Tag: Memphis Grizzlies

Warriors Keep Record Dreams Alive, Complete Comeback Against Memphis With 100-99 Victory

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By Shawn Whelchel

Draymond Green was candid about his desire to chase history this week when asked about breaking the Chicago Bulls’ record for most wins in a season.

On Saturday, he showed just how serious he was with big plays down the stretch on both ends of the court to secure a hard-fought 100-99 win against the Memphis Grizzlies on the road.

After being down by double digits at multiple points throughout the dwindling fourth quarter, Green would answer the call for the struggling Warriors with a pair of consecutive and-1’s to cut into Memphis’ lead. Green’s presence would be felt again with a tip in off a Steph Curry layup to give the Warriors a one point advantage with just a minute to go, which would ultimately be the difference in the game.

But perhaps just as important as his offensive contributions was Green’s defensive efforts in keeping big-man Zach Randolph from scoring on the Warriors late in the game. Green forced two clutch misses from Randolph late in the game while disallowing Memphis to rely on their biggest scoring threat with the game on the line.

The efforts by Green erased what was at times a 10-point deficit for a Warriors team struggling to find the long-ball that is crucial to their success. Golden State shot just 10-for-36 from the field from beyond the arc on the night, with Curry failing to connect on a three-pointer in the first half.

But with a chance at history on the line, Golden State rose to the occasion with three’s from Curry, Andre Iguodala and Harrison Barnes- whose shot would give the Warriors their first lead of the fourth quarter with just over 90 seconds left in the game.

Lance Stephenson had a chance to win the game for Memphis on a wild drive to the hoop against Klay Thompson, but help from Curry caused an errant layup to be tipped out to the corner, where Stephenson would hoist up a final hail mary shot that would bounce off the side of the hoop to go out of bounds with .8 of a second left, securing the win for Golden State on an inbound pass.

The difference in the game was the play of Memphis’ bench, who would outscore the Golden State reserves by 32-17. The Warriors also found themselves on the other end of the free-throw differential, with Memphis getting to the line for 18 points compared to their 12.

But despite the balanced scoring attack throughout the Memphis lineup, strong nights from the Warriors’ starters in Green (23 points, 11 rebounds), Thompson(20 points), Curry (17 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists) and Barnes (14 points) saved what was a lackluster effort through three quarters for Golden State.

Matt Barnes would lead the scoring for the Grizzlies with 24 points on 17 shots, followed by Vince Carter with 15 points Stephenson with 13 of his own.

The win, which gave them their 71st of the season, was a record in its own right, as the 33 road wins ties the Bulls record for road victories in a single season. Golden State has one chance to claim sole possession of that record with their final road game of the season against the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday.

Next 5 games pivotal for the Kings

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

memphis - kings

by Charlie O. Mallonee

The dim light you can see in the west is the Kings playoff hopes setting on the horizon. Sacramento is currently in tenth place in the NBA Western Conference Playoff standings. They are four games behind Houston who is in the eighth and final playoff spot.

The Kings have lost three consecutive games at home to San Antonio, the Los Angeles Clippers and Oklahoma City – all playoff teams. The Kings inability to create home court advantage has been devastating to their playoff hopes.

In his postgame press conference on Monday night, Kings head coach George Karl pointed out that his team has been playing some of its best basketball on the road. When he made that statement, it sounded like Karl was trying to convince himself that there is still hope for his team to make the postseason.

The team will need to play great basketball if they are to survive this four-game road trip. The Kings will play in Memphis, Dallas, San Antonio and New Orleans.

The Kings are a combined 1-7 versus the four teams this season. Their only win came over Dallas in Sacramento back on November 30th.

To make matters worse, the Kings will come home after the four road games to host “King James” and the Cleveland Cavaliers on March 9th.

The best scenario for the Kings would be to finish the road trip 2-2 for the four games. The Memphis and New Orleans contests should be winnable games for the team.

Memphis is without Marc Gasol who is out for the season due to a fractured foot. Even without Gasol, the Grizzlies are going to be a playoff team. They are currently 35-24 on the season and are in fifth place in the Western Conference. Sacramento will have to start fast and finish strong to beat Memphis.

