It was Bogdanovic vs Bogdanovic in this game! Photo: @Pacers
By: Jordan Chapin
SACRAMENTO- On one of the final home games of the season, the Kings put on quite a show against the playoff bound Indiana Pacers but didn’t have enough down the stretch as they fall to Indiana 106-103. After a sloppy game on Tuesday night against the Mavericks, Sacramento came out tonight, and really seemed like they were playing for their city. Led by the outstanding shooting nights of Buddy Hield and Bogdan Bogdanovic, the Kings were in it for the entirety of the game, but ran into an all-star by the name of Victor Oladipo.
Kings starting five vs Pacers Photo @SacramentoKings
Sacramento looked as good as they have this season in the first half of the ballgame. Willie Cauley-Stien was doing everything out on the floor before heading into the locker-room, including scoring 17 of his 19 points and shooting (9-of-10) from the field. The Kings outscored the Pacers bench 48 to 22 led by a 20 point night from Buddy Hield and Frank Mason doing a little bit of everything.
The second half of the game, the Kings continued to shoot the ball well and played hard, but the all-star, Victor Oladipo, began to show why he has led his team to the 5th-seed in the East. He finished his night with 24 points, five boards, and two assists, including the dagger 3-pointer that sealed the win for Indiana. Even after two crazy made baskets in the final seconds of the game by Hield and Bogdanovic, the Kings luck ran out as they fell 106-103.
Indiana sweeps the season series with the Kings, although it took a hard fought game from the Pacers to seal the win. The Kings will finish their six-game homestand on Saturday as the World Champion Golden State Warriors come to town. Fans were able to get into the game tonight and it really seemed like the Kings were playing for the Sacramento faithful. With only seven games remaining, the Kings will not surpass their win total of 32 from last season, but it seems they are truly playing for what is to come in the future.
The Golden State Warriors were missing their four All-Star starters for the second game in a row and played well for three quarters, but ran out of gas in the fourth quarter and lost to the Indiana Pacers 92-81 at the Oracle Arena Tuesday night.
However, the Warriors fans as well as their coaching staff appreciated the effort by their team. The team played well on defense, but they did not have anyone that could jump-start the offense.
Draymond Green was supposed to return to the lineup Tuesday, but didn’t feel right after practice earlier in the day. He is slated to return Thursday night against Milwaukee. Kevin Durant wanted to play, but the coaching staff held him out. Durant will also be available Thursday. Klay Thompson should be back soon as he recovers from a broken thumb. Steph Curry is out for at least four weeks.
The Warriors started Zaza Pachulia, Jordan Bell, Patrick McCaw, Quinn Cook, and Nick Young. The Warriors played very well in the first quarter. Nick Young paced the attack with 10 points, and the Warrior defense held the Pacers to just 18 points, and they were able to own the advantage 27-18 after one period of play. The Warriors were able to maintain the nine-point lead as each team scored 21 points and the score at the end of the first half was 48-39. Cook had seven, Bell had four, McCaw had six, and Kevon Looney had five. The Pacers were led by Thaddeus Young and Victor Oladipo. The Warriors shot 45% from the floor and held the Pacers to 40.5%.
The Pacers picked up the intensity in the third quarter. They went on a 22-6 run to take the lead 57-54. They increased the lead to five, 68-63, but the Warriors scored the last seven points of the quarter to lead 70-68. However, in the fourth quarter, the Warriors ran out of gas and were outscored 24-11. The Pacers’ Victor Oladipo, Thaddeus Young, and Bojan Bogdanovic could not be stopped.
Game notes and Stats: Kevon Looney had one of his best games as a Warrior. The third-year player out of UCLA tallied eight points and had a career-high 11 rebounds as well as two blocked shots. Nick Young, who scored 10 points in the first half, scored just two in the last 24 minutes of play. Quinn Cook and Andre Iguodala each had 11. JaVale McGee finished with nine and Shaun Livingston and David West each added eight. The Pacers were led by Oladipo’s 24, Thaddeus Young’s 17, and Bogdanovic’s 17.
The Pacers improved to 44-31 and are in a dogfight with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Philadelphia 76ers for the third spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Warriors are now 54-20 and need just one win or one Portland Trail Blazers loss to clinch the second seed in the Western Conference.
Up Next: The Warriors meet the Milwaukee Bucks Thursday night at Oracle Arena. The Bucks are led by Giannis Antetokounmpo and are in eighth place in the Eastern Conference, and they will be looking for a win over the depleted Warriors Thursday.
