Tag: Denver Nuggets

No Cousins, no Rondo, no problem! Kings beat Denver 115-106

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
NBA: Sacramento Kings at Denver Nuggets
Photo Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Kings plan for Saturday night in Denver was simple and straight forward. Leave Cousins and Rondo at home to rest, give the younger players some much needed playing time and put on a good show in the “Mile High City”.

No there was no mention of winning the game. Wins are secondary for Sacramento at this point in the season. In fact, the Kings need to finish in the bottom 10 of the NBA overall standings to avoid losing their 2016 first-round draft pick (listen to this week’s Kings podcast for the details). It is not that the Kings do not want to win but winning might not be that helpful at this moment.

Something strange can happen when you give the second unit a chance to play more minutes. Those second unit guys want to step up and show the world they got game. That is what happened on Saturday in Denver.

The Kings allowed the Nuggets to set the pace in the first half. Denver scored 62 points in the first half and appeared to ready to run the Kings off the court in the second half, but someone from the Nuggets forgot to tell Seth Curry to go along the plan.

Curry carried the Kings on his back in the first half scoring 17 points while connecting on 7-of-8 shots from the floor. The Kings would go on to score 55 first-half points and trailed the Nuggets by just seven points at the half.

The teams played an even third quarter with the Kings outscoring the Nuggets 29-26 in the period. The Nuggets still had an 88-84 after three quarters.

The Kings caught fire in the fourth quarter outscoring the Nuggets 31-18 in final 12 minutes. Darren Collison led the charge for Sacramento scoring 10 of his 14 points in last quarter. Collison shot 2-for-4 from the floor and converted 6-of-7 opportunities from the free throw line. He also dished out four assists. Ben McLemore scored eight points and Rudy Gay added five points in the period.

At the final buzzer, the Kings had beaten the Nuggets 115-106 to record their 31st win of the season.

Kings

Rudy Gay led the Kings scoring attack on Saturday with 25 points. Gay also grabbed nine rebounds and had three assists. He shot 7-for-18 from the floor and an impressive 10-for-13 from the charity stripe.

Willie Cauley-Stein, Ben McLemore and Darren Collison scored 14 points each.

Kosta Koufos and James Anderson added 13 points each.

The most impressive stat of the night for the Kings was their assists to turnover ratio of 4-to-1. Sacramento had 27 assists and turned the ball over just seven times. Not bad for a team that has been averaging 16 turnovers per game.

Sacramento was also strong at the free throw line hitting on 25-of-31 attempts for a 80.6- free throw shooting percentage. For the season, the Kings have shot just 72.7-percent from the free throw line.

This was also just third time the Kings have won when DeMarcus Cousins did not play in the game. They have lost 11 games when Cousins was not available.

Nuggets

Gary Harris led the Nuggets in scoring with 19 points. Harris had four rebounds and two assists to go with those 19 points.

Rookie Emmanuel Mudiay had a strong game scoring 15 points and dishing out six assists. Mudiay did foul out of the game.

Joffrey Lauvergne played a strong 24 minutes off the bench for Denver. He scored 15 points, grabbed six rebounds and had two assists in those minutes on the floor.

Alex Toupane scored a career-high 14 points off the bench for the Nuggets.

Up next

The Kings have just three games left to play in Sleep Train (Arco) Arena. Portland visits Sacramento on Tuesday and Minnesota comes calling on Thursday night. The Kings final game ever in the arena they have called home for 28 years will take place next Saturday night when they host Oklahoma City Thunder. This reporter will be filing the story live from the arena that night.

Sacramento Kings Friday night game wrap: Kings second half come back falls short

Published on by Michael MartinezLeave a comment

by Michael Martinez

picture credit USA Today

SACRAMENTO- The Kings had a horrendous defensive first half, giving up 39 first quarter points and 66 in the half. 66 points for the Heat in the first half was their season high and Sacramento looked doomed. The game looked very out of reach for the Kings when they were down by 24 points a little over halfway through the third quarter.

