.

If that was not enough motivation, the Kings also needed to bounce back the demoralizing loss to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night 132-98.

The Kings did respond to all of those motivating factors and beat the Grizzlies on the road 96-92. It was not a pretty win. Both teams played very physical basketball and packed the paint rather than depending on the 3-point shot to win as the Rockets did in Houston. Ironically in a game that was not about 3-pointers, the Grizzlies Troy Daniels made it a 3-point game with 55.3-seconds remaining in the game with a “trey” from 26-feet away from the basket.

The Kings were able to hold on following Ty Lawson hitting 1-of-2 free throws to win the game 96-92.

Kings coach Dave Joerger sounded a bit conflicted after the game

“Kind of a crazy game. A lot of fouls – a lot of free throws, but from a personal stand point a very difficult day for me. You know … to come in here having spent as much of my love and time and family in this community and we love it. It was not an enjoyable game to coach from that aspect. But, now I’m here and these are my guys now. I’m really proud of them. I congratulated them. We’ve had some great efforts … or performances I should say. Kosta Koufos was fantastic tonight. I thought Garrett Temple had a nice game. I thought Darren (Collison) got us in and out of stuff,” said Joerger after the win.

NBA: Sacramento Kings at Memphis Grizzlies — Marc Gasol talks with his former coach Dave Joerger before the game in Memphis photo: Justin Ford USA Today Sports

Koufos and Temple step up big for Sacramento in the win

The Kings were without two key players on Friday as Rudy Gay – a former Grizzly – did not dress due to a right hip flexor strain and Omri Casspi sat out due to illness
Garrett Temple started at shooting guard and responded by scoring 17 points, grabbing six rebound, adding four assists and two steals in 37-minutes of playing time. Temple shot 4-for-11 but went 3-for-6 from long range was a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line. He may be playing himself into the role of starting shooting guard
Kosta Koufos – another former Grizzly – may have played his best game of the year to date. He scored a season-high 16 points and made it a double-double by hauling in 13 rebounds. Seven of his rebounds were offensive boards that kept possessions alive. Koufos got his running baby hook shot going the way he likes for the first time this season in the game as well. The downside in his night was he hit just 2-of-6 from the foul line
DeMarcus Cousins had some struggles with the physical play of the Grizzlies particularly in the first half. He shot just 2-for-10 and scored only nine points in the first 24 minutes. In the second half, the big man shot 5-for-10 and scored 13 points to bring his total points to a game-high 22. Cousins did get into foul trouble picking up his fifth personal with 6:02 to go in the game. He fouled out of the game with 1:27 remaining which gave hope to a surging Memphis team
Darren Collison scored 11 points and dished out six assists in 37-minutes at point guard in the victory
Other contributions: Matt Barnes seven points and 10 rebounds; Anthony Tolliver nine points; Ben McLemore – who started at forward – scored eight and Ty Lawson added six points

Kings (10-16) team numbers were not great but were good enough for the win

Shooting: 31-for-80 (38.8- percent) – you do not record a win shooting under 40-percent very often
3-point shooting 7-for-24 (29.2-percent)
Free throw shooting 27-for-37 (73-percent) missed free throws could have cost the Kings this game
45 rebounds including 13 offensive boards
Turnovers 12 which led to nine Memphis points
Points off turnovers – Sacramento score 17 points off 13 Memphis turnovers
18 assists, six blocked shot and five steals

Memphis (18-10) played their typical “grind house” game

The Grizzlies are not a team that is going to outshoot you from 3-point land or overwhelm the opposition with their overall shooting percentage. They are a defense first team that is most comfortable scoring in the paint
Memphis matched the Kings scoring 36 points in the paint
The Grizzlies just edged out the Kings in second chance points 15-13
Memphis out-rebounded Sacramento 47-45
The Grizzlies shot 37.7-percent (29-for-77) from the field and 5-for-20 (20-percent) for 3-pointers and Troy Daniels hit four of those shots.
Memphis tried to take advantage of their free throw opportunities going 29-for-36 (80.6-percent) from the line
Marc Gasol led the Grizzlies scoring attack with 20 points. Tony Allen added 16, Troy Daniels put in 13 while Andrew Harrison recorded 11 to go with Zach Randolph’s 10

Coming up on the schedule

The Kings move on to Dallas where they will face the Mavericks on Sunday. The game time has been changed because the Cowboys game has been moved to Sunday Night Football. The game will now tipoff at 1 p.m. PST. The Mavericks lost a heartbreaker to the Jazz in Utah on Friday night 103-100 on a last second 3-point basket.

