Tag: Kings

Turnovers cost Kings in New Orleans

Published on by Michael MartinezLeave a comment

by Michael Martinez

picture credit USATSI

SACRAMENTO-I’m just as confused as the next person who watched tonight’s game against the Pelicans. The Kings looked dominate early on and played great basketball, however the team could not find a way to close out.

Turnovers and lackluster defense hurt this team especially down the stretch. After leading for the majority of the game, the Kings let a 17 point lead in the third quarter completely vanish. And while the Kings kept holding onto their lead, they let the Pelicans come back late and win the game, 115-112.

Out of the gate, both teams scored very quickly. Offense came in a hurry and the Kings started with a fast paced tempo. This allowed Sacramento to take the lead for most of the quarter, but the Pelicans never quit.

Up 27-20 with 3:35 left in the first quarter, the Kings allowed New Orleans to go for a 10-0 run that ended after Omri Casspi put back a lay up for the Kings’ first field goal in two plus minutes.. The Pelicans held a 30-29 lead, but Casspi knocked a pair of free throws to regain the lead. The Pelicans would finish the quarter with the lead after Alonzo Gee made a layup and was fouled with .3 seconds in the quarter. Gee made the free throw to put the Kings at a disadvantage after one, 33-31.

DeMarcus Cousins and Norris Cole put on a scoring frenzy for their respective teams. Cousins finished with 13 points and Cole scored 14 for team highs. The Pelicans shot 56% from the field, but their seven turnovers allowed the Kings to keep it close. Rajon Rondo added five points and five assists with Rudy Gay scoring seven.

The second consisted of a lot of scoring runs. New Orleans started it off with a 6-0 run, 9-0 continuing from the first quarter. But the Kings were able to hit a 9-0 run of their own. Again, the Pelicans scored 5 straight to take a 44-40 lead.

Sacramento once again answered with an 11-0 run to lead 51-44. Jrue Holiday stopped the run with a lay up but the Kings kept their scoring up. The Pelicans turnovers really cost them. Their 15 first half turnovers led to 18 Kings’ points. The Kings largest lead in the quarter was 15 and Sacramento would hold a 63-50 lead heading into the locker room.

Cousins held a game high with 23 points in the first quarter and tallied nine rebounds. The Kings shot at 54.2% in the half as they dominate the second quarter with their uptempo offense.

The third quarter is where things changed. Pelicans’ head coach Alvin Gentry picked up a technical before the third started. Gay hit the free throw for a 14 point lead before any time came off the clock.

Anthony Davis was dominate and chipped away at the Kings’ early 17 point lead. Davis kept the Pelicans right in the game in the third and the score was 89-83 after three. Cousins was once again phenomenal but Sacramento had seven turnovers in the third, which led to eight Pelicans’ points. The turnovers allowed the Pelicans to hang around even after the Kings had been up by so much.

The Pelicans started the final quarter with a 6-0 run to tie it up at 89. The Kings answered right back with an 8-0 run to go back up, 97-89. Sacramento was unable to figure out a way to close out the resilient Pelicans. The turnovers cost Sacramento again as they gave the ball away seven more times in the fourth quarter.

Holiday was huge for the Pelicans with nine fourth quarter points. With a little under two and a half to play, the Kings had a 108-106 lead. Cousins knocked down a pair of shots at the charity stripe to go up 110-106. Davis had dunk to keep the game within two.

With a under a minute remaining, the Pelicans had the ball. The Kings left Dante Cunningham wide open for a three and the forward nailed the jumper. The Pelicans took the lead 111-110. Holiday came up big as he knocked down a shot after a Sacramento miss to put the lead up to three.

Out of the timeout with 12.8 to go, Gay was able to score a quick two. Cole was then fouled and made both free throws. Darren Collison rushed to bring the ball up court and lost it to Holiday who let time expire.

Cousins was his usual self, scoring 40 points and grabbing 16 boards. Rondo had a nice game with 18 points, 10 assists but the point guard had five turnovers. Gay added a double double as well with 18 points and 10 rebounds.

The Kings shot the ball at a great 49.4 shooting percentage from the field but 24 total turnovers led to 22 points for New Orleans. Davis had 31 points and 10 rebounds. The backcourt duo of Cole and Holiday was key to the Pelicans success. Cole totaled 23 points and Holiday scored 20 while adding 10 assists for the double double.

After looking to have a sure win, the Kings will need to regroup and figure out how to close out games. This is the Kings’ second consecutive loss after losing to San Antonio on Saturday.

The Kings will take on the LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers at 7 p.m. at Arco Arena.

Sacramento Kings Thursday night game wrap up: Kings end four game skid in Dallas, win 104-101

Published on by Michael MartinezLeave a comment

by Michael Martinez

picture credit Ronda Churchill/AP

Wednesday night in Dallas was an important match up for the Sacramento Kings. The team headed into the night on a four gaming losing streak and a 22 game losing streak on the Mavs’ home court. Overall, the Kings put in a tremendous team effort and were able to defeat the Western Conference’s sixth seed, Dallas Mavericks, 104-101.

Rudy Gay was in the starting line up for the Kings who played tough against Dallas in the first quarter. The Kings’ only flaw was five turnovers but they did a great job of rebounding and passing the ball. Rajon Rondo had four of the Kings’ eight assists in the quarter as he headed back to Dallas.

Sacramento struggled with the three ball to start the game, 0-7, but managed to stay in it. Nobody on the Kings scored more than four points and the Mavs got a nice first quarter out of David Lee. After one, the Mavs led Sacramento, 24-19.

The Kings played an even better second quarter. Marco Belinelli came alive with eight points to start the quarter for the Kings, who would go on an 11-4 run. Sacramento moved the ball extremely well throughout the half, but best of all they played great defense. The Kings did not allow the Mavs to get inside and forced Dallas to shoot out on the perimeter, who shot 1-11 from beyond the arc at the half.

