Warriors stay hot rout Pacers 121-109; Extend win streak to three; Curry leads with 49 pts

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) led the Warriors with 49 points against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse Indianapolis on Thu Feb 8, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors (24-25) led wire to wire to outgun the Indiana Pacers (29-24) 131-109 in Indianapolis. The arena fans got to see how good Warrior guard Stephen Curry is. Curry made his first seven three-point shots in a row.

Curry finished the first half, connecting on eight threes and 29 points in total. The Warriors played well on defense, too. The Warriors’ defense held Tyrese Haliburton to five points. Haliburton averages 22.5 points per game.

The Warriors have the ninth-best defensive record with Draymond Green in the lineup. Without him, the Warriors are 20th. The Warriors finished the five-game road trip with four wins and just one loss. The only loss was to the Atlanta Hawks in overtime.

The Warriors have won five of the last six. Steve Kerr had to be pleased with the performances of the younger players on the team. Brandin Podzienski, Jonathan Kunimga, Lester Quinones, and Gui Santos all played well in handing the Pacers the loss.

The Warriors got off to a hot start in the first quarter. Curry’s seven threes in the quarter helped the Warriors score 45 points. The Pacers never led in the game. They trailed early in the game by one point, 7-6.

The Warriors offense was clicking on all cylinders Thursday night. The Warriors led 58-53 on Curry’s three-pointer. The Pacers closed the gap to two, 58-56. The Warriors then went on a 12-2 run to finish the first half 70-58. Curry tallied 29 points. He was ten for eleven from the floor.

Eight of the shots were three-pointers. Kuminga had 10, Andrew Wiggins and Dario Saric each had nine.

The Warriors did not relent in the third quarter. They outscored the Pacers 25-18 to finish the third quarter leading 95-76. Curry led the attack. Draymond Green, Dario Saric, Gui Santos, and Brandin Podzienski helped on offense. In the fourth quarter, the Warriors continued to put points on the board. Curry, Kuminga, Santos, and Quinones all played well.

Game Notes: With the win, the Warriors are now 24-25. The Pacers fell to 29-24.

Curry led the team with 42 points. He made 11 threes, the 13th time in his career that he has made 11 threes in a game. Curry’s Splash brother, Klay Thompson, has made 11 threes four times in his career. Thompson did not play Thursday night.

Thompson celebrated his 34th birthday on Thursday.
The other Warriors in double figures were Kuminga (18), Santos (13), Wiggins (11), and Saric(11). As a team, the Warriors shot 56% from the floor and made 17 threes in 32 tries.

The Warriors play the Phoenix Suns at the Chase Center on Saturday night. The game will start at 5:30 pm.

Warriors Crush Grizzlies 121-101; Kuminga leads with 29 points for Warriors second win in a row

The Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga goes up for the rebound against the Memphis Grizzlies in the first half at the FexEx Forum in Memphis on Fri Feb 3, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

Friday night the Golden State Warriors (21-24) handed the struggling Memphis Grizzlies (18-31) another loss 121-101. Jonathan Kuminga continued on with another outstanding offensive display finishing with 29 points which was the team high. Stephen Curry shot for 20 points and was 4 of 9 from downtown.

Game recap: The Grizzlies put up quite a fight in the opening quarter of play. After the first 12 minutes the Warriors had a slim 24-23 lead. Golden State got rolling in the second quarter winning it 33-24 and leading at the half 57-47.The Warriors had extended their lead but the Grizzlies were still hanging around.

The Warriors won the third quarter 28-26 but again another close quarter. Golden State took an 85-73 lead into the fourth quarter. The Warriors poured it on in the final quarter of play winning it 36-28 and the game 121-101. Golden State had handed the Grizzlies their fourth loss in a row.

The high score for the Warriors was Jonathan Kuminga who finished with 29 points and six rebounds. Once again Kuminga proved hands down that he is a starter. This is the eighth straight game that he has shot twenty plus points. 

With Memphis all over Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, Kuminga took charge shooting lights out. Curry had 20 points and bench player Brandin Podziemski was outstanding with 14 assists and 12 points with 7 rebounds. 

This was a great way for the Warriors to start this five game road trip. Golden State had lost four of six games coming into this one so this was the perfect start to this road trip since the Warriors have not been playing particularly well at home or away.

Jaren Jackson Jr. led his team with 27 points and Jacob Gilyard scored a career-high 16 points. Once again the Grizzlies hung around through three quarters only to lose it in the fourth quarter. Memphis has been having a lot of trouble closing out games. 

