Tag: Los Angeles Lakers

Reports: Kings hire Luke Walton to be their next coach

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luke walton - le bron

by Charlie O. Mallonee

To no one’s surprise, Sam Amick of theathletic.com reported earlier today that the Sacramento Kings had reached an agreement in principle with Luke Walton to become the next head coach of the team replacing Dave Joerger. Most reporters and analysts were speculating that Vlade Divac wanted Walton even before he parted ways with the Lakers.

There is no reason to doubt Amick’s reports. He has covered the Kings for years and has the respect of the front office. Amick is not a reporter who bites on the first shiny object in the water. If he did not feel there was real credence to the information he received, Amick would not have reported it.

The move also makes sense because the Kings reportedly tried to lure Walton to become their head coach before they hired Dave Joerger. Walton did not become a candidate for the Sacramento job at that time because the Lakers were pursuing him at the same time.

Walton will have Vlade’s trust

Walton and Divac were Lakers teammates in 2004-05 which was Divac’s final year as a player. They know each other well which is important to Divac who seems to very comfortable having an inner circle that is very familiar to him.

That can also be a detriment. One of the roles Walton may be able to play is to urge Divac to open up and expand the Kings front office to bring in more experienced executives to assist him in running the operation.

Because Walton will have an instant credibility factor with Divac, he will probably be included in making personnel decisions where Joerger was never included in that part of the operation. We know that because Joerger made no secret about his lack of involvement in personnel decisions.

Walton also is from the Steve Kerr coaching tree

luke walton

Walton is known for the incredible job he did filling in Steve Kerr when he was out due to medical issues. Walton led Golden State to a 39-4 record until Kerr was able to return to the bench.

Walton got off to a solid start with the Lakers in his first year as head coach, but ran into a firestorm when LeBron James joined the team in his second season the head man. LeBron not only cost Walton his job, but convinced Magic Johnson to bail out as President of Basketball Pperations. James manages to suck the air out of any team that he is a part of as a player, de facto coach, and de facto general manager.

Walton has his work cut out for himself

Walton has some strong returning players in De’Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Marvin Bagley III, and Harry Giles III. Will Harrison Barnes invoke his $25-million option? Should the Kings resign or match offers for Willie Cauley-Stein? Who should the team pursue in free agency?

Sacramento finished nine games out the playoffs this season. It will be no easy task to break into the playoff tournament next season, but Walton will have four years to make this team a success.

Walton will be a different personality

luke

Where Joerger was an introverted, close to the vest personality, Walton will an open, upfront star in front of the cameras. He will be a PR star for the Kings. That will be of help on an on-going basis. It will be something they haven’t had in long. long time. The fans and media will love it.

Warriors avoid letdown game with 108-90 win over Lakers

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Photo credit: @warriors

By: Ana Kieu

The Golden State Warriors may not be perfect this season, but they’re still sitting comfortably at the top of the Western Conference. So who knew that Warriors star Steph Curry has been playing with blurry vision all this time?
Curry recently learned that he had astigmatism, which blurred his vision, and added contacts to his daily routine.

“I had gotten so used to squinting for so long,” Curry told Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic. “It was just normal.”

“It’s like the whole world has opened up,” Curry continued.

Anyways, let’s get to the Warriors’ game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center Thursday night.
The recap’s below.

The Warriors’ starters featured Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and DeMarcus Cousins.

Tipoff went underway, but it was the Warriors who got the party started with Thompson’s three-pointer at the 11:45 mark. Just a few minutes later, Green added the bucket and Cousins contributed the bucket. It wasn’t even close as Golden State led 39-12 at the end of the first quarter. After all, LA was missing their top five players and shot only 21.1% at the 3:46 mark.

The Lakers picked up the pace and outscored the Warriors 30-12 in the second quarter, but Golden State maintained a 60-42 lead at the end of the first half. Alex Caruso’s monster put-back was LA’s Budweiser Moment of the Week. Female stand-up comedian Sarah Silverman was sitting courtside and wasn’t happy with LA’s first-half performance.

