Headline Sports podcast with Charlie O: Pelicans Williamson out with pulled hamstring; Would struggling Bucks trade for Giannis? More NBA news

New Orleans Pelicans Zion Williamson (1) is not too happy after being called for a foul in the second half against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Cleveland on Wed Nov 6, 2024. This would be Williamson’s last game as he later was place on the injured list with a pulled hamstring. (AP News photo)

Headline Sports podcast with Charlie O:

#1 Charlie, The New Orleans Pelicans Zion Williamson is out indefinitely with a hamstring injury he suffered the injury against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday he checked himself out of the game but returned and scored 23 points. Williamson didn’t play on Friday against the Orlando Magic. Williamson has missed four games this season. Since signing with the Pelicans in 2019 he’s missed 210 games out of 400 regular season games.

#2 The Milwaukee Bucks Giannis Antetokounmpo was critical of the Bucks loss to the New York Knicks Friday night at Madison Square Garden 116-94. The Bucks previously had a six game losing streak before beating the Utah Jazz on Thursday but turned around and lost to the Knicks on Friday. Antetokounmpo said after the loss to New York “Did we compete the previous game? Yes. Did we compete the two [games before that]? Yes. Did we compete today? No,” Do you see Giannis getting discouraged and there is talk about the Bucks making some trades could Antetokounmpo want out of Milwaukee?

#3 The NBA announced on Saturday that Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid has been suspended for 3 games for shoving a reporter Marcus Hayes of the Philadelphia Inquirer in the Sixers locker room following the October 23rd game for reporting that Embiid was not prepared for the season and Hayes had mentioned Embiid’s son and deceased brother in the article. The suspension has delayed Embiid’s much anticipated debut for the season.

#4 The Cleveland Cavaliers are smoking hot right now. They won their tenth straight game and scored 110 points or more in each of those ten games defeating the Golden State Warriors 136-117 on Friday night. Ironically the Warriors were the last team to start a season at 10-0 back in the 2015-16 season. The Cavs Kenny Atkinson said that he was concerned before the game playing a championship team like the Warriors but after the game said the Cavaliers are a prepared and hungry team.

#5 The Los Angeles Clippers Norman Powell was the difference maker on Friday night against the Sacramento Kings scoring 31 points with 12 rebounds in the Clippers 107-98 win at Golden One Center in Sacramento. James Harden added 22 points the Clips offense overshadowed the efforts of the Kings De’Aaron Fox with 31 points, Domantas Sabonis with 23 points and 12 rebounds. Big win for the Clippers, tough loss for the Kings.

Join Charlie O for the Kings podcasts each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports podcast with Jessica Kwong: Colts to start Flacco Sunday; Johnson joins Ravens as new wide out; plus more news

The Indianapolis Colts quarterbacks Anthony Richardson (5) and Joe Flacco (15) warm up before a game against the Houston Texans in Houston on Sun Oct 27, 2024 (AP News photo)

Headline Sports podcast with Jessica Kwong:

#1 Former Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco will be the starting quarterback after the Indianapolis Colts have benched Anthony Richardson. The Colts coaching staff met on Tuesday and decided to make the change. The decision was made after Richardson requested to come out of last Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans for one play as Richardson said he was “tired.

#2 Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson who under center leads the number one offense in the NFL. The Ravens have landed a key wide receiver from the Carolina Panthers Diontae Johnson who just needs to pass a physical. This is Johnson’s second trade this season who started the year with the Pittsburgh Steelers before joining the Panthers.

#3 The Wayne County prosecutors office are seeking an arrest warrant for Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams for a concealed weapons charges. Williams was carrying a weapon in a car when he was stopped by the Detroit Police on Oct 8 for a moving violation.

#4 The NBA has fined the Philadelphia 76ers $100,000 for public statements concerning the health status of Joel Embiid. The investigation showed that the 76ers did not violate the player participation policy regarding Embiid’s missed games but the Sixers made public comments that did not properly show issues with his knee.