A win in Dallas is going to be tough for the Kings. The game is second game of a back-to-back for the team. Sacramento is 2-12 in the second game of back-to-backs this season.

The Spurs are on a five game winning streak and have lost only nine for the season. The best the Kings can hope for is to have San Antonio rest one or two of their starters to give Sacramento a fighting chance.

That brings us to the final game of the road trip in New Orleans. There is no reason for the Kings not to come away with victory from the Crescent City. The Pelicans are 23-35 on the year and in 11th place in the West. The Kings will need to play some top-notch perimeter defense to shutdown Ryan Anderson – the 3-point making machine that killed them on their last visit to NOLA.

In order to make the playoffs, it is going to take 37 to 41 wins. Looking a best case scenario of 37 wins being the magic number – the Kings need post a 13-11 record over the final 24 games. To say that is a tall order is to make an understatement about the Kings chances.

The next five games will make or break the Kings chances of making the playoffs. The Kings schedule will get easier later in March but later will be to late to make a playoff run.

 

 

The slide continues as Kings lose in Memphis 121-117

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
NBA: Sacramento Kings at Memphis Grizzlies
Photo Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports

by Charlie O. Mallonee

The situation is growing desperate as the Sacramento Kings – who had won five consecutive games – have now lost four straight games after losing to the Grizzlies 121-117 on Saturday night in Memphis.

The game was not close until the fourth quarter when the Kings came alive on offense and defense. Sacramento (20-27) started the game very slow trailing by 14 points after the first 12 minutes were over. At the half, the Kings still trailed the Grizzlies by 14 points.

The Kings lackluster play continued in the third quarter and they found themselves down to Memphis (28-20) by 15 points as the fourth quarter began.

In the fourth quarter, Darren Collison and Rudy Gay led a mad charge on offense that would result in 40 points in the quarter for Sacramento. The Kings cut the lead to just one point off a Collison 3-point bank shot with 16 seconds to go but were unable to score after that basket.

The Kings comeback attempt was hampered when DeMarcus Cousins re-injured his left ankle after Marc Gasol rolled over the ankle with 2:02 left in the game. Cousins missed time in second quarter when he rolled the left ankle while driving to the basket.

Ultimately, the Kings were unable to overcome their slow start and lack of defense which led to their fourth consecutive loss.

Kings

Rudy Gay led the Kings scoring attack putting up 21 points in 38 minutes of playing time. Gay shot 6-for-12 overall, 2-for-3 from 3-point range and was a perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line.

DeMarcus Cousins posted another double-double game scoring 17 points and grabbing 14 rebounds in just 30 minutes on the floor. Cousins had a horrible shooting night hitting on just 3-of-17 field goal attempts. He was 10-for-14 from the charity stripe.

Rajon Rondo scored 15 points and recorded eight assists but was charged with seven turnovers. Rondo fouled out of the game late in the fourth quarter.

Darren Collison put up 20 points coming off the bench with 14 of those points coming in the final quarter. Collison shot 50-percent from the field connecting on 7-of-14 shots.

Omri Casspi also supplied some punch off the bench. Casspi also shot 50-percent from the field hitting on 6-of-12 attempts.

Sacramento shot just 41.3-percent (38-of-92) from the field. They turned the ball over 19 times and that resulted in 26 Memphis points. The Kings had just 16 assists in the contest.

Grizzlies

Jeff Green led the Memphis scoring attack coming off the bench and putting up 29 points. Green was 11-for-16 from the floor, 3-for-5 from beyond the 3-point arc and a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line.

Marc Gasol scored 22 points and dished out five assists in the game. The Kings had no answer for Gasol until the fourth quarter.

Courtney Lee was also a force to be reckoned with as he scored 18 points going a perfect 5-for-5 from the floor (3-for-3 from 3-point range).

The Grizzlies shot 51.9-percent (41-for-79) from the floor and were 8-for-18 (44.4-percent) from long distance.

The Grizzlies exceeded their 96-points per game average by 25 points on Saturday night.