Anyhow, there was more good news for the Warriors in the third quarter. Warriors PR tweeted that Cousins has back-to-back 20-point, 10-rebound games for four such games this season.

The Warriors outscored the Lakers 34-24 at the end of the third quarter. LA, however, kept the faith and tweeted that the final frame was coming up. Still, the deficit was a little too steep for LA to tie the game to force overtime.

Meanwhile, the Lakers continued their remembrance of the late rapper Nipsey Hussle with signed No. 1 Hussle jerseys. Hussle was fatally shot in the parking lot of his clothing store Marathon Clothing in South LA on March 31st. Hussle’s alleged shooter was Eric Holder, who pleaded not guilty. Holder’s defense attorney is Chris Darden, a former prosecutor for disgraced NFL player OJ Simpson.

The Warriors remained focused on the game. Quinn Cook made a two-point bucket to help Golden State to a 101-73 lead with 7:15 left in the fourth quarter.

Sure, the Lakers outscored the Warriors 24-14 at the end of the fourth quarter, but Golden State had the game in the bag. GS won 108-90.

The Warriors’ record increased to 54-24, while the Lakers’ record decreased to 35-44.

DeMarcus Cousins led the Warriors with 21 points, 10 rebounds, and two steals. Quinn Cook had 18 points and one steal. Kevin Durant had 15 points, eight assists, and six rebounds. Draymond Green had 12 points, six assists, four rebounds, two blocks, and one steal. Klay Thompson had 11 points, four rebounds, three assists, and one block. Steph Curry had 10 rebounds, seven points, seven assists, and one steal. Damion Lee had eight points, three rebounds, and two steals. Kevon Looney had six points, three rebounds, and one steal. Alfonzo McKinnie had five points and four rebounds. Jonas Jerebko had three points, three rebounds, two assists, two steals, and one block. Jordan Bell added two points, two rebounds, and one block.

The Warriors return home to host the Cleveland Cavaliers Friday night at 7:30 pm PT.

Headline Sports podcast with Tony Renteria: Lechler to go into Hall as Raiders punter for 13 seasons; Raiders sign Grant at wide receiver; plus more

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Photo credit: @TDenFamilia

On the Headline Sports podcast with Tony Renteria:

#1 Former Oakland Raider Shane Lechler can look forward to be inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame after the five year wait . He played in 206 games for the Raiders and missed only two games in 13 seasons. In those 13 seasons, Lechler called Oakland his home. A seven-time Pro Bowler, he was one of the best punters in NFL history.

#2 Wide receiver Ryan Grant has signed with the Oakland Raiders. Grant formerly with the Indianapolis Colts signed with Oakland on Wednesday Grant’s deal is worth one year, $2.5 million.

#3 You can’t win them all the A’s, who won the first two games against the visiting Boston Red Sox on great pitching, and delivered two shutouts, but they dropped game three of the four-game series to the Red Sox. However, the A’s have been delivering excitement each night.

#4 The Giants had some troubles on this road trip, but still, they have gone 2-5 thus far. They have concluded their road series with the Dodgers with a 5-3 loss. They have their home opener on Friday, can they get back on track with some home cooking?

#5 The Sacramento Kings might be making changes again and knowing how much Kings owner Vivek Ranadive and general manager Vlade Divak like Los Angeles Lakers head coach Luke Walton. Do you see Walton getting fired by the Lakers as rumored and going to the Kings, which means Kings head coach Dave Joerger will get the boot at season’s end?

Headline Sports with Tony R is heard each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Headline Sports podcast with London Marq: Avenatti says that Nike paid college athletes; Kings may not make playoffs, but still not giving up games; plus more

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Photo credit: @nypost

On Headline Sports with London:

#1 Michael Avenantti, former attorney for Stormy Daniels, has said this week that Nike had paid student-athletes at various colleges. Avenatti has been charged for extortion as he is accused of trying to extort up to $25 million from Nike.