Sacramento Kings head coach David Joerger gestures on the sideline during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis, Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2017. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
By: Ana Kieu
INDIANAPOLIS — Like the other day, the Sacramento Kings suffered a 101-83 blowout loss to the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Tuesday night.
The Kings went with a starting lineup of George Hill, Buddy Hield, Willie Cauley-Stein, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Zach Rudolph against the Pacers’ starters Darren Collison, Victor Oladipo, Domantas Sabonis, Bojan Bogdanovic and Thaddeus Young.
The Pacers jumped out to an early 11-4 lead in the first quarter. Sabonis recorded six points and eight rebounds at the 7:16 mark.
On a positive note, Bogdanovic had a clever move and finish, reducing the Pacers’ lead to 17-8 with 3:14 left in the first quarter.
The Sac Kings trailed the Pacers 24-13 at the end of the first quarter.
The Pacers offense smothered the Kings defense in the second quarter. Indiana had eight unanswered points and led Sacramento by 20 (43-23) with 4:51 left in the second quarter.
The first 24 minutes of the game were terrible for the Kings, who trailed the Pacers 55-30 at the half. Both the Kings defense and offense looked lackluster. In terms of the Pacers, Sabonis got a double-double (10 points, 11 rebounds) in the first half.
Despite the Pacers’ success on the court, Thaddeus Young didn’t take his team’s half-time lead over the Kings for granted. Young told Fox Sports Indiana, “They’re going to keep fighting, keep scratching and clawing.”
Young not taking #Pacers' big first-half lead over #Kings for granted: "They're going to keep fighting, keep scratching and clawing." pic.twitter.com/ibC0XCcmCf
This was the second of back-to-back games for both the Kings and Pacers, but Indiana continued to dominate Sacramento in the second half. They led 69-48 after three quarters.
The Pacers chased down a rebound (sound the horn!) and the Kings’ three-game road trip began with an ominous start after they got blown out 101-83 for their fifth straight loss.
Notes Kings exercised their 2018-19 options on Willie Cauley-Stein, Buddy Hield, Malachi Richardson, Skal Labissiere and Georgios Papagiannis.
Kings transferred JaKarr Simpson and Jack Cooley to the Reno Bighorns.
De’Aaron Fox scored double-digit points in five of his first seven games.
Up Next The Kings (1-6) head to TD Garden to take on the Boston Celtics (5-2) Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. EST on NBSB and NSCA.
All-Star DeMarcus Cousins attacks the basket Photo NBAE
by Charlie O. Mallonee
The Sacramento Kings had to play overtime for the second consecutive game in three days in Indiana on Friday night against the Pacers. Unfortunately for the Kings, they came up on the short end of the game this time as they lost 115-111.
Sacramento (18-28) is now 1-4 in overtime games this season. Indiana (24-22) is 4-1 when have to play an extra session. Four of their 24 wins have come in overtime. That is not only impressive but it may vital to their seeding come playoff time.
The Kings started the game strong – something they have had trouble doing all season long. Sacramento shot 61.8% in the first half and hit 11-of-16 3-point attempts to take a 64-55 lead into the locker room at halftime.
The second half was not as kind to the Kings. Being on the road came back to haunt Sacramento. They shot just 39.3% in the second half and hit just 1-of-8 3-point shots. The Kings also gave up a 16 lead to the Pacers who came back to tie the game at the end of regulation to force the overtime.
Indiana changed their tactics and began to play very physical in the second half. The Kings did not respond very well to the physical play and were taken out of their game by the Pacers. Paul George also came to life and took over the game for his team scoring 16 points – 14 of those points from the free throw line.
George scored six of the Pacers 11 points in overtime. When needed, the superstars of “the association” always do their best to step up to lead their teams.
The Kings played well for 40 of the 48 minutes in regulation. If they could have added another three to four minutes to that total, they might have been able to avoid overtime and notched another victory.
