Tag: LeBron James

Warriors crush the Cavs 129-105 in Cleveland on Wednesday night

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
GSW final
Graphic: @Warriors

By Charlie O. Mallonee

In every sport, there are certain teams that every other team wants to play because they know the chances of coming away with a “W” is so great that they can taste victory before the game begins. When “King James” ruled the city by the lake, that was not the case. Going to play in the “Q” was something to be feared.

Now that LeBron has taken his “talents” to SoCal and the Lakers, playing in the “Q” has become a place for teams to get healthy. The Cavs best player Kevin Love is unavailable due to left foot surgery, and no one would be surprised if Love does not demand to be traded to a competitive team.

Things are so bad in Cleveland that the Cavaliers were the first team in the NBA to fire their head coach. Tyronn Lue who coached the Cavs to an NBA Championship in 2016 was fired after Cleveland started the season 0-6 with LeBron James in “Lakerland” and Kevin Love ailing.

The Warriors entered the game on Wednesday night with a record of 16-9 to do battle with a Cleveland squad that had recorded a record of 5-18.

Tough Road Trip
This was game four of a five-game road trip for the Warriors. They entered the contest 1-2 on the trip. The W’s had lost games in Toronto and Detroit but had bounced back into the win column in the ATL on Monday night. A victory in Cleveland was really mandatory if this was to be a successful road trip for Golden State.

GSW Thompson to hoop
Thompson to the basket Photo: @Warriors

First Half Battle
The Cavs served notice in the first half that they were not going to just roll over and die because they were facing the defending NBA Champion Golden State Warriors. GSW held a six-point at the end of the first quarter, but Cleveland turned it up a notch in the second period.

Cleveland shot 68.2-percent from the floor (15/22) in the second quarter and hit seven 3-point baskets. The Cavs outscored the Warriors 39-27 for the period behind the scoring of Cedi Osman (8 pts), Jordan Clarkson (8 pts) and Larry Nance Jr. (7 pts). The Cavs also outscored the Warriors on 2nd Chance Points 8-0 in the quarter.

At the half, Cleveland held a 64-58 lead over the Golden State Warriors.

Time to go to school
The Warriors came out of the locker room after halftime fired up and ready to play. Kevin Durant led the charge for the “W’s” as he scored 15 points, grabbed five rebounds and dished out two assists in the period. Durant hit 6-of-9 shots – three of which were 3-point baskets.

GSW outscored the Cavs 12-2 on the Fast Break in the quarter.

At the end of three quarters, Golden State was leading Cleveland 95-86.

Turn Out the Lights
The Cavs’ final demise came in the fourth period when Stephen Curry came alive and scored 12-points shooting 2-for-4 from the floor (both 3-point baskets) and converted 6-for-6 in opportunities from the free throw line.

Klay Thompson and Quinn Cook also added eight points apiece in the final period as the Warriors outscored the Cavaliers 34-19 in last 12 minutes of the contest.

When the final buzzer sounded, the Golden State Warriors (17-9) had defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers (5-19) 129-105. For the Warriors, it was their second consecutive win.

Top Performers

GSW Prime Logo

Golden State

  • Leading scorer: Steph Curry 42 points (also game high) to go with nine rebounds
  • Double-double: Kevin Durant 25 points and 10 rebounds (9 assists)
  • FG% 52.9 (45/85)  3FG% 52.9 (18/34)  29 Assists 9 Turnovers (17 CLE pts)

Cleveland

  • Leading scorer: Colin Sexton 21 points (7/14 shooting)
  • Double-double: Tristan Thompson 14 points and 19 rebounds
  • Wow: George Hill 25:13 on the floor 0 points and 3 assists

Steve Kerr on Curry
“It’s pretty rare, but Steph is rare in general in everything he does. We’ve seen it before where Steph was out with an injury and comes back and starts lighting it up right away,” said Kerr. “The guy keeps himself in amazing shape – which allows him to come back pretty quickly if there is an injury.”

Up Next
The Warriors wrap up this five-game road trip on Friday night in Milwaukee versus the very tough Bucks in a nationally televised game. The game tips off at 4:00 PM PST.

The Cavs will also be in action on Friday night when they will host the upstart Sacramento Kings at the “Q”.

