Sacramento Kings report: Kings drop third straight pre season game; Coach Brown wants to take a look at his bench and free agents

Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis (10) is non too thrilled about another pre season loss this time to the Golden State Warriors at Golden One Arena in Sacramento on Sun Oct 15, 2023 (@SacramentoKings photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings were back in action for one of the last preseason tune-ups of the year. Golden State traveled to Sacramento Sunday evening to take on the Kings at Golden One Center. The two teams squared off for the first time since game 7 of the 2023 playoffs.

That series was the first round of the playoffs, where the Kings and Warriors went head-to-head. Only to lose on Sunday, the Warriors and Kings game started at 6:30 PM PST. The Kings lost in overtime 121-115.

In the first quarter, the Kings came out looking strong. The Kings offense scored an impressive 38 points in the first quarter as the offense was producing right where they left off last season. On the defensive end, the Kings held the Warriors to 25 points in the quarter. The Warriors were struggling to gain a rhythm on offense. Granted, they played this game without Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Chris Paul.

In the second quarter, the Kings offense slowed as the shots were not falling. The Kings lacked rhythm on the offensive end, scoring 21 points in the quarter. The Warriors offense scored 31 points in the second quarter. The Kings offense looked solid most of the first half, even if some shots weren’t falling. De’Aaron Fox and Domas Sabonis were firing in the offense Kings fans have come to love. The Kings and Warriors went into halftime, with the Kings leading 59-56.

The Kings and Warriors played a pretty even quarter in the third quarter. The Kings managed to score 24 points as the Warriors put up 27. The Kings and Warriors would be tied at 83 going into the fourth quarter.

In the final quarter, the Kings almost exclusively played second and third-string players. It showed in the box score. However, it was good to see some of the talent the Kings have that won’t get much playing time in essential minutes this season. Keon Ellis and Colby Jones both played well in the minutes they got. The end of the fourth quarter would not be the end of the game on Sunday night as the game was tied at 111.

However, in overtime the Warriors would seal the deal. The Kings only scored four points in the overtime period as the Warriors put up ten points.

The best performance from the Kings came from Sabonis who had 19 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists to lead the Kings. The Warriors best performance came from Kuminga who had 28 points to go along with six rebounds.

One matchup to watch as the preseason continues is between Chris Duarte and Kevin Huerter. Kevin has been inconsistent going back to the end of last season and will be fighting for the starting role with the addition of Duarte.

Up Next: The Kings will travel to San Francisco on Wednesday to take on the Warriors at 7 PM PST at the Chase Center.

Golden State Warriors report: Warriors Go 3-0 Beating Kings In Overtime 121-115

Golden State Warriors Jonathan Kuminga (00) gets airborne over the Sacramento Kings Chris Duarte (3) at Golden One Center in Sacramento on Sun Oct 15, 2023 (@BleacherReport photo)

By Barbara Mason

The Golden State Warriors ran their pre-season record to a perfect 3-0 beating the Sacramento Kings at Golden One Center 121-115. The Kings are still looking for their first win of the pre-season. Golden State’s Jonathan Kuminga was again a standout with 28 points and six rebounds.

Sunday evening the Golden State Warriors (3-0) traveled up to our state capital to take on the Sacramento Kings (0-3) at Golden 1 Center in the third pre-season game of 2023-24. Stephen Curry and Chris Paul sat this one out as Klay Thompson, Kevon Looney, Andrew Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski started. Both teams have something in common and that is to get back into the playoffs this season. The Kings also have a solid starting roster with De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis, Harrison Barnes, Keegan Murray and Chris Duarte.

Warriors game wrap: The Kings had a quick start in the first quarter of the game leading after the first 12 minutes 38-25. Both team’s benches got to see some action in the first half as well. The Kings led by as much as 15 points in the opening quarter.

It was a much closer second quarter with the Kings just edging the Warriors at the half 59-56. The Warriors did win the second quarter 31-21. Both teams’ starting rosters played a little over two quarters and their benches got some extended time on the court in the second quarter.

The third quarter was a close one with the Warriors taking the quarter 27-24 and the score all knotted up at 83 with 36 minutes in the books. The two teams traded the lead throughout the fourth quarter and the game was tied numerous times.

There had been 19 lead changes in this game and most of those lead changes happened in the second half. With 1.7 seconds left in the game it was all tied up at 111. This game would go into overtime and there would be five more minutes of basketball.

The high score for the Kings in regulation was Sabonis with 19 points in 25 minutes of play. Fox had 17 points in 26 minutes. The Warriors had a slew of players in double digits with Kuminga scoring 26 points. Wiggins had 20 points and Thompson finished with 12. Bench players Moses Moody had 13 points and Lester Quinones was impressive with 16.