Joerger’s analysis of the game
Heck of an NBA game
Proud of guys (Joerger is consistent in trying to build his players up)
Ran into a team that has our number right now
Shot just 37.5% in second half
They were on the foul line 28 times in the second half
We got to go on and play the next night in Charlotte tomorrow
Ty Lawson had another big game for the Kings Photo NBAE
Who did what in the game
Kings
Cousins – 26th double-double game 26 points, 13 rebounds five assists
Darren Collison – 26 points, 4-for-6 3’s, five assists, three steals
Ty Lawson – 16 points, 8-of-8 from free throw line, six assists,two 3’s
Arron Afflalo – 15 points, 6-for-9 field goals, three 3-pointers
Team 49.3 FG%, 50% 3-pointers, 77.8 Free Throw %
The stat they would change 19 turnovers that resulted in 25 Pacer points
Darren Collison 26 points versus the Pacers Photo NBAE
Pacers
Paul George – game-high 33 points, 16-for-17 at the free throw line
CJ Miles – 18 points, 6-for-9 from 3-point land, all attempts were 3’s
Team – 48.7 FG%, 35.7% 3-point shooting, 87.9 Free Throw%
Up next on the schedule
For the Kings, the incredible four games in five days schedule continues. They are off to Charlotte for the back end of a back-to-back road set. Charlotte is in seventh-place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 23-24.
Indiana will return to action on Sunday when they will host the Houston Rockets.
Indianapolis- The Golden State Warriors, led by Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, and Draymond Green, beat the Indiana Pacers 120-83 Monday night at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Pacers, depleted by injuries, were no match for the Dubs. The Warriors were hot in the first quarter as they went on a 7-0 run early and slowly but surely increased the lead to 34-21 at the end of the first twelve minutes of play. Klay Thompson scored ten, including two 3-point shots) in the quarter. JaVale McGee made two nice buckets in relief of Zaza Pachulia. The Warriors increased the lead to nineteen at the end of the first half. Steph Curry found his shot and make a couple of three-pointers Klay scored six more points to end the half with sixteen. Kevin Durant had twelve. Draymond Green was all over the court in the first half. He scored six points to go along with seven assists, four rebounds, and two blocked shots. In the half, the Dubs had thirty-five rebounds, eighteen assists, four steals and five blocked shots as they held the Pacer offense to just 35.2% from the floor.
In the second half, the Warriors continued to have no trouble with the Pacers. The Pacers did score twenty-nine points in the third quarter, but the Dubs countered with thirty-nine to take a commanding twenty-nine point lead at the end of three-quarters. The Dubs in the lead 100-71. Coach Steve Kerr removed his starters for the entire fourth quarter. The Dubs, nevertheless, held the Pacers to just twelve points and won the game 120-83.
Game Notes- The Dubs won their eighth game in a row to improve to 12-2 for the year. The Pacers fell to 7-8. The Dubs had 31 assists for the eighth game in a row, too. The Warriors outrebounded the Pacers 70 to 56, and the defense had nine steals and ten blocks in the game. After the game, Steph Curry remarked that “we’re getting better” No kidding, Steph. He also said the guys were ready to go home” it’s a little too cold out here”. Steve Kerr said the game was dedicated to young Brody Stephens who is battling cancer. Steph made a 75 foot 3-point shot just after the buzzer sounded ending the first half and Kerr said that shot was for Brodie. Kerr said the team appears to be getting “better and better” He also thought is was a “great trip to go undefeated.” He mentioned that the team “took care of the ball and defended well.” he also said this about Draymond Green: ” I’m thrilled with Draymond’s play on both ends of the court.” Klay Thompson led the Dubs with 25 points. Steph had 22 while Durant scored just fourteen, Durant, however, had 11 rebounds and six assists plus a couple of blocked shots. Andre Iguodala pitched in with nine, Ian Clark ten and David West seven. Rodney Stuckey scored 21 for the Pacers. Jeff Teague added 11 and Thaddeus Young knocked down 14 for the hometown Pacers.
The Dubs return home to face the Los Angeles Lakers at Oracle Arena Wednesday night at 7:30p PM. The Dubs will attempt to avenge the loss to the Lakers earlier this season in LA. Luke Walton’s Lakers would love nothing more than to come to Oracle and send the Warriors down to defeat.
Adrian Wojnarowski’s “The Vertical” on Yahoo! Sports is reporting that the Kings have have signed veteran free-agent guard Ty Lawson to a one-year contract. The source of the information is reportedly from within the league.
Lawson met with the Kings on Sunday in Sacramento and was to go on to New Orleans to meet with the Pelicans officials this week. Apparently, the Kings made Lawson an offer and that made a trip to New Orleans unnecessary.