#5 The Golden State Warriors Andrew Wiggins sat out with an injury due to a lower back strain. Wiggins was questioned whether he would play on Tuesday on Sunday Wiggins back tightened up. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said that it was not one particular play that caused the back tightening up.

Join Jessica Kwong every other Wednesday for Headline Sports at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports podcast with Jessica Kwong: Yankees say ex-teammate Severino was afraid to play them in June; Team USA bounces back after loss to WNBA All Stars; plus more news

New York Mets Luis Severino responded to his old New York Yankee teammates group text saying he was afraid to face them last month in June. Severino replied he wasn’t afraid and that the Yankees only have two good hitters. (AP News file photo)

On Headline Sports podcast with Jessica:

#1 New York Mets Luis Severino said that the New York Yankees have only two good hitters and did not face his former team in June when the Mets faced the Yankees in a two game series at Citi Field in Queens. In a group text with Yankee players that said that Severino was afraid of them. Severino came back and said, “I’m not afraid of you. You guys only have two good hitters .

#2 After taking a loss to the WNBA All Star team at the WNBA All Star break last week Team USA came back and defeated Germany quite handedly 84-57 in US women’s Olympic basketball in London. Germany and Team USA will face off again on Aug 4th in Paris.

#3 The San Francisco 49ers fully intend to sign wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. 49ers general manager John Lynch said he intends to keep Aiyuk. Aiyuk formally requested a trade from the 49ers last week the 49ers are steadfast as Aiyuk is under contract for one more season and hope to get him an extension soon or at least the first pre season game.

#4 LeBron James helped Team USA with a win over Germany 92-88 on Monday night at age 39. He finished with 20 points, six rebounds, and four assists. LeBron said that they have a group of guys, Joel Embiid, Stephen Curry, and when Kevin Durant returns.

#5 Team USA Women’s gets the win over Germany but still does their loss to the WNBA All Stars say they prove that leaving out Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark could have been a bad decision by the coaching staff or was there pressure from the veterans to keep them off because of their rookie status?

Join Jessica every other Wednesday for Headline Sports podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Embiid goes off as the Sixers beat the Kings 97-91

Sixers B
Photo: @Philadelphia 76ers

by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings wrapped up their four-game road trip in Philadelphia on Wednesday on a “low note”. The 76ers Joel Embiid exploded for a game-high 33 points and 16 rebounds to lead his team to a 97-91 victory.

Embiid really was in need of a good game after being held scoreless in his team’s loss to the Raptors on Monday night. Embiid said he didn’t feel any pressure to have a “statement game”, but he was happy his team came away with the “W”.

3rd Quarter letdown

After trailing by just one point at halftime, the Kings put themselves in a great position to steal this game on the road. After starting a bit slow in the third period, Sacramento came alive and kept the score close until midway through the quarter.

The Kings went into a 3:04 scoring drought at the end of the third quarter which allowed the Sixers to outscore them 29-19. Philly led 76-65 after 36 minutes of play and the Kings would never be able to catch up.

SAC outscored the 76ers in the final quarter but it was too little too late. The Sixers (12-6) won the game 97-91.

Spotlight on the Kings

Looking at the final box score there is one glaring stat that jumps off the page. The Kings (7-10) went to the free throw line only nine times on Wednesday night and converted just four of those opportunities. An NBA team is not going to win a game going to the charity stripe just nine times.

To give you a comparison, the 76ers went to the line 24 times in the game – a very acceptable number. They went 20-for-24 (83.3%) from the stripe which helped them to win the game.

Ironically, the Kings outscored the Sixers in the paint 40-38 even though they were facing Embiid, Al Horford and Tobias Harris.

The biggest lead for Sacramento in the game for SAC was one point. The 76ers held a 17 point lead in the fourth quarter.

The Kings also had a tough night from “downtown”. They shot just 9-for-34 (26.5%) from beyond the 3-point line.