Speaking of the Jazz, they travel to Memphis to play the Grizzlies on Sunday.

Kings suffer 4th quarter collapse and lose to the Jazz 104-84

Published on December 11, 2016 by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

by Charlie O. Mallonee

Sacramento Kings v Utah Jazz — Casspi to the hoop in Utah photo:NBAE

The Sacramento Kings forgot to play by the old adage of “it’s not how you start the game but how you finish the game that counts”. Sacramento started the game in Utah on Saturday night with an 11-0 run. The Kings finished the game scoring just eight points in the fourth quarter versus the Jazz and lost their second consecutive contest 104-84.

Yes, it was the second game of a back-to-back set on the road for Sacramento. Every NBA fan knows that means the deck is stacked against your team in second game of a back-to-back set on the road, but the deck is also stacked against a home team that is without three of its regular starters due to injuries. That is exactly what the Jazz had to deal with on Saturday night. Three of their regular starters are missing due to injury, and they could easily use that as an excuse anytime to explain away a loss. Instead, they played hard and won their 15th game of the season.

The Kings played hard for 36 minutes

Sacramento trailed the Jazz by just two points after three quarters of play were in the book on Saturday night. It appeared that it was anybody’s game as the teams headed into the final 12 minutes of play.

The Kings did not show up on either end of the floor. On offense, Sacramento shot just 13.6-percent (3-for-22) from floor with one 3-point basket in seven attempts. They went just 1-for-4 from the free throw line. The Kings used 12 players in the fourth period and only four scored points for the team.

On defense, the Kings allowed the Jazz to score 26 points in the final quarter while shooting 50-percent (10-for-20) from the floor. Utah hit 4-of-9 from beyond the 3-point line. Trey Lyles led the Jazz with eight points in the fourth quarter and Gordon Hayward added seven points as well.

The Jazz dominated the fourth quarter of the game as they sent the Kings home with their 15th loss of the year.

Utah dominated the numbers in this game

The Jazz topped the Kings in all of the important numbers as a team on Saturday night. Utah shot 48.1-percent (37-for-77) from the floor while Sacramento shot just 37.8-percent for the game. This was the second straight game that Kings shot under 40-percent for the game. You cannot win in the NBA shooting under 40-percent.

Utah hit 13-of-29 shots from beyond the 3-point arc (44.8-percent). A NBA team cannot allow their opponents to shoot above 40-percent from 3-point land and expect to win. The defense has to put a body on those shooters and put pressure on that offense to stop taking those long range shots if they are going to win the game.

The Jazz shot 94.4-percent (17-for-18) from the free throw line. Teams are not going to shoot that well from the stripe on most nights in “the Association”. The biggest problem for Sacramento was the fact they only went to the free throw line 13 times in the entire game. This is a team that usually dominates the paint. To have only 13 opportunities from the charity stripe in a game is totally unacceptable for the Kings.

For the second game in a row, the Kings were dominated on the boards. The Jazz outrebounded the Kings 54-34. Utah pulled down 44 defensive rebounds to Sacramento’s 22 defensive boards. The Knicks also outrebounded the Kings in their win on Friday night.

utah-utah — Jazz dominates Kings in Utah photo: NBAE

Gobert had a monster game for the Jazz

Rudy Gobert has been tasked with being the leader of his team on the floor with the other three starters missing in action. Saturday night, Gobert recorded a double-double in the game. He posted 17 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. He also had six – yes you are reading correctly – six blocked shots in the game. Gobert is becoming a force to be dealt with in the NBA.