But the Kings found their stride and played tough defense in the second half. The Kings turned things on, especially in the fourth quarter with big offensive production from Darren Collison who had 11 fourth quarter points. Seth Curry was big as well with nine points in the quarter.

Sacramento was able to cut the lead to one with a minute and a half remaining as the crowd got louder. A surprising turn of events made a blow out into an incredible come back. As the Kings played tough defense and worked on double teaming and trapping Heat players, they left Luol Deng wide open for a corner three. Deng sunk the three with 45 second left to go and put the Heat up by six. Ultimately, the three would be the dagger as the Kings were unable to complete their valiant effort of trying to win their third straight at home.

Once again, the Kings lose a game with DeMarcus Cousins not playing in the game as he was suspended by the NBA for his 16 technical of the season. The Kings first half mishap cost them the game as they gave up 20 first half points to Gerald Green who started in place of Dwayne Wade. Green finished the game with a game high 30 points.

Collison scored 26 points for the Kings as he played while Rajon Rondo sat out for most of the second half. Curry matched his career high with 21 points as he continues to play well for Sacramento. The Kings defense forced ten second half turnovers, but the Heat’s first half was too much.

The Kings will head to the Mile High City to take on the Denver Nuggets tomorrow. Sacramento will be without Cousins in tomorrow night’s game as he will not play in road games for the rest of the season. Tip off is set for 6 p.m.

Careless with the ball, Kings still nab victory

Published on by Michael MartinezLeave a comment

by Michael Martinez

picture credit: Associated Press

SACRAMENTO- Flashback Friday took place at Sleep Train Arena with the old school court on display. The Kings took the fans back in time as well by playing a lot more competitive basketball and picking up a victory. The win came in big part to tremendous play from DeMarcus Cousins, Rajon Rondo and Rudy Gay. Darren Collison was a huge spark off the bench. After a ton of talks of firings and trades prior and during the All Star break, the Kings pulled out an important win.

In the first quarter of play, the Kings and Nuggets went back and forth for the majority of the quarter. Sacramento played better defensively, but both teams were very careless with the ball. Sacramento’s five first quarter turnovers hurt them as they lead to nine points for Denver.

Luckily, the Kings played some better defense and their All Star center DeMarcus Cousins picked up right where he left off. Cousins got to the line six times in the quarter and nailed all six shots from the charity stripe. Rudy Gay showed some confidence in his game by totaling eight first quarter points, 2-3 from the field, with both coming from beyond the arc.

Rajon Rondo also sunk two three pointers. The Kings shot uncharacteristically well beyond the three-point line, 5-7, in the first quarter.

Rondo and Denver center Jusuf Nurkic each picked up a technical after a little shoving match and trash talk coming off a Ben McLemore offensive foul.

Sacramento capped off the quarter with a three-point buzzer beater from Darren Collison off a Rondo assist. Through one quarter, the Kings led Denver, 31-24. The Kings held the Nuggets to less than 30 points, for the first time in Sacramento’s last ten games.

After a nice first quarter, the Kings scored five points in the first minute of the second quarter to go up, 36-24. But soon after, the Nuggets found some offense of there own for a 10-2 run in a minute and 20 seconds.

 

The Kings took a timeout to slow down the Nuggets. Out of the timeout, the Kings went out scored Denver 17-8 with 5:54, which put them up 55-42 with 5:54 left in the half. The run was capped off by a monstrous slam by Cousins who was fouled. Cousins was fouled on the dunk and made the free throw for a three-point play.

Collison made a technical free throw after Nuggets’ head coach Michael Malone picked up a technical. Malone chirped at the refs and his frustration led to the tech.

The Kings were careless with the ball yet again with eight turnovers leading to 11 Denver points, but they did capitalize off Denver’s six turnovers. The Kings scored 11 points as well and their hot shooting kept them up on the Nuggets. Sacramento shot 59.5% from the field and went 10-13 from behind the arc in the first half. Although they kept shooting well from three-point range, the Kings got back into the paint, adding 20 points in the paint in the second quarter and a total of 26 in the first half. The Kings led the Nuggets 70-57 through the first half of play.

