Tag: Houston Rockets

Warriors destroy Rockets 115-86 to force Game 7

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Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors, with their backs to the wall, fell behind by 17 points in the first quarter. The Rockets, behind James Harden and Eric Gordon, came out blazing and outscored the Warriors 39-22 in the first quarter. The Warriors turned the ball over, and shots were not falling for Golden State. The fans were starting to squirm as it looked as if the Rockets had found the key to their fourth victory in the best-of-seven series.

However, the Warriors started to play better in the second period. Klay Thompson started making shots, and the Warriors improved on defense. They won the quarter 29-21 and trailed Houston 61-51 at the end of the first half.

The Rockets were led by Harden’ 22 points. Eric Gordon made four 3-point shots and finished with 16. Trevor Ariza had 14, and he knocked down two from downtown.

Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant each had 14. Steph Curry had 13, and the Warriors bench did not make a significant contribution.

The Warriors knew that the season was on the line as they started the second half. They had to find a way to stop the Rockets attack and a way to get going on offense.

The Warriors executed that plan to perfection. They started the third quarter on an 11-0 run to take the lead for the first time since early in the game when they lead 4-3. The Rockets’ main man, James Harden, responded by making two 3-pointers to put Houston ahead 69-66.

Thompson hit a three to tie the game at 69. The Rockets rebounded to go up by four points 74-70. It was at this point that the Warriors took control of the game and went on a 14-3 run to end the third period leading 84-77.

The Warriors blew the game open in the fourth quarter when they went on a 27-6 run and held the Rockets to just nine points for the entire period. The Warriors won the game 115-86. They meet the Rockets in Houston Mondy night for the Western Conference title.

Game Notes and Stats: The Warriors were magnificent in the second half. They outscored the Rockets 64-25. They went from being down by 17 and winning by 29. That was quite a turnaround.

The Rockets were without the services of guard Chris Paul, who suffered a hamstring injury in Game 5.

The Warriors’ Andre Iguodala, so needed for his defensive skills, was unavailable for the third game in a row due to a bone bruise. He is day-to-day and may be available Monday.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr felt terribly for Paul — and others who have gone down.

“More than anything, I feel bad for Chris. The guy is a phenomenal player and competitor, and pretty much willed his team the last two games. He’s just been haunted by these types of injuries in his career, and it’s a shame,” Kerr said.

“I hate when anybody gets hurt. I hated when Andre got hurt. I hate to see Kevin Love last night, Kyrie (Irving). These guys train so hard, and they’re here, and they’re competing, and you want everybody to be healthy, but just the reality is it usually doesn’t work out that way. So you’ve just got to keep playing with whoever’s there and keep going.”

After the game, Klay Thompson had this to say about the win: “I don’t want to go home. It shows you what you are made of. We are the best defensive team in the league.

The stats show that the Warriors, as a team, outrebounded the Rockets 47-38. Also, on defense, they had 11 steals and 10 blocked shots. They forced the Rockets to commit 21 turnovers.

On offense, Klay Thompson was on fire. He ended the night with 35 points, and he made nine threes.

Steph Curry finished with 29. Curry made just one three the first half, but he found his shot in the final 24 minutes as he hit four 3-pointers.

Kevin Durant finished with 23. Draymond Green, on offense, scored just nine points but he had nine assists. He was a terror defense. He had 10 rebounds to go along with four steals and five blocked shots.

The Warriors needed the Big Four to produce, and that is exactly what the did as they shut down the Rockets after the first period.

James Harden led the Rockets with 32. Eric Gordon had 19, and Trevor Ariza finished with 14. The Warriors held Harden to 10 points in the second half. Gordon added just three and Ariza was held scoreless. Gerald Green was the only other Rocket in double figures with 11.

Up Next: The deciding game of the West Final series will be Monday night in Houston. Game time will be at 6:00 pm PST.

Rockets take Game 5 with 98-94 win, go up 3-2 on Warriors in West Finals

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Photo credit: nba.com/warriors

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
SRS Contributor

HOUSTON — The Rockets took advantage of 18 turnovers by the Warriors, the final pivotal one coming off Draymond Green’s leg with under 10 seconds remaining and Eric Gordon knocked down two free throws to perserve a 98-94 victory in Game 5 of the West Finals at the Toyota Center Thursday night to take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-7 series.

“We were suppose to score and I lost the ball, ” Green said to reporters postgame.