Ironically, Lawson played for former Kings coach George Karl in Denver and there were rumors that Karl wanted Lawson in Sacramento last season. Now, Karl is gone and Lawson is now a King.
Lawson joins a backcourt that has gone through a major makeover. Gone are Rajon Rondo, Marco Belinelli and Seth Curry. In are guards Arron Afflalo, Garrett Temple, Lamar Patterson and rookie Malachi Richardson. They will join returning guards Darren Collison and Ben McLemore.
Lawson split his time last season between Houston and Indiana. The Rockets gave up a first-round pick to Denver during the off-season to acquire the veteran guard. Lawson agreed to a buyout in March and signed with the Pacers to finish out the season.
Lawson averaged 5.8 points and 3.4 assists per game for Houston mostly coming off the bench. He has averaged 13.1 points and 6.2 assists per game for his career in the NBA.
The 28-year old Lawson played his college ball at the University of North Carolina and his high school basketball was played at the famed Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Virginia.
SACRAMENTO- DeMarcus Cousins has been a treat to watch, notching career highs in points in back to back games. 48 in a win against the Pacers and 56, a Sacramento franchise high, against the Hornets in a double overtime loss. But Boogie looked tired and struggled mightily tonight, which really hurt the Kings who were without Rudy Gay who suffered a corneal abrasion in last night’s ball game. Nobody for the Kings stepped up and there was not much from the bench besides Marco Belinelli, giving the Portland Trailblazers the victory, 112-97.
Early on, the Kings looked good with Rajon Rondo and Willie Cauley-Stein connecting on consecutive alley-oops for the team’s first two field goals. Rondo penetrated the defense well and did a nice job of getting open looks or easy baskets for his teammates, especially Cauley-Stein. Rondo tried to give a team who looked tired some early energy. The team’s ball movement was nice with nine team assists in the quarter.
Tied at 15, Cousins got called for a charge and Coach George Karl was not happy, picking up a technical foul. Once the Blazers knocked down the free throw, Portland never looked back and held the lead for the majority of the game afterwards. Both teams were not too careless with the ball and scored well in the paint as the Blazers led 33-29 at the end of the first. Nonetheless, the game still looked close.
As the second quarter got underway, Cousins frustration grew and Rondo and Cauley-Stein couldn’t continue their hot start. Rondo scored nine in the first and WCS notched eight. Cousins could not buy a basket from the field going 3-14 in the half, but getting to the line seven times and making six of the seven shots. The Kings played pretty good defense, but the Blazers found a way to shoot at a high percentage, 50% for the half. The Kings found a way to hang around even with their offensive struggles as Portland’s largest lead in the half was nine. Cousins had a half time high with 12 points and CJ McCollum had 11 to lead Portland.
With just under three minutes to play in the quarter, Cauley-Stein took a bump to the eye and headed to the locker room. Willie received stitches and donned a bandage on his eyebrow in the second half.
After a tough half of basketball, the Blazers held a six-point lead, 58-52.
In the third, the Blazers continued to shoot at a high percentage and the Kings faltered. Portland put up a 30-point quarter on 50% shooting. Every Blazers player who entered in the third scored, while the Kings shot at 40% and couldn’t get a bucket from their best player. Cousins only way of scoring was from the free throw line and in the quarter he went 2 of 8. The Kings were down seven at one point and could not score on possessions where they had a wide open look from Cousins and a couple of missed lay ups by Rondo. When the Kings failed to cut the lead to five, Portland attacked the Kings defense and went up by as many as 14 points. Missed free throws also kept the Kings from hanging around, 4-12 in third. With three quarters in the books, Portland led, 88-74.
The Trail Blazers started the fourth with a 10-4 run causing Sacramento to call a timeout. Portland’s offense continued to sizzle as they went up by as many as 22. With the lead very much out of reach, Karl took out Cousins, Rondo and Willie to give them some much needed rest after logging a ton of minutes the night before.
In garbage time, Seth Curry put up seven points and gave the Kings a little offense. The Kings turned the ball over six times in the quarter and after a good first quarter and mostly first half, slowed down. The Blazers took advantage of a tired Kings team to put themselves in line for the eighth seed, defeating Sacramento, 112-97. Portland came into tonight’s ball game a game behind the Kings for that eighth spot.