Up next

The Kings returned to Sacramento after the game and will host the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday night at Sleep Train Arena. The Bucks have lost two consecutive games and have a 20-29 record on the season.

The Kings need a win over the Bucks as they will have to face the third best team in Eastern Conference – the Chicago Bulls – on Wednesday night in Sacramento.

Sacramento will then head out on a four-game road trip that will take them to Brooklyn, Boston, Cleveland and Philadelphia before the All-Star break.

 

Warriors refuse to lose, mount late comeback to top Grizzlies, 100-93

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By Gabe Schapiro

The Golden State Warriors (45-27) simply wouldn’t be denied as Stephen Curry led a late comeback to topple the Memphis Grizzlies (43-29), 100-93, Friday night, at Oracle Arena. A Grizzlies win would have tied the two squads in the standings, and extended their luck on the Warriors home court, having won four straight in Oakland. Golden State was without David Lee and Andrew Bogut, but they still put together one of their more impressive outings of the season, leading to very different headlines.

The contest was close throughout, and was played with a true playoff atmosphere. Neither side ever held more than a seven-point lead, as the two Western Conference foes duked it out. The Warriors had a three-point lead after the first quarter, and that was trimmed down to one point heading into half time.

After another close quarter in the third, as it often does it all came down to the final 12 minutes. Heading into the waning minutes the momentum swung decidedly in the Grizzlies favor, and it looked like they would outlast Golden State. With a bit more than three minutes remaining, Memphis had opened up a game-high seven-point lead. The Grizzlies wouldn’t score another point, however, and the Warriors came alive, going on a 14-0 run.

A huge Draymond Green three-pointer brought the Dubs back to within just two points, and a minute later Curry followed suit with a trey of his own to tie grab back the lead. Golden State suffocated the Grizzlies offense in the final minute plus, and Curry provided the dagger on the offensive end. Two Klay Thompson free-throws with a few seconds left officially sealed the Warriors victory.

Curry was fantastic, finishing with a game-high 33 points, eight assists, five rebounds, two blocks, and a steal. If he was Batman, than Green may well have been his batman. He played a huge 32 minutes off the bench, and contributed 12 points and nine boards. Marreese Speights got his first start of the season, a decision that was initially confusing, but paid off. He had 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting, and eight rebounds.

On the negative side Bogut took a hit to the groin just four minutes into the game, and never returned after heading to the locker room. His status moving forward is unknown, but would be a huge loss if he has to miss any significant time.

Zach Randolph led the way for Memphis in the losing effort. He posted a team-high 21 points and seven rebounds. Mike Conley added 20 points and six assists.

The Warriors are back in action this Sunday, when the New York Knicks come to town. The game starts at 6:00 PM.

Conley checkmates Kings

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(Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)
(Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)

By Pearl Allison Lo

The Memphis Grizzlies, who were on a four game winning streak heading into their last matchup versus Sacramento are on another one now, as Mike Conley led again in a 99-89 win over the Kings.

With their victory, the Grizzlies matched the sizzling Thunder for best record in the NBA the last 10 games, at 9-1.

Since the Kings and Memphis last met January 17, Sacramento has only won one game in the now seven games since and the Grizzlies have only lost once in the now six games since.

Conley led with 27 points and 10 assists. The last time Conley scored 20+ points was in the teams’ last meeting, where he scored 25 and led the game as well .

Two of Sacramento’s three missing starters returned and were the leading scorers with 20+ points, but they were the only ones who achieved double digits.

Rudy Gay returned to the lineup from an Achilles strain and produced 23 points on 10 of 16 shooting. Isaiah Thomas looked recovered as well, as he was the top scorer with 24 points on 10 of 21 shooting and four three-pointers.

In the first quarter, Conley had five of his assists while Thomas scored 10 of his team’s first 14 points, along with one assist.

The Kings’ last lead came with 5:58 left to go in the third. There were about eight ties and nine lead changes until then. Sacramento missed eight baskets and had four turnovers while the Grizzlies ended the quarter on a 10-2 run.