A dominant offensive performance came from Cousins, who scored 24 points, 8-11, and grabbed eight boards in the half. Gay also shot the ball well, 5-9 from the field, 4-4 from beyond the three-point line, for 16 points. Rondo and Collison, who came off the bench, each totaled 12 points, while Rondo added 6 assists. Denver’s Danillo Gallinari had the team high for the Nuggets with 17 points in the half and Joffrey Lauvergne had 13.

After an incredible offensive first half, the Kings slowed down at an incredible rate in the third quarter. The team totaled a measly 18 points with Cousins scoring nine of those 18. Cousins continued to get to the line, 5-5 from the charity stripe in the quarter. The quarter was slow and the Kings managed to turn the ball over five more times. With the score 79-72, the Kings pulled out a 7-0 run to go up 86-72. The Nuggets only totaled 20 points with eight of those from Gallinari.

With a quiet third quarter from both teams, the Kings led 88-77 through three.

The fourth quarter showed more offense especially for the Nuggets who found their stride. Denver was able to keep things close by putting up 33 in the quarter, but Rondo came up big for the Kings. Rondo hustled really hard, added eight points and six assists in the fourth quarter. Rondo was clutch going 4-6 from the free throw line late in the ball game. The Kings were able to come out with a win after the break over the Nuggets. The final score was 116-110.

Cousins finished with 37 points,12-20 from the field and a career high 20 rebounds. Cousins also went 12-15 from the line as he got into the paint a lot and Denver’s bigs played him tough. The Kings totaled 56 points in the paint.

“[Cousins] was flat out amazing.” Collison said “They couldn’t stop him.”

Rondo had a big game and was especially important down the stretch. He finished with 24 points, 8-16 from the field, 10 assists and 9 rebounds.

“Rajon had great control of the game down the stretch” said head coach George Karl. “And understanding who were playing and what we had to do to be successful.”

Gay matched Rondo with 24 points and off the bench Collison totaled 17 points.

The Kings offensive was once again very good, except for the third quarter. The team made no three pointers in the second half, which slowed their scoring down quite a bit. The only real flaw of the game was the team’s 22 turnovers that turned into 34 points for Denver. The defense was much better and the Nugget’s high points total mostly came from carelessness as they scored 26 fast break points.

“We really didn’t go over much offense [during practice]. We basically just [practiced] a lot of defense.” Gay said “Our offense is going to be a little sloppy.”

On Tuesday, the Kings will face the Nuggets in Denver. They will need to stop Lauvergne who scored 22 and Gallinari who scored 27 points. These next stretch of games are incredibly crucial as Sacramento faces playoff caliber opponents. The next few weeks will say a lot about this team and it looks like they are ready to make a statement.

Warriors Win Over Denver Punches Their Ticket To The History Books.

Published on by swhelchLeave a comment

By Shawn Whelchel

We’ve all known that the Golden State Warriors were good. You don’t become the reigning NBA champions, boasting the league’s MVP with a slew of talented young supporting cast members by being just alright. But on Sunday night, they weren’t good, they weren’t even great- they were historic.

Powering their way to a 118-105 win over the Denver Nuggets, the 15-0 Golden State Warriors cemented themselves in the history books for the best start to a season since the 1993 Houston Rockets and the 1948 Washington Capitols.

The march to the history book was solidified by an overall team effort, with five warriors scoring in double-digits throughout the course of the game. Klay Thompson led the team with 21 points on 7-of-16 shooting, while Steph Curry followed up with 19 of his own points. The total was Curry’s lowest of the season.

The defense may have left a little to be desired, but the Warriors more than made up for it from the field, as they shot 52.8 percent from the field overall, while doing most of their damage from beyond the arc with a torrid 15 triples made, good for 51.7 percent.

It wasn’t smooth sailings for the Warriors, as they led by just six points in the third quarter. But on a night where they were immortalized as a historic team, they used a team effort to break away in the later stages of the game, keeping their perfect season in tact.