More importantly, it puts the defending NBA Champions on the brink of elimination as the series shifts to Oakland for a “win-or-go-home” Game 6 Saturday night at Oracle Arena. Tip off is at 5:00 p.m. PT.

After defeating the Rockets by 41 points in Game 3, the Warriors have lost back-to-back games for the first time this postseason. The postseason is not the best time of year to start going on a losing streak. The Rockets snapped Golden State’s NBA postseason-record 16-game home winning streak in Game 4.

Eric Gordon led the Rockets with 24 points off the bench on 6-of-15 shooting. In fact, the Rockets bench outscored the Warriors’ reserves 33-4 in Game 5. Gordon connected on 9-of-10 from the free throw line.

Chris Paul finished with 20 points, seven rebounds and six assists, but was just 6-of-19 shooting from the floor, including starting 0-of-7 in the first-half. Paul left the game in the final minutes after injuring his right hamstring after coming down on the foot of Warriors’ reserve guard Quinn Cook.

After the game, it was reported that Paul will be re-evaluated Friday and his status for Game 6 is unclear.

James Harden also struggled, shooting just 5-of-21 from the field (0-for-11 on 3s) and finishing with 19 points. Like Gordon, Harden did most of his damage from the free throw line, converting 9-of-9 free throws.

“We had to rely on our defense once again,” Harden said. “Game 4, we weren’t making shots but defensively we were really good. Same thing tonight.”

Center Clint Capela finished with 12 points and 14 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the postseason. Capela had three of Houston’s eight offensive rebounds.

As a team, Golden State had just three offensive rebounds.

Four Warriors finished in double-figures, led by Kevin Durant’s team-high 29 points. Klay Thompson added 23, Stephen Curry scored 22 and Green finished with 12 points and 15 rebounds.

Golden State played solid defense, limiting Houston to 37.2-percent shooting from the floor, but the aforementioned 18 turnovers led to 18 points by the Rockets. That can’t happen if you’re a championship team that prides itself on solid execution like Golden State has done during this four-year run under head coach Steve Kerr.

“I feel great about where we are right now,” Kerr said postgame. “I know that sounds crazy but I feel it. I know exactly what I’m seeing out there…we defended them well tonight. Just too many turnovers, too many reaches.

“If we settle down a little bit, we’ll be in really good shape.”

Durant shot 8-of-22 from the floor, including 3-of-6 from behind the three-point arc, and was 10-of-10 from the free throw line. For the series, Durant is perfect at the charity stripe, shooting 37-of-37 from the free throw line.

For the second straight game, the Warriors were without Andre Iguodala who has been dealing with a left knee contusion. Iguodala suffered the injury after bumping knees with Harden in Game 3. Many believe that since Iguodala has been out, it has thrown off the Warriors’ game since Iguodala is who Kerr affectionately calls, the “adult in the room” for his ability to keep the team calm during critical stages of the game.

“He’s dying to play, but he’s not healthy enough,” Kerr said. “We’ll just continue to take it day to day.”

The game itself was a tight one, with no lead greater than six points. At halftime. the game was tied, 45-45 and the two teams stayed within three points of each other throughout the third quarter.

Golden State suffered just their second Game 5 lost in a playoff series since 2015.

If the Warriors were to lose Game 6 on Saturday night, they would miss out the NBA Finals for the first time since 2014.

The Warriors’ backs are firmly pressed against the wall but the defending NBA wouldn’t have it any other way.

Rockets hold off Warriors 95-92 in Game 4, tie West finals at 2-2

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Photo credit: @warriors

By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Tuesday, May 22, 2018

On the heels of Houston’s most lopsided NBA playoff loss in team history, the Rockets withstood powerful runs from Golden State and outlasted the Warriors 95-92 in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals at Oracle Arena Tuesday night.

It was the first home court loss for Golden State since 2016. The best-of-seven is tied at 2-2. Game 5 is Thursday at Toyota Center in Houston.

The Rockets surged ahead at 2:27 of the fourth quarter on Eric Gordon’s 3-pointer, as Houston finished with a 21-4 run. Golden State had a chance to tie the game with 0.5 seconds remaining, but Steph Curry’s catch-and-shoot attempt rimmed out at the horn.

Houston held the Warriors to 12 points in the fourth quarter, as Golden State shot a miserable 3-of-18 from the field (17 percent, plus six missed 3-pointers) – its worst shooting quarter of the season, according to ESPN Stats & Info. It also tied the team-low for any postseason quarter since the shot clock was introduced in 1954.