The two teams continued to trade leads until the final two minutes of overtime when Golden State began to pull away 119-115. The Warriors now have a perfect 3-0 pre-season record and the Kings are still looking for their first pre-season win.

The Warriors will take on the Kings for a second time at Chase Center next Wednesday October 18th. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM. There will be two more pre-season games for Golden State before the season begins on October 24th.

Golden State Warriors podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Bjelica call it quits, 8 yr career ends, too many injuries led to decision

Golden State Warriors youth campers Will McCloskey, left, and Amari Chiefelk, right, present former Warriors players Nemanja Bjelica and Chris Chiozza, second from left, with their 2022 NBA championship rings in a special ceremony, Wednesday, July 19, 2023, in Oakland, Calif. Typically, the Warriors present former players with their rings in a pregame on-court ceremony when they come through town with an opposing organization, but these two were playing overseas. Bjelica announced he was retiring on Oct ( (Janie McCauley AP News photo)

On the Warriors podcast with Jerry F:

#1 Jerry talk about the retirement of former Golden State Warrior Nemanja Bjelica and what he meant to the 2022 NBA Championship team.

#2 Bjelica’s last NBA season was that 2022 campaign where he played in 71 regular season games and 15 post season games.

#3 Bjelica played eight seasons in the NBA, he was considered a secondary player and was a contributor, Jerry a player like that can help out and create plays as a back up player.

#4 Bjelica is now 35 years old and is retiring from the game due to multiple injuries. He was considering playing overseas but his injuries have been too much to sustain continuing his career.

#5 The Warriors play the Los Angeles Lakers for the second time in pre season. The last time the two teams met were at Chase Center on Sat Oct 7th where the Warriors Jonathan Kuminga led in scoring with 24. The Lakers didn’t play LeBron James. The Warriors won last Saturday’s game 125-108.

Join Jerry F for the Warriors podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kings lose to Lakers 109-101 in second preseason game

Photo credit: @LakersNation

By Mary Anne

The Sacramento Kings faced the Los Angeles Lakers for their preseason game No. 2, the battle of NorCal vs. SoCal, on Wednesday night. The Kings lost to the Lakers 109-101 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Sacramento fell to 0-2, while Los Angeles improved to 2-1.

De’Aaron Fox led the Kings in scoring with 18 points, six assists, and three rebounds. Domantas Sabonis added ten points, 15 rebounds, and five assists.

The Kings’ starting lineup featured De’Aaron Fox, Kevin Huerter, Harrison Barnes, Sasha Vezenkov, and Domantas Sabonis. Vezenkov’s pregame buckets were spectacular, to say the least.

The Kings trailed the Lakers 30-28 at the end of the first quarter. As a result, Sacramento had some work to do, despite their money plays, such as De’Aaron Fox’s mid-range floater, Trey Lyles’ triple, etc.

The Kings took a 51-50 lead at the end of the first half. The highlight of the second quarter was the Kings’ eight three-pointers — the eighth scored by Kevin Huerter late in the quarter.

The Kings picked up where they left off, but the Lakers’ offense sizzled and star point guard D’Angelo Russell was on fire. Harrison Barnes scored another triple to open the second half and Domantas Sabonis recorded a double-double with ten points and 15 rebounds, but the Kings fell behind and trailed the Lakers 90-79 at the end of three quarters.

The Kings made it rain with triples in the fourth quarter. The Lakers’ bench, however, was excited for Alex Fudge’s hustle Wednesday night. Fudge, a small forward and power forward, is a two-way player for the Los Angeles Lakers and the South Bay Lakers. Despite last-minute efforts, the Kings ultimately lost 109-101 to the Lakers.

Notes
When asked about the Kings’ upcoming game against the Lakers, shooting guard Malik Monk told the media: “We got to keep building the chemistry in the second unit, and…keep encouraging each other.”

When talking to the media, head coach Mike Brown said: “What you guys are watching isn’t necessarily how it’s going to play out in the regular season.”

Up Next
The Kings will host the Golden State Warriors at the Golden 1 Center on Sunday at 6:00 p.m. Pacific.

Golden State Warriors podcast with Barbara Mason: Warriors take first pre season with ease

Jonathan Kuminga and the Golden State Warriors were doing a little of everything even throwing down against the Los Angeles Lakers at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Sat Oct 7, 2023 (@jonathankuminga photo)

On the Warriors podcast with Barbara:

#1 Fans got to see an incredible show from the Warrior bench scoring 91 points and finishing off the Los Angeles Lakers 125-108.

