Tag: Los Angeles Lakers

The Warriors beat the Lakers again, win their tenth in a row 109-85

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Los Angeles-The Golden State Warriors extended their winning streak to ten as they downed the Los Angeles Lakers 109-85 at the Staples Center in LA. The Dubs, playing the Lakers for the second time in three nights and the third time this season, won handily. The Dubs fell behind early in the first quarter to trail 12-8. Golden State went on a 12-0 run to take the lead 20-12. The Dubs never relinquished the lead for the rest of the game. They led by ten 30-20 after the first twelve minutes of play.

The Lakers tried to come back in the second quarter went they went on a 14-3 to close the gap to three 44-41. The Warriors played better defense after the Laker run and increased the lead back to ten at the half. The Dubs went on a 9-2 run to finish the half. Kevin Durant led the Dubs with sixteen. Steph Curry added seven and Klay Thompson had nine. The score at the half was 53-43 for the Warriors.

The Warriors continued to play great defense in the third quarter. Steph Curry scored two buckets after he made two steals. Draymond Green continued to torment the Lakers on defense. The Warriors increased the lead to 80-64 at the end of the quarter.  However, with just 3:04 left in the quarter, The Lakers’ Larry Nance.Jr pushed guard Ian Clark to the floor. Draymond, who was in the air at the time, came down and somehow hit Clark in the throat. Green tumbled to the hardwood, and both men were down. Green went to the dressing room, and he was diagnosed with a contusion to his left ankle. Clark also went to the dressing room. Both men were done for the night. It is not known if they will play Saturday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

In the fourth quarter, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, and Klay Thompson kept scoring, and the Warriors’ defense kept the Lakers from gaining ground. The Dubs win by twenty-four 107-85.

Game Notes- The Dubs Big Four, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green all scored double figures. Durant had twenty-nine points, nine assists, and six rebounds. Steph added twenty-four points to along with five assists and five rebounds. Klay had 18 points and seven rebounds. Green, playing a little over 2 and 1/3 quarters of play scored twelve points, had four assists and eight rebounds. The Warriors shot 51.8% from the floor, and they held the Lakers shooting percentage to just 35.6% The Dubs had 44 rebounds, 31 assists, ten steals and ten blocked shots. They were a little sloppy handled the ball as they committed 17 turnovers. They won their tenth game in a row and improved their season record to 14-2. The Lakers drop to 8-9. Jordan Clarkson led the Lakers in scoring with twenty points.Lou Williams had thirteen and Larry Nance; Jr finished with eleven. The Warriors had 31 assists for the tenth straight game in which they had thirty or more assists.

The Warriors return home to face the Minnesota Timberwolves Saturday night at the Oracle Arena. Game time will be at 7:30 pm.

 

 

The Warriors win their ninth in a row, crush the Lakers

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland- The Golden State  Warriors returned home from a successful four-game road trip to face the Los Angeles Lakers Wednesday night at Oracle Arena. The Lakers, who beat the Dubs by twenty points earlier in the season in LA, were no match for the Warriors as the Dubs sent them down to defeat by a score of 149-106. The Warriors had the highest point total of any team in the NBA so far this season. They also set a franchise record with 47 assists. The Warriors ball movement was superb as they scored just six unassisted buckets. The Dubs big three, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Steph Curry, all played well. The Warrior bench added fifty-three points. They Dubs defense did not allow the young Lakers to drive to the basket the way they did in the game in LA. Draymond Green was everywhere. The Dubs were rebounding, making steals and blocks and they made it difficult for the Lakers to get into a rhythm. Before the game coach Steve Kerr said “we got killed by the Lakers last time. Hope we’re better prepared.” One could say that was an understatement as the Dubs won by forty-three points.

The game was fairly close in the first quarter for about eight minutes. The Dubs led by six 25-19. They picked up the pace as they closed out the quarter with a fifteen-point lead. JaVale McGee made two fantastic dunks on passes from Draymond Green. Steph Curry’s four 3-point shots were helpful giving the Warriors the advantage 41-26 after twelve minutes of play. The Warriors scored thirty-nine points in the second quarter to blow the game open, and they ended the first half with an 80-49 advantage. Steph led the Dubs with twenty-four, Durant had nineteen and Klay Thompson pitched in with fourteen. Steph had six assists. Draymond Green scored four points but he had eight assists and seven boards.