During a 30 point fourth for Memphis, Sacramento pulled to within three with a 9-2 run to make it 84-81 with 4:33 to go, but the Grizzlies “stole” the game for good with a 15-8 finishing run while four different players took the ball away from the Kings. Conley scored seven during that stretch and Tayshaun Prince scored six.

Game notes: The Grizzlies’ Zach Randolph had four steals and seven rebounds to go along with 18 points. Conley was 9 for 9 from the free throw line. Sacramento ends January Friday at 5:30 pm, facing the Dallas Mavericks.

Kings come up short in Memphis 91-90

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

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Photo credit: Joe Murphy

By Charlie O. Mallonee

The Kings and Grizzlies game on Friday night was decided in the final 1.9 seconds. With Memphis leading 91-90, Rudy Gay and Tayshaun Prince faced off in the top of the key on the Kings’ end of the court for a jump ball. Gay controlled the tip but the Kings could not take control of the ball and the game was over. Sacramento lost to Memphis 91-90.

After the final buzzer sounded, Kings Head Coach Michael Malone went to center court to express his displeasure with the officiating. Malone felt that his team was fouled several times in the final minutes without a whistle being blown. When you lose by one point, a free throw could have changed a loss into a huge victory on the road. Malone left the court obviously unhappy.

The game was a hard fought, physical affair that featured strong defensive performances and some less than spectacular sequences on offense. The largest lead of the night was seven points by the Kings in the fourth quarter. Neither team could take control and run away from their opponent.

The Kings were led by DeMarcus Cousins who of course posted another double-double. Cousins played 39 minutes, scored 22 points and pulled down 17 rebounds. Rudy Gay put up 19 points and handed out three assists in a return to Memphis to face his former team. Isaiah Thomas had an off night scoring just 14 and shooting just five for 14 from the field. Derrick Williams scored 10 points off the bench while Ben McLemore recorded 7 points in one of his more productive outings in some time.

The Grizzlies were led by Mike Conley who seemed to have a response every time the Kings appeared ready to break open the game. Conley scored 25 points and dished out six assists. Marc Gasol was back in the lineup and put up 17 points plus four blocked shots. Courtney Lee added 17 points for Memphis.

The Kings shot just 40.7% (33-81) but shot 45.5% (5-11) for 3 pointers. Memphis shot 46.2% (36-78) from the field and just 35.3% (6-17) from 3 point-land.

Sacramento out-rebounded the Grizzlies 43-37. The glaring stat is turnovers. The Kings turned the ball over 15 times to just 10 turnovers for Memphis. The game was simply too close to have 15 turnovers. One less turnover could have led to a Kings road win.

The good news for the Kings is that they played well enough to win, but that is only a moral victory and we all know what those victories are worth.

The Kings are now 1-2 on this six game road trip. Up next for Sacramento is the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday in OKC. The Thunder beat the Warriors on Friday night 127-121. Kevin Durant led the Thunder with 54 points.

The Kings will have their work cut out for them versus the Thunder.

Memphis able to hold off Sacramento surge

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Photo Credit: Rich Pedroncelli/Associated Press –

By Pearl Allison Lo

The Grizzlies were able to overcome a second half surge by the Kings Sunday in a 97-86 win.

Memphis’s Zach Randolph had all 9 of his 22 points after a three by Travis Outlaw with 7:18 left to go in the game, put Sacramento within three.

Randolph was the only player to get a double-double, as he also got pulled down 10 rebounds.

Outlaw led the team with 18 points and 6 rebounds from the bench, with all his scoring done in the second half.

The Kings’ John Salmon, Isaiah Thomas, Marcus Thornton and Travis Outlaw all hit double digit points.

The Grizzlies led for the majority of the first quarter but there were five ties. Memphis pulled away to 25-18 with an 11-4 run after the last one. 7 of those points came from Jerryd Bayless who entered the game with 2:51 left in the first.  Bayless also had a rebound.