The good news for Golden State- only the lowly Los Angeles Lakers stand in their way of claiming sole possession of a historical best 16-0 start. The game, which will take place at Oracle Arena on Tuesday, will be sure to match the team’s previous playoff run in intensity.

 

Golden State Cruises Past Nuggets To Stay A Perfect 6-0 On The Season.

Published on by swhelchLeave a comment

By Shawn Whelchel

The Golden State Warriors stayed perfect on the season at the conclusion of Friday night’s contest, as an explosive first-half of play saw them easily dispatch the Denver Nuggets in a 119-104 victory at Oracle Arena.

The game seemed all but won for Golden State at the conclusion of the second quarter, when the reigning NBA champions took a 30 point lead into the locker room. But Denver refused to be downed quietly, mounting an admirable second half charge- outscoring Golden State by 15 through the final two frames- before ultimately suffering their fourth loss of the season.

Golden State’s hot start was too much to handle for the Nuggets, who gave up 74 first-half points to the Warriors before heading into the locker room. Leading the pack was none other than Steph Curry himself, who finished the night just shy of a triple-double with 34 points, seven rebounds, 10 assists and three steals. Harrison Barnes followed Curry with 21 points and five rebounds, Klay Thompson had 18 points and six rebounds, and Draymond Green finished just short of his own triple-double with 12 points, nine rebounds and eight assists.

Although Curry stole the offensive show, he wasn’t alone in his endevour, as all of the Warriors’ starters finished in double-digits. The team as a whole shot 49.5 percent on the night while tying their second highest point total on the season. Golden State has now scored 119 points three times through their first six games.

The Warriors put on an unselfish clinic on the night too, as their 28 first-half assists were a new franchise record.

Denver was led by SF Danilo Gallinari, who had an efficient night from the field, shooting 7-of-13 for 25 points. Golden State was able to contain the talented Kenneth Faried, who scored just eight points- the least amongst Denver starters- in 21 minutes on the court.

Golden State is now a perfect 6-0 against Western conference teams, and 2-0 against those in the Pacific division. The team has another divisional matchup on Saturday, as the Curry brothers will meet when Golden State takes on Sacramento at Sleep Train Arena. Tip off starts at 7 p.m.

Denver Spoils Home Opener, Downs Warriors 114-103

Published on by swhelchLeave a comment

By Shawn Whelchel

The Golden State Warriors weren’t in championship form on Tuesday night, as sloppy play and a lack of defense spoiled the teams long awaited return to Oracle Arena in a 114-103 loss to the Denver Nuggets.

The Warriors defense looked uncharacteristically lethargic and porous, as the NBA champions failed to stop a rolling Denver offense that put up 63 first-half points. The Nuggets were able to use a 18-3 run late in the second quarter to give themselves a solid lead heading into the half and never looked back.

Klay Thompson had a particularly rough night for the Warriors, making just one-of-eight field goal attempts for eight points across 24 minutes of play. Draymond Green lead the starting five with 15 points on 5-of-13 shooting, while Steph Curry dumped in 14 points on a similar shooting line, going just 1-of-8 from behind the arc. Leandro Barbosa looked to be the most offensively consistent player for Golden State, adding a team-high 16 points off the bench on an efficient 5-for-8 shooting in just 15-minutes of play.

But while the Warriors failed to keep their foot on the offensive gas pedal throughout the middle-two frames of the game, the Nuggets, led by PF Kenneth Faried, took advantage of the spotty Warriors defense to score a preseason-high 114 points.

Faried led all scorers in the game with his double-double line consisting of 22 points and 12 rebounds. Five other Nuggets scored in the double-digits on the night, including four-of-five starters for Denver, and 16 points off the bench from PG Jameer Nelson.

Adding injury to insult, the Warriors lost Harrison Barnes in the second quarter after the small forward sprained his knee while running into a Denver player while running the floor in transition. The Warriors are expected to update his status on Wednesday.

After allowing the Nuggets to shoot 49.5 percent from the field on Tuesday, the Warriors will need to shore up their defensive effort before the Houston Rockets, and spurned MVP candidate James Harden, come to Oracle Arena on Thursday night.