Meanwhile, Paul scored eight of his 27 points in the fourth – 13 in the second half. Harden scored 24 of his 30 points in the first half.

Golden State opened the game with a 12-0 run, but the Rockets’ Chris Paul and James Harden outscored the Warriors 29-18 in the second quarter. Houston led by seven at halftime.

The Warriors, Curry in particular, roared out of the halftime break, outscoring Houston 34-17 in the third quarter, a stretch sparked by five 3-pointers by Curry. Two minutes into the fourth, Golden State led 82-70, but the Warriors also committed 16 turnovers.

Curry led Golden State with 28 points, including 6-of-13 on 3’s. Kevin Durant was next with 27 points and 12 rebounds. Draymond Green was two assists shy of a triple-double, finishing with 11 points, 13 rebounds, eight assists, two steals and a block.

The Warriors were without Andre Iguodala, who was held out due to a left leg contusion. There’s no word on Iguodala’s status for Game 5.

Curry finds his mojo as Warriors blast Rockets by 41 points to take a 2-1 series lead

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Photo credit: nba.com/warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND, Calif. — The Golden State Warriors and Steph Curry, in particular, had it all going for them Sunday night at home as they beat the Houston Rockets 126-85 at Oracle Arena Sunday.

The 41-point margin of victory was the largest in NBA playoff history. The Warriors, who were routed by Houston last Wednesday, looked like an entirely different team as they played exceptionally well on defense. Curry and Kevin Durant paced them on offense. Curry did not look like himself in the first two games of the series. He had missed several weeks of action due to ankle and knee injuries and was slow to return to form. Curry showed the fans at Oracle and all those watching on television knew that he was back. He got off to a slow start in the first half of the game, but got it going in the third quarter. He scored 18 points and was 7-for-7 from the floor as the Warrior blew open the game.

The Rockets came into town having won the second game of the series by routing Golden State in Houston. They appeared to have found the recipe for beating the Warriors and were eager to pull an upset by winning Game 3. The Warriors could not stop James Harden. Eric Gordon, Trevor Ariza, and P.J.Tucker had it all working for them in Game 2.

The Warriors had to figure out a way to stop the vaunted Houston offense and their 3-point excellence. They did it. The Rockets and Warriors both got off to slow starts. The Rockets led 22-21 when the Warriors went on an 11-0 run at the end of the first quarter to complete the first 12 minutes of play with a nine-point lead 31-22.  The second quarter was also pretty even. The Warriors won the quarter 23-21 and finished the first half leading 54-43.

Curry and Durant each scored five points each to give the Warriors a 21-point advantage. The Warriors again owned the third quarter, and Curry was the ringleader with 18 points and three 3-pointers. The Warriors finished the quarter, leading 88-67.

The Warriors refused to let the Rockets get back in the game. The defense continued to force Houston turnovers as they continued to increase the lead. Steve Kerr rested the starters with less than five minutes to play and the bench, led by Quinn Cook’s 11 points, increased the lead to 41. The Warriors win 126-85.

Game Notes and Stats: The Warriors made NBA history as they won their 16th consecutive home playoff win to break the mark of 15 that was set by the Chicago Bulls.  The Rockets have played 295 playoff games and it was their worst loss ever. Steph Curry made 11-of-13 shots in the second half and ended the night with 35 points, six rebounds, and five 3-point shots. Kevin Durant added 25 points to go along with six rebounds, and six assists. Draymond Green knocked down 10 and was a monster on the boards as he pulled down 17 rebounds. Klay Thompson had 13, and Andre Iguodala added 10. All five starters were in double figures.

James Harden led the Rockets with 20. Chris Paul and Clint Capela had 13 each. Eric Gordon was the only other Rocket in double figures with 11.

The Warriors shot 52.25% from the floor and held the Rockets to 39.5%. The Rockets made 11 3-pointers. However, the Dubs made 13. On defense, the Warriors made 11 steals and blocked seven shots, and they forced Houston to commit 19 turnovers. The Warriors committed just eight.

The Warriors and the fans observed a moment of silence for the victims of the school shooting in Santa Fe, Texas. The Warriors introduced Run TMC to the crowd during a timeout in the first period. On hand were Chris Mullen, Mitch Richmond, and Tim Hardaway. The trio received a standing ovation from the fans. Hardaway is being installed in the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame Monday night. Mullen and Richmond were inducted earlier.