At the half, the Kings held a 50-45 and shot well in the half. The team did a better job with the ball, only one turnover in the second quarter. DeMarcus Cousins and Rondo had a team high with eight points apiece with Rondo adding seven assists.

The Kings did much of the same in the third quarter as the second.

The Kings kept the momentum from the second quarter.With 7:38 remaining,  Ben McLemore  had a fast break jam causing a timeout by Dallas with the Kings up 60-55. Out of the timeout, Sacramento went on another run, 7-2, which finished with a sweet McLemore crossover who nailed a three off the dribble. Dallas was forced to call another timeout. The Mavs did answer back with eight straight points of their own

The third was a very clean half four both teams and Chandler Parson kept finding a way to score for the Mavs. Through three, Sacramento was able to shoot over 50% from the field and hold their lead, 73-69. The quarter was pretty even and both teams had 46 points in the paint. The Kings defense was still very solid, however.

In the fourth, the Kings went on another run, 7-2, to start the quarter off. The run would become an 11-2 run in a little less than four minutes. Belinelli was once again clutch for the Kings as he hit a three to put Sacramento up, 89-76, as Dallas took another time out.

The Mavs were able to make a push and after being down by 14 at one point, were only down by five with a little over a minute left to play. Unfortunately, the Kings could not make a free throw to save their life. At the 35 second mark, Cousins was fouled and missed both free throws. Darren Collison was fouled 12 second later and went one for two at the charity stripe to lead 102-97. Dirk Nowitzki scored very quickly to cut the lead to three.

Belinelli was fouled and missed both free throws. On the second miss, the Kings fought for the rebound and the ball squirted out. Both teams scrambled for the loose ball and Collison came up with it and fouled.

Collison finally put down two free throws for the Kings to go up 104-99 with four ticks remaining. Nowitzki was able to put in a late lay-up for a final score 104-101.

Many Kings player had great games. Cousins finished with 22 points and 13 rebounds. Rondo notched 18 points and tallied 12 assists.

Off the bench, Collison had 14 points and Belinelli added 16. Belinelli appears to be coming out of his season slump and was a huge spark for Sacramento. The Kings shot the ball extremely well shooting at 52.5% although their three pointers were mostly off. Parson finished with 28 points in the game but the Kings defense was able to hold on and they closed out a fourth quarter for the victory.

The Kings are now 25-35 and will head to San Antonio on Saturday. The team faces off against the Spurs, who clinched their 19th consecutive playoff berth in their last game. Tipoff starts at 5 p.m. as the Kings look to redeem a loss to San Antonio from a couple weeks ago.

Kings fall short in loss to Bulls

Published on by Michael MartinezLeave a comment

by Michael Martinez

Photo credit (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

SACRAMENTO- A Chicago Bulls team without All Star Jimmy Butler gives opponents a much better chance at winning, or at least competiting. Butler sat out Wednesday night’s ball game with left knee tendinitis. The Kings did do a good job of sticking around with the Bulls, but allowed E’Twaun Moore to tear up the defense as if he was Butler.

Sacramento once again allowed a player who never really impacts games to get a career high in points. The Kings had a lot of sloppy play and their defense was not consistently strong enough to ever allow them to over come the Bulls. Missed free throws cost the Kings as well especially when it counted. Even with another monster game from DeMarcus Cousins, who was honored as an All Star prior to the game, Sacramento could not overcome the Bulls. The Kings (21-27) lost to the Bulls (27-21), 107-102, in a tightly contested match up in Sacramento at Sleep Train Arena.

The Kings lacked urgency to start the game. Sacramento looked slow and the Bulls took advantage, especially Moore. Moore scored ten of Chicago’s first 13 points causing Sacramento to take a timeout at the 7:02 mark. Moore would finish the quarter with 13 points, a point shy of his career high.

Marco Belinelli’s shot started to look better, scoring six points in the quarter, as he got another start. The Kings were able to hang around in the quarter in big part to DeMarcus Cousins, who scored eight points in a row later in the quarter causing the Bulls to call a timeout with Chicago up by eight. The Kings’ defense caused five turnovers, but could not find a way to stop the Bulls from scoring as Chicago shot 57.1% from the field. The Bulls did an excellent job behind the three-point line, going six for eight.

The Bulls took advantage of the Kings’ four turnovers with nine points off those turnovers. Allowing the Bulls to shoot at a high percentage had the Kings down, 35-24, after one quarter of play. For the fifth straight game, the Kings allowed their opponent to score 30 or more points in the first quarter.

“It’s a nightmare,” said Coach George Karl.  “I’ve never had this many games on your home court come out flat.”

Coming off of a sluggish first quarter, Darren Collison helped pick up the pace for Sacramento. Off the bench, Collison finished the half with 13 points, eight of those from the second quarter. The Kings’ defense did a better job against the Bulls’ offense and found some of their own as well.

With 4:35 left in the second quarter, Omri Casspi and Bobby Portis received a technical foul each after the pair were yapping at one another over a prior play.

Down by four, Sacramento looked to keep the game close but the Bulls went on a 6-0 run to go up by ten as Chicago continued their good ball movement with a little under three minutes to play in the half.

Belinelli scored six more points in the second quarter. Belinelli hit two three-pointers for a total of 12 points in the half. Belinelli’s threes helped keep the Kings within reach with one of those threes coming from a Cousins’ screen and put the score at 60-57. Belinelli’s three would be the last field goal of the half with the Bulls leading the Kings, 60-57 after one half of play.

Omri Casspi and Bobby Portis  received a double technical after the pair were yapping at one another over a prior play.

Moore eclipsed his prior career high of 14 points with 15 in the first half for a halftime high. Cousins scored 14 points for a team high. Chicago had ten second chance points in the first half, as they out rebounded the Kings, 26-18. Chicago crashed the boards much harder than the Kings, but with 28 points in the paint Sacramento kept it close.