Four Jazz players scored in double figures

Gordon Hayward was the high-scorer in the game with 26 points for Utah. Hayward hit three 3-point baskets and was a perfect 5-for-5 from the free throw line.

Trey Lyles added 14 points off the bench for the Jazz. Joe Ingles put up 11 points in his 38-minutes of playing time, and Gobert posted his 17 points.

Kings scoring numbers

Rudy Gay led the scoring attack for the Kings on Saturday night. He put up 20 points shooting 7-for-15 from the floor and going 3-for-4 from 3-point range. That is one of his best shooting performances in some time for the Kings.

Point guard Darren Collison added 17 points shooting 50-percent from the field and hitting 3-of-5 from 3-point land.

DeMarcus Cousins posted a double-double putting up 16 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. He also had a tough night shooting going just 7-for-22 from the floor. He was just 1-for-6 from 3-point range.

Omri Casspi continues to make the most of every minute of playing time he given. In this game, Casspi played 27-minutes and scored 12 points. He hit 5-of-9 shots from the floor and was 2-for-3 from long distance. Casspi also had two assists and two steals.

Up next on the schedule

The Kings have Sunday off and then return to action on Monday hosting the Los Angeles Lakers at the Golden 1 Center. The Kings lost to the Lakers in November 101-91 in Sacramento. The last thing Sacramento wants to do is to be swept by the Lakers on their home court.

The Jazz are off until Wednesday night when they will host the Oklahoma City Thunder in Salt Lake City.

Knicks sneak past the Kings 103-100

Published on December 10, 2016December 10, 2016 by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

by Charlie O. Mallonee

New York Knicks v Sacramento Kings — Cousins shoots against the Knicks photo: NBA.com

Sacramento – The Kings trailed the New York Knicks 103-100 with 2.6-seconds remaining in the game. New York had to inbound the ball in the frontcourt after calling a timeout. The inbound pass came to Carmelo Anthony who was immediately fouled by Rudy Gay before any time could come off the clock. The only problem with the plan was the fact that Anthony was a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line in game up to that point.

Incredibly, Anthony stepped up to the line and promptly missed the first first free throw and the sellout crowd began to buzz. Anthony shot the second free throw and unbelievably missed again.

DeMarcus Cousins grabbed the rebound and ran as close to midcourt as he dared. The giant of a man then heaved a what was estimated to be a 52-foot desperation shot at his basket that hit the rim and then rolled out. For a few micro-seconds the thousands of Kings fans in attendance thought they were going to witness a miracle, then reality hit and the big crowd began to exit the Golden 1 Center knowing their team had lost the game.

Each team was missing a key player in the game

The Kings played the game without Matt Barnes who was held out of the game for what was called “rest”. Barnes of course has been at the center of a controversial story about a fight that allegedly took place in a New York City night club early last Monday morning. Rumors have been swirling that Barnes would be arrested by NYPD for his involvement in the incident. Barnes has also been named in a lawsuit that has been filed by two of the alleged victims of the brawl.

In his postgame press conference, Kings head coach Dave Joerger indicated that he believed Barnes would be available to play against the Jazz in Utah on Saturday night. Barnes was on the bench in street clothes for the game Friday night.

The Knicks were without Derrick Rose who is suffering from lower back pain. Rose had to miss the game on Wednesday night in New York City versus the Cavaliers due to the same problem.

NYK head coach Jeff Hornacek said before the game he was hopeful Rose would be available for the game on Sunday when his team faces the Lakers in Los Angeles.

Sacramento struggles shooting again against the Knicks

The Kings (8-13) shot much better in the first half against the Knicks on Friday night than did last Sunday in the Garden when they shot under 30-percent. However, the Kings shot under 40-percent in both the third and fourth quarters of this game which helped lead to their demise.

Sacramento shot 40.2-percent (35-for-87) from the floor and were a dismal 7-of-28 (25-percent) from 3-point range. The Kings went 23-for-27 (85.2-percent) from the free throw line.