The Warriors had a double digit lead in the late third quarter and took it away in the final quarter. Once again the Grizzlies failed to finish this game.

Post game notes: Friday night the Warriors headed out on the road taking on the struggling Grizzlies. The Warriors are coming off a solid win over the Philadelphia 76ers 119-107 last Tuesday night. The Grizzlies have now lost four games in a row, they’re loss to Golden State on Friday and a loss against the Cleveland Cavaliers 108-101 on Wednesday. 

The Grizzlies were without Ja Morant and are struggling although they do have a terrific player in Jared Jackson Jr. Memphis did beat the Warriors in mid-January 116-107 and couldn’t get a win in the second game against Golden State.

The Warriors will now zip off to Atlanta for a date with Trae Young and the Hawks Saturday night. Tipoff for that game is scheduled for 4:30 PM. 

Kings Offensive Excellence Beats Pacers 133-122

The Sacramento Kings forward Domanatas Sabonis (10) looks to pass the ball against the Indiana Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith (23) at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Fri Feb 2, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The Sacramento Kings (28-19) De’Aaron Fox had six steals and 25 points en route to a win over the Indiana Pacers (27-23). Four Kings had 20 plus points in the 133-122 win. Malik Monk who has struggled for quite a few games came alive in this one finishing with 23 points.

Game recap: The Kings got a quick start in a very close first quarter. The two teams have very similar records and this game had all the makings of a major battle. The Pacers edged the Kings after the first 12 minutes of play 39-38. 

Sacramento really got going in the second quarter. Monk who has really struggled the past 4 or five games got back on track in a big way. At the half the Kings had a 71-64 lead winning the second quarter 33-25.

Four Kings had double digits after the first two quarters. Fox, Domantas Sabonis, Harrison Barnes and Monk all had a great first half of basketball. Monk who has been noticeably struggling for awhile had 13 points in the first half. 

The Pacers had 11 turnovers in the first half which the Kings took advantage of. Kevin Huerter was having a rough start missing quite a few open looks. Keegan Murray also had a slow start with only 5 points.

It was not a great start in the third quarter for the Kings committing 3 turnovers within several minutes. The Pacers were having turnover issues themselves already with 15. Sacramento had extended their lead to 85-73 with under five minutes left in the quarter. With under three minutes left in the quarter, Sacramento took their largest lead of the game 94-78.

 The Kings had led at one time in the third quarter by 18 points but a quick 5-0 Pacer run made this a 13 point game. Indiana had gotten into a rhythm and the Kings would be looking to disrupt that rhythm going into the fourth quarter.

Sacramento went into the final countdown as the fourth quarter got underway. Trey Lyles got into the double digit club in the early minutes of the quarter with 13 points and the Kings continued to hold a sizable lead. 

The Pacers would threaten throughout the fourth quarter but Sacramento continued to hang on. Huerter got into double digits with 11 and the Kings had six players shooting for double digits with Barnes leading the charge with 22 points. 

With under three minutes left in the game, the Kings needed to finish strong. Sacramento continued to match the Pacers offensively and defensively in a true battle. Indiana continued with a full court press in the final minutes of the game testing the Kings. it was a great finish for Sacramento winning the game 133-122.

Night in and night out Sabonis performs, consistently show-casing the excellent play he comes into every game with. Tonight he had a double double with 26 points and 12 rebounds. Fox finished with 25 points, Monk had 23 points and Barnes finished with 22 points.  

Post game notes: It has been a frustrating week for the Kings . They are currently on a lengthy road trip beating the Warriors, Mavericks and the Grizzlies. They have dropped one game on this current road trip losing to the Miami Heat. 

It has been a successful trip so far but it has been met with a major disappointment. When the lineup for the upcoming All-Star game was announced, Fox and Sabonis were both snubbed.

This was an enormous snub with the Kings being the only top-six team in either conference without an All-Star. They could still be chosen as injury replacement if an injury occurred in the West. Despite this bitter pill, the Kings were back on the court and back in the win column in Indiana and defeated the Pacers Friday night.

Saturday night the Kings take a trip over to the windy city to take on the Chicago Bulls. Tipoff for that game is scheduled for 5:00 PM.  

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Tough week for coach Brown $50K fine for NBA official dispute; Loses a good friend in coach Milojevic

It hasn’t been a good week for Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown as seen here being retrained by Malik Monk (right) on Sun Jan 14, 2024 going after NBA official Intae Hwang and later being thrown out in a game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Arena in Milwaukee (AP News photo)

On the Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 Jeremiah, it has been no doubt a horrible week for Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown starting last Sunday with his argument with an official concerning De’Aaron Fox getting roughed up by the Milwaukee Bucks and getting non foul calls at Fiserv Arena in Milwaukee.