Rockets soar past Warriors 127-105, evens West Finals 1-1

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Photo credit: nba.com/warriors

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
SRS Contributor

The talk of a potential Warriors’ sweep can be put to rest.

After dropping Game 1 Monday night, the Rockets rebounded with a 127-105 victory over the Warriors in Game 2 at the Toyota Center Wednesday night.

James Harden finished with 27 points and 10 rebounds to help Houston regain home-court in the best-of-7 Western Conference Finals series.

“Guys were more active,” said Harden, who shot 9-of-24 from the floor and just 3-of-15 from 3, postgame to TNT. “We played harder and it showed tonight.”

Eric Gordon, who scored just 15 points in Game 1, exploded with 27 points in Game 2, matching Harden’s output. Gordon shot 8-of-15 from the field, including 6-of-9 on 3s.

The play of P.J. Tucker was big for Houston, scoring a playoff career-high 22 points on 8-of-9 shooting. Tucker was red-hot from 3, knocking down 5-of-6 from behind the arc, bouncing back from a poor Game 1 performance of one point on 0-of-3 from the field.

Trevor Ariza finished with 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting and six assists, and Clint Capela finished with five points and 10 rebounds.

Chris Paul scored 16 points and had six assists, after recording just three in Game 1. Paul shot just 6-of-14 from the floor, appeared to be bothered by a lower leg injury in the second half as he ran with a noticeable limp. Paul did sit out most of the fourth quarter when the game was in hand for Houston.

The Rockets dominated Golden State in the second quarter, outscoring the Warriors 38-29.

“We can beat anybody, anywhere at any time playing the way we play,” Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni said.

Sloppy play, lackluster defense and the lack of another scoring option other than Kevin Durant were the main culprits in the loss for Golden State.

As a team, Houston was scorching from three-point land, knocking down 16-of-42 (38.1-percent). Golden State’s perimeter defense against the Rockets was nonexistent in Game 2 from the beginning, allowing the Rockets to drill 10-of-23 3s in the first half. Houston shot 51.4-percent for the game (45-of-88) and out-rebounded Golden State 47-36.

Houston led as much as 19 in the first half and was up 64-50 at halftime. The Warriors did climb back into the game, closing the gap 74-64 behind five points by Durant before Houston increased their lead to 89-72 behind an off-balanced layup by Gordon crashing to the floor, drawing a foul and making a free throw.

Durant finished with a game-high 38 points on 13-of-22 shooting from the floor, but was a one-man band Wednesday night at the Toyota Center for Golden State.

“We’re not the juggernauts of the NBA,” Durant said. “We’re a good team, but that’s a great team on the other end.”

Stephen Curry had another quiet game, scoring 16 points on 7-of-19 shooting from the field, but couldn’t get anything going from three-point range, connecting on 1-of-8 on his 3s. By hitting just one 3, Curry extended his NBA playoff record to 81 games.

In the first two games of the series, Curry is shooting just 2-of-13 on 3s.

Klay Thompson, who had his way with Houston in Game 1 scoring 28 points, was held in check finishing with just eight points on 3-of-11 shooting (2-of-4 on 3s).

Draymond Green finished with just six points, six rebounds and six assists.

“I think a lot of these games when you get in the playoffs with teams that are very talented and really great team, it often comes down to which one has the edge in terms of the aggression and the desperation,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr told reporters after the game. “They were desperate tonight, and they played like it. And we didn’t. And the results showed. We got what we deserved. They kicked our butts.”

The Warriors committed 15 turnovers, off of which Houston scored 15 points. Houston 13 points off 11 first-half turnover by Golden State, which in essence, had the Warriors climbing uphill for the entirety of the game.

Golden State shot 45.9-percent for the game (39-of-85) and were ice-cold on 3s, shooting 9-of-30 (30-percent).

But if you’re the Warriors, you’ve accomplished your mission of splitting the first two games in Houston. With the scene shifting to Oakland for Games 3 and 4, Golden State should feel good about where the series stands right now.

Game 3 is Sunday at Oracle Arena with tipoff scheduled for 5 p.m. Pacific.

Following Game 3, the two teams will play Game 4 on Tuesday, before returning to Houston for Game 5 on Thursday.

“Hamptons 5” lineup helped Warriors to 119-106 rout of Rockets in Game 1

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Photo credit: David J. Phillip/Associated Press

By Pearl Allison Lo

The Golden State Warriors started on the road for the first time these 2018 NBA playoffs and won by way of a 119-106 victory over the Rockets Monday at the Toyota Center in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals for a 1-0 series lead.