Cousins led the way for the Kings

Cousins scored 28 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to post the double-double. He also struggled shooting going 9-for-25 from the field and 0-for-6 for 3-point opportunities. Cousins did dish out six assists in the contest
Darren Collison had a strong game against the Knicks. He scored 14 points shooting 5-for-11 in the game. He also had three assists and two steals
Rudy Gay recorded 15 points, five rebounds and a steal. He also had a tough night shooting going 4-for-15 from the floor and 0-for-5 from beyond the 3-point line
Omri Casspi keeps taking advantage of every playing opportunity he is given by Dave Joerger. Casspi put 12 points up on the board hitting 4-of-5 shots from the floor including one 3-pointer. He was a perfect 3-for-3 from the charity stripe and he had two steals in the game
Ben McLemore started his second consecutive game and scored 10 points. He hit 2-of-2 from long range
Other Kings scorers: Anthony Tolliver 10, Garrett Temple 5, Kosta Koufos 4, Ty Lawson 4

Kings Dave Joerger on problems at the end of quarters in the game

“That was definitely a good basketball game. A couple of things came back and bit us. We gave up eight points at the end of the first, second and third quarter on last possession plays. In a close game, those things add up. We struggled to struggled to score the basketball tonight. We turned them over 17 times and scored 25 points off of that but outside of that we just didn’t make a lot of shots. Especially from the perimeter, we did not gain a lot of shots from the perimeter so it may jam up the paint on us. Good basketball game.”

joerger-nyk — Dave Joerger faces the press photo: SRS.com

Surprising stat of the night

The Kings are not a team that is outrebounded by their opponents on a regular basis. If the other team does record more rebounds, the difference is usually not dramatic.

On Friday night, the Knicks outrebounded the Kings 54-39. Kings head Dave Joerger felt their length and the fact the Kings played “small” much of the game is what allowed New York to establish such a margin.

NYK did not have a great shooting night but lived in “Melo’s” world

The Knicks shot just 42.9-percent (36-for-84) on Friday against the Kings. They shot slightly better from long range hitting on 10-of-29 (34.5-percent) of their 3-point shots.

New York (13-10) rode the hot hand of Carmelo Anthony in the first half and then relied on efforts of Kristaps Porzingis and their bench in the second half.

Melo put 33 points in the book on Friday night. He shot 9-for-22 from field, 3-for-10 from long distance and was an impressive 10-of-12 from the free throw line. Anthony scored 23 points in the first half
Porzingis scored 17 after shooting a pitiful 1-for-9 in the first half. He did wind up with a double-double by hauling in 10 rebounds
Brandon Jennings did a nice job filling in for Rose on the point scoring 13 points and distributing seven assists
Kyle O’Quinn had a nice game off the bench for the Knicks scoring eight points, pulling down 11 rebounds, dishing five assists and blocking two shots in 20-minutes of playing time

carmelo-kings — Melo fires away versus the Kings photo: NBA.com

Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek had nothing but praise but praise for Carmelo

“He had a great game. When he’s scoring, he’s getting the ball in a good position from our guys where he can drive it. We put him in some trouble later on in the game, giving him the with like four seconds to go, not a good thing to do. We talked about having to get to the offense a little bit quicker. Late in the game, we kind of walked to our spots. Carmelo, when we go to him, he can pump fake, he can drive, he’s making passes. He’s playing an all-around game, like a star does.”

Up next for the teams

The Kings go right back into action on Saturday night as they play the back end of a back-to-back set on the road in Utah against the Jazz.

The Knicks are off until Sunday when they will play game two of their five-game road trip in Los Angeles versus the Lakers.

Knicks vs Kings: Round Two tonight in Sacramento

Published on December 9, 2016 by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings (8-13) have the opportunity to take revenge on the New York Knicks (12-10) for the 106-98 beating they took in the Garden last Sunday night. The Kings shot just 32-percent (31-for-97) in the game and still managed come within two points of the lead with 4:34 to go in the contest before falling back and losing by eight points.