#2 After the feds have made charges against Avenatti for the extortion charge, Avenatti–some 24 hours later–made the claim that Nike was paying its Nike Elite Basketball Youth Program bribes in college basketball.

#3 This is a Sacramento Kings basketball team that never gives up. They lost a close five-point game on Sunday to the Los Angeles Lakers, but turned around on Tuesday night and beat the Dallas Mavericks in Dallas 125-121. They’ve got a little something in the tank.

#4. The Los Angeles Kings’ Drew Doughty has questioned whether the San Jose Sharks Brent Burns should have won the Norris Trophy, saying Burns gets beat three times a game and that the Calgary Flames’ Mark Giordano should get the award. Burns leads the NHL defensemen with 77 points to Giordano, who’s in second with 72.

#5 Baseball season opens on Thursday. The Oakland A’s already opened their season in Tokyo last week and are playing their first regular game stateside against the Los Angeles Angels. How much does this take out of a team with the jet lag playing two exhibitions and two regular games then playing in Oakland just one week later?

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

Kings fall to Lakers 111-106 in LA

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Photo credit: @Lakers

By: Jeremiah Salmonson

LOS ANGELES–The Sacramento Kings came into LA coming off a 3-1 homestand. They beat the Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, and Chicago Bulls while only dropping one game. A heartbreaker in which they were up 25 going into the fourth quarter and lost by two points. All in all, the Kings were happy with what they were able to accomplish during the homestand. They were looking forward to attempting revenge on the Lakers as they have had the Kings’ number this year. The tip-off was set for 6:30 PM PST.

In the first quarter, the Kings were off to another slow start. Remembering back to a day earlier on Saturday where the Kings were only able to score 20 in the first quarter. Sunday was not much different. The Kings continued to struggle through the early minutes of the game. They were only able to put 20 points on the board on Sunday while allowing 22. The Lakers weren’t playing great either as both teams were struggling to put the ball in the bottom of the hoop. The leading scorer in the game was Marvin Bagley, who had seven points through the first.

In the second quarter, it looked like more of the same for the Kings. They were struggling to find their shot and looked to be falling further behind. However, the Kings were able to battle and put up 29 points to outscore the Lakers. The Lakers managed to score 26 in the second. The leading scorer in the second quarter was Lance Stephenson, who put up eight points in the second. If the Kings wanted to keep pace, they had to start knocking down some shots in the third.

In the third quarter, it didn’t look pretty as the Lakers started off the quarter with a 14-0 run to start the second half. Kyle Kuzma led the Lakers’ charge with 21 points in the third. Lebron James also made an impact in the third, scoring eight points to help rack up a 39-point third for the Lakers. On the other hand, the Kings scored 28, but it wasn’t enough to keep pace. Nemanja Bjelica and Marvin Bagley led the Kings with six and five points, respectively. The third ended with the Lakers leading 87-77. The Kings needed a big late-game push to have a chance.

In the fourth quarter, the Kings kept with tradition and made things interesting. To give the credit where credit is due, the Kings battled in the final minutes; however, the deficit they created in the previous minutes proved too large to overcome. The Kings fell to the Lakers in LA 111-106.

Up Next: The Kings travel to Dallas to take on the Mavericks at 5:30 PM PST on Tuesday.

NBA podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Pacers handle Clips 119-92; Magic’s Ross get 32 points in win; Raptors’ Siakam gets career-high point total

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Photo credit: @NBA

On the NBA podcast with Jerry Feitelberg:

#1 The Indiana Pacers (36-19) got a 119-92 win past the LA Clippers (30-26). Bojan Bogdanovic led the Pacers with 29 points.

#2 The Orlando Magic (23-32) got a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves (25-29) 122-112. The Magic’s Terrence Ross got 32 points.

#3 The Toronto Raptors (40-16) over the Atlanta Hawks (18-36). The Raptors Pascal Siakam got 33 points to lead all scorers.