#2 Also Brown fined primarily for coming on the floor and standing and arguing with the official and then in his post game press conference used a lap top to show where the official made the mistake.

#3 NBA head of operations Joe Dumars said he assessed the $50,000 fine on Brown for “aggressively pursuing a game official during live play, and for publicly criticizing the officiating.” Brown pursued official Intae Hwang when he went onto the court and two players one of them Malik Monk had to restrain him.

#4 Brown on Wednesday after learning of the passing of Golden State Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojevic called him a great man saying he will be sorely missed by everyone. Coach Brown was an assistant while coach Milojevic was also assistant coach in San Francisco.

#5 Jeremiah you had a chance to cover Thursday’s game against the Indiana Pacers at Golden 1. The Kings were coming off a three game losing streak. Talk about the Kings first game of this brief two game homestand with the Atlanta Hawks up next on Monday night.

Jeremiah Salmonson does the Sacramento Kings podcasts Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kings Lose to Pacers 126-121; Sac drops 4th straight game

The Indiana Pacers guard Benedict Mathurin (00) takes a jump shot on the Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (10) in the second half at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Thu Jan 18, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Kings were back in action on Thursday night in Sacramento. The Kings were coming off an off day in which they traveled back from Phoenix to end a five-game road trip. The Kings limped home after the five-game road trip in which they went 2-3.

The Kings won the first two games of the trip, followed by three tough losses. The Most recent game prior to Thursday was on Tuesday, when they lost a heartbreaker to the Phoenix Suns after leading by 22 points in the fourth quarter. The Kings were set to take on the Indiana Pacers on Thursday at 7 PM PST. The Kings would lose the game 126-121.

In the first quarter, the Kings came out playing no defense. This Kings team isn’t exactly known for the defense they play. In fact, they are known for not playing defense. The Kings allowed 34 points to a Pacers team without Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam on Thursday night. The Kings would score 31 points in the first to keep pace but fall into an early deficit.

In the second quarter, the Pacers continued to cook the Kings and expand their lead. The Pacers outscored the Kings in the second quarter 36-26. The Kings couldn’t solve the hobbled Pacers team on the defensive end, as they were getting whatever looks they wanted. On offense, the Kings weren’t getting their shots to fall. The Kings would go into halftime, losing 70-57 and looking for answers.

In the third quarter, the Kings got a bit back. The Kings managed to outscore the Pacers 32-29 in the third quarter. However, the Kings would still trail 99-89 going into the fourth quarter. The Kings couldn’t get any rhythm going in the game to try and make an extended run. The Kings would look for a miracle in the final quarter of the game.

In the fourth quarter, the Kings made a surprise run at the end but weren’t able to come all the way back. The Kings would lose the game 126-121 on Thursday night. In the final quarter the Kings showed fight in the last couple minutes getting the game to a three point deficit. In the fourth quarter the Kings outscored the Pacers 32-27. Kevin Huerter would get a career high in the game with 31 points. Domantas Sabonis recorded his 12th triple double of the season. Bennedict Mathurin led the Pacers in victory with 25 points.

Up Next: The Kings stay home to take on the Atlanta Hawks on Monday at 7 PM PST

Warriors Beat Lakers 121-106 to Stave off Elimination, Force Game 6

Photo credit: @warriors

By: Mary Anne

Wednesday night was do-or-die for the Golden State Warriors, who hosted the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 5 of the Western Conference Semifinals. The Warriors beat the Lakers 121-106 at the Chase Center.

There was star power in the building, as NBA on TNT analyst and former NBA player Baron Davis rang Wednesday’s bell ahead of Game 5. That said, Golden State was good to go.

The Warriors’ starting five featured Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Gary Payton II, and Draymond Green. Curry scored from downtown to get the Warriors going early in the first quarter. Curry and Green weren’t the Splash Brothers, per se, but the two were the first-quarter kings. The Warriors led 32-28 after the first quarter.

The Warriors continued to pour in the points in the second quarter. Jordan Poole took in the basket to score a layup, Andrew Wiggins provided an offensive spark, and Gary Payton II was so good in scoring in the paint. The Warriors led 70-59 at the half.