The Lakers outscored the Dubs 29-26 in the third period. The Warriors play was a little ragged but they still led by twenty-eight at the end of three. Klay, Steph, and KD continued to torment the Lakers. Steve Kerr removed his regulars from the game for the entire fourth quarter. The Dubs’ bench, led by Ian Clark’s twenty-one point effort, scored forty-three points and held the Lakers to twenty-eight to put the game away.

Game Notes- The Warriors won their ninth in a row and improve to 13-2 for the season. The Lakers drop to 8-8. The two teams meet again Friday night in Los Angeles. Game time is 7:30 PM. The Warriors had more than 30 assists in a game for the ninth game in a row. They set a new franchise record with forty-seven Wednesday night. Steph led the Dubs in scoring with thirty-one. KD added 28 and Klay recorded 26. Steph made seven 3-point shots. The Dubs outrebounded LA 48-37. They also had 7 steals and 5 blocked shots. The Dubs turned the ball over just ten times in the game. Klay Thompson, when asked about how the team was coming together, remarked:”yeah, we’re getting the hang of things.”

After the game, Steve Kerr had this to say about the game:”I don’t think I’ve ever been part of a team that had 47 assists in a game.” “the ball is moving and the guys, apparently, are getting comfortable playing together.”He also said:”this was a great night” for the team and their fantastic offensive performance. “it was fun to watch.” Was it ever.

 

Game Preview: Kings go back at it in Portland on Friday night

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sac3

by Charlie O. Mallonee

Kings have no time to rest as it’s time to finish a back-to-back

The NBA schedule can be a very cruel mistress when comes to needing to respond to a devastating loss like the Kings had at the hands of the upstart LA Lakers on Thursday night in Sacramento. In this case, they have to head out on the road to Portland to finish a back-to-back schedule with Trail Blazers (5-4).

Percentages on back-to-backs aren’t good

  • About 32-percent of the back-to-back games in the NBA are home/road sets like the Kings have with the Lakers last night in Sacramento and the Trail Blazers in Portland tonight.
  • The average winning percentages for the visiting team in the second game on the road is 37.3-percent. The visiting team is usually given about a 40-percent chance of winning on the road in the NBA, so the chances of winning are lower. Of course, there are many variables that play into those figures.
  • FiveThirtyEight.com (I use them because they have no gambling establishment interest to please) projects the Kings have only an 18-percent chance of pulling off a win tonight over the Blazers. The fact that it is the back end of a back-to-back set on the road versus a team that has a 74-percent chance of making the playoffs  has a lot do with the prediction

Blazers are coming off a loss

Portland lost to the Clippers in Los Angeles on Wednesday night 111-80. LAC led by 20 after the first quarter and led by as many as 48 points in the second half. Damian Lillard was held to eight points shooting just 1-for-10 and hitting no 3-pointers in the game. If Lillard has a bad game, the Blazers are going to have a bad game.

This is a Tier 3 team visiting a Tier 2 team

Sacramento is a Tier 3 team – they will not make the playoffs and will be in the 2017 Draft Lottery. The Trail Blazers are a Tier 2 team – there is a high probability they will make the playoffs and may possibly go to the second round.

Who to watch in tonight’s game

For the Kings, you have to focus on DeMarcus Cousins. The big man scored no points in the third quarter of last night’s game with the Lakers and that is when the contest got away from the Kings. Sacramento needs Cousins to come out energized and ready to be productive in all four quarters if they are to have any chance against the Blazers.

It is really a one-man watch for Portland. Damian Lillard needs to comeback and take charge in this game versus the Kings. He averages 30 points per game. The Blazers must have that scoring production from their star guard or it could be a long night.

For entertainment purposes only

The prognosticators have made the Trail Blazers the favorites in this game minus 6.5 to 9 points (FiveThirtyEight.com calls the -9 & remember they are not tied to a book). The over/under ranges from 208 to 208.5. The Kings need that number to be at 196 to 200 to really be competitive in this game.