 

Thompson, Warriors hold off Nuggets in preseason finale

Published on by jhawkes51Leave a comment

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

OAKLAND — Looks like the Golden State Warriors are ready for the start of the regular season, especially Klay Thompson.

Thompson scored 35 points in 36 minutes of action as the Warriors nearly squandered a 17-point fourth quarter lead to take down the Denver Nuggets, 119-112, Friday night in the preseason finale for both teams. Golden State defeated the Nuggets, 104-101, in Des Moines, Iowa, on Oct. 16.

Stephen Curry added 17 points and 11 assists, Andrew Bogut chipped in 12 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, while Leandro Barbosa added 15 points to lead the Warriors bench.

Golden State (6-2), played as a unit, totaling 35 assists while turning the ball over 12 times, compared to the 29 turnovers the team committed in Tuesday’s victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. The Warriors shot 51% from the field (44-of-86).

Denver (2-6), finished with six players in double figures, led by Jusuf Nurkic’s 16 points and eight rebounds. Randy Foye scored 13 points, while Danilo Gallinari and Alonzo Gee each had 10 points.

Both teams open up the regular season on Oct. 29, with Golden State heading to Sacramento to face the Kings, and Denver will host the Detroit Pistons at the Pepsi Center.

Game Notes:

Stephen Curry Bobblehead Giveaway

The first 10,00 Warriors fans received a free Stephen Curry bobblehead presented by Comcast SportsNet Bay Area. 10,000 Warriors fans received an Andre Iguodala bobblehead presented by Lucky’s Supermarkets on Tuesday.

Ticket Giveaway

For the 2014-15 season, the Golden State Warriors are once again donating tickets for every Warriors home game to local Bay Area youth organizations as part of the team’s Player Ticket Section program, it was announced today. Warriors Head Coach Steve Kerr is also donating tickets as a part of the program.
The donations will make it possible for over 6,500 local youth, who might not otherwise have the opportunity to attend an NBA game, to experience the joy and excitement of Golden State Warriors basketball at Oracle Arena. Additionally, Oracle will once again donate tickets to local groups to sit in the Oracle Zone.
Here is a list of this season’s special ticket sections:
 
                                          SECTION…………………………………………….. DONATED BY
                                          Kerr’s Krew………………………………………….. Steve Kerr
                                          Leandro’s Leaders………………………………….. Leandro Barbosa
                                          Boys & Girls Clubs of America……………….. Harrison Barnes
                                          Curry’s Corner………………………………………. Stephen Curry
                                          Anonymous………………………………………….. Anonymous
                                          Shaun’s Shorties…………………………………….. Shaun Livingston
                                          Rush’s Rascals………………………………………. Brandon Rush
                                          Team Marreese………………………………………. Marreese Speights
                                          Klaymakers…………………………………………… Klay Thompson
                                          Oracle Zone………………………………………….. Oracle

The Warriors Win Their Fourth in a Row, Beat Denver

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Stephen-Curry-2013.jpg

The Golden State Warrior traveled to Des Moines, Iowa Thursday night to play the Denver Nuggets as they get ready for the 2014-15 NBA season. The Warriors came from behind to win their fourth straight game beating the Nuggets 104 -101.

The game marked the return of Harrison Barnes to his home state of Iowa. Barnes grew up in nearby Ames. Barnes played 35 minutes but scored just 5 points but his 3 point jumper late in the game proved to be the difference for the Warriors.

The Warriors down by nine points at the half trailing the Nuggets 62-53 and by thirteen at the end of the third period but they rallied to outscore the Nuggets 32-16 in the fourth period and won the game by three. The Warriors did not play Andrew Bogut, Festus Ezeli,Shaun Livingstone,Mitchell Watt and David Lee. The regulars, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, each played 17:27 minutes. Curry scored thirteen and Thompson had 18. James Michael McAdoo led the Dubs in scoring with twenty and he scored sixteen in the fourth period.

The Nuggets played their regulars for over 26 minutes each and were led by forward Wilson Chandler and center Timofey Mozgov as they each had 18 points. Kenneth Faries and Arron Afflalo scored 11 and Ty Lawson contributed 8 points .