The Kings started the third quarter off with a 5-0 run, giving them their first lead since early in the first quarter. But the Bulls followed it up with a 5-0 run of their own. The Kings got to 66 points, which was later changed to 64 as a Rudy Gay field goal was changed to a shot clock violation. After that point, Sacramento turned the ball over on five straight possessions, but luckily the Bulls did not do so well either. Throughout the quarter, Sacramento inched closer and closer, but the eight third quarter turnovers never gave them a chance to regain the lead.

Both teams did very little offensively, with Chicago scoring 20 and Sacramento scoring 18. The Kings did a much better job of rebounding the ball with four offensive boards and 14 total in the quarter. Gay scored six points on 3-6 shooting for a total of ten, looking much better in the third quarter after foul trouble in the first half.

Moore continued to play well out of the break with seven points in the third. Cousins also had a big quarter with eight points, as him and Moore tied for a game high with 22 points. After a lot of careless basketball, the Bulls still maintained their lead, 80-75 through three.

The fourth quarter came down to the wire although the Bulls started out the quarter on a 6-0 run. Again, the Kings were able to stay in the game and went up by as many as ten in the quarter. With a little over three and a half minutes to play, Chicago was up 99-90 over the Kings. But Belinelli’s improved shooting came in clutch for Sacramento as they got the lead down to four, 105-101, after he hit a three pointer while getting fouled.

Belinelli missed the free throw, but Cousins grabbed the board and was fouled. Cousins only made one free throw to cut Chicago’s lead to three with 45 seconds in the game. Sacramento kept getting stops and had possession down three with 17.9 seconds.

Out of a timeout, the Kings drew up a play to get Cousins the ball inside for a quick two, but Boogie could not convert on two separate tries. The Kings fouled Moore with 10.4 seconds left and the game seemed basically over. However, Moore missed both free throws and Sacramento got the rebound with nine seconds remaining. Cousins got fouled and missed the first free throw, letting out great frustration afterwards. Boogie missed the second shot on purpose and got called for a lane violation.

Pau Gasol, who finished with 16 points and 13 boards, made two free throws to close out the game and give the Bulls the victory, 107-102. Rudy Gay fouled out by fouling Gasol.

Derrick Rose had a solid fourth quarter with eight points, totaling 21 points and adding nine assists with six boards. Moore finished with a career high 24 points as he filled the shoes of Butler tonight.

Cousins added another double double on the season, 30 points and 11 rebounds, finishing with a game high. Cousins admitted to being banged up after a very physical game, but is still ready to go. Belinelli scored 18 points for Sacramento, 7-14 from the field.

Off the bench, Collison scored 19 points but did not see much playing time in the second half. Rajon Rondo added nine assists for the Kings, who continue to score well in the paint, but have lacked good starts in games.

The defense got better, but Chicago shot 52.4% from the behind the arc, which was a  big difference maker as well as their 19 fast break points. Both teams finished with 17 turnovers in a very sloppy game.

“Starts. Turnovers hurt us tonight, transition defense hurt us tonight,” Cousins said.

The Kings have now lost five of their last six games and are looking for answers with four games left before the All Star break.

“I would probably say our only pattern is our effort coming out early on in games. We’ve got to find a way to improve that,” Cousins said when asked about characteristics in their losses.

The Kings, now 21-28, will need to practice what they preach heading into the last four games to gain momentum as they near the break. On Friday, Sacramento will take on the Brooklyn Nets on the road as they look to get the roller coaster season back in their favor with some much needed road wins.

“We’ve got to get three, we have to,” Cousins said.

Worn Down Kings lose, 112-97, in Portland

Published on by Michael MartinezLeave a comment

by Michael Martinez

Picture by (Steve Dykes/AP Photo)

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.

Kings clip Hawks wings to win fourth straight

Published on by Michael MartinezLeave a comment

by Michael Martinez

Photo by Steve Yeater/ AP Photo

SACRAMENTO – No Rudy Gay tonight, no problem. The Kings found a way to close out a game, even though they were up by 17 at one point. The team played well together, at least the starters did. The team shot poorly, but showed toughness and tenacity. With a half game lead over the Utah Jazz, the Kings looked to win a fourth straight over the Atlanta Hawks at Sleep Train Arena.

The first quarter was a back and forth contest but once again the Kings dominated the paint, helping them maintain a lead for most of the quarter. DeMarcus Cousins got off to a great start as he totaled 11 points and crashed the glass hard with eight rebounds. The Kings passed the ball well throughout the quarter by using the extra pass to find the best shot. Every starter scored in the quarter.

The Kings finished the quarter with nine assists, five of those assists coming from the smooth hands of Rajon Rondo. The team played much better defense as well causing four turnovers, but left Kyle Korver open on a couple occasions for two three point field goals. Willie Cauley-Stein’s presence was felt as he limited Paul Millsap to two points. Cauley-Stein’s tremendous athleticism has improved the team’s overall defense quite a bit. Sacramento totaled 16 boards to Atlanta’s six and finished the quarter ahead of the Hawks, 27-20.

In the second quarter, the Kings struggled mightily, shooting the ball at 30.4% and got off to a slow start. Luckily, the Hawks did not shoot that well either as both teams had very little offense. Cauley-Stein scored six in the quarter and finished with eight points in the quarter adding seven rebounds. Cousins finished the quarter with a double double, 13 points and 10 boards.

The Kings offense was disappointing in the quarter due to little ball movement. After doing a great job in the first, the ball stopped moving and the Kings players seemed to play a little too much one on one. As the Kings hit the glass hard, their dominance on the boards gave them nine second chance points in the first half. Boogie had a game high of 13 points in the half but nine turnovers helped the Hawks cut down the Kings lead to 3 at the half. Heading into the locker room, Sacramento led Atlanta 47-44. Millsap had a team high for the Hawks with nine points.