#2 It all began Saturday night. The Golden State Warriors (1-0) played the first of five preseason games taking on the rival Los Angeles Lakers (0-1) at the Chase Center in San Francisco.

#3  In the absence of Draymond Green who missed the game due to an ankle injury, the Warriors got their first look at Chris Paul who started this game with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.

#4 Kevon Looney and Andrew Wiggins rounded out the starting roster. How Paul will fit in whether on the starting roster or on the bench will begin to be revealed. 

#5 The second game of the preseason will tipoff next Friday October 13 at 7:00 PM in Los Angeles at Crypto.com Arena against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Join Barbara for the Golden State Warriors podcasts each Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Warriors Take On Lakers In Preseason Opener With Kuminga and Moody Stealing the Show 125-108

Golden State Warrior guard Stephen Curry (30) and his teammates knew this pre season game against the Los Angeles Lakers was a laugher at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Sat Oct 7, 2023 (@warriors photo)

By Barbara Mason

Fans got to see an incredible show from the Warrior bench scoring 91 points and finishing off the Los Angeles Lakers 125-108.

It all began Saturday night. The Golden State Warriors (1-0) played the first of five preseason games taking on the rival Los Angeles Lakers (0-1) at the Chase Center in San Francisco. In the absence of Draymond Green who missed the game due to an ankle injury, the Warriors got their first look at Chris Paul who started this game with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.

Kevon Looney and Andrew Wiggins rounded out the starting roster. How Paul will fit in whether on the starting roster or on the bench will begin to be revealed. The solid play of Paul is a welcome addition to the Warriors.

Paul rarely turns the ball over and with 18 years in the NBA he is a master with 21,755 points scored and 11,501 assists. Paul has played for so long at such a high level, Golden State is lucky to have him onboard. The Warriors did not see the Lakers LeBron James in this pre-season opener but saw plenty of Anthony Davis. James plans on playing in about half of the Lakers pre-season games.

Post game recap: The first quarter was all Thompson and Davis. Thompson finished the quarter with eight points and Davis with nine. The Warriors got to see 6’10” Dario Saric and 20 yr-old Brandin Podziemski off the bench.

Jonathan Kuminga finished off the quarter with his own exciting brand of play with some marque blocks, rebounds and passes just a preview of what the Warriors will see from him this season. After the opening quarter the Warriors had a 29-23 lead.

Mid-way through the second quarter the Warriors had expanded the lead to 18 points with 6:05 left in the half. The Lakers made a run as the second quarter came to an end. They had erased the Warriors 18 point lead but still trailed at the half 61-54.

Both teams played hard in this pre-season opener. It was an amazing half for the Golden State bench scoring 27 points to the Lakers 10. The Warriors bench will want to be, once again, a weapon and if this first half was any indication they will indeed be a weapon.

Thompson was the only Warrior in double digits with 10. Both Davis and D’Angelo Russell had 15 points for the Lakers. The Warriors had 11 turnovers in the first half, not unexpected in this warm up to the regular season. Both teams played with such intensity in the half it looked nothing like a preseason matchup.

After three quarters Golden State led 95-83. The Warrior bench started the quarter extending their half time lead. This amazing bench had scored 64 points going into the fourth quarter. The Golden State starters had played just a little over a quarter in this game.

The Lakers bench player Cam Reddish left the court in the quarter with a turned ankle, something you hate to see especially in the preseason. The bench finished off the game with Kuminga scoring 24 points with eight rebounds.

Moses Moody had 15 and Podziemski with 11 points. All but three of the 13 bench players who took the floor scored finishing with 91 points. The bench stole the show.

This was of course the beginning of a very long 82-game season but it was a great showing by this Warrior bench. The starters played just a little over a quarter. There is more good news for the Warriors.

It appears right now that Green will be available for the first game of the 2023-24 season. This guy is a fighter and it is no surprise that he has healed in record time. Now it remains to be seen how this team will look going into the regular season.

How will they fare on the road? Last season they won 11 road games. They were 30th in turnovers and 30th in free throws. Shot selection was terrible at times. All of this has to change in a field with so many playoff contenders.

The second game of the preseason will tipoff next Friday October 13 at 7:00 PM in Los Angeles at Crypto.com Arena.

Golden State Warriors podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Will Kerr returned as Warriors head coach after this season?

Golden State Warriors head coach in confident that he and the Warriors will have an extension worked out sometime this season. Kerr is seen here taking questions following the Warriors game against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Chase Center on Mar 28, 2023 (AP file photo)

On the Warriors podcast with Jerry F:

#1 Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr’s contract is up at the end of this season. Is Kerr concerned about not getting a new deal or not?

