Tag: Denver Nuggets

Headline Sports with Barbara Mason: Warriors drop their third straight 104-79; Raiders at their lowest point; plus more

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On Headline Sports with Barbara:

#1 The Atlanta Hawks handled the Golden State Warriors 104-79 loss Eric Paschall lead all Warriors scorers with 24 points on Monday night. The Warriors’ Draymond Green didn’t play.

#2 Have the Oakland Raiders sank to their lowest point of the season losing huge to the Kansas Chiefs 40-9 on Sunday for their second straight loss?

#3 The San Francisco 49ers saw Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker kick a winning field goal to end the game Sunday in 20-17 loss for San Francisco.

#4 Last Saturday, the Sacramento Kings came back from a long four city road trip going 1-3. On Saturday they defeated the Denver Nuggets 100-97. The Kings lost to the Chicago Bulls on Monday night 113-106.

#5 The Cal Bears insured themselves a bowl spot after their victory over the UCLA Bruins 28-18. Cal quarterback Chase Garbers went 17-29 for 230 yards.

Headline Sports can be heard with Barbara each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kings come back to beat Denver 100-97 in OT

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By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO — Saturday marked the return home for the Sacramento Kings after a long road trip. The trip took the Kings through the cities of New York, Washington D.C., Boston, and Philadelphia. It was a tough trip for the Kings who went 1-3 beating the Washington Wizards. The Kings were looking to continue their climb back to .500 against a formidable opponent in the Denver Nuggets on Saturday afternoon. The tip-off was set for 2 PM PST.

In the first quarter, the Kings struggled early. No one on the Kings could seem to hit a shot and Denver began knocking down their’s after struggling in the opening minutes as well. With 2:00 minutes remaining in the first quarter, the Kings were already down 27-13. The rest of the quarter the Kings were able to put up a few more points to cut the deficit to 27-17 going into the second quarter.

In the second quarter, Yogi Ferrell ran the point, the Kings offense seemed to show life in the early minutes for the second. In the opening 2 minutes of time, the Kings managed to cut the lead to 5 points. However, the Nuggets starting piling on again after that. The Nuggets would put up a total of 57 first-half points compared to the Kings’ 40. This obviously wasn’t what Luke Walton and Co. planned for the first half. The King’s fans let out a subtle chorus of boos as the team headed into the locker room. Garry Harris led all scorers in the first half putting up 20 points. The leading scorer for the Kings was Harrison Barnes, who had 8 points for the Kings. If the Kings hoped to come back they needed to shoot better. Specifically, be better from long range.

In the third quarter, the Kings played better than they had all game. That’s not to say there wasn’t room for improvement. The Kings outscored the Nuggets 27-18, which was a marked improvement on both ends of the floor. Led by Harrison Barnes (12 points in the 3rd), the Kings managed to cut the deficit 67-75. The Kings would need to make a big ground in the fourth quarter to have a chance.

In the fourth quarter, the Kings still struggled to hit open shots. Namely, Buddy Hield really struggled. Buddy had a considerable number of open shots that he was unable to knockdown. Regardless of the shooting struggles, the Kings managed to hang tough. With 3:20 left in the game, the score was 87-80 and the Kings had a chance to execute. The Kings managed to do just that. The Kings were able to come back and tie the game with a Buddy Hield layup with 22.9 seconds left. The Kings then got the defense stop with a Rashaan Holmes block and it sent the Kings to overtime. In overtime, the Kings and Nuggets would battle and trade baskets. The game would come down to the final 14 seconds with the score 98 to 97 Kings up. Buddy Hield would be fouled on the inbound and make both his free throws. From there, the Kings got a stop and would go on to win 100-97.

The Kings stay home to host the Chicago Bulls on Monday at 7 PM PST.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Charlie O: Home floor no help for Sac, Nuggets hand Kings third loss, 101-94

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On the Kings podcast with Charlie O:

#1 Kings take a tough loss, their third straight, to remain 0-4. They did have a chance against Denver, but just couldn’t seal the deal.

#2 For the Nuggets, their top three scorers — Jamal Murray 18, Gary Harris 17 and Will Barton 13 — led the way for Denver.

#3 Close game in the first half, but the Kings struggled in the second half to seal the deal. Was the second half a matter of shutting off Denver’s offense or the Kings couldn’t quite get past Denver going down the stretch?

#4 Four guys in double figures for the Kings. Richaun Holmes 24, De’Aaron Fox 20, Harrison Barnes and Nemanja Bjelica — both with 12 points — good numbers. How did the Kings come up short?

#5 Michael Jordan and the Charlotte Hornets (1-3) come calling at Golden 1 Center on Wednesday as the Kings (0-4) look to get their first win of the season.

