Tag: Marcus Thornton

Kings lose to Nets 104-89

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

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Photo credit: NBAE/Getty Images

By Charlie O. Mallonee

For second consecutive game, the Sacramento Kings committed more turnovers (24) than they had assists (11). For the second consecutive game, the Kings lost. Sacramento lost to the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday 104-89.

Another reason the Sacramento loss in Brooklyn was the play of former King Marcus Thornton. Thornton scored 27 points in just 27 minutes of playing time to be the Nets’ leading scorer of the game. More than half of his shots came from “3-point land” where he was 5 for 8 shooting. Every player who is traded wants to play well against his old team. Marcus Thornton was great versus the Kings.

The Nets’ bench outscored the Kings’ bench 59-19. Seven players scored off the bench for Brooklyn led by Thornton.

The Sacramento defense allowed Brooklyn to shoot .532 (41/77) from the field. The Nets shot .480 (12/25) from behind the 3-point line. The one weakness for the Nets was their poor performance from the free throw line (10/16 .625%).

The Kings shot just .444 (36/81) for field goals. They were a dismal 5 for 23 (.217) for 3-point shooting. Sacramento had one of its poorest performances of the season from the free throw line shooting 12 for 21 (.571).

Sacramento outrebounded Brooklyn 53-27, but they trailed the Nets in assists 25-11. The Nets recorded 14 steals to just three for the Kings.

The Kings squandered a great performance by DeMarcus Cousins. Cousins posted a double-double scoring 28 points and pulling down 20 rebounds.

Rudy Gay scored 20 points for the Kings. Isaiah Thomas had a very quiet game scoring just 10 points on 19 shots and hitting on just one of nine 3-point attempts.

Brooklyn outscored the Kings in every quarter except the second when both teams scored 21 points each.

The Kings are now 1-2 on their seven game road trip. Sacramento travelled to Detroit after the game to prepare for a Tuesday night contest with the Pistons. The Kings do not return to Sacramento until March 18 when they will host the Washington Wizards.

 

Kings lose to Pacers 116-111 in OT

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

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Photo credit: Rocky Widner NBAE/Getty Images

By Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings faced an almost impossible task on Friday night. They needed to beat the Indiana Pacers without DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay in the lineup. The Kings came out and played hard, played physical and left it all on the court, but in the end, Sacramento came up short 116-111 in overtime.

After the game Kings Head Coach Michael Malone had one simple statement to make about his team, “I’m very proud.”

The Kings backcourt of Marcus Thornton and Isaiah Thomas combined for 80 points. Thornton scored a career high 42 points. Thomas poured in 38 points. They were the only two Kings to score in double figures.

The Pacers starting five all scored in double figures and were led by Paul George with 36 points. Lance Stephenson put up 24 points and pulled down 10 rebounds to record a double-double. David West added 22 points while Roy Hibbert and George Hill scored 10 points each. Hibbert grabbed 10 rebounds for a double-double of his own.

The Kings came roaring out the gate scoring 37 points in the first quarter while holding the Pacers to just 26. Sacramento shot 55.6% from the field and hit for five 3-pointers in the period. Marcus Thornton tallied 22 points for the Kings hitting for four from beyond the 3-point arc.

The Kings cooled off in the second quarter scoring just 23 points and shooting just 36.8%, but they held the Pacers to just 24 points. Sacramento played well enough to take a 60-50 lead with them into the locker room at halftime.

The Pacers came out in the third quarter looking determined to put an end to the Kings run and put this game away. Indiana outscored the Kings 29-24. Sacramento maintained an 84-79 lead at the end of the third despite shooting just 8 for 26 (30.8%) from the field. Again, it was Thornton and Thomas combining for 20 points that kept the Kings in the lead.

The Kings really struggled in the fourth quarter as fatigue began to set in. Sacramento scored just 19 points in period led by Marcus Thornton with 12. The Kings shot just 6 for 22 (27.3%) in the fourth. The Pacers shot 9 for 22 (40.9%) and outscore the Kings 24-19.