The second half saw a superb statistic. Stephen Curry passed Mark Jackson for 22nd most assists in NBA playoff history. Jackson is a former NBA player who played point guard for the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Clippers, Indiana Pacers, Denver Nuggets, Toronto Raptors, Utah Jazz, and Houston Rockets. Jackson also served as the Warriors head coach from 2011 to 2014.

Andrew Wiggins continued to deliver his offensive energy, and the Warriors led 93-82 after three quarters.

The Warriors came in hot in the fourth quarter. Andrew Wiggins was a key offensive player from start to finish, while Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green all contributed offensively.

The Warriors survived a win-or-go-home Game 5 for a 121-106 victory.

Stephen Curry led the Warriors in scoring with 27 points, three rebounds, eight assists, and one block.

Andrew Wiggins recorded 25 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and one steal. Draymond Green scored 20 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, two steals, and one block.

Gary Payton II had 13 points, six rebounds, one assist, and one steal. Jordan Poole had 11 points, one rebound, and four assists. Klay Thompson had 10 points, six rebounds, two assists, one steal, and two blocks. Moses Moody had six points and four rebounds. Jonathan Kuminga had five points, one rebound, and one assist. Kevon Looney had four points, eight rebounds, two assists, two steals, and one block.

Donte DiVincenzo added two rebounds, two assists, and one steal.

The Warriors head to Los Angeles to take on the Lakers in Game 6 on Friday at 7:00 pm Pacific.

Kings Fall Short Against Pacers 107-104

Sacramento Kings’ Kevin Huerter (9) goes to the basket against Indiana Pacers’ Buddy Hield (24) during the first half in Indianapolis on Fri Feb 3, 2023 (AP News photo)

Kings Fall Short Against Pacers 107-104

By Barbara Mason

Friday evening the Sacramento Kings (29-22) took on the Indiana Pacers (25-29) at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The Pacers narrowly lost to the Los Angeles Lakers 112-111 Thursday night while the Kings are coming off a 119-109 win Wednesday against the San Antonio Spurs. De’Aaron Fox was ruled out in this game for personal reasons. The Kings fell short on Friday night 107-104 to the Pacers.

Game recap: The first quarter was a tight one with the Pacers coming out on top 28-27. Indiana continued to pile on the points and won the second quarter 32-21 and led at the half 60-48. The Kings just could not get this game rolling in their favor.

Sacramento had a better second half winning the third quarter 32-27 and after three quarters trailed 87-80. The Kings pulled to within four points in the early minutes of the fourth quarter. The Kings bench was heating up with Chimezie Metu, Terence Davis and Malik Monk all shooting in double digits through three quarters.

When it looked as if the Kings were rolling the Pacers began to push taking a nine point lead with nine minutes left in the game. There was still plenty of time for Sacramento but they had to contain the Pacers offense.

The Kings got to within one point 94-95 with six minutes left put just could not push it over the top. Every time the Kings made a push, the Pacers answered and Sacramento was running out of time with 2:09 left on the clock.

The Kings won the third and fourth quarters but just came up short. They missed Fox in this game but got some great shooting from their bench and starter Harrison Barnes who finished with 23 points. Domantas Sabonis had 16 rebounds and 15 points. Kevin Huerter also had double digits shooting for 16 points.

Sunday the Kings will travel to New Orleans to take on the Pelicans at Smoothie King Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:00 PM.

Warriors Fall Short On the Road Again Losing to Pacers 125-119

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) attempts a shot between Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner (33) and forward Aaron Nesmith (23) during the first half in Indianapolis on Wed Dec 14, 2022 (AP News photo)

Warriors Fall Short On the Road Again Losing to Pacers 125-119

By Barbara Mason

Wednesday night the Golden State Warriors (14-15) took on the Indiana Pacers (15-14) at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. This is another road trip for the Warriors which has been a tough tough ride so far this season. The Pacers are 6-1 when leading after the first quarter and the Warriors are 1-9 when trailing after the first twelve minutes.

With four minutes left in the first quarter the Warriors had a 20-11 lead. Stephen Curry had been doing the majority of the heaving lifting. The Pacers crept right back into this game for the remainder of the quarter and lead 27-26 at the end of the first.

The Pacers poured it on in the second quarter leading after two quarters 74-54 in a total reversal. The Warriors began to turn the ball over and their shooting was erratic. With two minutes left in the half Indiana was 14 of 20 and had seven three’s. It was an amazing quarter for the Pacer’s after losing their last two games.

The Warriors gave up a 31-11 run in the quarter and Curry had scored half of Golden State’s points. The team needed the rest of the squad in the second half especially on the defensive end of the court. With the exception of Curry the rest of the team had gone pretty quiet.