Warrior Notes:

WARRIORS ANNOUNCE SIX BOBBLEHEAD NIGHTS DURING THE 2014-15 SEASON

First 10,000 Fans Will Receive Andre Iguodala Bobblehead October 21; Stephen Curry Bobblehead October 24

OAKLAND, CA – The Golden State Warriors announced today that the team will host six (6) Bobblehead nights this season, beginning with consecutive Bobblehead giveaways during the team’s two preseason games at home on Tuesday, October 21 against the Los Angeles Clippers andFriday, October 24 against the Denver Nuggets. The first 10,000 fans in attendance on October 21 will receive an Andre Iguodala Bobblehead, courtesy of Lucky Supermarkets, and the first 10,000 fans who enter Oracle Arena on October 24 will receive a Stephen Curry Bobblehead, courtesy of Comcast SportsNet Bay Area.

Below are the dates for all Bobblehead Nights this year. The first 10,000 fans who enter Oracle Arena will receive that night’s Bobblehead.

•Andre Iguodala –October 21vs. Los Angeles Clippers, courtesy of Lucky Supermarkets

• Stephen Curry –October 24vs. Denver Nuggets, courtesy of Comcast SportsNet Bay Area

•Šarūnas Marčiulionis–December 4 vs. New Orleans Pelicans, courtesy of The Clorox Company

•Draymond Green –January 7vs. Indiana Pacers

•Manute Bol –January 27vs. Chicago Bulls, courtesy of Kingsford Capital Management

Rick Barry –March 23 vs. Washington Wizards, courtesy of adidas

WARRIORS AND CALIFORNIA ENDOWMENT TO UNVEIL REFURBISHED BASKETBALL COURTS IN RICHMOND, CALIFORNIA

Team Partners With Healthy Richmond, Richmond Community Foundation And The City Of Richmond To Unveil Refurbished Basketball Courts

In Honor of Hall Of Famer Mitch Richmond;

Mitch Richmond To Attend And Officially Unveil Courts For Richmond Youth

OAKLAND, CA – The Golden State Warriors are tipping off this season’s “Step Up Your Game” initiative in partnership with private, statewide health foundation, The California Endowment, to unveil newly refurbished basketball courts at Martin Luther King Jr. Park (360 Harbour Way South) in Richmond, California in honor of Hall of Fame Inductee Mitch Richmond, it was announced today. Mitch Richmond and the Warriors Community Foundation will join The California Endowment, Healthy Richmond, the Richmond Community Foundation, the City of Richmond and local elected officials to unveil the new courts and conduct a basketball clinic for 50 local youth on Monday, October 20 from 3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Youth from Richmond College Prep and the Richmond Police Athletic League (PAL) will attend the unveiling and participate in the Warriors Basketball Clinic. The new courts will feature a 14,000 square foot all-weather acrylic playing surface, four new NBA plexiglass hoop systems, new spectator seating and a drinking fountain.

Warriors lose heartbreaker to Mozgov, Nuggets, fail to clinch playoff birth

Published on by gabeschapiroLeave a comment

By Gabe Schapiro

The Golden State Warriors (48-29) lost the Denver Nuggets (34-44) in ugly fashion, 100-99, Thursday night, at Oracle Arena. Losing by one point doesn’t look so bad on it’s face, but the Warriors let a 20-point lead slip away, got out-worked for long stretches, were thoroughly dominated on the glass, and couldn’t convert on their first chance to seal a playoff birth. Stephen Curry nearly saved the day with a last-second floater, but wouldn’t be outdone by Kenneth Faried, who followed with one of his own.

The Warriors played well out of the gate. They quickly built a double-digit lead, a lead that grew to 20 just four minutes into the second quarter. From there the momentum swung to Denver’s favor, and for Golden State it all went down hill. The Nuggets kept chipping away, as the Warriors play slipped. Denver finally grabbing their first lead of the contest half way through the fourth.