Youth was served in Sacramento: Lakers surprise Kings 101-91

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

 

lat-lakers-kings-wre0044530517-20161110Photo Credit: Rich Pedrocelli AP Photo

by Charlie O. Mallonee

This should have been a Kings win

All of the prognosticators predicted that the Kings would beat the Lakers in Sacramento on Thursday night. FiveThirtyEight.com said the Kings had a 70-percent chance of winning the game on their home court. The Kings had won two consecutive games playing strong defense in both games. The win on Sunday in Toronto was one of the best wins the Kings had experienced in some time.

Momentum did seem to be on the side of the Kings. Not only were they playing well but their opponent was a young team that in the opinion of most has been playing  above their heads most of the season. Everyone expected new head coach Luke Walton to make a difference with the Lakers. No one expected him to make this much of a difference.

The game the Kings (4-6) should have won they lost 101-91 to upstart Los Angeles Lakers (5-4).

The Kings were in control in the first half

Sacramento came out the gate on fire. The Kings hit on 4-of-7 three -point opportunities. DeMarcus Cousins scored 10 points while Rudy Gay added six. The team outscored the Lakers 30-16 in the first quarter and Sacramento looked to be in full control of the game.

In the second quarter, the Kings extended their lead to 19 and appeared ready to turn the nationally televised contest into a “laugher”. The problem for the Kings was the Lakers forgot to rollover and play dead. Los Angeles stepped up and shot 61.1-percent (11-for-18) from the floor and outscored the Sacramento 29-25 in the period behind the solid play of Julius Randle and Lou Williams scoring punch coming off the bench.

At the half, the Kings held a 10-point lead over the Lakers 55-45.

In the third quarter things just got weird 

The Lakers came out of halftime and played with determination. They kept chipping away at the Kings lead cutting it to as little as five points before the Kings opened it back up to a 10 point lead again, but the Lakers went on a 7-0 run to tighten up the game. When the horn sounded to end the third period, Los Angeles trailed the Kings by just three points, 73-70.

Now here comes the weird part. I glanced over to the stats monitor and looked at the line for DeMarcus Cousins and it showed he had 18 points in the game. I then looked again and checked my notes. Everything was correct. Cousins had spent 10 minutes on the floor, shot 0-for-4 from the field and had scored zero points. A struggling team like the Kings cannot have its number one scorer held scoreless for entire quarter and expect to win a game.

Everything just fell apart in the fourth quarter

The Lakers sensed that victory was theirs if they attacked hard right from the beginning of the fourth quarter and attack they did. Lou Williams led the way scoring 13 points in period. The Lakers outscored the Kings 31-18 in the final quarter even with Cousins returning to form and putting up 10 points.

The Lakers shot 62.5-percent (10-for-16) from the floor in the fourth quarter. The went 9-for-11 from free throw line. LA out-rebounded Sacramento 14-9 in the last period.

The Kings shot just 22.7-percent (5-for-22) from the field in the fourth. The went 2-for-8 from beyond the 3-point arc. The Kings were just unable to find a final burst of energy to will themselves back into the game.

Take me to your leader

The Lakers had five players (four starters) finish scoring in double figures. Lou Williams was their leading scorers with 21 points. Julius Randle was their top rebounder with eight. Randle and Clarkson tied for the lead in assist with five each.

DeMarcus Cousins finished with 28 points and nine rebounds to lead the Kings in both categories. Darren Collison led the team with nine assists.

Luke Walton on why the Lakers defense improved in the second half

“We competed. The first half, we give them credit, they were making shots, but we were letting them swing the ball side-to-side. It happens every time we play defense like that. It happened in the Dallas game. We let people get comfortable at this level, they’re going to make shots. In the second half, I felt like we did a much better job of being physical, not letting them move the ball freely, making plays, being aggressive and that’s when we’re at our best.”

Kings head coach Dave Joerger’s views on the game

“Well tonight was a tough night. I thought it was a good first half. We didn’t finish as strong as we needed to. We had a chance to keep the lead at 14-15 and didn’t go into the locker room feeling great at halftime.”

“We did a lot of positive things in the first half. Second half we didn’t make any shots. Our defense was just on the run the whole night and they made shots. I think at the end of the day it came down to who made the shots.”