DeMarcus Cousins was the Kings leading scorer with 36 points and he made it a double-double by adding in 13 rebounds. The Knicks scoring was led by Carmelo Anthony and Derrick Rose who each scored 20 points against Sacramento. The New York bench outscored the Kings bench 44-22.

Knicks are not a great road team

New York is just 3-6 on the road this season. The game tonight with the Kings begins a five-game road trip for the Knicks that will take them to Sac, Los Angeles (Lakers), Phoenix, Golden State and Denver. They have no back-to-back games on the road trip.

Knicks are coming off a big loss at home

New York was run out of the Garden on Wednesday night by the Cleveland Cavaliers 126-94. Kyrie Irving led the Cleveland scoring attack with 28 points while LeBron James added 25 points to go with seven assists. Kevin Love scored 21 for the Cavs.

Brandon Jennings started for the Knicks in place of the injured Derrick Rose (sore lower back) and was the leading scorer for NYK with 16 points and three assists. Courtney Lee added 15 points and Kristaps Porzingis recorded 12 points in the loss.

Interesting side note from the Cavs – NYK game, with that many points scored you expect there to have been at least one double-double posted but there were none achieved in that game.

Kings are coming off a road win

Sacramento beat the Mavericks in Dallas 120-89 on Wednesday night in Dallas. The Mavs were without Dirk Nowitzki, Jose Juan Barea, Andrew Bogut and Seth Curry due to injuries. So with that depleted Mavericks lineup, the Kings should have run away with the game.

Cousins was once again the man with 24 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists. Rudy Gay and Darren Collison scored 19 points each. Garrett Temple put up 17 points on the board going a perfect 4-for-4 from 3-point range.

Sacramento shot 56-percent (47-for-84) from the field and 45.5-percent (10-for-22) from 3-point land. The Kings were right on target with a perfect 2-to-1 assists-to-turnover ratio of 28 to 14.

The Dallas win allowed the Kings to finish the road trip with a 2-3 record.

beaumont-enterprise — Photo: Beaumont Enterprise

NYK injury status

Derrick Rose is nursing a sore back. He is listed as questionable for tonight’s game which means there is a 50-percent chance of him playing.

The Kings are reporting no injuries at this time.

Keys to a Kings victory

The main ingredient for a Sacramento victory is a decent shooting percentage. The Kings shot under 40-percent in New York City and still kept the game close. Tonight they must come out and shoot well right from the opening tip-off in order to avoid an embarrassment on their home court.

For entertainment purposes only

FiveThirtyEight.com gives the Kings a 64-percent chance to win tonight’s game with the Knicks. They say take the Kings minus 3.5 points.

FiveThirtyEight’s CARMELO system projects the Knicks will finish with a record of 39-43 and in the much weaker Eastern Conference that gives NYC a 55-percent chance of making the playoffs.

The “desert-dwellers” are making the Kings the favorites minus 2.5 – 4.5 points and all are setting the over/under at 210.

The other shoe just dropped in the Matt Barnes – DeMarcus Cousins NYC club fight story

Published on December 7, 2016 by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

by Charlie O. Mallonee

If you are old enough to remember the movie “All the President’s Men” which chronicled the infamous break-in of the Democratic National Headquarters at the Watergate office complex, the key informant – “Deep Throat” – told the two young investigative reporters “to follow the money”. When unusual events happen to famous people or organizations, Deep Throat’s advice is usually a very solid approach to uncovering the truth – “follow the money”.

According to TMZ Sports, two of the people involved in the melee at The Avenue nightclub in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City early on Monday morning have filed lawsuits against Sacramento Kings players Matt Barnes and DeMarcus Cousins. Cousins was known to have been present during the incident but had not been the subject of the alleged violence that took place inside the club. Only Barnes had been mentioned as a possible suspect in the fight.

TMZ is reporting that Jasmine Besiso and Myrone Powell have filed suit against Barnes and Cousins claiming they were “brutalized” by the players.