Out of the break, the Kings struck first but the Hawks answered quickly going up 50-49. The Kings then got some fire under their belts, going on a 18-0 run. The run started with a free throw by Boogie to tie up the game and the team kept going from there. Sacramento ran the court extremely well with nine fast break points.

The crowd went nuts when Ben McLemore hit a three pointer and took a bump, completing a four point play and putting up a 9-0 run. Casspi then hit a three pointer, followed by a Rondo lay up. The Hawks tried to end the run when Dennis Schröder had a fast break lay up, but DMC blocked him. The run was capped off with an awesome alley-oop pass from Rondo to McLemore that caused a thunderous roar throughout the arena.

The Hawks called a timeout and the Kings momentum dwindled. The Hawks ended the quarter on a 13-5 run after the time out, giving the Kings a 72-63 lead. The Kings ball movement was once again terrific, totaling seven team assists. Both teams still did not shoot well, the Hawks shot a miserable 35% in the quarter and the Kings defense helped them break out. The team caused seven turnovers for 14 of their 25 quarter points.

Up by nine to start the fourth quarter, the Kings needed a gritty, gutsy performance to hold on to the eight seed in the Western Conference. Sacramento did show guts, but the second unit allowed the Hawks to hang around and make the game really close. The second unit had little ball movement and the team shot an awful 25% for the quarter. The Hawks were able to kick off the quarter with a 10-2 run and Cousins stopped the bleeding with a lay up.

As the quarter moved along, Kent Bazemore tied the game up at 80 with a little under six minutes remaining, but Omri Casspi answered with a three pointer. The Kings ball movement faded once again. Korver hit a three pointer to take the lead down to 1, 86-85. With 41.3 seconds remaining, Cauley-Stein was fouled and made two big free throws to go up 88-85.

“Y’all’s guess is as good [as] mine” Cauley-Stein said when asked about the last time he made back to back free throws.

After the free throws, the Hawks got down the court and Schröder made a big shot beyond the arc to tie the game up at 88 with 28.5 seconds left. The Kings took a time out and it appeared that Coach George Karl drew up the perfect play. Rondo pushed the ball inside to Cous, who dumped it off and set a pick to give Rondo a wide open lay up for a 90-88 lead with 12.9 seconds to go. Out of Atlanta’s time out, Millsap lost the ball straight into Casspi’s hands who called a time out with 3.3 left.

Darren Collison got the ball in the back court from Rondo and was fouled with 1.9 left. Collison missed the first free throw, but made the second. Atlanta took another time out and on the in bound pass it appeared Cauley-Stein tipped the ball to cause another turn over to end the game. Cauley-Stein’s length and defense helped end the game and all those turn overs caught up to the Hawks. The Kings won, 91-88, and heard loud cheers from the fans who brought a lot of enthusiasm and energy. The crowd played a huge role in helping the Kings pull through and close out an important game.

19 turnovers and a 35.4 shooting percentage should have resulted in a loss for the Kings, but they showed heart and found a way to pull through. Cauley-Stein finished with his second consecutive and career double double, 12 points and 11 boards. Cousins totaled 24 points and 15 rebounds for a ninth game in a row.

“Just playing hard,” Cauley-Stein said when asked about his second double double.

WCS also preached about playing for his teammates giving him the motivation to play at such a high level and with such intensity.

Rondo notched his fifth triple double on the season with 11 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds. Rondo tied Chris Webber for the most triple doubles in a season by a Kings player in the Sacramento era and we are not even at the All Star break.

“Man, he got the triple double because of me,” Cousins said with a laugh.

“The impact he has on games is incredible, I’m glad I can go to war with him” Boogie said.

Without one of their big three, Rondo and Cousins pulled out all the stops and meshed well together. Cauley-Stein was also a huge factor and McLemore stepped up to finish with 14 points. The Kings hit the glass hard and played big over a small Atlanta team with 56 rebounds to Atlanta’s 42. The Hawks only led by two at the beginning of the game and Sacramento proved why they deserve to be in the playoff hunt. The Kings now hold a game lead over the Jazz for the eighth seed and are two back of the Houston Rockets for the seventh spot.

This Saturday, the Kings will take on the Indiana Pacers and All Star starter Paul George at home to go for a fifth straight win.

DMC and Gay lead Kings to victory, 103-101, over Jazz

Published on by Michael MartinezLeave a comment

by Michael Martinez

Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Image

SACRAMENTO- Heading into Thursday night’s game the Sacramento Kings were 2 games back behind their opponent, the Utah Jazz. Sacramento, 5-12 on the road, looked to come back from a bad loss the night before against the Pelicans. The Kings found a way to hold their opponent to a low shooting percentage, at least for three quarters, with tough perimeter defense while getting the ball inside to DeMarcus Cousins who had a tremendous game. The Kings shot the ball well and were able to just hold on to pick up the win against the Jazz, 103-101, at Vivint Smart Home Arena.

As the game got underway the Kings looked like the better team all the way. The team’s defense was tremendous and Utah could not make any shots. Willie Cauley-Stein got off to a great start putting up six quick points while playing tremendous defense. Cauley-Stein’s quickness as a big man has benefitted the Kings and his hustle does not go unnoticed.

Cousins did not do a ton of scoring in the first quarter, six points, but did a good job of moving the ball around for his teammates while picking up eight early rebounds. The Kings shot the ball well, while holding the Jazz to a 16.7% shooting percentage. The Kings did a great job of continuing their run as Utah went about eight minutes without a field goal. Gordon Hayward bricked a lot of shots and found a couple buckets at the charity stripe. Sacramento held the Jazz to 12 points, the lowest of any Kings’ opponent this season, giving them a 1st quarter lead 26-12.

The Jazz looked to have a better second quarter, but the Kings held them in check again. In full, Utah went nine minutes and 19 seconds without a field goal before Trevor Booker got a put back dunk for a field goal. After struggling all season with perimeter defense, the Kings were much improved in the first half, although there were a lot of fouls, 17 in the first two quarters for the Kings. The quarter consisted of a lot of free throws, 12-18 for Sacramento, and 9-13 for the Jazz.