Lakers ruin the Kings’ Saturday night, winning game in Sacramento 101-86

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

LAL vs SAC

By Charlie O. Mallonee

SACRAMENTO — The Kings lost the second game of a back-to-back set to the Los Angeles Lakers 101-86 on Saturday night. The loss dropped the Kings record to 7-6 for the season. The Lakers improved to 6-6 for the year. The 15-point loss was the largest margin of defeat at home for Sacramento this season.

Charlie O has the wrap up of the game:

 

Kings head coach Dave Joerger was still proud of his team in the loss:

Team leader De’Aaron Fox was very subdued when talking with reporters after the game:

Frank Mason III quietly tried to explain his team’s performance in the game:

Marvin Bagley III had a calm and mature reaction to the loss:

Charlie O has the Lakers’ stats, which were not all that impressive:

Charlie O also has the Kings’ numbers and final thoughts:

Game notes:

  • The Lakers had a season-high 59 rebounds in the contest
  • LakeShow also had a season-high 17 offensive rebounds, which led to 17-second-chance points
  • The Kings are now 4-2 in back-to-back games
  • Willie Cauley-Stein posted his fifth double-double of the season with 12 points and 12 rebounds
  • After the game, the Kings announced that Harry Giles III has been assigned to the Stockton Kings of the G-League and will play with Stockton on Sunday. That really is not a surprise. The Kings have used their G-League team to get rookies playing time in the past when they have not been able to get significant minutes with the big club. This most certainly is a temporary assignment.

Kings Press Row Podcast NBA Week 4: the road trip ends, the homestand begins!

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
Bogi's back
Bogi is back Photo: @SacramentoKings

Hosts: Jordan “Chape” Chapin and Charlie O

  • Kings go 3-1 on tough four-game Eastern Conference road trip
  • SAC ends road with a tough loss in Milwaukee as the Tier 1 Bucks dominate
  • Toronto welcomes the Kings back to SAC with a 114-105 loss
  • The Raptors are the real deal – they could be the Eastern Conference Champs
  • The key to the Toronto victory was stopping the Kings runs
Bucks Hield
Buddy Hield scored 24 versus Toronto but shot 9-for-23 Photo: @SacramentoKings
  • The Timberwolves are 0-7 on the road – that makes them very dangerous!
  • LeBron and the Lakers circus is coming to town on Saturday, November 10th
  • You can’t relax on this homestand – the Spurs are in Monday, November 12
  • Still to come in November OKC, HOU, GSW, UTA X2 and LAC
  • This and much more on this week’s edition of the King’s Press Row Podcast

Kings Press Row Podcast: October 10, 2018

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

 

press row podcast

Hosts: Jordan “Chape” Chapin & Charlie O

  • Will the Kings make the playoffs?

  • How many games will the Kings win?

  • Is Dave Joerger’s job safe?

  • Is Vlade Divac’s job safe?

  • Will the uptempo style work for the Kings?

  • The answers to these questions and more on in less than 30 minutes!

LeBron James, Brandon Ingram lead the way over the Warriors 123-113

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Los Angeles Lakers were able to hold off the defending NBA Champion Golden State Warriors 123-113 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Wednesday night. It was the Warriors’ third preseason game, and they suffered their second loss in a row. The Warriors were missing All-Star forward Draymond Green with a sore knee, and DeMarcus Cousins was not available as he recovers from an Achilles tendon injury.

The Warriors lost two big men over the off-season. Zaza Pachulia went to the Detroit Pistons, and JaVale McGee became an LA Laker. Head coach Steve Kerr has to hope that Damien Jones and Kevon Looney will be able to do the job until Cousins is ready to play.

With LeBron James on board, the Lakers will no longer be a pushover for the Warriors. LeBron played the first half and was in mid-season form as he scored 15 points and had 10 rebounds and five assists in the first half. The Warriors won the first quarter 34-31, but the Lakers outscored them 30-23 in the second period to finish the first half with a 61-57 lead. Steph Curry and Kevin Durant each scored 18 to pace the Warrior attack.

Curry,  Durant and Klay Thompson saw action in the third quarter, but left the game midway through the period. Kerr used his bench players the rest of the way, but they were not able to catch the Lakers. The Lakers were paced by Ingram in the third quarter, and he finished the night with26 points. The Lakers outscored Golden State 41-35 in the third period, and the Warriors won the fourth quarter 21-20.