#4 The LA Lakers (28-27) got a 129-128 win over the Boston Celtics (35-20). It was just like an old rivalry between these two NBA teams. The Lakers’ LeBron James led with 28 points and the Celtics’ Kyrie Irving had 24.

Jerry does the NBA podcast each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Thompson returns, leads the Warriors to a 115-101 win over the Lakers

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland- Klay Thompson scored 28 points Saturday night to lead the Warriors to a 115-101 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers were without the services of LeBron James. James returned to action after missing 17 games due to a groin strain suffered on Christmas Day in a game against the Warriors. James played 40 minutes in the overtime win over the Clippers Thursday night and woke up very sore. Lakers’ coach Luke Walton gave him the night off.

The Warriors got off to a good start in the first quarter. They had an early 14-point lead 22-8, but the Lakers got their offense going to make in 22-14. The Warriors shot a  blistering 64% in the quarter and held the Lakers to 35%. However, they did not blow the Lakers away. They held a nine-point lead 33-24 at the end of the first twelve minutes of action. The Lakers won the second quarter 34-30 to finish the half trailing 63-58. Klay Thompson led the Warriors with 23. The other half of the Splash Brothers, Steph Curry, could not make a shot. He made just two free throws, and that was it.

The Lakers continued to double-team Curry and Kevin Durant in the third quarter. Lakers’ coach Luke Walton’s strategy was to not let Steph or KD get any open looks and force the other Warriors to beat them. The theory worked as the Lakers opened the third period with a 22-68run to take the lead 81-71. The Warriors behind the play of DeMarcus Cousins, Kevon Looney, and Andre Iguodala chipped away at the Laker lead until late in the third period when Iguodala nailed a three to give the Warriors a two-point advantage 88-86 after three-quarters of play.

Steph Curry, who was held to just two points and had missed all of his shots, came to life in the fourth quarter. He knocked down twelve points and the Warriors outscored the Lakers 27-15 to seal the win.

Game Notes and Stats- The Warriors needed help from DeMarcus Cousins and Andre Iguodala to pick up the lack of production from Steph Curry.  Cousins responded with a double-double. He Scored 18 points and had 10 rebounds. Iguodala kicked in with 17 and he connected on three 3-point shots in four attempts. Klay Thompson finished with 28 and Kevin Durant had 21 points and 11 assists for another double-double. The Warriors recorded 31 assists on 41 field goals. They were moving the ball well.

The Lakers had six players in double figures. Brandon Ingram led the Lakers with 20. Kyle Kuzman had 13, Rajon Rondo 10, Kentavius Caldwell-Pope 12, Ivaca Zubac 10, and Lance Stephenson, 10. Former Warrior JaVale McGee was presented with his 2018 championship ring prior to the start of the game.  McGee received a nice ovation from the Warrior fans. The Lakers are 6-12 when LeBron James is not in the lineup.

The Warriors return to action on Wednesday against the San Antonio Spurs at Oracle Arena. Game time is at 7:30 pm.

 

NBA podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Thunder in the house, Westbrook and George, led the way; Lillard can’t be contained, scores 24; plus more

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Photo credit: @okcthunder

On the NBA podcast with Jerry:

#1 The Oklahoma City Thunder got offensive help from Russell Westbrook and Paul George. Both scored 23 to lead the Thunder over the New Orleans Pelicans 122-116.

#2 Damian Lillard led the Portland Trailblazers with 24 points as the Blazers defeated the Phoenix Suns 120-106. A big road win for the Blazers in the Valley of the Sun.

#3 The Washington Wizards got rolled by the Golden State Warriors 126-118 in the nation’s capital. The Warriors’ Stephen Curry led with 38 points.

#4 Minnesota vs. LA Lakers: Karl Anthony Towns scored 27 points and had 12 rebounds in the Minnesota Timberwolves win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night 120-105.