Boogie came out stronger in the second quarter, totaling 18 points and 13 rebounds in the half, his sixth consecutive double-double. With DMC’s scoring ability the Kings were able to hang on to the lead although the Jazz outscored them 33-30 after shooting the ball much better. Trey Lyles and Raul Neto totaled 10 points for a team high as the Kings held the lead 56-45 heading into the locker room on 54.3% shooting. Utah shot 1/16 from 3 point range, much improved for Sacramento’s perimeter defense. The Kings scored a field goal with 1.6 seconds on the clock as Rajon Rondo passed the ball all the way up court to Darren Collison who missed the lay-up but Boogie cleaned it up with a dunk as the red lights lit up the backboard.

After the half time break, Hayward finally made a field goal after going 0-9. Cousins answered right back with his tremendous scoring ability. Rondo kept showing off his vision and passing ability with a pass on a very tight window to Rudy Gay for an alley-oop. Cousins continued his scoring ability with his first three pointer in the ball game in the third quarter. And Rondo once again got Gay the ball for another alley-oop later in the quarter. Both teams shot well and both Gay and Cousins showed off their scoring abilities. Gay scored eight in the quarter while Cousins scored 10, both shooting 3-5 from the field. The Kings got to the line 10 times and converted eight free throws. Hayward had a much better quarter, scoring nine points on 3-6 shooting.

Cousins produced the game high in three quarters with 28 points and Gay had 16 for the second highest point total. The Kings shot the ball well once again with a 54% percentage through three quarters, which is something they have done well all season. Through three quarters the Kings totaled 42 points in the paint and got the ball inside to Boogie a lot. Boogie has scored 15.7 points in the paint per game in the month of January as the Kings continue to dominate their opponents close to the rim. Their dominance allowed them to hang on to the lead although Hayward hit a buzzer beater heading into the fourth. Sacramento led the Jazz 82-71 with 12 minutes remaining.

To open up the final quarter, Omri Casspi knocked down a three pointer, something he has done well all season. Down 85-71 the Jazz found a rhythm and went on a 9-0 run in a minute and 50 seconds. The run consisted of a Casspi foul and technical, which gave Utah three easy points as Trey Burke connected on the free throw. Cauley-Stein stopped the bleeding with a put back dunk, but Utah kept hanging around. Gay struggled from three but Cousins was able to hit a big 3 pointer of his own to put the Kings back up by 10. Utah maintained a way to stick around with the Kings who could not find a way to put the Jazz out.

With two minutes and 55 seconds left the Kings held a six point lead over the Jazz and Cauley-Stein helped maintain that lead with a big rejection, showing off his athletic ability. But Gay fouled Rodney Hood behind the arc, which led to three shots from the charity stripe. Hood connected on all three cutting the lead to five. The Kings started to struggle and went three minutes and 16 seconds without a make but Cousins then proceeded to score. Rondo fouled Burke, which set up a three point play as the Jazz kept scrapping.

As time wound down, Hood hit a second chance three pointer to cut the lead to five one again. With 33 seconds left, Gay got to the foul line and made one of the two free throws. In just under four seconds, Hayward took the ball down the court, got fouled and made a circus shot to get the and one. Hayward made the bucket and forced the Kings to called a timeout, up 101-98 with 29.2 seconds remaining.

Out of the time out, Rondo took the shot and missed it, as the Jazz gained possession with 8.5 seconds remaining. Utah’s Joe Ingles took the three point shot and made it to tie the game at 101. Sacramento took a 20 second time out with 4.8 seconds remaining and drew up a play for Gay who scored well all night. Gay got the ball and hit a mid-range jumped that was good with 0.6 seconds left. Utah heaved up a miracle shot that had no chance and the Kings picked up a rare victory on back to back games especially on the road. The final score, 103-101, as the Kings just barely pulled out a W.

Amongst rumors of a proposed trade for Pelican’s forward, Ryan Anderson, Gay played an awesome game. Number eight finished the night with 24 points, 9-17 from the field, adding nine rebounds and three steals while knocking down the game winner.

DMC was once again unstoppable, finished with 36 points, 10-21 shooting, and adding 14 free throws on 21 attempts. Boogie also added 17 boards. Cousins has led the NBA in points in the month of January with 32.3 points per game. Cousins showed off his scoring ability once again with his inside dominance as Utah had no big man to cover him with Derrick Favors out. And Rondo continued to dish the ball out adding 13 assists, while adding 6 points and 6 rebounds.

Overall, Sacramento got careless with the ball, 16 turnovers but still shot well. Their defense looked good for three quarters but really let up towards the end although they were much improved. The team also dominated the rebounding category, 54-38. Cauley-Stein was a great spark for the Kings who looked better tonight as they continued to chase the Jazz for the eight seed.

On Saturday, the Kings will take on the Clippers in Los Angeles and will need Cousins to continue his hot start in the new year. The whole Kings crew is going to have to come together as the team is finally healthy and looks to beat a team in their conference and division. The Kings have struggled against really good teams so Saturday night will be a big test.

3 C’s help Kings pick up win, 107-97, over Rockets

Published on by Michael MartinezLeave a comment

by Michael Martinez

picture credit Google Images

SACRAMENTO- The Kings came in to the night knowing they would be  missing Rajon Rondo. Rondo was suspended for Tuesday night’s game after saying a derogatory term toward referee Bill Kennedy. Coming into the game, the Kings knew they were going to be missing offensive help and ball movement. Without Rondo, point guard Darren Collison got the start and he showed up big time. Along with DeMarcus Cousins who has been solid as of late and Omri Casspi who has stepped up big since Willie Cauley-Stein’s injury. Rudy Gay helped  the Kings on the offensive end as well and the Kings did a better job on defense while continuing to move the ball and score in the paint. The Kings (9-15) defeated the Houston Rockets (12-13), 107-97, for their third straight win at Sleep Train Arena.