Notes: Steph Curry was sharp as he netted 23 points and recorded five assists, but had five turnovers. Klay scored 18. Durant ended the night with 18. Durant also fouled out midway through the third quarter.

Brandon Ingram led the Lakers with 26. Kentavius Caldwell-Pope tallied 20. Kyle Kuzma, who came off the bench, knocked down 22 in 24 minutes. Lonzo Ball saw 23 minutes of action, but scored just seven points. Lance Stephenson helped out the Lakers with 12.

Up Next: The Warriors finish the preseason Friday night when they play the Lakers again. This time, the venue will be the SAP Center in San Jose.

The regular season starts on Tuesday, October 16th at Oracle Arena when the Warriors host the Oklahoma City Thunder. Game time will be at 7:30 pm PT.

 

Headline Sports with London Marq: Sox move onto ALCS; Does LeBron have a supporting cast?; Steelers’ latest distraction; What’s up with Carr?

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Photo credit: @TheClemReport

On the Headline Sports podcast with London:

#1 The Boston Red Sox took three out of four from the New York Yankees in the ALDS to move onto the ALCS to face the Houston Astros.

#2 How effective do you think LeBron James will be for the Los Angeles Lakers and does he have the support around him?

#3 At 10:08 AM on April 24th, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Antonio Brown threw large items including two vases and furniture from 14 floors above nearly hitting a grandfather and his two-year grandson. Brown was upset that he was accused of stealing $80,000 and a gun. Brown said he has been followed by the fans and media since the incident as he currently faces two lawsuits for “‘damages in excess of $15,000,’ exclusive of’ attorney fees and interest.”

#4 The Oakland Raiders fell to 1-4 after a 26-10 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. Chargers quarterback Phillip Rivers threw for 339 yards along with 22-27 completed passes.

#5 Raiders quarterback Derek Carr got sacked three times and turned the ball over twice.

London Marq does the Headline Sports podcasts each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Lakers pull away in the final minute to beat the Kings 128-123 Thursday night

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
Swipa vs LA
Mr. Fox put up a quick 18 points in the game Photo: @SacramentoKings

By Charlie O. Mallonee

Thursday night was an exciting night for NBA starved basketball fans in Sacramento. The Kings traveled to Los Angeles to take on King James and the Lakers in a preseason affair. The keyword in that sentence is “preseason.”

The number one goal in a preseason game is not to win. Now, these are professional athletes, and they hate to lose at anything, anytime. However, the preseason is about getting players working together, learning the playbook, seeing how different combinations play as a unit, and deciding who make the open spots on the roster.

Understanding those parameters explains the final score of 128-123 with the Lakers coming out on top. There were moments where defense came into play, but it certainly did not look like the type of defense you will see in the regular season. No one wants to go into the regular season battered and bruised.

Kings

  • Marvin Bagley III led the Kings with 19 points and 10 rebounds in 31 minutes on the floor.
  • De’Aaron Fox put on quite a show, scoring 18 points and dishing five assists in just 18 minutes of playing time.
  • Buddy Hield recorded 16 points in just 20 minutes of PT. Hield hit 4-of-8 from 3-point range.
  • Harry Giles III posted 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds in 24-plus minutes.
  • Wenyen Gabriel was the Kings’ other double-digit scorer with 10 points.
  • Sacramento shot 45.5-percent (45/99) from the field; 41.9-percent (13/31) from beyond the arc and hauled in 41 rebounds (9 offensive boards). The had 27 assists and turned the ball over 15 times.
MBIII vs LA
MBIII5 led Kings in scoring Photo: @SacramentoKings

Lakers

  • Brandon Ingram led the Lakers scoring attack with 31 points and nine rebounds. After the game, King James praised Ingram for his performance and effort.
  • Speaking of the King, he put in 18 points in just over 15 minutes on the court. James played some time at the five spot for the Lakers in the game.
  • Kyle Kuzma and Josh Hart scored 17 points each.
  • Los Angeles shot 52.6-percent (41/78) from the floor and 30-percent (6/30) from long-range. The pulled down 48 rebounds, had 19 assists and turned the ball over 18 times.