The first 3 minutes and 42 seconds of the second quarter were filled with fouls and free throws. At one point, the Grizzlies’ Mike Miller committed a foul and then turnover and Kosta Koufos was called for a foul immediately after. Memphis extended their lead to 17 points during the quarter, converting on five straight possessions. Koufos and Marc Gasol each scored 4 points then and Mike Conley, who had 9 assists in the game, assisted on 3 straight possessions. Gasol had 9 points in the quarter. The Grizzlies ended the first half with a 13 point lead, 47-34.

Memphis extended their lead to 20 several times during the third quarter. The Grizzlies’ Tony Allen started out early with steals on consecutive possessions, leading to points by Tayshaun Prince and himself. After a timeout with 7:37 left to go, coach put in reserves Salmon, Thomas, Thornton, Outlaw and Chuck Hayes into the game, leading to a 24-13 run. Outlaw and Thomas started out with three-pointers on consecutive possessions and combined for 17 of the 19 points scored after. Thomas’s layup with 2:33 left to go put within single digits at the time and Outlaw had 9 points during the quarter.

Thomas made at least two nice passes to teammates up front for points in the fourth. With the shot clock winding down with 9:55 left to go, Thomas was fouled and got a new clock.  After Outlaw put the game within three, he missed two shots and committed a foul and Sacramento went scoreless for over 3 minutes. The Grizzlies shaved a minute off the clock when on one possession, they consistently missed and got the rebound three times until Hamady Ndiaye blocked the ball, Randolph got the rebound and Memphis missed again.

Game notes: Regarding shooting percentage, rebounds and assists, they went in favor of the Grizzlies in the ratios of 55.6% to 37.9%, 49-35 and 30-21. Gasol had 19 points, 8 rebounds and 9 assists. When Randolph scores at least 15, Memphis is now 5-1, as the Grizzlies beat Sacramento for the sixth straight time. The Kings next play Tuesday versus the Phoenix Suns at 7pm.

Bears squeeze past Oakland, 64-60 behind freshman Bird

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By Morris Phillips

Friday night at Haas Pavilion, Oakland was a lot closer to Berkeley than anyone in a blue-and-gold uniform could bear.

The Grizzlies from suburban Detroit are known for their challenging non-conference schedule and armed with prolific three-point shooter Travis Bader, they gave Cal all they could handle in the Bears’ come-from-behind 64-60 victory.

“There was no question that Oakland played harder than we did,” Cal coach Mike Montgomery said.  “We were late to loose balls, we weren’t attentive to details.”

Oakland led by as many as nine points in the first half, and the game was tied with 2:10 remaining as the Grizzlies’ zone defense, hustle and the shooting of Bader, who finished with 21 points, kept Cal on its heels.

Cal managed to keep pace in the second half as freshman Jabari Bird heated up, finishing with a career-best 24 points, including six made three pointers.  Bird’s three with 1:59 remaining broke a 56-all tie and gave the Bears the lead for good.

“Basically, I caught it and was open and had been hitting three’s all night, so if we were going to lose this game, I wanted to lose the game with that… but it went in and we won,” Bird said with all the carefree wisdom of an 18-year old.

Justin Cobbs contributed 13 points and five assists, and Richard Solomon had 11 points and 17 rebounds to aid Cal’s cause.   Bader had assistance from Kahlil Felder and Tommy McCune who had 13 and 11 points respectively for Oakland.

Oakland fell to 0-3 with earlier losses to No. 12 North Carolina and No. 24 UCLA.  The Grizzlies played without second-leading scorer Duke Mondy and forward Dante Williams, who were accused of sexual assault in Southern California earlier this week.  The pair were cleared in an initial police investigation but suspended by the university pending further fact finding.

Cal improved to 3-0 on the season with a matchup with Southern Utah up next at Haas on Monday night.   The Bears improved to 36-6 in non-conference matchups during Montgomery’s five plus years as coach.

The Bears shot just 33 percent in the opening half as Oakland’s zone made Cal’s cumbersome mix of veterans and freshman a bit tentative.  At halftime and then early in the second half, an animated Montgomery did all he could to wake his guys up.

“We had five minutes alone, just sitting there silent, and then he came in and talked to us like it was a regular game,” Bird said of Montgomery’s halftime prodding.  “And then right before we walked out he said get the energy up and play like we know we can.”