As the game got underway, the Kings got out to an early lead after an 11-2 run. Collision showed off his passing ability with 4 assists in that short period of time. After the quick start the Kings slowed down a bit and the Rockets got ahead of the Kings. Cousins picked up a technical in the quarter and it was a back and forth shootout. The score at the end of the first was a 31-31 tie. Cousins put up 12 points on 3/7 from the field with 2 threes and added 4 rebounds. Cousins also picked up a technical. Gay added 7 points on 3/4 shooting. The team shot 50% from the field and scored 16 points in the paint.

The scoring in the 2nd quarter started with Casspi hitting a 3 pointer. Early on George Karl picked up a technical. The Kings did a good job of passing and pushing the ball. Collision hit Casspi on an alley-oop on a fast break. Collision had 9 assists in 11 minutes. Both teams were a little carless with the ball as they had 8 turnovers each in the 2nd and 14 for the Rockets and 13 turnovers for the Kings. Casspi came around scoring 8 points on 3/3 shooting. Collision put up 7 in the 2nd quarter, the only points he scored in the half. Cousins had a game high, 17 points on 4/10 shooting. James Harden had a team high 10 points. The Kings shot 48.8% for the half and scoring 30 points for the half in the paint. Dwight Howard picked up a technical with 2 minutes left in the quarter. With they better defense and good passing ability the Kings took the lead heading into the locker room, 57-50.

As the teams head out of the locker room, the Kings were doing a good job of finding the open man. Collison got a wide open 3 pointer at 9:48 the Rockets were forced to take a timeout. Collison and Casspi had another fast break dunk. And Rudy Gay helped on another fast break opportunity with Ben McLemore slamming a huge dunk on another fast break. The Kings issue was turning the ball over, 11 times, in the 3rd quarter. Luckily, the shot the ball at 60% and out rebounded the Rockets, 33-27. Harden tried to keep his team in it with 14 points the 3rd quarter, and 24 points by the end of the quarter. Cousins notched 23 points with 9/12 from the free throw line. Collision had 14 points through 3 quarters. 6-8 shooting, and 11 assists. Casspi scored 17 points. The Kings kept their lead over the Rockets, 82-74 to end the 3rd quarter and at one point had their biggest lead of 16 points in the quarter.

Heading into the last quarter, the Kings were looking to finish minus one of their star players. Marco Belinelli, who struggled all game, got 2 three pointers off to gain some confidence in his shot. He added another 3 pointer, for 9 points in the quarter. Rudy Gay posterized Patrick Beverly with a huge tomahawk slam. He added 5 in the quarter and 17 points for the game with 13 rebounds. He shot well, 6/11 from the field and the Kings shot 50.7% from the field. The Kings held a 15 point lead in the 4th quarter and finished the game, 107-97, to beat the Kings. The team finished with 50 point sin the paint, 47 rebounds and 25 assists. The only down fall was their 29 turnovers.

The 3 C’s helped lead the Kings (10-15) to a well deserved victory against the Rockets (12-14). Collision finished with his first double double of the season scoring 14 points and totaling 13 assists, in place of Rondo who is the league’s leading assists man. Collision finished with a season high in assists as well as rebounds totaling 7. Cousins had  a double double as well with 26 points and 12 rebounds. Casspi scored 19 points on 8/11 shooting from the field with 6 assists. The team did a good job of moving the ball around and getting good shots near the hoop. Harden did finish with 33 points, 10/18 from the field but the Kings put out a better defensive effort.

The Kings will take on the Minnesota Timberwolves on the road this  Friday and will seek revenge after losing to the T-Wolves earlier in the season. With a 3 game winning streak under their belt, the Kings will get back Rondo and look to continue their winning ways.

Kings defeat Mavs, 112-98, thanks to Big 3

Published on by Michael MartinezLeave a comment

by Michael Martinez

picture credit Google Images

SACRAMENTO- DeMarcus Cousins was listed as probable for the Kings heading into tonight’s ball game and as he started to warm up with the team, everyone seemed relieved. Averaging 27.9 points per game with 11.2 rebounds, Cousins presence was felt especially when the Kings needed him most. Rudy Gay also played well, as he did a good job of scoring the ball while Rajon Rondo seemed to get his redemption. After a fall out with the Mavs, Rondo looked to continue his tremendous play against his former team. The Kings (6-12) ball movement, defense and clutch shooting at the end of the game helped get them the 112-98 victory over the Mavericks at Sleep Train Arena.

When coach Rick Carlise was asked about Rondo he said “Rondo is having a great year like I expected. Anybody that knows him expected that.”

As the Kings started off the 1st quarter, DeMarcus Cousins got off to a bit of a slow start as he tried to shake off a little rust. Big Cous finished the quarter with 7 points on 3-7 shooting. The Kings first field goal came from Rajon Rondo who hit a 3 pointer. In the 1st, the Kings took 10 shots from behind the arc while only making 3 of those. For the quarter they shot 40%, 10-25 shooting. Rondo’s jumper looked solid, he went 3-6 from the field including a couple of 3 pointers to total 8 points. The Mavericks whole team did a good job of scoring with Chandler Parsons scoring a team high 7 points in the quarter, 2-4 from the field. Deron Williams was very impressive distributing the ball and getting good looks for his team. The Mavs shot very well, 61.1% from the field. The Mavs also got to the line 8 times, making 6 shots from the charity stripe while the Kings only got to the line once. As the Kings kept the game close, 25-23 late in the 1st, the Mavs finished the quarter on a 7-0 run which was capped off with Parsons making a 3 pointer with seconds left in the quarter. The Mavs led the Kings 32-23 at the end of the 1st.