The back-breaker in the fourth quarter came with 15.1 seconds left in regulation. Paul George put up a 26 foot jumper that was good for three and was fouled. George hit the free throw to make it a four point play and tied the game at 103. The Kings were unable to score and it was off to overtime.

In overtime, there were three lead changes and the Pacers led by as many as five points. The Pacers outscored the Kings 13-8 led by Paul George’s eight points. At the buzzer, it was the Pacers on top 116-111.

“Our guys came out and played their hearts out and they put themselves in a position to win the game. It was a game we should’ve won. I couldn’t be more proud of everyone who played tonight – this shows you a lot about our team,” said Coach Malone.

After being asked if his goal was to come out and take shots, Marcus Thornton said, “Yeah, when you have 43 points sitting on the sideline between Rudy (Gay) and (DeMarcus Cousins) Cuz, somebody had to step up. I took it upon myself to be that guy. It was a great team effort by the whole team.”

Indiana Head Coach Frank Vogel said, “You have to give Sacramento credit for playing a terrific, terrific basketball game. We knew they would be up. We knew they would be loose with their two top scorers out and they were.”

The Kings record falls to 15-27 overall (2-2 in overtime). They are 9-14 at home. It was the 12th straight home game in which the Kings scored at least 100 points this season.

The Pacers record improves to 34-8 (2-0 in overtime). Indiana is now 13-7 on the road. The Pacers have won six of their last seven games.

The Kings will be back in action on Sunday night versus the Denver Nuggets at Sleep Train Arena.

Kings Stop the Magic 105-100

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Photo credit: Fernando Medina

By Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings desperately needed a win on Saturday night in Orlando. The Kings had lost the first three games of the four game road trip and had been blown out in two of those games. The game against the Magic appeared to be the most winnable of the trip. The Kings stepped up, shook off the blowout in Miami and beat the Magic 105-100.

The game did not begin in a manner that would instill confidence that a win was in the cards. The Kings gave up 31 points to the Magic and trailed 31-25 after one quarter. The lack of defense made it appear that is was going to be déjà vu all over again for Sacramento.

The Kings offense stepped up and starting putting points up on the board in the second quarter. Head Coach Michael Malone felt that his team’s 12-4 run to close out the quarter was a key to their victory. The Kings went to the locker room trailing the Magic by just two points, 58-56.

Both teams came out in the third determined to play defense. The Kings and the Magic scored only 19 points each in the quarter. Malone called his team’s defensive efforts in the period, “Terrific!” After three quarters the Magic led the Kings by just two points.

The Kings offense came alive in the fourth quarter as they went on an 18-4 run to kick things off in the final 12 minutes of the game. The Kings outscored the Magic 30-23 in the fourth period and capped off their 105-100 win.

After the game, Michael Malone said, “We battled back tonight.” He also praised guard Marcus Thornton, “Marcus has been a true pro. He was ready tonight.”

Thornton has been the forgotten man on the Sacramento bench. He had gone from being a starter to being completely out of the rotation. Saturday night Thornton got the chance to play and he did the most with his opportunity. Thornton scored 15 points in his 22 minutes of playing time. After the game he said, “I’m happy to have the opportunity.”

Isaiah Thomas had another terrific game for Sacramento. His play in the first half really kept his team in the game. Thomas finished with 23 points, nine assists and five rebounds. He shot eight for 15 from the floor.

Rudy Gay also poured in 23 points for the Kings in his 38 minutes of playing time. Gay grabbed six rebounds and added two assists.

DeMarcus Cousins recorded another double-double. Cousins scored 14 points and pulled down 11 rebounds.

The Kings had a strong night shooting the ball. They shot 49.4% (39-79) overall and 52.2% (12-23) from beyond the 3-point line.

The Kings now head back to Sacramento where they will host the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday night at Sleep Train Arena.