The lawsuit reportedly breaks the events down as follows:

Besiso and Powell claim they were just “hanging out” when Barnes came up to Besiso and started to choke her
Powell says he then tried to intervene to stop the attack and that is when Cousins became involved and punched him in the face
After Powell was struck, Barnes supposedly released Besiso and elbowed her in the face, knocking her unconscious
Myrone says he taken to the ground and Barnes and Cousins kicked and punched him in the head and body
NYPD was called and responded but Barnes and Cousins were gone by the time the authorities arrived

The “victims” rep says it was a serious situation

The alleged victims representative called the incident a “vicious and unprovoked attack” according to TMZ
The same spokesperson called Cousins’ first involvement a “blindside punch”
The rep also stated the two persons who are suing were taken to hospital by ambulance and treated for what they called serious injuries – which were not specified

The defendants also had something to say

A representative for Matt Barnes had stated earlier that Barnes and his party were attacked after he accidentally bumped a person in the club’s VIP section
Barnes himself has encouraged everyone to understand there are two sides to every story
Cousins or any of his representatives have yet to make a statement concerning the incident

No charges have been filed in NYC

Initial reports had the NYPD ready to charge Barnes as the assailant based on video it had obtained – presumably from security cameras inside the club
That informantion was given to TMZ Sports by a person who was “not authorized” to speak about the situation
There have also been unconfirmed reports that Barnes was in communication with NYPD before leaving the city for Dallas
The fact that no charges have been filed yet does not mean none will be filed – it is truly a wait and see situation while the incident is investigated
Obviously, a lawsuit would be enhanced if criminal charges were brought forward and a some type of a guilty verdict or plea resulted from those charges

The Kings have still issued just one statement related to this event

“We have clear standards of conduct and behavior expected of the entire Kings organization – on and off the court. We are working with all parties involved to gather information in order to take any appropriate next steps.”

How long will the NBA remain silent?

Do not mistake silence for complacency – you can take it to the bank that NBA security is actively investigating this situation as you read this article
Naturally the NBA wants to give the NYPD room to do its criminal investigation and is hoping that no legal charges will be filed as a result of this incident
Even if no criminal charges are brought forward that does not mean Barnes and Cousins are out of the woods with “the Association”
The NBA standards of acceptable behavior may well be above what is acceptable by the laws of the State of New York – this entire event may well have negative results for Barnes, Cousins and the Kings even criminal charges and civil lawsuits are avoided

Post incident video

TMZ has posted video that it says was taken outside the club just after the events transpired. You can view the video at http://www.tmz.com/category/tmzsports

Matt Barnes wanted by NYC Police for assault in night club

Published on December 5, 2016 by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

by Charlie O. Mallonee

TMZ Sports was the first to release news that Sacramento Kings forward Matt Barnes was involved in an incident in a New York City area night club early Monday morning.

NBA Star Matt Barnes — Accused of Choking Woman in NYC Nightclub https://t.co/6zlPhVgkZi

— TMZ Sports (@TMZ_Sports) December 5, 2016

Barnes was in the club with teammate DeMarcus Cousins. According to the story, Barnes became involved in some sort of altercation with a woman in the club and the woman was choked by Barnes. Another man and woman tried to intervene and were reportedly punched by Barnes.

Per the TMZ story, video they obtained that shows Barnes and Cousins after the fight has the Kings center talking about hitting one of the people involved in the altercation.

http://www.tmz.com/2016/12/05/matt-barnes-bar-fight/?adid=hero1

In USA Today’s report on the altercation, they state the video obtained by investigators shows Barnes as being the assailant in the assault of the women and the man. The statement on the video content came from a source not authorized to release information on the contents of the evidence.

Barnes made a statement via Instagram that “there are two sides to every story.”

“We continue to cooperate fully with authorities,” said Barnes’ attorney Alex Spiro.

The Sacramento Kings issued the following statement on Monday:

The Kings have a game in Dallas on Wednesday night with the Mavericks. Will Matt Barnes be with the team? That is open to question at this time.