Golden State’s “Hamptons 5″ lineup consisted of Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, who all combined for 99 points and a +48 rating versus the starting five for the Rockets (85 points and a -30 rating).

Durant posted his second-highest total this postseason with 37 points. On the flip side, Houston’s James Harden’s 41 points tied his second-highest too as he shot his best from the field (58.3%) these 2018 playoffs.  

Harden’s role could not be understated, as he helped or made 23 straight points from 3:10 left in the second to 8:10 left in the third.  

In Durant’s words: “We tried to take the first punch and kept on fighting…stay solid and keep up with each other…play a calm, steady game.”

Rockets’ coach Mike D’Antoni cited “mental lapses” and the need to be “mentally sharper.”

However, the separation between the teams did not occur until the third quarter.

At the end of the first half, both were dead even and just one point away after the first quarter.

Harden scored the first nine points for Houston (9-2 run) with a variety of shots, including two three-pointers and a technical free throw, courtesy of Green.

The Rockets got a scare when Harden left the court with 3:17 left in the first after Kevon Looney inadvertently stepped on his right foot.

The Warriors got their first lead (35-33) with 9:03 left in the second and then the teams wrestled back and forth until Golden State emerged the winner.

Houston used a 7-0 run to tie the game again with 1:51 left.

Golden State did not get their first free throws until 1:28 left in the half.

Almost ending the first half the way he started, Harden made his team’s last three shots for a total of 13 points in the second. Trevor Ariza, Green and Iguodala ended the half with three fouls.

Foul trouble would continue.

In the third, Ariza had to sit out with 9:35 left when he got his fifth foul.

After Iguodala made the second free throw, both teams traded baskets (seven of them interrupted) until 5:50 left when the Warriors went on a 10-2 run spurred by Thompson’s three. Stephen Curry either assisted with or hit eight of the points.

The Rockets put together an 8-0 run with two threes and two free throws near the end of the third, pulling to within four with a three (11:44 left in the fourth).

However, Golden State countered with a 7-2 run two minutes later to keep their lead.

Game Notes: Houston’s Chris Paul had a game-high 11 rebounds, Green a game-high nine assists and +19 and Thompson a game-high six threes.

Up Next: Game 2 will take place Wednesday at 6 pm PT. 

Sports Headlines with Tony Renteria: Rockets a favorite to represent Western Conference; Warriors will be at full strength once playoffs start

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Photo credit: nba.com

On the Sports Headlines podcast with Tony:

#1 You’ve got all kinds of choices in the NBA Playoffs, but focusing on the Western Conference, who does Tony like amongst Houston, Golden State, Utah, Portland, San Antonio, Oklahoma City, and New Orleans?

#2 Houston has had such a good year led by James Harden, whose been a workhorse and put out an all effort to help lead the Rockets this season.

#3 Golden State kind of got the injury epidemic all at once when the “Big Four” of Draymond Green, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson all went down. With Green, Durant, Thompson they ended their season losing by 40 to Utah on Tuesday night, 119-79, is this a prelude to the playoffs or expect for them to break out once the playoffs start?

#4 Turning to baseball, the Oakland A’s suffered some tough loses Tuesday night was no exception with a loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-0. The A’s simply couldn’t do anything with Dodgers starter Hyun-Jin Ryu, who helped shutout Oakland, going six innings and giving up only one hit.

#5 The San Francisco Giants just put Johnny Cueto on the DL. Cueto spent a great deal of time on the DL last season. Cueto is being shelved and is at a 70% performance level because of coming off he mound to field on a bunt and had to cover first base. Cueto turned the other ankle on the ensuing play and manager Bruce Bochy said Cueto could return on Tuesday.

Tony does the Sports headline podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

The Kings 2017-18 season ends with a 96-83 win over the Houston Rockets

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4-11 starting 5
Starting of game 82 Photo: @SacramentoKings

by Charlie O. Mallonee and Jordan “Chape” Chapin

Sacramento – The Sacramento Kings season came to an end on Wednesday night as they defeated the number one seeded playoff team in the NBA Western Conference – the Houston Rockets – 96-83. Now, it is important to know that the Rockets did not allow James Harden and Chris Paul to step on the court for fear that they might sustain an injury that would cause them to miss the playoffs.