With the 2nd quarter underway, the Mavs continued their run, 11-0 until Darren Collison got to the free throw line. Collison started attacking the hoop and getting to the line where he went 4-4 to stop the Mavs run. After a slow 1st quarter start, Rudy Gay found his rhythm in the Kings offense. Gay was able to score 8 points in the quarter for a total of 10 in the half. In the 2nd, Gay went 4-5 from the field, 5-8 for the half, adding a couple rebounds. Seth Curry checked in for the Kings early in the quarter and it paid dividends. Curry went 2-2 from 3 point range and added a pair of free throws, totaling 8 points for the quarter and the half. The Kings shooting was much improved, 58.8% in the quarter and 47.6% in two quarters of play. Rondo wound up with 10 points in the quarter and Hack-a-Rondo was in full effect, which paid off for the Mavs. Rondo went 2-6 in the quarter. The Kings defense slowed down the Mavs a bit as they shot 43.5%. Zaza Pachulia and DeMarcus Cousins were the top scorers of the half with 11 points. The Kings 3 point shot still struggled, 3-9 in the second alone and 6-19 for the half. The Kings also got a little careless with the ball totaling 10 turnovers to the Mavs 8. The Mavs were able to take the lead heading into the locker room, 58-54, however the Kings scored 18 points in the paint and played better defense to help boost their confidence.

When asked about the opportunity he was given, Curry said “It’s kind of what I’ve been waiting on – an opportunity to play some meaningful minutes, try to give us a little energy boost.”

Curry did just that for the Kings.

Down by 4 heading into the 3rd quarter, the Kings looked to keep their momentum going. Gay scored the first field goal for the Kings, hitting a 3 pointer. Cousins tried to do a bit too much on the offensive end and he went 0-3 from 3 point range, 1-7 in 3 quarters from 3 and 0-5 from the field in the 3rd. His 4 points for the quarter came from the foul line and both teams really had no offense whatsoever. After getting off to a hot start, the Mavs completely cooled down. Both teams shot atrociously and the Kings did do a much better job on the defensive end, but nonetheless neither team could buy a bucket. With that being said, the Kings caused the Mavs to turn the ball over 7 times. The Kings shot just 25%, 5-20 from the field, on the quarter and the Mavs shot 22.7%, 5-22. The Kings did a tremendous job of getting to the line, as 11 points came from the line on 18 attempts. The Mavs reverted to Hack-a-Rondo yet again, who went 2-4 from the line and totaled 6 points.. With the Kings doing a better job defensively, the Mavs scored a measly 13 points to the Kings 22. Dirk Nowitzki was the Mavs leading scorer in the quarter, with 6 points. With the third quarter in the books, the Kings took the lead 76-71.

Going into the 4th quarter with a lead, the Kings knew they had to pull out all the stops to finish the game strong. Cousins proved why he is an All Star center and so important to the Kings on both ends of the court. In the 4th, Cousins put up 16 points, 5-9 shooting, and made his presence felt in the paint. Cousins was able to go 6-6 from the free throw line and the Kings had 16 points in the paint, totaling 38 points in the paint on the night. Darren Collison also had a good 4th, adding 7 points in the quarter for a total of 15 on the night. Collison gave the Kings some great hustle and energy as he played the whole fourth quarter. The Kings took a 10-point lead with about 7 minutes remaining and never looked back. The defense was not quite there for the Kings, but the offense clicked and with a shooting percentage of 64.7%, the Mavs had no chance. As the Mavs used Hack-a-Rondo for a 3rd time, the strategy was halted when Rondo went 3-4 from the foul line. The Kings biggest lead of the game came in the fourth, when the Kings went up by 16, and finished the game up by 14. The final score, 112-98, led to a much needed Kings victory.

“Cousins is super skilled, he’s got basketball skills all over the place,” said  Coach George Karl when asked about Cousins and his 3 day lay off.

The Kings finished the night shooting 45.6% from the field while shooting 29% from 3 point range. The long ball was not there for the Kings, but the team went back to scoring in the paint, something they have done well all season. The big 3 stepped up tremendously as Cousins finished with 31 points, 10-24 from the field, 9 rebounds and 6 assists. Cousins did go just 1-8 from 3 point range, which makes his shooting look a little worse than it really was. Gay finished the game with 20 points, 7-12 on field goals, while adding 7 rebounds. Rondo, not known for his scoring, added 21 points with 5 assists and 3 rebounds. Collision scored 15, Omri Casspi scored 10 and Curry finished with his 8 points from the 1st half. The Kings turned the ball over just 13 times and their 4th quarter play really put them over the top. This win should give the Kings a lot of momentum, beating a Dallas team who has struggled but came in as the 4th best team in the West.

The Kings will be heading to Mexico City to take on the Boston Celtics on Thursday, December 3rd, and all the momentum from this game will hopefully carry over with Isaiah Thomas getting ready to take on his former team.

Kings defeat Lakers, 107-100, in Sin City

Published on by Michael MartinezLeave a comment

by Michael Martinez

picture credit Google Images

SACRAMENTO- Lady luck was on the Kings side tonight as they continued to show excellent team offense with 7 players in double figures while adding 26 teams assists, even with All Star Center Demarcus Cousins sitting out. The Kings’ passing and good shooting allowed them to hold a lead throughout the game. The Kings beat the Lakers, 107-100, at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The Kings started off slow in the 1st quarter as the Lakers lead for almost the first half of the quarter. However, Rajon Rondo once again stepped up for his team and showed that he is not only a passer. Rondo scored the ball well and the point guard known for horrible shooting, shot 3 for 5 from the field in the 1st quarter, scoring 7 points and adding 3 assists. He finished the game with 11 points, shooting 5 for 9 from the field, 1 for 4 behind the 3 point line, and added 6 assists in 25 minutes of play. Marco Belinelli also did a good job of scoring the ball for the Kings with 5 points, shooting 2 for 3 from the field. The free agent signings helped give the Kings a 31-27 lead heading into the 2nd quarter.