What is not open to question is this is exactly the kind of situation the Kings did not at this time based on what is happening with the franchise on the floor.

The Kings shoot poorly and lose to the Knicks 106-98

Published on December 4, 2016 by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

by Charlie O. Mallonee

Sacramento Kings v New York Knicks — Cousins drives on Noah at the Garden photo: NBAE

“48” – that is the most import number the Sacramento Kings have to drill into their minds right now. They need to learn that a NBA basketball last for 48 minutes and that means as a team the Kings need to play hard for 48 minutes.

The Kings did not play hard for all 48 minutes in the game at Madison Square Garden in New York on Sunday night and Sacramento lost to the Knicks 106-98. This was an unusual game in the sense it was lost in the first half and almost redeemed in the second half, but that is exactly how so many games in the NBA are lost.

Shots would not fall for the Kings in the first half

The Kings shot just 28.6-percent (14-49) in the first half. The term is often used that “the basket had a lid on it”. Well in the first of the game on Sunday for Sacramento, the basket had a lid on it. The Kings were not taking bad shots . The Knicks were not playing great defense. Literally, the ball would not fall through the hoop. The Kings went 9-for-26 in the paint.

The Knicks did not shoot the lights out of the Garden. They shot 42.3-percent (22-for-52) in the first half of the game. New York shot just 36.7-percent in the first quarter.

As the teams headed to the locker rooms at the half, the Kings were lucky to trailing by just 14 points, 55-41.

The Kings came alive in the third quarter

The third quarter began like the second quarter ended. The Knicks kept pouring it on behind the scoring of Porzingis and Anthony and opened up a 20-point lead with 7:59 left to play in the period. At that point, the Kings began to turn the game around.

Starting with a Rudy Gay 25-foot 3-point basket at the 7:02 mark, the Kings began to cut into the Knicks lead. Led by Cousins’ 11 points and Gay’s 10 points the Kings cut the New York lead to one point with 48-seconds remaining in the quarter. At the end of three quarters, New York led the game 81-77.

The Kings came close in the fourth quarter but could not close the deal

The Knicks behind the play of Prozingis opened the lead back up to eight points. Cousins kept the Kings close and Sacramento cut the New York lead down to two points with help of strong play from Gay, Collison and Cauley-Stein.

Carmelo Anthony and Brandon Jennings took over from there adding to the Knicks lead and the Kings were unable to respond. Sacramento had spent so much energy working their way back into the game – they did not have enough left in the tank to fight back overcome the Knicks lead.

The Knicks won the game 106-98.

Cousins was the star of the game again for Sacramento (7-13)

The big center recorded his 10th double-double with 36 points and 12 rebounds. He also had four assists and three blocked shots. Cousins was 9-for-30 shooting from the field
Rudy Gay scored 22 points shooting 7-for-18 and grabbing nine rebounds
Darren Collison put up 13 points and dished out six assists
Kosta Koufos scored only two points but he pulled down 11 rebounds that included five offensive rebounds
Willie Cauley-Stein played 23 minutes scoring nine points and hauling in four rebounds. Coach Dave Joerger said Cauley-Stein’s length on defense matched up well against Prozingis
The Kings shot just 32.3-percent (31-96) as team for the game

The usual suspects came through for the Knicks (11-9)

The Knicks had four players score in double figures while shooting 44.3-percent (39-for-88) from the floor. NYK also shot 37.9-percent (11-for-29) from 3-point range
Carmelo Anthony and Derrick Rose each scored 20 points in the game. Rose continues to look more like the Rose of old all the time
Brandon Jennings put up 19 points with 4-of-5 his scores being 3-point baskets. He was also a perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line
Kristaps Porzingis started the game slowly but finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds

Up next on the schedule

The Kings wrap up their five game road trip on Wednesday night in Dallas with what has become a must win game over the terrible Mavericks. A win would let the Kings finish the road trip 2-3.

The Knicks also hit the road and visit South Beach to take on the Heat on Tuesday night.