“I thought we got a ton of looks. Rudy (Gay), DeMarcus (Cousins) – everybody played hard. They had some tougher nights offensively and we’ve got to be able to find some scoring from other places on nights that sometimes the ball goes in, sometimes it doesn’t.

What’s up next on the schedule

The Kings will have no time to lick their wounds and reflect on this loss as they must jump back into action on Friday night in Portland against the Trail Blazers (5-4) for the second game of a back-to-back, home and on-the-road schedule.

The Lakers head to New Orleans where they will play the 1-8 Pelicans on Saturday night.

Game Preview: Kings vs the Lakers tonight 11/10/16 in Sacramento

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

 

slamsonby Charlie O. Mallonee

TRIVIA QUESTION – James Harden leads the NBA in assists (12.3 apg) and ranks fourth in scoring (31.5 ppg). Who is the only player in NBA history to lead the league in scoring and assists in a single season?

Los Angeles Lakers

This is not Kobe’s Lakers team

This is the actually “the team” Mitch Kupchak  has been trying to put together for the past three seasons. No longer are the Lakers centered around an aging “star” who would not accept a reduced role for the betterment of the team.

D’Angelo Russell – the number two-overall draft pick in 2015 – is leading the team in scoring with an average of 15.4 points per game. Third-year forward Julius Randle out of Kentucky is beginning to be an impact player in the starting line up averaging 14.5 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. He has two double-doubles so far this season. Guard Jordan Clarkson is adding 15.1 points per start for LA. The “youngsters” are starting to make their mark on the team.

New coach – new attitude

Luke Walton is in his first year as head coach of the Lakers. He was the “hottest” coaching prospect on the market during the off-season after the job he did filling in for Steve Kerr at Golden State. Walton is the eighth person to have played for and coach the Lakers. He is also the youngest head coach in the NBA at 36 years old.

Lakers come into the game tonight with 4-4 record

The Lakers have won three of their last four games. They are coming off a 109-97 loss at home to the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night. It was the first time LA had not scored at least 100 points in their last five games. They also suffered a defensive lapse as Dallas shot 52.4-percent from the field.

The Lakers biggest win of the season came on November 4 when they downed the Golden State Warriors 117-97 on national television.

One of the most improved teams

The Lakers are considered by some to be one the most improved teams in “the association”.

Sacramento Kings

Trying to keep the winning streak alive

After winning big in in Toronto last Sunday to close out the road trip and handling the winless Pelicans at home on Tuesday night, the Kings are anxious to up their winning streak to three in-a-row.

DeMarcus Cousins is still leading the way on offense for the Kings with 25.8 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. He scored 28 against the Pels. Rudy Gay continues to be hot averaging 22.4 points per game. Darren Collison will play in his second game since returning from suspension and should have some significant impact on the second unit against the Lakers.

Defense is the key

The key to the back-to-back victories for the Kings has been holding their opponent to under 100 points. They are still averaging giving up 101.9 points per game which is too high but is coming down from the 102.5 that is was at the beginning of the road trip.

The Lakers have scored 108 points or more in each of their four wins.

Going for the sweep

The Kings swept the Lakers in the four-game series last season for the first time in their history. Sacramento would like to send a message in this game that they have every intention of repeating that feat again this season.

The Kings have won seven games in-a-row against the Lakers and five in-a-row in Sacramento.

Tough back-to-back

The Kings host the Lakers in Sacramento tonight and then have to travel to Portland to play the always tough Trail Blazers on Friday night. They face a reduced chance to win on the road because of the back-to-back scenario in Portland.

For entertainment purposes only

FiveThirtyEight.com using their CARM-elo system gives the Kings a 70-percent chance of winning tonight’s game with the Lakers. They say take the Kings minus 5.5 points.

Some of the other well-known entertainment sites also have the Kings as the favorites at minus 5.5 points with an over/under of 209 to 209.5.

Nationally televised game

Tonight’s game is being televised across the nation by TNT. That means their is no local play-by-play cable coverage on Comcast California.

TRIVIA ANSWER: Nate Archibald of the Kansas City-Omaha Kings led the NBA in scoring (34.0 ppg) and assists (11.4 apg) in 1972-73.