Charlie O does the Kings podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

0-4: Kings off to their worst season start in a decade after 101-94 loss to the Nuggets

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By Morris Phillips

SACRAMENTO — A better effort? Yes. But after a second half Monday littered with missed shots, the Kings are still in search of their first win of the season.

The Kings missed 18 of their 21 3-point attempts after halftime and fell to the Denver Nuggets 101-94. The Nuggets overcame Nikola Jokic’s foul trouble and a brief, second quarter, nine-point deficit to remain undefeated at 3-0.

The Kings were more accountable than they were in road losses to the Suns and Jazz, but were doomed by a substandard third quarter in which they were outscored 30-17 and missed 16 of their 21 shots from the floor. The missed shots proliferated as the Nuggets increased their defensive effort in the second half. Buddy Hield and Bogdan Bogdanovic were the biggest offenders, shooting a combined 4 for 25, 2 of 13 from three.

Even with Richaun Holmes (24 points, 13 rebounds) the Kings weren’t equipped to overcome an off shooting night from Bogdanovic and Hield.

The Kings fell to 0-4, one of three NBA teams (Pelicans, Pacers) still looking for their first win of the season.

The Kings played without Harry Giles and Marvin Bagley III, but got a break when De’Aaron Fox was cleared after his leg injury against Utah. Fox displayed his usual quickness leading the Kings to a 53-47 lead at the break. Fox finished with 20 points, nine assists.

The Kings couldn’t take full advantage of the Nuggets’ poor shooting before the half. Denver shot 32 percent in the first half, but they were still in position to take control defensively after the break.

“We didn’t change our game plan. We just changed how hard and how physical we were playing,” Denver coach Mike Malone said. “This was another night our offense struggled, but some guys stepped up and made big plays down the stretch.”

The Kings have struggled in all four third quarters so far, getting outscored by at least 10 points each time. Ironically, defense in the third was a bigger issue on Monday than offense, where the team had a gaping hole in the post without Bagley.

“We have to come in and just lock in, lock in to what we’re doing and lock in fast,” Holmes said.

The Kings continue their homestand Wednesday against the Hornets, who dropped games against the Lakers and Clippers Sunday and Monday.

 

 

 

Warriors’ defense downs the Nuggets 116-102

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Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors took a giant step as they defeated the Denver Nuggets 116-102 Tuesday night at Oracle Arena. The Warriors have a two-game lead and own the tiebreaker in the race in the race for the best record in the Western Conference. The Warriors are now 53-24 and Denver 51-26 with five games left to play. The Warriors face four teams with a losing record and Denver has to play a couple of playoff teams.

The Warriors outscored the Nuggets 30-24 in the first quarter and 29-19 in the second quarter to lead by 16 at the half 59-43. Kevin Durant led the team in offense, and DeMarcus Cousins put the clamps on Denver’s big center Nikola Jokic.

In the third quarter, the Warriors increased the lead to 22. Kevin Durant was ejected from the game with 8:21 left to play when he argued with a referee for not calling a foul. The referee called two technical fouls on Durant, who was sent to the locker room. Durant has been charged with 15 technicals this year, and one more will get him a one-game suspension. Warriors’ head coach kept his starters in the game at the start of the fourth quarter. The Nuggets were down by almost 30 when they made a run at the Warriors. It was too little, too late as Golden State held on for the 116-102 win.

Game Notes and Stats: DeMarcus Cousins had a double-double with 28 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists. It was Cousins’ best game as a Warrior, and if he continues to play well, he will be a tremendous asset for the Warriors in the playoffs. Kevin Durant finished the night with 21. Steph Curry had 17, and that total included five threes. Klay Thompson had 13. Kevon Looney added 10 and Jonas Jerebko, Alfonzo McKinnie all put points on the board.

Jamal Murray led Denver with 17. Paul Millsap 11, Jokic 10, Jarred Vanderbilt 10, and Monte Morris 10.

Up Next: The Warriors play the Los Angeles Lakers Thursday night at Staples Center in LA. Game time will be at 7:30 pm. LeBron James will not be in the Laker lineup as he is done for the year.

Warriors, behind Thompson’s hot shooting and Cousins’ defense, knock off the Nuggets 122-105

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by Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors, facing questions about the play of the team after being trashed by the Boston Celtics Tuesday night, bounced back and beat the Denver Nuggets 122-105 at Oracle Arena Friday night. The Warriors entered the game leading the Nuggets by one game for the best record in the Western Conference. The Warriors’ win increased their lead to two with 17 games left to play in the regular season.