Jerry is a Golden State Warriors beat writer and does the NBA podcast each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Warriors roll over the Lakers 130-111 in Los Angeles

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Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Warriors had little trouble blowing out the Lakers 131-111 Monday night at the Staples Center. The Lakers, without LeBron James, who is recovering from a groin injury and Lonzo Ball, out 4 to 6 weeks with a grade 3 ankle sprain, were no match for the Warriors.  The Warriors have been playing well and are looking like the Warriors of the past four seasons as they are starting to blow out opponents. They also avenged a loss to the Lakers on Christmas day in Oakland. The Warriors won their eighth in a row and tenth in the last 11 games. The Lakers lost for the fourth time in the last six games.

With the game tied at 18, the Warriors went on a 7-0 run to go up 25-18. The Warriors finished the first quarter leading 29-24. Klay Thompson led the Warriors with 11 points. The Warriors increased the lead to 10 at the end of the first half 65-55. Thompson finished the first 24 minutes of play with 21 points. He was 9-for-11 from the floor, and he made all three of his 3-point shots. Durant had 10, Curry 8, and DeMarcus Cousins 7. Brandon Ingram led the Lakers with 13. Kyle Kuzma had 11, Michael Beasley 8, and Ivaca Zunac 8.

The Warriors broke open the game in the third quarter. They outscored the Lakers 45-25. Thompson connected on 7 three-point shots and set an NBA record by making his first ten 3-point shots in a row. He missed on his 11th try. Thompson left the game near the end of the third quarter, and he did not play in the fourth period. The Warriors finished the third quarter with a 30-point lead 110-80. Durant, Curry, Thompson, and Draymond Green sat out the fourth quarter. Warriors’ coach Steve Kerr left Cousins in the game to get some more playing time, and he finished the night with 8 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists. He saw 21 minutes of action before exiting about halfway through the final quarter. The Lakers’ bench outscored the Warriors 31-20, but it was not enough to overcome a 30-point deficit.

Game Notes and Stats: With the win, the Warriors are now 33-14. The Lakers drop to 25-23. Klay finished with 44 points. He was 17-20 from the floor and made 10 three-point shots in 11 tries. KD had 20, Steph Curry a double-double with 11 points and 12 assists. The Warriors’ bench players also contributed to the win. Jonas Jerebko had 9, Alonzo McKinnie 8, Kevon Looney 8, and Andre Iguodala 6.

Ivaca Zubac led the Lakers with 18. Ingram had 17, Kyle Kuzma 16, Michael Beasley,15. JaVale McGee, who played and won two championship rings with the Warriors, contributed 10 points in a losing effort for the Lakers.

Up Next: The Warriors travel to Washington, DC to face the Wizards Thursday night. Game time will be at 5 pm. The Wizards are 20-26 so far this season.

Headline Sports with London Marq: Cardinals fired Wilks too soon; With no GM experience, Mayock expected to put Raiders together; Despite loss, Kings an up and coming team; plus more

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http://www.purdueexponent.org file photo: Former Arizona Cardinals head coach Steve Wilks held this facial expression for most of the Cardinals’ 3-13 season.

On the Headlines Sports podcast with London:

#1 Steve Wilks was fired after coaching the Arizona Cardinals to a 3-13 season. Wilks was fired after coaching one season for the Cardinals.

#2 Oakland Raiders new general manager Mike Mayock, who is considered a draft expert and a former analyst for NFL Network, will try his hand as the Raiders’ GM.

#3 The Sacramento Kings played a close game in Los Angeles only to lose to the Lakers 121-114. Despite the loss, the Kings have played much improved this season.

#4 Will the Golden State Warriors’ DeMarcus Cousins stay on with the Warriors? Cousins has been injured all season and has yet to see action as a Warrior. Will he come back next season?

#5 NFL Wild Card games coming up Saturday: In the AFC, Indianapolis at Houston, and the NFC, Seattle @ Dallas. Sunday’s slate: In the AFC, Los Angeles Chargers at Baltimore, and in the NFC, Philadelphia at Chicago.

London does Headlines Sports each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com