#2 Warriors brass Joe Lacob owner and Mike Dunleavy Jr general manager are working pretty hard to present Kerr with a extension, both Lacob and Dunleavy Jr is confident they’ll get a deal done with Kerr.

#3 Kerr said he’s sure that something will get worked out and Kerr also commented, “I feel great about my position here,” Kerr said while talking to the media at the Warriors media day on Monday. “I want to be here. I know Mike and Joe want me here, and so I’m very confident something will get done. But I’m not stressed about it at all. I’m perfectly capable of coaching whether I have one year left or an extension. Makes no difference.”

#4 Kerr has been together coaching stars Draymond Green, Stephen Curry, and Klay Thompson and has no plans of breaking up that old gang anytime soon.

#5 Warriors have their first pre season game this Sat Oct 7 against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers at Chase Center in San Francisco tip off 5:30pm PT.

Join Jerry for Warriors podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Golden State Warriors podcast with Barbara Mason: Green injures ankle in pick up game out for four to six weeks

 Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green celebrates after scoring against the Dallas Mavericks during the second half in Game 5 of the NBA basketball playoffs Western Conference finals in San Francisco, Thursday, May 26, 2022. Green injured his ankle in a pick up game at Chase Center in San Francisco and will miss four to six weeks due to the injury as announced Sat Sep 30, 2023 (AP News file photo)

On the Warriors podcast with Barbara:

#1 Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green who suffered an ankle sprain will be out from four to six weeks. How do you see his absence impacting the beginning of the Warriors season?

#2 Barbara, you never know what could happen in those pick up games and at Chase Center last week Green injured the ankle and the timing for Green was bad as the season is right around the corner.

#3 Green said even with the MRI you don’t see the trend of it immediately but the swelling is down. He’s encouraged but it won’t get him in the line up sooner than a month or so.

#4 Green will speak with the media on Media Day this Monday. Tuesday will be the beginning of training camp. The Warriors first pre season game is on Oct 7 and they’ll open the season against the Phoenix Suns on Oct 24th.

#5 Is Green getting too old to play this game at this level? A question no one but on one asks out loud, at 33. Green is entering his 12th season in the NBA and 2023-24 will be the first year of his four year contract. Is Green long in the tooth or does he still have it in the tank. Is this injury indicative of his body aging?

Join Barbara Mason for the Golden State Warriors podcast Mondays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury News and Commentary Podcast: Mayor and MLB Commissioner very far apart on any baseball future in Oakland

Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao (pictured) and MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred (not pictured) seem much further apart after Manfred said in a recent San Francisco Chronicle report that there was no discussion between he and Thao about an expansion team for Oakland or the city keeping the A’s name (AP News photo)

On That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast:

#1 MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred says in a San Francisco Chronicle report, that everybody likes to pile on MLB adding that you have to look at what Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao has done and hasn’t done. She is great saying MLB did this wrong and that wrong but did she handle this well, “I don’t think so” said Manfred.

#2 It should be noted that Mayor Thao was only in office four months when the A’s announced that they would leaving Oakland and prior to that she said she was in negotiations with the A’s to secure a deal that was nearly 10 percent of the way being completed before the A’s said they had a binding deal with the Rio in Las Vegas.

#3 It also was reported that Manfred was agitated during the interview saying that Thao should be blamed for losing it’s third professional team after Oakland lost the Raiders and Warriors under previous Mayor Libby Schaff.

#4 Manfred went onto say that there was never a discussion about expansion in Oakland and keeping the A’s name, that it was simply not true, and that he and Thao never discussed these alleged demands.

#5 Amaury, the way you see the relationship between the Commissioner and the Mayor of Oakland being so far apart would say the chances of getting anything for baseball done in Oakland is almost all but dead?

Amaury Pi Gonzalez does News and Commentary podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: How Warriors Chris Paul fits into Golden State’s plans

Former Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul moves the ball up court against the Los Angeles Clippers during the second half of Game 5 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series April 25, 2023, in Phoenix. Paul joined the Golden State Warriors last Thu Jun 22, 2023. (AP News photo)

On the Warriors podcast with David Zizmor:

#1 David how important was it for Golden State to pick up long time veteran Chris Paul from the Phoenix Suns and how do you see him fitting in.

#2 I know you talked about Jordan Poole during the post season and said his just couldn’t get his game going and it was as if he was just there but not there. Did the Draymond Green punch from the beginning of the season play into his mental make up or there was enough water under that bridge for him to make that up and get with the program?

#3 David talk about the Warriors draft picks and how they’ll help out for next season.

Join David Zizmor for updated reports on the Golden State Warriors and San Francisco 49ers podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com