The Warriors now lead the Nuggets 2-1 and play once more on April 2nd at Oracle Arena. The task for the Warriors Friday night was to stop the Nuggets’ starting lineup. They needed DeMarcus Cousins to find a way to shackle the Nuggets’ big man Nikola Jokic. Jokic came into the game averaging a triple-double for the season. Wilt Chamberlain was the only other center to be able to do that for an entire season. The Warriors had to find a way to get off to a good start. They had lost five of the last eight games and trailed by more than 10 points at halftime in at least six of the last 10 games played.

Klay Thompson returned to the starting lineup after missing the last two games with a knee injury. Klay helped the Warriors to get off to a good start. His two-game hiatus gave him some needed rest, and he helped propel the Warriors to a 30-20 first quarter. Kevin Durant, Cousins, and Steph Curry all made shots while the Warrior defense kept Denver down. The one drawback in the quarter was the number of fouls the Warriors committed. Those fouls enabled Denver to go on a 12-3 run to close the gap to 10.

The Nuggets tied the game early in the second quarter at 34. From that point, the lead changed hands several times. The Warriors were leading 53-48 when they went on a 14-2 run to finish the first half with a 17-point lead 67-50. Klay made two threes and Curry helped out with one of his own. Denver’s Malik Beasley kept the Nuggets close as he made four threes and led the Nuggets with 14. None of the Denver starters were in double figures. Jokic was held to 8 points and 3 boards. Klay Thompson had 27 in the first 24 minutes. Kevin Durant had 16, Steph Curry 9, and Andre Iguodala had 5 coming off the bench.

The closest the Nuggets came was 79-70 after the Warriors made too many turnovers. The Nuggets capitalized, but the Warriors righted the ship and increased the lead to 15 90-75 at the end of three periods. In the fourth quarter, DeMarcus Cousins, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, and Steph Curry increased the lead to 21, 105-84. Klay continued to make threes. Cousins hit a three and raised his hands upward as he had not hit one for several games. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr removed the starters and the second unit players finished the game as the Warriors won 122-105.

Game Notes and Stats: DeMarcus Cousins had his best defensive effort since his return from the devastating Achilles tendon injury he suffered last season when he was a member of the New Orleans Pelicans. He had 13 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists. He also had 3 steals and six blocked shots. It was, without question, an All-Star performance. He also held Jokic to just 16 points and handled the Nuggets other big, Mason Plumlee.

Klay Thompson led the team with 39 points. Thompson made nine threes in 11 attempts. Durant had 26, Steph Curry 17, and Kevon Looney had 9 points and 8 rebounds off the bench.

Malik Beasley led the Nuggets with 17. Beasley mad 5 threes, but was held to just 3 points in the second half. Jokic finished with 16. Will Barton had 5, Gary Harris 6, and Jamal Murray 11.

The Warriors are now 45-20 and own a two-game lead of the 43-22 Nuggets for the NBA Western Conference lead.

Up Next: The Warriors meet the very young and, suddenly, improving Phoenix Suns. The Suns upset the Milwaukee Bucks last week and cannot be taken lightly. Game time will be at 5:30 pm Sunday night.

The Warriors then go on the road for four games. They face the Houston Rockets Wednesday night for the fourth time this season.

The Rockets lead the series 3-0. They then go to Oklahoma City, San Antonio, and Minnesota.

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast with Barbara Mason: What has happened to Golden State?; No stupid move on Phils part getting Harper; As Bumgarner goes so does Giants pitching staff: plus more

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Barbara Mason is filling in for Amaury Pi Gonzalez:

#1 The Golden State Warriors, who had lost four of their last six games, got a stunning win in Philadelphia against the 76ers 120-117. The Warriors needed the win to stay on top in the Western Conference. They now lead the Denver Nuggets by 1 1/2 games who the Warriors play on Friday. They also struggled against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night and play the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night.

#2 Was it stupid or did it make sense for the Philadelphia Phillies to sign Bryce Harper to a 13-year, $330 million deal?

#3 How much of a measuring stick will San Francisco Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner be and how effective will he be for the Giants?

#4 Down to 45 players on the spring roster, the Oakland A’s need to cut 20 more players before the regular season starts. How much confidence do you have Bob Melvin’s selections when the regular season nears?

#5 The A’s haven’t given up on Kyler Murray. They feel he will come back to baseball and it’s their hope he will play ball for them. What are the chances?

Barbara Mason is filling in for That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports with Tony Renteria: Will Machado signing open doors for Harper and Keuchel?; Raiders-Coliseum to get a deal done; Kings at Golden State tonight; plus more

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bleacherreport.com file photo: Bryce Harper’s negotiations with the Washington Nationals is not the same offer that the San Diego Padres Manny Machado received as Harper remains a free agent

On Headline Sports with Tony:

#1 The recent signing of Manny Machado to the a ten year $300 million deal with the San Diego Padres could that mean more big signings to come with Dallas Keuchel and Bryce Harper.