Kings Lose Heartbreaker to Warriors 115-113

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

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By Charlie O. Mallonee

No matter who won the game, the opening paragraph was going to be the same. For one team it would be a well-deserved, hard fought victory and for the other team it would be a heartbreaking loss.

It was a well-deserved, hard fought 115-113 victory for the Golden State Warriors and a heartbreaking loss for the Sacramento Kings. The game literally came down to the final second on Sunday in Sacramento.

The fact that the game came down to last moment was a testament to the Sacramento Kings bench who did everything they were asked to do and more. With 2:08 left to play in the third quarter, the Kings trailed Golden State 88-72. Kings Head Coach Michael Malone said his team could have lost by 30 or fought back in attempt to win the game. The Kings fought back and Malone seemed very proud of his players.

The fourth quarter began with the Kings down by 10 points (GSW 90-SAC 80). Malone went with Patterson, Salmons, Thomas, Thornton and Hayes to start the period. That group closed the gap to six points. Green hit a 3-Pointer for the Warriors to make it a nine point lead as time was called with 8:13 to go in the game.

Coming out of the timeout, Cousins entered the game for Hayes. Cousins had an immediate impact with an assist and driving dunk that cut the Warrior lead to six.

Following an Isaiah Thomas steal and a Marcus Thornton 25 foot jump shot, the Warrior lead was down to one.

The Kings took the lead on a Thomas 3-Pointer off an assist from Cousins 104-102.

The game continued to see-saw back and forth. With 47.8 seconds to play, the game was tied at 111-111. Draymond Green put the Warriors back on top with a put-back of a Curry missed jumper.

After a 20 second timeout, Cousins hit a five foot jump hook to re-tie the game at 113-113. Salmons fouled Curry who hit both of his free throws to put the Warriors back in front 115-113.

Isaiah Thomas missed a lay-up with 1.8 seconds left to play. Bogut grabbed the rebound and the game was over. Golden State had defeated the Kings 115-113.

After the game Head Coach Michael Malone said, “Our guys have a ‘no quit’ attitude. I challenge them a lot. I never want them to be a team that just rolls over. What I like about our guys is that it could’ve been a 16 point deficit that turned into 30 but it turned into a two point lead and giving ourselves a chance. We were only one defensive rebound away from winning that game. The challenge that we have as a team is to stay together and find ways to close things out. Yes, we play the toughest schedule in the NBA but the reality is that we have another team coming in Tuesday night that’s not going to feel sorry for us. We have to do a better job at taking care of the ball and defending at a much higher level.”

The Kings came into the needing to shoot better on offense and to do a better job of defending the other team especially from beyond the 3-Point line. They accomplished one of those two goals on Sunday.

The Kings took advantage of a Warriors team that does not play great defense. Sacramento shot 52.6% (40/76) from the field and shot an impressive 47.4% (9/19) for 3-Pointers. As a team, they shot 85.7% (24/28) from the Free Throw Line. On offense, the Kings did a great job.

Their defense however let them down. The Kings allowed Golden State to shoot 51.2% (42/82) overall and an incredible 60.0% (15/25) from 3-Point land. Stephen Curry scored 38 points with 15 of those points coming from beyond the arc. Klay Thompson scored 28 points and 24 of his points came off of eight 3-Point goals.

DeMarcus Cousins led all Sacramento scorers with 24 points. Marcus Thornton scored 21 coming off the bench including five 3-Point goals. Patrick Patterson shot 100.0% (8/8) scoring 18 points in his off the bench role. Isaiah Thomas scored 19 points. The Kings bench scored 65 points on Sunday night against the Warriors.

POST GAME NOTES:

The Kings fall to 4-11 overall and 3-7 at home. It was the fourth consecutive loss for the Kings.

DeMarcus Cousins 24 point game was his ninth 20 point plus game of the season.

The Warriors are now 10-6 overall and 5-6 on the road.

Golden State has won both games with the Kings this season.

The Warriors and Kings will play again on Wednesday 2/19/14 in Sacramento.