The Warriors turned the tables on the Pacers after the half. They had been down 25 and cut the Indiana lead down to three 83-80 with under four minutes left in the third quarter. The Pacers led after three 93-87. The Warriors suffered a blow when Curry went to the locker room with an apparent shoulder injury.

The team would have to possibly finish this game without Curry. The absence of Curry, Klay Thompson and Andrew 12 Wiggins weighed heavily on Golden State. The turnovers continued for the Warriors and the five point deficit turned into . It did not get any easier for the Warriors when Draymond Green got ejected. Despite that Golden State fought to the end. They got to within a one possession game with 1:15 left on the clock. They just came up short losing 125-119.

The second quarter was the killer for the Warriors. They had not given up 47 points to any team in the entire league this season. Prior to his left shoulder injury Curry had shot for 38 points. The Warriors were missing some key components in this game but did play three amazing quarters.

Poole lit up in the second half shooting for 20 points. Donte Divincenzo and Moses Moody both finished with 15 points. Jonathan Kuminga did a great job guarding Tyrese Haliburton. This Golden State bench was outstanding in the second half. The team just got started far to late.

Friday night the Warriors travel to Philadelphia to take on the 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:30.

Warriors Lose Second Home Game To Pacers 112-104

Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard shoots while defended by Golden State Warriors center Kevon Looney (5) during the first half at Chase Center in San Francisco on Mon Dec 5, 2022 (AP News photo)

Warriors Lose Second Home Game To Pacers 112-104

By Barbara Mason

Monday night the Golden State Warriors (13-12) took on the Indiana Pacers (13-11) looking to extend their winning streak at Chase Center. With some strong offense and holding the Pacers back on great defense the Warriors defeated the Pacers 112-104.

The Warriors had a cool start in the opening quarter and trailed after the first 12 minutes 34-21. The Warriors won the second quarter 29-25 but continued to trail at the half 59-50 playing from behind for most of the first two quarters.

After three quarters the Pacers continued to lead 89-81. Golden State did get to within five points but the lead had eluded them so far. Stephen Curry who had a very quiet first half hit his first two three’s in the quarter. The team would need Curry, Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole in the fourth quarter to pull this game out. The Warriors were only shooting at 39%. Golden State shot 31 points in the quarter to the Pacers 30.

Indiana called a quick time-out in the fourth quarter after one minute of play. The Warriors had pulled to within four points 89-85 looking to take the lead. The Pacers have been a fourth quarter team this season, the best in the league, but with 9:13 left in the game the Warriors took their second lead of the game 93-92.

The Pacers had done a great job guarding Curry all night and took a 109-102 lead with under three minutes left in the game. The Warriors just didn’t have the legs to finish the game and the Warriors lost their second home game of the season.

The Pacers played a great game. They came out on fire shooting 55% and never let down. The high score for Indiana was Andrew Nembhard the rookie out of Gonzaga. He finished with a career high 31 points.

The Warriors couldn’t get anything going in the game trailing for most of it. The three’s were not falling going 11 of 44. Thompson had 28 points in this game and Poole finished with 23. It was just an off night for the Warriors rarely shooting as poorly as they did tonight. Ball movement was stagnant at times for Golden State and they will need to bounce back quickly for their next game Wednesday.

The Warriors will head out on the road to take on the Utah Jazz Wednesday night. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:00 PM.

Golden State Warriors podcast with Barbara Mason: Warriors host Pacers Monday night; Golden State going for three straight wins

The Houston Rockets forward Kenyon Martin Jr (6) drives to the basket and past Golden State Warrior defenders Jordon Poole (3) and Stephen Curry (30) at the Chase Center on Sat Dec 3, 2022 (AP News photo)

On the Warriors podcast with Barbara:

#1 On Saturday night the Golden State Warriors Andrew Wiggins scored 36 points and shot eight 3’s to tie his career high.

#2 Both Houston Rockets and Warriors were coming off back to back nights. The Warriors just simply had an unstoppable offense with their 120-111 win.

#3 Guard Stephen Curry hit eight 3’s as well and scored 30 points and was a big contributor to the Warriors offense on Saturday.

#4 In the third quarter Wiggins hit consecutive threes and went 14-19 as the Warriors picked up their tenth straight win on their home floor.

#5 The Warriors host the Indiana Pacers on Monday night the Pacers have won three of their last five games how do you see this match up Monday?

Join Barbara Mason does the Warriors podcasts Mondays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com