Kings triumph in Toronto 96-91

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
NBA: Sacramento Kings at Toronto Raptors
Photo credit:Tom Szczerbowski USA Today

by Charlie O. Mallonee

Kings victorious in final game of road trip 

The Sacramento Kings bounced back from playing one of their worst games of the season on Saturday in Milwaukee to playing one of their best games of the year on Sunday in Toronto to defeat the Raptors 96-91. Toronto (4-2) had won three consecutive games. The Kings (3-5) had lost four games in a row.

The Kings have played what has been rated the toughest schedule so far this season in the NBA. Five games in seven nights on the road in the Eastern Conference traveling from Miami to Toronto is brutal. It is also the reality of playing in the NBA. Every team has stretches in their schedules like this and to be successful a team has to deal with the difficulties.

The Kings found a way to deal with best team they had to face on this road trip by stepping up their defense and shortening the rotation off the bench. Head coach Dave Joerger used just nine players off his bench on Sunday night and his veteran players came through for him with the extended playing time – especially on defense.

The Kings held the hot shooting Raptors to just 35.7-percent (30-for-84) from the floor. The Toronto guard tandem of DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry entered the contest averaging 53 points combined per game. The Sacramento defense held them to just 38 combined points on Sunday night.

DeRozan had scored at least 30 points in each of Toronto’s five games this year. The Kings held him to just 23 points.

The Sacramento Kings won on Sunday because of their defense. It has been awhile since you have read those words.

It’s deja vu all over again

The Kings swept the two -game series with the Raptors last season. The Kings won 107-101 in Sacramento behind DeMarcus Cousins 36 points and 10 rebounds. The Kings downed the Raptors in Toronto 104-94 when they had six players score in double figures.

The Kings will have a chance to complete the sweep this season on Sunday November 20 when the Raptors will visit the Golden 1 Center.

Kings dominate the paint

Toronto was without starting center Jonas Valanciunas who sat out because of a left knee contusion. That meant the Raptors 2016 first-round draft pick Jakob Poeltl and Lucas Nogueira who the Raptors have been developing overseas and in the D-League since 2011 had to play the five spot. Poeltl looked like a rookie and eventually fouled out of the game. Nogueria who was seeing his first action of the season after being out because of a sprained ankle looked very good. It is easy to see why Toronto has invested in his development.

The Kings dominated the paint outscoring the Raptors 52-30. Sacramento also out-rebounded Toronto 47-43.

Top performers

Rudy Gay led the Kings scoring attack with 23 points. Gay missed the game in Milwaukee with sore ribs. He played the game in Toronto with his ribs wrapped which did affect his shooting as he went 9-for-19 from the floor.

DeMarcus Cousins posted another double-double game with 22 points and 14 rebounds to go with four assists. Cousins was much more effective from out on the high post than down low under the basket. When he would drive the lane, Cousins was virtually unstoppable.

Ty Lawson was very good on the point dishing out 11 assists and adding five points. Shooting guard Arron Afflalo scored 12 points off just eight shots.

Matt Barnes was a force on defense and scored eight points plus grabbed 10 rebounds. Garrett Temple impacted the game with presence scoring eight points to go with a steal and a blocked shot.

DeRozan led the Raptors in scoring with 23 points but went 7-for-20 shooting. Lowry had 10 assists. Nogueia was the Raptors leading rebounder with five.

Dave Joerger was a happy man after the game

In the postgame press conference Joerger said:

  • He was really proud of his guys and how they responded in a back-to-back game
  • They (the Kings) get after people defensively
  • We had seven guys with two or more rebounds
  • We kept the turnovers down (the Kings had 11 turnovers and gave up just two points off those turnovers)
  • We had seven stops in a row with under 2:30 to play
  • A win like this gives you confidence
  • Rudy (Gay) gave us a big boost

What’s coming up

The Kings have a long flight home and then must get ready to face the New Orleans Pelicans (0-6) on Tuesday night at the Golden 1 Center. Sacramento then has the Lakers (3-3) at home on Thursday night before heading back out on the road.

The Raptors hit the road and will face the Thunder in Oklahoma City on Wednesday. They then travel to Charlotte to face the Hornets on Friday night.