In typical preseason fashion, there were 24 lead changes in the contest and the game was tied 12 times.

Up Next

The Kings will be back on the floor Friday night in Seattle to take on the Golden State Warriors. The Seattle fans will be anxious to see Kevin Durant. They will also have a chance to see a Kings team that almost moved to Seattle.

The Lakers host the Clippers on Saturday night.

Harry meet the King
Mr. Giles meets the Kings Photo: @SacramentoKings

LeBron takes his talents to the Southland; Signs with Lakers for four years and $154 million

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nba.com photo: LeBron James as a Laker in painted form is up for a four year stint with the Lakers

By Joe Hawkes Beamon and Jerry Feitelberg

The much anticipated moment is over as predicted LeBron James has signed a four-year, $154 million deal with the Los Angeles Lakers as the Lakers try to light the fuse on a franchise that has lagged since superstar Kobe Bryant retired. The Lakers have not been in the playoffs since 2013.

James, who has played most of his career with the Cleveland Cavaliers, will leave the team for the second time the first time was when he left for the Miami Heat. LeBron will be entering his 16th NBA season with three NBA Championship rings and four MVPs under his belt. LeBron is confident he can help establish some headway with the Lakers to make them great again.

After this last season’s Championship Final against Golden State, James looked to cry “Uncle” and wanted a change of scenery and looks at the Lakers as an organization that will build toward an NBA Championship Finals team. James makes L.A. his offseason home.

The Lakers are a young team the average player’s age is 25, James (33) will almost be like a player-coach with the young guys on the floor but he will seek assurances from the Lakers organization to get two or three veterans to make that extra push to get the Lakers to be a deep playoff team.

With the signing of James, Kawhi Leonard has expressed interest in joining the Lakers after he said he was no longer going to play for the San Antonio Spurs. Leonard could very well be one of the key building blocks the Lakers are looking towards in getting some experience on their roster.

Joe Hawkes Beamon and Jerry Feitelberg cover the NBA for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Team LeBron defeats Team Stephen with late 148-145 victory

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~ Photo credit: @YahooSportsNBA

~ By Pearl Allison Lo

~ It came to the final shot at Staples Center as Team LeBron came back for a 148-145 victory in the premier of non-conference teams in the NBA All-Star Game Sunday.

Stephen Curry and then DeMar DeRozan had the ball looking for a three to tie, but due to tough defense, were unable to put up a shot before the buzzer.

The underdog Team Stephen led for the majority of the game. For the most part, when Team LeBron did get the lead, it was short-lived.

James tied the game at 144 apiece with 1:30 left and that score held until 40.2 seconds left. DeRozan put Team Stephen up by one when he made one of two free throws.

After a Team LeBron timeout, James gave his team the lead for good with 34.5 seconds left. Russell Westbrook put the final points up when he took a long pass by James to the basket. Westbook commented, “We got stops when we needed to.”

Captain LeBron James won his third All-Star Game MVP title, with 29 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. He won $350K for his charity After School All Stars and Team Stephen earned $150K for Brotherhood Crusade.

DeRozan and Damian Lillard led Team Steph with 21 points apiece. Stephen Curry finished with 11 points.

Jimmy Butler was the only All-Star not to play.

After the second, Team LeBron shot above 50% from the field and Team Steph above 40%.

The first quarter saw a bit of a rough start or nervous energy, with five bad passes from the teams in just over a minute.  Team Steph had two 7-0 runs, the latter run part of an 11-2 run to close the first.

Karl-Anthony Towns was the only double-digit scorer, with 11 points.

Team Steph’s heat continued in the second until Team LeBron made their way back from beyond the arc with three straight three’s, two from the Captain and one from Kemba Walker. Kevin Durant pulled Team LeBron to within one 51-52 with 7:15 left. James followed with a reverse dunk over a minute later to give his team their first lead since 7:48 left in the first. It was short-lived though, as Joel Embiid reasserted Team Stephen’s lead.

Team Steph put together an 11-0 run with four minutes left. This included Curry’s first field goal and one of Klay Thompson’s threes. Team LeBron then went on a 7-0 run and chipped at Team Steph’s lead. Team Steph was stopped from crossing half court twice in the waning seconds as the teams headed to the lockers with a two-point difference, 76-78.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had a block with 9:53 left that was called for goaltending. Thompson scored 12 points in the second, all off three’s, with three consecutive when he had the ball.