Curry did his best Superman impression to try and salvage the win, but came up just short. He scored the Warriors last eight points to bring them back, very briefly giving them the lead. The last two of those points were a thing of beauty. With less then a minute to play, Curry somehow came down with a rebound, took it the length of the court weaving through several defenders, and floated a shot over Denver’s big front court. The shot gave Golden State a 99-98 lead with five seconds to play.

Unfortunately for Curry and the Warriors, Faried countered with his best Kryptonite impression. In those five remaining seconds he received an inbound pass, backed down Draymond Green, got up a floater of his own that he would sink to drown Golden State’s hopes for a win.

Faried may have hit the game winner, but the night belonged to Timofey Mozgov. The big center scored 23 points to go along with a career-high, and an NBA-high this season, 29 rebounds. He also had three blocks and a steal. Faried chipped in a big double-double as well, adding 18 points and 17 boards.

In the losing effort, Curry was the standout, but did struggle with his shot for much of the night in the face of heavy pressure from the Denver defense. He had a team-high 24 points, six assists, and four steals. Klay Thompson was their only other consistent offensive option, contributing 21 points.

Unfortunately Golden State’s other three starters had very poor nights. Andrew Bogut, Andre Iguodala, and Draymond Green combined for 14 points, on six-of-15 shooting.

The Warriors will have another shot at clinching tomorrow night in Los Angeles, when they will be facing off with the Lakers at the Staples Center. The game begins at 7:30 PM.

Kings win big in Denver 109-95

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

Image

 

Photo credit: media.corp.yahoo.com

By Charlie O. Mallonee

As the Sacramento Kings prepared to play the Nuggets in Denver, there were a number of questions that needed to be answered. Would DeMarcus Cousins be able to play after tweaking is hip from carrying Kris Humphries on his back during the entire Boston game on Saturday? How would the play in the second game of a back-to-back in the high altitude and thin air of Denver? How would the Nuggets play with only 10 players available? Would any of this prove to be a factor in determining who won the game?

The Kings were able to overcome a four point halftime deficit by scoring 61 points in the second half to down the Nuggets 109-95. The win gave the Kings a two game winning streak and built momentum for Sacramento as they ready themselves for Houston on Tuesday at home.

DeMarcus Cousins was able to start the game and scored 11 points in nine plus minutes of playing time in the first quarter. After some rest on the bench, Cousins added four points in the second quarter for 15 points in the first half. Cousins did not let up in the second half and finished with 27 points while shooting 50% (8/16) from the field.

Rudy Gay posted a double-double for the Kings as he scored 32 points and pulled down 11 rebounds. Isaiah Thomas put up 33 points and added six assist.

The Kings jumped out to an early lead in the first quarter, but the Nuggets started using the fast break and pulled up even 27-27 after one quarter of play.

The Nuggets came out strong in the second quarter. After putting an 8-0 run, Denver was able to up its lead to 13 points before the Kings began to work their way back into the game. Sacramento used five rebounds by the newly acquired Reggie Evans and five quick points from Isaiah Thomas to close the scoring gap. At halftime, the Kings had reduced the Nuggets lead to just four points, 52-48.

The one glaring stat from the first half was Sacramento’s 12 turnovers. Coach Michael Malone has been calling on his team to reduce the turnovers and the points off turnovers.

The Kings came out after halftime ready to play. Sacramento went on an early 10-0 run, and it was off to the races. The Kings would go on to outscore the Nuggets 35-18 in the third quarter. It was the play of the big three – Cousins, Gay and Thomas – that was the key to opening the 17 point third quarter lead. Ben McLemore was not scoring but was hustling on defense and contributing to the game.

Denver played better ball in the fourth quarter as the Kings second unit saw more action, but it was too little, too late. The Nuggets outscored the Kings 25-22 in the fourth to make the final score Sacramento 109 Denver 95.

In the postgame press conference, Kings Head Coach Michael Malone was obviously happy with his team and with the win. The one point of emphasis on the negative side was the 21 points scored off 21 turnovers. Malone pointed out that his team would have to do better versus Houston on Tuesday in Sacramento.