Again the Kings 2nd quarter woes continued, giving up a 5-0 run to start the quarter. The defense was lackluster until Eric Moreland came up big defensively with a couple blocks and added 6 points on the offensive end. Belinelli began to heat up again as he hit a couple of threes and Darren Collison continued that charge. The Kings got out on an 8-0 run until Lou Williams hit a pair of free throws. To finish out the half, Kosta Koufos, who replaced Cousins in the starting line up, tipped in a buzzer beater to give the Kings a 63-51 lead. At the end of the half, the Kings shot the ball 53.5% from the field with 15 assists.

To begin the 3rd quarter, Rondo made the first bucket of the half off an assist from Koufos. From there the Kings continued to push the ball around the perimeter while also getting the ball inside. Rondo assisted Rudy Gay who filled the lane in really well to give the Kings a 16 point lead. Gay finished the game with a double-double, 10 points with 11 rebounds in 24 minutes of play, although he shot 3 for 12 from the field. But the Kings defense struggled once more giving up a 7-0 run to the Lakers. Ben McLemore, who finished with 11 points on 3 for 9 shooting from the field, 2 for 5 behind the arc in 25 minutes, made a big 3 pointer to stop the Lakers in their tracks. Nonetheless, the offense for the Kings kept their lead to double digits. The big story of the 3rd quarter was Kobe Bryant leaving the quarter with a left leg contusion and sitting out for the rest of the game. Bryant finished with 10 points, going 4 for 12 from the field and his fadeaway jumper looked good early in the game. And Belinelli, the Kings top scorer of the night, once again shot the ball well to finish the first 3 quarters with 17 points, going 5 for 9 from the field and 3 for 5 on 3 point field goals in 23 minutes of play, shooting 50% from the field. The Kings lead to end the 3rd was 88-74, and their field goal percentage was 51.7%, with a 3 point field goal percentage of 40%.

As the 4th quarter got underway, Eric Moreland came up big with 2 more blocks and showed Coach Karl he is a huge asset on defense. The Kings held a lead throughout the 4th quarter, but let the Lakers make the game a little closer. Collison once again came up big and did a great job of scoring the ball while distributing to his teammates. Towards the end of the 4th, the reserves came in and D’Angelo Russell tried to make it interesting scoring 6 points in the final minute.

Collison finished the game with 16 points, 2 rebounds and 7 assists. The final Kings player in double figures was Moreland who scored 10 points in 15 minutes going 5 for 6 from the field. Moreland also tallied 4 blocks with 5 rebounds and revitalized the Kings effortless defense.

The overall team effort, ultimately leading to a win, now puts the Kings at 4-1 during the 2015 preseason. The Kings’ offense looks sharp as they continue to swing the ball and push it inside or find the open man, finishing with a 45.6% field goal percentage with 38 points in the paint. If the Kings can get their defense on the right path and pass the ball as well as they have this entire preseason, the 2015-16 regular season could be an exciting one in the City of Trees.

Kings down the Blazers 94-90

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

Kings vsw Blazers

by Charlie O. Mallonee

Sacramento – The Sacramento Kings defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 94-90 at Sleep Train Arena on Saturday night. It was the Kings second victory over the Blazers in a week.

The Kings were led by guard Darren Collison who scored 18 points in 32-plus minutes of playing time. Collison also pulled down seven rebounds and dished out three assists.

Portland’s CJ McCollum led all scorers with 30 points. McCollum was 5-for-10 from 3-point land and 11-for-20 from the field. He scored 19 of his points in the third to quarter to keep the Blazers in the game.

The Kings won the game by outscoring Portland in the paint 38-28 and by scoring 25 points off the fast break to just 13 for the Blazers.

Kings

  1. The Kings started Rajon Rondo and Darren Collison in the backcourt for the first time in the preseason. According to George Karl it was the first time the pair had played together because so much their time has been spent in team scrimmages. Rondo and Collison combined for a total of 22 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.
  2. DeMarcus Cousins scored 18 points, grabbed 7 rebounds, had three assists and two steals in 23-plus minutes of playing time. He also picked up his technical foul of the preseason in the third quarter arguing over an out of bounds call. Cousins earned the “T” by not stopping after his first appeal to the referee.
  3. Willie Cauley-Stein had a good game scoring seven points and pulling down nine rebounds. Cauley-Stein is a presence on defense but is still a work in progress on offense.
  4. The Kings shot .408 (31-for-76) from the field. They were 7-for-22 (.318) from beyond the 3-point line.
  5. Rudy Gay did not dress for the game. He is not injured. Karl was just giving Gay the night off to get some playing time. for other players in this contest,

Trail Blazers

  1. Portland played the game without their very talented guard Damian Lillard. Lillard is nursing a left ankle injury.
  2. The Trail Blazers had four players who did not dress for the game. All four players were out due to injury.
  3. Portland shot .415 from the field and .353 (12-for-34) from beyond the 3-point arc.
  4. The Blazers out-rebounded the Kings 50 to 41.
  5. Portland scored 25 points off turnovers to just nine points off turnovers for the Kings.

What they said after the game

“We’re ahead of the curve right now. We have a long way to go, but we’ve done some very good things in every game we’ve played. We need to continue to get better.” said Kings head coach George Karl.

Kings center Kosta Koufous said, “We’ve got some things we’re going work on defensively but everybody is playing hard and that’s the biggest thing. As long as everybody’s playing with 100% effort, that’s all you can ask for.”

“I felt that we could have played better obviously. Foul trouble kind of got us close behind the eight ball early and we never really recovered. We had twice as many fouls called against (us) and it was just tough to bounce back from that,” explained Portland head coach Terry Stotts.

Leading scorer CJ McCollum told reporters, “I felt comfortable even in the first game when some shots didn’t drop really. Just like tonight, I missed my first few shots. The biggest thing is to just stay confident, try to get to my spots.”

Up next

The Kings will play again on Tuesday when they will face the Los Angeles Lakers in Las Vegas.

The Trail Blazers play the Jazz in Utah on Monday night.