Golden State Warriors-Los Angeles Lakers game analysis and commentary: The Lakers upset The Dubs, win by twenty.

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by Jerry Feitelberg

AP photo: Los Angeles Lakers head coach Luke Walton knows enough about the Golden State Warriors from coaching them last year came prepared for Friday’s game win at Staples Center

Los Angeles-The late Dinah Washington had a hit song titled “What a difference a day make. Twenty-four little hours.” The Golden State Warriors did not look like the team that blew away the Oklahoma City Thunder Thursday night; They were a team that was out of rhythm and made too mistakes both on offense and defense and the Los Angeles Lakers beat them by twenty points 117-97 Friday night in LA Friday night at the Staples Center.

The young Laker team coached by former Warriors’ assistant coach Luke Walton, had no trouble taking the ball to the rim all night long. They outrebounded the Dubs 32-29 in the first half. Golden State had trouble making 3-point shots all night long. In the first half, the Dubs make just two 3-point shots in seventeen attempts. They fell behind by twelve 24-12 late in the stanza. Andre Iguodala made a three but the Lakers countered with a bucket to end the period up by nine 24-15.

The Warriors played better in the second quarter. They scored thirty-four. The Lakers failed to fold, and they poured in forty-one to lead by sixteen at the half.  The Lakers were led by Nick Young(10),Julius Randle(12),D’Angelo Russell(6),Tarik Black(8),Jordan Clarkson(9),and Larry Nance,Jr(8). They outrebounded the Dubs 32-23, and the Warriors turned the ball over nine times.

The Warriors made a run in the third period, but the Lakers rebuffed them at every turn. The Dubs went on a 16-2 run to reduce the deficit to seven. Luke Walton would call a timeout every time the Dubs started to gain momentum, and that seemed to upset the team’s rhythm. The Lakers finished the third quarter ahead by eleven 93-82. Golden State continued to thwart the Warriors every effort to get back in the game. The Lakers went on a 7-0 run to put the game out of reach, and they sent the Dubs down to their second loss of the season 117-97.

Game Notes- The Warriors backcourt duo of Klay Thompson and Steph Curry had, perhaps, one of their worst games ever. Steph scored thirteen points and did not make a single 3-point shot all night. He was 0-for 12 and his NBA record 157 consecutive game streak was snapped. Klay made two 3-point shots but missed eight and tallied just ten points in the contest. Kevin Durant led the Dubs with twenty-seven, and Draymond Green added sixteen. Green had four assists and nine rebounds and was, probably, one of the bright spots on defense for the Dubs. Kevon Looney and Shaun Livingston scored nine and eleven off the bench. Kevin Durant scored at least twenty points in his seventieth straight game.

The Lakers were paced by Julis Randle, D’Angelo Russell, Nick Young, Larry Nance, theyJr.,Lou Williams and Brandon Ingram. The Lakers shot 47.4% from the floor. They made eight 3-point shots and led the Dubs in rebounds 51-40. The Dubs committed sixteen turnovers that cost them dearly. Golden State’s record is now 4-2 and the Lakers improve to 3-3.

The Dubs are off until Monday, and Coach Steve Kerr will be studying the game tapes to figure out ways to get the Dubs back on the right track. They played well in the last two games prior to Friday’s night’s debacle in LA.  The two games that they have lost have been by wide margins indicating the team is still a work in progress.

The Warriors return home to face the New Orleans Pelicans Monday Night at the Oracle Arena. Game time is at 7:30 pm.

 

 

Sources: PG Jordan Farmar signs with the Kings

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

f2

By Charlie O. Mallonee

According to reports that are being attributed to an anonymous source, the Sacramento Kings have signed veteran point guard Jordan Farmar to a one-year contract. David Pick who follows players from the USA who are playing in Europe was the first to report the signing. Farmar played in Turkey and in Israel before returning in the Spring for the end of the NBA season.

Farmar played the waning days of the 2015-16 season for Kings head coach Dave Joerger in Memphis. In 12 regular season games, he averaged 9.2 points, 3.1 assists and 1.3 steals in 24 minutes of playing time per game. Farmar started four playoff games for the Grizzlies as well.