Myers Leonard frustrated Boogie big time and Cousins was absolutely drained. His legs weren’t quite under him, 4-21 on field goals and 9-17 from the free throw line. Cousins had a team high with 17 points. McCollum finished with a game high 18 points. The Blazers shot really well and the Kings did not shoot as well as they would have liked, 41.9%. Seven of Portland’s players scored in double figures, with their leader Damian Lilliard notching 15 points.
Rondo finished with 15 points and 11 assists for another double double as he played an excellent game, but just couldn’t get enough energy from the rest of the team. Belinelli finished with 14 points as his shot looked much better. Belinelli and the Kings hope that he can get his stroke back. Cauley-Stein finished with 12 points, seven rebounds and four blocked shots. Willie’s defense has been a huge plus for the Kings since his return.
The Kings have an off day tomorrow before they face the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday. Tomorrow will be a well deserved rest day as the team travels and hopefully Boogie will find his stride once again. After all, this is his first mediocre game of January, Big Cous has been dominant. The Kings have dropped two in a row now and will look to get back to their winning ways in January on Thursday at New Orleans.
Sacramento – On Saturday night in Sleep Train Arena, it was DeMarcus Cousins’ world and the rest of us were privileged to live in it.
The Kings won their fifth consecutive game downing the Indiana Pacers 108-97 behind Cousins’ 48 points and 13 rebounds. Cousins literally controlled the paint on the offensive end of the floor fighting off two and three defenders on his way to the basket.
The Kings went on a 7-0 run to open the game and served notice that they had come to play and play hard. Sacramento led the game wire to wire as they posted their 20th win of the season.
A game that appeared to be a possible “cake walk” for the Kings turned into a battle on both ends of the floor. The Kings controlled the paint outscoring the Pacers 58-32 down low. The Pacers turned up their defense and held the Kings to 44.7-percent (38-for-85) shooting from the floor and causing Sacramento to turn the ball over 15 times resulting in 19 Indiana points.
Kings head coach George Karl said before the game that his team would have battle the very athletic hands of the Pacers. Indiana lived up to that billing making the Kings work hard for every point they scored after the opening run.
Sacramento also brought its defense to game. The Kings held the Pacers to just 41.9-percent (36-for-86) shooting from the floor. It was the second consecutive game that the Kings held their opponents under 100 points. Sacramento had averaged giving up 107.4 points per game coming into Saturday night’s contest.
The Kings had not won five consecutive games since October 31 to November 7,2014. Sacramento’s record now stands at 20-23. They are now 12-11 at home.
The loss caused Pacers record to fall to 23-21. Indiana has lost five of their last six games.
Kings
Cousins scored his career-high 48 points going 17-for-29 from the floor. He was 1-for-2 from 3-point range and 13-for-20 from the free throw line. Cousins recorded a double-double by grabbing 13 rebounds. He played a game-high 39 minutes.
Rajon Rondo posted another triple-double against the Pacers. Rondo scored 11 points, distributed 10 assists and pulled down 10 rebounds in the game. It was his sixth triple-double of the season and made Rondo the all-time leader in the Sacramento era in that category.
Willie Cauley-Stein played another strong game for Sacramento. He played 34 minutes scoring six points and recording 12 rebounds. Five of those rebounds were on the offensive end and extended possessions for the Kings.
Darren Collison scored 11 points, Kosta Koufos 9, Omri Casspi 8, Marco Belinelli 7, Ben McLemore 5 and James Anderson 3.
The Kings won their second consecutive game without Rudy Gay on floor. Gay missed the game due to a left heel contusion.
Pacers
Paul George led the Pacers scoring attack putting up 34 points. George shot 9-for-20 from the field but was 4-for-8 from beyond the 3-point arc. He also went 12-for-14 from the free throw line.
Center Jordan Hill scored 17 points and had 13 rebounds to make it a double-double game for him.
Monta Ellis scored 16 points while dishing out seven assists for the Pacers.
Lavoy Allen put up nine points, Myles Turner 11, George Hill 8 and Joe Young 2.
What they said after the game
Kings head coach George Karl called DeMarcus Cousins performance, “Pretty special. They kind of didn’t have an answer and they were letting us have almost everything. I think what Cuz didn’t do at a high level tonight was make the 3-ball. Even his mistakes or turnovers or his forced issues at times were still pretty powerful for us; kept the rhythm, kept the flow.”
Karl added, “His (Cousins) skills are off the chart, his hands, and his ability to put it on the floor and get to the rim. Defensively he’s good, maybe very good. He does all of the fundamental nature of the game of basketball at a high, high level.”