Sacramento scoring:

  • Buddy Hield was the team’s high scorer putting 22 points in the book. He had a tough night shooting going 9-for-24 overall and 3-for-12 from 3-point land.
  • Dewayne Dedmon came off the bench to put up 18 points and grab six rebounds.
  • Bogdan Bogdanovic added 17 points hitting 7 of 15 shots.
  • Harrison Barnes scored 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds.

Focus on the Sixers

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Embiid had a big game @ Philadelphia 76ers

The 76ers blocked 10 Kings shots in the game while SAC blocked just three of the Sixers shots.

Philly scoring:

  • Matisse Thybulle came off the bench to score 15 points. He went a perfect 5-for-5 from the field and hit 3 of 3 from behind the 3-point line.
  • Forward Tobias Harris scored 14 points.
  • The veteran Al Horford scored 12 points and hauled in seven rebounds.
  • Point guard Ben Simmons recorded a double-double putting up 10 points and grabbing 14 rebounds.

Up next

The Kings return home and will host the Denver Nuggets on Saturday afternoon at the Golden 1 Center.

The Sixers will face the Knicks on Friday night at the Garden.

No brotherly love in Philly: Sixers beat the Kings 123-114 on Friday night

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Photo/Graphic: @NBCS

by Charlie O. Mallonee

The road to the NBA Playoffs just became a long, uphill battle for the Sacramento Kings after they lost to the Philadelphia 76ers 123-114 on Friday night to wrap up a four-game road trip. The Kings will return home having won just one of those four games. At a bare minimum, Sacramento needed to go 2-2 on the trip.

Sacramento is now two games under .500 with a record of 33-35. The team is 3-7 over their last 10 and has lost three consecutive games. The Kings are mired in ninth-place in the Western Conference 6.0 games behind the LA Clippers and Utah Jazz who are tied for seventh-place. With just 14 games remaining in the season, time is running out for the Kings unless they can go on an incredible multiple game winning streak.

The Kings played better basketball on Friday than they did on Thursday night in Boston. They improved their performances from the free throw line and from behind the 3-point line. Sacramento took care of the ball turning it over just nine times.

It is not often that a team improves its play in the second game of a back-to-back set on the road.

Why did the Kings lose?

76WCS
Photo: @NBCS

  1. They played a better team. The Philadelphia 76ers are a talented team that should go deep into the Eastern Conference Playoffs. All five of the Sixers starters scored in double figures with Ben Simmons being the low scorer with 18 points.
  2. The Sixers shot 50.5-percent from the field. It is very difficult to win when your opponent shoots over 50-percent for the contest.
  3. Philadelphia won the battle at the free throw line converting 24-of-27 (88.9%) opportunities. It does need to be noted that the Kings dramatically improved their free throw shooting performance over Thursday night by sinking 19-of-24 (79.2%) of their chances from the charity stripe.

Kings top performers

  • Marvin Bagley III was not the Kings leading scorer, but he did score 15 points in just over 20 minutes of playing time. His playing time is being limited after missing five games from suffering a knee sprain. Dave Joerger said after the game that he hated to take him out, but he knows there is no reason to risk rushing MB35 back into longer minutes.
  • Harrison Barnes continues to show why the Kings would like him to exercise his player option on his 2019-20 contract or request to talk to management about long-term options. Barnes recorded 16 points, six rebounds and three assists versus the Sixers.
  • Harry Giles III put up 12 points in just over 18 minutes on the floor. H20 shot 6-for-9 from the field and pulled down four rebounds. He also dished out four assists.
  • Other contributors: De’Aaron Fox 16 points, Buddy Hield 14, Willie Cauley-Stein 13 points and seven rebounds.