#2 The Raiders are at the bargaining table with the Oakland Alameda County Coliseum Authority to get a deal on the table to get the Raiders back at the Coliseum for home games the Raiders might even sign a two year deal if the stadium in Vegas is not ready by the 2020 season.

#3 The Sacramento Kings are coming off a tough two point loss to the Denver Nuggets on Feb 14th they’re in Oakland tonight to face the Warriors.

#4 The Oakland A’s president David Kaval finally solved the A’s radio flagship station issues getting KTRB 860 in San Francisco and now the biggest task at hand trying to solve the toxic waste clean up at the A’s future new home at Jack London Square

#5 The Giants biggest story is the retirement announcement of manager Bruce Bochy who will finish his career this season

Tony does Headline Sports each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kings For a Half: Nuggets pick it up after the break in 120-118 win over Sacramento

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By Morris Phillips

The Sacramento Kings may have run wild in the first half on Wednesday night, but the third quarter belonged to the Denver Nuggets–with Isaiah Thomas in his debut, without Coach Mike Malone who was ejected, and MVP candidate Nikola Jokic reaching into his bag of tricks.

The Nuggets overcame an 11-point halftime deficit in the first six minutes of the third quarter and held on for a 120-118 win over the Kings.

Both teams concluded play prior to the All-Star Break, with the Nuggets moving within two games of the conference-leading Warriors, and the Kings temporarily falling out of the eighth and final playoff spot by losing while the Clippers blew past the Suns, 134-107 at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

The Kings started the evening four games over .500 for the first time this season, and they hardly looked satisfied, shooting a high percentage from the start on their way to an 11-point lead after a quarter. Buddy Hield put up 11 of his team-high 25 points in the opening frame that end with Sacramento leading 41-30.

The Kings continued to roll into the second quarter, and with their lead holding at eight prior to the half, Malone was at his boiling point. When Malik Beasley took a physical path to the basket without a foul call, Malone went from coaching to observing instaneously. Two technicals sent the defensive-minded coach to the showers.

“I think our players know me, they know who I am,” Malone said of his ejection. “I am a fighter, I am a competitor. I didn’t like some of the calls that were not being called and I am going to stick up for my players.”

Denver’s third quarter response was an example of why and how quickly they’ve vaulted to the top of the Western standings this season. With Jokic the primary ballhandler, the Denver offense turned poetic, a parade of driving, cutting and passing with the 6’11” center as the hub. Jokic’s consecutive assists on baskets by Torrey Craig and Malik Beasley brought the Nuggets within 85-83 with 3:09 left in the third.

Isaiah Thomas got into the act later in the third with eight, quick points in the final two minutes plus that allowed the Nuggets to open the fourth period with a 93-91 lead. Thomas, seeing his first action in Denver uniform, missed the first 56 games of the season rehabbing his hip.

When asked what type of impact Thomas will have on the Nuggets and their post-season aspirations, Monte Morris, a player who likely will lose minutes to Thomas, was quick to chime in.

“13 minutes out there (and score) eight points quick.” Morris said. “That just shows you right there what type of player he is.”

Jokic tipped in the game winner with 0.8 seconds remaining, which allowed enough time for a desperation shot from the Kings. Hield got a shot off that would have counted, but it merely grazed the front of the rim.

The Kings open the post All-Star break portion of the schedule in Oakland a week from Thursday against the Warriors.

NBA podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Kings take tough 114-95 loss; Wizards just nick the Knicks 101-100; 76ers pile on the Pacers 120-96; plus more

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Photo credit: @SacramentoKings

On the NBA podcast with Jerry Feitelberg:

#1 The Sacramento Kings took a tough 114-95 loss in Charlotte Thursday night to the Hornets. The Hornets’ Kemba Walker led with 23 points. The Kings drop their road record to 9-12.

#2 The Washington Wizards just got by the New York Knicks 101-100. The Wizards Bradley Beal had 26 points for Washington.

#3 The Philadelphia 76ers piled up the points for a 120-96 win over the Indiana Pacers. The Sixers’ Jimmy Butler led with 27 points.

#4 The Toronto Raptors beat the Suns 111-109 in Toronto. The Raptors’ Pascal Siakam had 10 points to lead Toronto in scoring.

#5 The Denver Nuggets knocked off the struggling Chicago Bulls 135-105. The Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic led with 18 points.

Jerry Feitelberg is a Golden State Warriors beat writer and does the NBA podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com