Even without the two Houston superstars on the floor, there was some very entertaining basketball played by both teams. The Rockets reserves wanted to impress their coaches that they could contribute if given playing time during the playoffs. The Kings players desperately wanted to send their fans home with a victory to remember until new season tips off next October.

The Kings started fast and finished strong

The Kings won every quarter except the fourth period which they did not need to win because they had the game well in hand by that time. Four of the five Kings starters scored in double figures and seven of the nine players used by Sacramento scored in double digits.

Willie Cauley-Stein finished with a team-high 22 points and he made it a double-double by grabbing 11 rebounds. Buddy Hield scored 14 points, pulled down five rebounds, handed out five assists and made two steals in 27-plus minutes of playing time.

Sacramento shot 47.5-percent (38-for-80) for the game and hit 7-of-26 (26.9-percent) attempts from downtown. The Kings went to the free throw line 20 times but converted only 13 of those opportunities (65.0-percent).

Houston relied on two key players for the entire game

Forward Gerald Green led the way on offense for the Rockets on Wednesday night scoring a game-high 31 points. Green shot 11-for-22 from the field and hit 7-of-17 attempts from 3-point land. RJ Hunter posted 19 points shooting 7-for-16 overall and sinking just 3-of-11 attempts from behind the 3-point line.

Tarik Black played just over 38-minutes against the Kings and recorded a double-double. Black scored 12 points and hauled in 11 rebounds.

The Rockets also played Aaron Jackson who they signed on Wednesday after he had been playing in the Chinese Basketball Association for the Beijing Ducks. Jackson will be eligible to play for Houston in the playoffs. Jackson scored eight points in 34-plus minutes of playing versus the Kings on Wednesday night.

Kings win fewer games in 2017-18

The Kings finish the season with a record of 27-55 for the year. Sacramento finished with a record of 32-50 in 2016-17.

Head Coach Dave Joerger reflects on the game and the season

Vince Carter talks about why there will be another year of Vinsanity

Bogie explains why he is a rookie until next season

Charlie O’s and “Chapes” Kings Player of the Year

buddy 4-11
Hield flies high versus Rockets Photo: @SacramentoKings

We did not have to take a moment to contemplate who our choice of would be our choice for this season because our selection for Player of the Year is a no-brainer in our humble opinion. Second-year guard Buddy Hield has been outstanding in his development and execution in 2017-18.

The big knock on Hield as a player was that he was purely a one-dimensional guard. Hield was a shooter who could come into a game and shoot the ball … period. Experts said he could not handle the ball, set up assists, rebound and he most definitely could not play defense.

Then, the Kings finally signed Bogdan Bogdanovic and the Sacramento backcourt became a very crowded place. Early on in the season, it became apparent that Bogdanovic was going to be a starter along with De’Aaron Fox. That meant Hield would be coming off the bench.

Hield adjusted to being the Kings “sixth man” very quickly and never complained about his role. He frequently provided the spark the team needed to get into a  game where they started off slowly.Hield also began to play more minutes per game.

As Hield played more, the turnovers went down as his rebound, assist, and steal numbers went up. Then observers began to notice something else about his game, Buddy Hield was making a real effort to play defense.

As Hield entered game 82 on Wednesday night, he was averaging 13.5 points per game which is the second-best average for the Kings. Hield is the overall points leader for Sacramento with 1065 points.

Hield has averaged 3.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.05 assists in 25.3 minutes per game this season. His season-highs show 35 minutes played, 27 points scored, nine rebounds, seven assists, five steals, and two blocked shots.

Hield shooting numbers have also been impressive. Overall, Hield has shot 44.6-percent from the field while converting a team-high 43.1-percent of his 3-Point attempts. He has also been deadly from the free throw shooting 88.8-percent from the stripe.

2017-18 has been a year of real growth and dynamic production for Buddy Hield.

 

Kings lose to Rockets 100-91; Houston enters All-Star break with 10 straight wins

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Photo credit: @NBCSAuthentic

By: Ana Kieu

Last night, a streak was broken and swept up against the Dallas Mavericks, and the Sacramento Kings traveled to South Texas to take on the Houston Rockets in a Valentine’s Day game at the Toyota Center on Wednesday night.

The Kings were doing just fine in the first quarter. They got some insurance points from Buddy Hield too.

 

 

 

The Kings led the Rockets 25-20 at the end of the first.

However, the Rockets bounced back with 35 points in the second quarter. The Kings scored just 20 points in the second.