The Kings were looking to add depth at the point guard position because of the uncertainty that surrounds the status of Darren Collison. Collison who pleaded guilty to misdemeanor domestic battery will face discipline and most likely time off from the NBA but that has yet to be announced. The Kings obviously believe the suspension will be long enough that a back-up to the recently signed Ty Lawson was needed.

Farmar is a nine-year NBA veteran who has played for the Lakers, Nets, Clippers and Grizzlies. He has averaged 7.7 points, 2.9 assists and 0.8 assists per game for his career. Farmar was a first-round draft selection (26th overall) in 2006. He played his college basketball at UCLA.

Farmar is known as a guard that can score and distribute the ball. Quickness has always been a hallmark of his game but at 29-years-old that quality may be a bit diminished. Farmar has very good leaping ability on defense.

Kings defeat Lakers, 118-115, in Kobe’s Sacramento Farewell

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by Michael Martinez

picture credit Google Images

SACRAMENTO- Nostalgia was in the air at Sleep Train Arena tonight. The Lakers and Kings played a game that brought everyone back to the memories of what was once the NBA’s best rivalry. Kobe Bryant was vintage, taking us back into a time machine as well in his final game in Sacramento. The crowd got loud, the Beat LA chants surfaced and the game came down to the wire. But that same nostalgia should have never been as the Kings let a 27-point lead dwindle in a matter of minutes. Luckily for the Kings their lead was just enough as the team sent off Bryant with a loss in his final game in Sacramento, 118-115, in a tale of two halves.

The Kings came out of the gate with great ball movement and shot the ball with precision while playing with great tempo. The team was able to get off to a hot start, going on a 19-4 run before the Lakers took a timeout to try and stop the bleeding. The Kings pushed the ball up court well, totaling 11 fast break points. The ball was continuously moved throughout the quarter and the Kings dropped 11 assists while turning the ball over just 2 times. The Kings biggest lead of the quarter was 21 when they went up 25-4 over Los Angeles. The Lakers tried to find some sort of offense, but the Kings looked better on defense only allowing the Lakers to shoot 40% from the field. The Kings shot 60% from the field, 15-25. DeMarcus Cousins continued his recent dominance with 12 points, 3-6 from the field, with 2 of those field goals coming from behind the arc. Cousins also grabbed 5 rebounds while going 4-4 from the charity stripe. Rajon Rondo finished the quarter with 5 dimes and Quincy Acy was a nice spark with 7 points as he started the game for the Kings. Ben McLemore did a nice job of getting to the hoop as he finished with 8 points. Great overall team play put the Kings on top of the Lakers, 38-21, after the first quarter.

The second quarter featured much of the same for Sacramento, although the Lakers played a bit better cutting the Kings lead to 14 early in the quarter. The Kings found a way to answer right back, however, as the team was able to sustain. Cousins was an efficient scorer, adding 10 more points in the second, 3-3 from the field and 4-5 from the free throw line. Cousins totaled 22 points for the game high, adding 6 boards. The Kings shot the ball 59.1% for the half while only turning the ball over 3 times in the quarter, for a total of 5 at the half. Bryant made his presence felt with 18 points in the half on 7-12 shooting. The Kings used their dominance in the paint to keep the lead after 2 quarters, 69-48.

Up by 21 heading into the 3rd, the game was the Kings to lose. The team still found a way to hold a big lead through half of the 3rd quarter, going up by 27 at one point. Rondo still found a way to dish the ball out and Acy benefitted from it.  Rondo also had a break out pass to Rudy Gay for a big hammer dunk in the quarter. But Cousins picked up a 5th with 5:48 remaining and that really hurt the Kings. The Lakers slowly cut down the Kings lead, Bryant totaled 10 points in the quarter, and finished the night with 28 points. Acy scored 11 points in the quarter and finished the 3rd with 18 points. D’Angelo Russell had a good quarter and finished with 16 points through 3. The Kings were still able to keep their shooting percentage up high at 58.6% and held the lead, 102-86.