Philadelphia performers

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Photo: @NBCS

  • Jimmy Butler was the leading scorer in the game with 22 points. He also added seven assists and six rebounds.
  • Joel Embiid put a double-double in the book scoring 21 points and grabbing 17 rebounds. He is just a force on the defensive glass.
  • Tobias Harris continues to show why the Sixers made a trade to get him as he scored 19, made seven rebounds and distributed four assists.
  • JJ Redick put 19 up on the board. Redick went 4-for-9 from downtown.

Up next

The Kings traveled back to Sacramento after the game and will have Saturday off. Sacramento returns to action on Sunday at 3:00 PM when they will host the Chicago Bulls at the Golden 1 Center.

The Sixers head out on the road and will have to face the “Greek Freak” and company in Milwaukee on Sunday afternoon.

 

Kings-76ers Monday night post game wrap: Kings hold on to win 102-100

Philadelphia 76ers v Sacramento Kings
Cousins goes to the rack Photo: NBAE

By Tony Renteria

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The game between the Sixers and Kings came down to free throws on Monday night as Sacramento won their fourth consecutive game 102-100.

Garrett Temple put the Kings up by three points with 14.9-seconds to go when he hit 1-of-2 free throws. Philly’s Sergio Rodriguez answered back with a 25-foot 3-point shot that cut the Kings lead to just one point. Robert Covington fouled Cousins with 5.9-seconds remaining in the game. The Kings big man converted 1-of-2 foul shots allowing the Kings to take a 102-100 lead. The Sixers Joel Embiid missed two 3-point shots in those final seconds and the Kings held on for the victory.

The Kings had to outscore Philadelphia 32-23 in the final period to win the contest. The Sixers held a 77-70 lead after three quarters.

The Sacramento Kings record improved to 14-17 with the victory while Philadelphia dropped to 7-23 after the loss. Sacramento holds on to eighth place in the Western Conference with a one-game lead over ninth place Denver and a two-game lead over 10th place Portland – the Kings next opponent.

With 31 games under their belt this season, the Kings just need three wins to get to .500. First-year head coach Dave Joerger continues to focus on defense and finding the right combination of players to put on the floor.

DeMarcus Cousins again led the team in scoring with 30 points on 10-of-20 shooting, while also adding nine rebounds.  Rudy Gay returned to the Kings lineup after missing six games with a hip flexor. He made his presence known chipping in 17 points himself. Gay’s return did create a significant change in the Kings player rotation.

Ty Lawson was again a major factor off the bench for Sacramento on Monday night. He scored 12 points, grabbed four rebounds (three offensive), dished out four assists and had two steals in 20-minutes of playing time. Willie Cauley-Stein played significant minutes especially in the third quarter when Kosta Koufos experienced foul trouble. Cauley-Stein went into the game to help defend Embiid and wound up scoring nine points and pulled down four rebounds.

The Kings won the battle in the paint outscoring the Sixers 52-46 down low. Sacramento also out-rebounded Philly 42-38. The Kings had 24 assists but they turned the ball over 19 times which resulted in 24 points for Philadelphia.

The 76ers were led by Joel Embiid and his 25 points and eight rebounds. Sergio Rodriguez also added 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting, including 4-of-5 from beyond the arc. Jahlil Okafor played 19-minutes at center scoring six points and posting one rebound. Disgruntled big man Nerlens Noel received just three-minutes on the floor and scored three points for his team.

Former King Nick Stauskas never really got going in the game. He played just 19-minutes scoring four points shooting just 2-for-4 from the floor. Stauskas is actually having his best year in the NBA upping his scoring average to 9.5 points per game which is a 2.6 point improvement over his career average of 6.9 points per game.

The 76ers head to Utah to play the Jazz Thursday, while the Kings will travel to Portland play the Trail Blazers Wednesday. The Kings are 1-1 versus the Trail Blazers this season. Each team has won on their home court. DeMarcus Cousins scored 55 points in Kings 126-121 victory over Portland at the Golden 1 Center. The game on Wednesday night will be the final meeting of the season between the two teams.