The Kings trailed the Rockets 55-45 at the half.

Since the Kings were down by 10 at halftime, they decided to have some fun on Twitter. Rapper Gucci Mane tweeted, “It’s never too late. You can still do it!” The Kings quoted the tweet with “That’s right, Gucci! Trailing at the half but plenty of basketball to go.”

It was a low scoring third quarter, but the Kings outshot the Rockets 18-17 to end the third. Hield continued to make it rain with various types of shots, including buckets, on the court.

 

 

 

Despite the Kings ending the third on a high note, they continued to trail the Rockets 72-63 at the end of the third.

After that, the Kings’ Twitter announced the game’s Cold Hard Fact sponsored by Coors Light. That fact said: “Seven Kings players have at least four rebounds so far tonight.”

Both teams scored 28 points in the fourth quarter, but the Kings’ hard-fought battle came up short as they lost to the Rockets 100-91. Kings’ De’Aaron Fox received stitches above his right eye and chin after making contact with the floor during the early moments of tonight’s game in Houston.

Notes
Kings’ starters:

Kings’ crowdsourced startup powered by Sacramento Urban Technology Lab will return for the third year in a row.

Kings’ De’Aaron Fox will participate in the 2018 Rising Stars Game.

Kings’ dancers posted for a Valentine’s day photoshoot.

https://twitter.com/SacramentoKings/status/963925839271391233

Up Next
The Kings return home to kick off a three-game homestand, starting with the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday, February 22 at 7:00 pm PT.

Warriors lose to Rockets 116-108; Houston ends Golden State’s 14-game road win streak

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Photo credit: @ESPNStatsInfo

By: Ana Kieu

The Golden State Warriors were looking to sweep their five-game road trip in Saturday’s primetime game against the Houston Rockets at the Toyota Center.

The NBA on ABC/ESPN pregame hosts counted down JaVale McGee’s top 10 plays, Klay Thompson signed some autographs for the fans, and then the Warriors walked onto their court, sporting their “The Town” jerseys.

Both teams entered the building as two of the best Western Conference squads, but the Rockets started off on a high note, making five of their first six shots. The Warriors were down 14-7 early in the first quarter. Golden State continued to make shots to pick themselves up off the ground.

However, the Rockets had a high-scoring first quarter, and they led the Warriors 40-28.
Houston shot 15-for-22 from the field and 7-for-11 from the 3-point line.

Warriors’ Nick Young had some solid production off the bench, hitting each of his first three shots early in the second quarter. Also, David West did his thing, shooting 4-for-4 from the field for a total of eight points.

James Harden and Chris Paul put in some work. With less than two minutes left in the quarter, Steph Curry hit a three, but the Warriors continued to trail the Rockets 65-58 at the half. Harden and Paul combined for 30 first-half points.

Here are the Warriors’ halftime stats:

Warriors’ Kevin Durant made a high-impact play, a 4-point play, to open up the second half. Durant also dished a pass to Draymond Green to set up a 1-on-1 opportunity. In addition, Curry hit a 3-pointer to help out the Warriors.

The Warriors made it a game as they pulled within one, 92-91, at the end of the third quarter. Rockets’ P.J. Tucker came up big in the quarter.

Green tied the score with a 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter. The Warriors were down by 17, but went up to 4 (104-100) with 6:45 left in the quarter.

Prior to the timeout, the Rockets led the Warriors 111-108 with 2:17 left in regulation. Houston continued to flip the switch as Harden hit a 3-pointer for a 114-108 lead over Golden State. Then, Paul made a pair of free throws with 28.2 seconds left.

Both Curry and Young missed their final 3-point shots, and the Warriors lost to the Rockets 116-108. With the loss, Golden State’s 14-game road win streak and 4-game overall win streak.

Notes
Warriors’ injury update: Andre Iguodala (left calf contusion) is out.

Former Warriors player Jason Richardson turned 37 today. He played for the Warriors for six seasons from 2001 to 2007.

When asked about closing out the road trip in Houston, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr told the local media: “It’s a good way to close the trip…it should be a fun atmosphere.”

Warriors’ Steph Curry made his 600th career regular season start tonight in his 606th career regular season game.

Warriors’ Draymond Green has his fourth 20-point game of the season with 21 points; his third 20-point performance in his last six games.

Up Next
The Warriors return home for a three-game homestand. They’ll first host the Knicks this coming Tuesday at 7:30 pm PT.