“Honestly I’m more happy about the win,” said Cousins after the game. “I’m glad I got a new career high, but I’m more happy about the way this team is playing. We’ve been through a lot this season – a lot of ups and downs, but we’re on the right path right now. I think we’re growing each and every game. Like I’ve been saying, my mindset is just playoffs.”
“Well they went to him (Cousins) every time down the floor for 48 straight minutes”, said Indiana head coach Frank Vogel. “You get 29 field goal attempts and 20 free throw attempts – that’s high usage. That’s what the analytics people call a high usage rate. Our top big man defender is out. Guys that were in there – our three bigs – battled, did the best they could, but he’s a big load. He’s a load and when he’s going to get touches every single time … he’s going to put up those kind of numbers.”
Up next
The Kings will be back on the floor Monday night when they host the Charlotte Hornets. The Hornets beat the Kings 127-122 in overtime on November 23, 2015.
Indiana heads home to host the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday.
The Sacramento Kings faced an almost impossible task on Friday night. They needed to beat the Indiana Pacers without DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay in the lineup. The Kings came out and played hard, played physical and left it all on the court, but in the end, Sacramento came up short 116-111 in overtime.
After the game Kings Head Coach Michael Malone had one simple statement to make about his team, “I’m very proud.”
The Kings backcourt of Marcus Thornton and Isaiah Thomas combined for 80 points. Thornton scored a career high 42 points. Thomas poured in 38 points. They were the only two Kings to score in double figures.
The Pacers starting five all scored in double figures and were led by Paul George with 36 points. Lance Stephenson put up 24 points and pulled down 10 rebounds to record a double-double. David West added 22 points while Roy Hibbert and George Hill scored 10 points each. Hibbert grabbed 10 rebounds for a double-double of his own.
The Kings came roaring out the gate scoring 37 points in the first quarter while holding the Pacers to just 26. Sacramento shot 55.6% from the field and hit for five 3-pointers in the period. Marcus Thornton tallied 22 points for the Kings hitting for four from beyond the 3-point arc.
The Kings cooled off in the second quarter scoring just 23 points and shooting just 36.8%, but they held the Pacers to just 24 points. Sacramento played well enough to take a 60-50 lead with them into the locker room at halftime.
The Pacers came out in the third quarter looking determined to put an end to the Kings run and put this game away. Indiana outscored the Kings 29-24. Sacramento maintained an 84-79 lead at the end of the third despite shooting just 8 for 26 (30.8%) from the field. Again, it was Thornton and Thomas combining for 20 points that kept the Kings in the lead.
The Kings really struggled in the fourth quarter as fatigue began to set in. Sacramento scored just 19 points in period led by Marcus Thornton with 12. The Kings shot just 6 for 22 (27.3%) in the fourth. The Pacers shot 9 for 22 (40.9%) and outscore the Kings 24-19.
The back-breaker in the fourth quarter came with 15.1 seconds left in regulation. Paul George put up a 26 foot jumper that was good for three and was fouled. George hit the free throw to make it a four point play and tied the game at 103. The Kings were unable to score and it was off to overtime.
In overtime, there were three lead changes and the Pacers led by as many as five points. The Pacers outscored the Kings 13-8 led by Paul George’s eight points. At the buzzer, it was the Pacers on top 116-111.
“Our guys came out and played their hearts out and they put themselves in a position to win the game. It was a game we should’ve won. I couldn’t be more proud of everyone who played tonight – this shows you a lot about our team,” said Coach Malone.
After being asked if his goal was to come out and take shots, Marcus Thornton said, “Yeah, when you have 43 points sitting on the sideline between Rudy (Gay) and (DeMarcus Cousins) Cuz, somebody had to step up. I took it upon myself to be that guy. It was a great team effort by the whole team.”
Indiana Head Coach Frank Vogel said, “You have to give Sacramento credit for playing a terrific, terrific basketball game. We knew they would be up. We knew they would be loose with their two top scorers out and they were.”
The Kings record falls to 15-27 overall (2-2 in overtime). They are 9-14 at home. It was the 12th straight home game in which the Kings scored at least 100 points this season.
The Pacers record improves to 34-8 (2-0 in overtime). Indiana is now 13-7 on the road. The Pacers have won six of their last seven games.
The Kings will be back in action on Sunday night versus the Denver Nuggets at Sleep Train Arena.
Sports Radio Service 