Durant started off the third with a three that gave Team Lebron a short-lived 79-78 lead. Team Stephen replied with a 9-0 run.

Durant took to the free throw line for Team LeBron’s first free throws with 8:17 left.  

Team LeBron finally saw their lead last for more than one possession when Kemba Walker made it 109-105. Then Team Steph responded with a 7-0 run to close out the third, two threes by Curry.

Team Steph continued with a 6-2 run to start the fourth. They went on a 9-0 run with 8:28 left. Kyle Lowry had two points and two assists, DeRozan two free throws and Lillard five points.

Team LeBron kept in it with an 8-0 run with 5:06 left. James had a layup, free throw and Westbrook two free throws.

The game also had some instant replay action after James’ 144-144 score when the ball went out of bounds and the referee was checking to see if the ball went off Embiid or Durant.  

Game notes: Team Steph outrebounded Team LeBron 68-49. Thompson finished with 15 points and Golden State Warriors teammates Draymond Green had three points off free throws and a game-high tying two blocks, Durant with 19 points and a game-high tying three steals. Embiid also had two blocks. Towns matched James with a game-high 10 rebounds. Lowry and Victor Oladipo also had three steals. Lillard finished +18. Bradley Beal, Paul George and James led with four threes apiece.

Carmelo who? Prozingis leads NYK past the Kings 118-91 Saturday night in NYC

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

by Charlie O. Mallonee

NYK Skal
Labissiere Kings leading scorer

The Sacramento Kings two game winning streak came to a sudden end on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in New York City when the Knicks – led by power forward Kristaps Porzingis – blew by the men in purple and white 118-91.

Early on, it looked like the Kings might make it a competitive game. By halftime, the Knicks (7-5) held a 64-49 lead. New York put together two big runs in the first half to establish the 15-point halftime lead.

The Knicks did not back off in the third quarter as they held the Kings under 20-points and extended their lead. In fact, NYK became so comfortable about their lead they sat Prozingis down in the third quarter and he never reentered the contest.

The Kings (3-9) and Knicks second units made the fourth quarter interesting but Sacramento was unable to cut into the big New York lead. When the final buzzer sounded, the Knicks continued to impress the professional basketball world by playing so well without Carmelo Anthony on the team.

Prozingis continues to be “the man”

NYK Prozingis
Prozingis drives on Cauley-Stein Photo: Newsday

Second-year player – Kristaps Prozingis scored 34 points in just 26:37 minutes of playing time. He went 11-for-21 from the floor while hitting 4-of-6 from behind the 3-point line. Prozingis converted 8-of-9 opportunities from the free throw line. While accomplishing all of that, he committed zero turnovers.

11 Knicks players contributed to the win over the Kings

Sacramento Kings v New York Knicks
Kanter posts a double-double 17 points 13 rebounds

Courtney Lee put up 20 points hitting 5-of-6 from 3-point land. He also added three assists and two rebounds.

Enes Kanter posted a double-double with 17 points and 13 boards. He shot 8-for-13 from the floor.

Damyean Dotson scored 14 points and Michael Beasley added 10 points.

Highly touted rookie point guard Frank Ntilkina scored just two points while posting five assists.

Sacramento had just two player score in double figures

nyk Prozingis again
Sacramento vs. NYK

Skal Labissiere became a force on offense again for the Kings as he recorded 19-points to lead his team in scoring for the game. The Kentucky product shot 5-for-10 from the field while going just 1-for-9 from behind the 3-point arc. Labissiere converted 9-of-10 free throw opportunities. He also grabbed six rebounds.

Buddy Hield came off the bench to score 17-points in 27-minutes of playing time. He went 6-for-13 shooting overall while hitting 4-of-5 from 3-point land. Hield also hauled in seven rebounds and dished out four assists.

No Sacaramento starter scored in double-figures.

Up next

$Wiz Dark

The Kings will play the second game of their three-game road trip on Monday night in Washington, D.C. The Wizards destroyed the Kings 110-83 in Sacramento on October 29th.

The Knicks will also return to actions on Monday when they will welcome LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers to Madison Square Garden. That game will have Eastern Conference Playoff implications.