The 4th quarter went as horrible as the Kings could possibly imagine. The young Lakers team played without Bryant for the 4th and they attacked the Kings defense. D’Angelo Russell scored 11 points and Jordan Clarkson added 12. The two young guards tore up the Kings defense while the Kings could not find a way to score. The Kings watched their lead completely disappear, as the Lakers went on a 24-3 run to take the lead, 109-108. The game soon became back and forth, with Sleep Train getting extremely loud. Gay took an alley oop from Rondo to put the Kings up late, but the Lakers came right back. The Lakers tried to foul rondo, who split a pair of free throws. Then Cousins was fouled and split a pair of free throws, the Lakers were up 115-114. . The Kings took the lead with 21.7 seconds remaining on a tear drop lay-up from Rondo. On the next passion, Cousins caused Clarkson to turn the ball over as the Kings were up by 1 and then drew a foul. Cousins made both free throws. As the Kings were up 118-115, Lou Williams took a 3 pointer in the final seconds and missed it. The crowd breathed a sigh of relief as the Kings were outscored 29-16 in the quarter, but pulled out the victory.

The Lakers shot the ball 55% for the quarter and finished shooting 54.7%. In the 4th, the Kings shot the ball at 40%. Cousins finished with 29 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists. Rondo finished with 9 points and 12 assists. Acy was a great spark for the Kings, finishing the night with 18 points. The Kings finished the game in sloppy fashion and ended the night with 15 turnovers. Their dominance in the paint did prevail, 64 points on the night. The Kings are now 10-3 when shooting over 50% with a 55.3 shooting percentage on the night. Russell scored 27 for the Lakers as he looks to be the new Kings killer and Williams added 20. The Kings barely squeaked out a win and Coach George Karl was not too pleased with his team afterwards.

After answering a few questions, Karl walked out of the media room.

After the game, Bryant reminisced on his time in Sacramento and about the applause from the fans.

“It was great. It’s a sign of respect, even though we’ve been enemies for years…” said Bryant.

Bryant also had high praise for Cousins who finished 1 point shy of 30. Cousins would have finished his fourth consecutive game with 30+ plus points had he made one more free throw or field goal.

Although the Kings won, there was little satisfaction.

Coach Karl said “Dallas was a good loss, tonight was a bad win..”

Boogie agreed.  “I feel the loss against Dallas was better than this win against the Lakers,” said Cousins.

The Kings almost gave away a huge lead and need to find a way to close out games while not playing to the level of opponents who are much worse than them. The Kings will take on the Warriors at home this Saturday and if the team hopes to stand a chance, they will need to play like they did in the first half, while closing out the second half.

Kings End Season On A High Note, Beat Lakers 122-99

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By Shawn Whelchel

In what could be considered a small moral victory, the Sacramento Kings handed the Los Angeles Lakers one final loss to close out their disastrous 2015 season, beating the downtrodden team by a score of 122-99 on Wednesday’s season finale.

Although the Kings have had their fair share of injury troubles, which have held starters DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay out of action during the season’s final few games, the Lakers were only able to suit up eight players for Wednesday nights finale during a season which furthered the once prosperous franchise’s fall from grace.

The Kings pounced on the makeshift Los Angeles lineup, jumping out to an early lead by the end of the first quarter, and never looking back, as they continued to make short work of the Lakers defense throughout the entire game.

The Kings finished with seven players in double figures, including all five starters.Ben McLemore led the team with 24 points on 9-of-18 shooting, followed by Ray McCallum who dished in 19 points on 7-of-14 from the field. Derrick Williams and Ryan Hollins provided some spark off the bench, finishing the game in double figures as well. Sacramento’s offense was efficient throughout the entire game, as the squad finished the contest with a 54.8 shooting percentage from the field, and an impressive 47.1 percentage from beyond the arc as they converted 8-of-17 three point attempts.

The loss put an even bigger stain on a wasted Lakers season, as the 21-61 season record gave Los Angeles their worst record in franchise history, good for second worst in the Western Conference behind the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves. The Kings, however, finished the season with a modest two game winning streak while surpassing last year’s win total by one.

The Kings are setup for improving on their fourth place finish in the Pacific Division as new head coach George Karl will be at the helm of the team for his first full season next year. The Kings finished with an 11-19 record under Karl, although they were without Cousins and Gay for the end of the season.