Tag: NBA

Warriors bounce back to blowout Orlando 126-95; Curry leads with 31 pts

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Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) shows Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner (22) and center Mo Bamba (5) that they are no match as Curry is on his way to a 31 point night at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Mon Dec 6, 2021 (AP News photo)

Warriors Bounce Back To Blowout Orlando 126-95

By Barbara Mason

After a slow start against the Orlando Magic (5-20) the Golden State Warriors (20-4) fired up the forces displaying some brilliant shooting to completely shut down the Magic winning 126-95.

Monday night the Warriors celebrated Jewish Heritage Night at Chase Center before the game. It was a festive evening for the fans. Golden State was looking to celebrate a win over the Orlando Magic after dropping a lackluster game to the San Antonio Spurs last night. The Warriors needed a bounce back game tonight.

After a bit of a slow start in the first half, the Warriors quickly got back on track leading by 31-26 after one quarter. By the time the first half was a wrap the Warriors led by the score of 65-44 in a first half blowout.

The Magic had a good start dropping four from downtown. In the early minutes of the first quarter leading 12-2. That was when the Warriors did a complete 360 and busted this game wide open. By the end of the first half, Golden State led 65-44 and had dropped a dozen shots from downtown.

The expected blowout was well on it’s way with Stephen Curry leading the team with 4 of 5 on three’s and 19 points. This halftime lead was the largest of the season for the Warriors. Great defense and great work off the bench was a huge part of the first half.

The Magic made up a little ground in the third quarter after trailing by as much as 26 points. They had actually outscored Golden State 36-33 in the quarter. The Warriors were 12 minutes away from win number 20.

The bench finished off this game in a flurry with rookie Jonathan Kuminga shooting nine points in the fourth quarter. With the final of 126-95 Golden State is tied for the best record in the NBA with the Phoenix Suns. The two teams sit atop the Western Conference.

Andrew Wiggins was red hot shooting 8 of 10 from three point range finishing with 28 for the night. “I’m very comfortable right now with this free flowing offense,” said Wiggins after the game. “I take a lot of pride battling every night.” He referred to the long road trip ahead of the team. “We’ve got to grind it out and stick together.” Wiggins added. Curry was 7 of 13 finishing with 31 points and finishing big tonight.

The Warriors will take on the Portland Trail Blazers Wednesday night at Chase Center before heading out on the road for a long road trip. Tipoff is at 7:00 PM.

Golden State Warriors podcast with Barbara Mason: Figuring out how Warriors lost to Spurs; Warriors host Orlando tonight Magic lost 8 of their last 9

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The Golden State Warriors Jordan Poole (right) was defended pretty well by the San Antonio Spurs and guard Tre Jones (left) Sat Dec 4, 2021 at the Chase Center in San Francisco (AP News photo)

On the Warriors podcast with Barbara:

#1 Barbara, on Saturday night the Golden State Warriors (19-4) don’t lose often but the San Antonio Spurs (8-13) defense kept recent high scorers Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins in check enough to get their offense to hang with the Warriors for the eventual 112-107 win.

#2 To lose on the home floor to a team that is five games below .500 and the Warriors have been invincible was this a game where they were pretty much having an off night or were the Spurs well prepared and ready to go.

#3 Barbara, talk about the shooting performances of the Spurs top three scorers Derrick White (25), Dejounte Murray (23), and Lonnie walker (21) they seemed lights out all game long against the Warriors.

#4 One important note the Spurs had a 8-1 run against the Warriors in the fourth quarter not to mention White hit a three pointer that got the Spurs a 107-106 lead with 1:43 left in the game. White said the Spurs didn’t panic and they were able to get a three pointer to wipe away the Warriors lead.

#5 The struggling Orlando Magic (5-19) is at Golden State on Monday night at Chase Center. The Magic have lost eight of their last nine games and although no one on Orlando is saying it but they could really have their hands full against Golden State.

Join Barbara for all of the Warriors podcasts each Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Davis 29 pts leads Kings past Clippers 104-99; Kings take two from Clips in home at home series

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Sacramento Kings guard Terence Davis, left, takes it to the basket against Los Angeles Clippers center Serge Ibaka and guard Paul George Sat Dec 4, 2021 at Golden One Center in Sacramento (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings (10-14) were back in action on Saturday night in Sacramento. The LA Clippers (12-12) were in town to face the Kings at 7 PM PST. The Kings last played on Wednesday when they took on the same LA Clippers at Staples Center in Los Angeles. The Kings beat the Clippers on Wednesday in a well-played game. Would the Kings be able to replicate that performance on Saturday night? Yes! The Kings took down the Clippers 104-99 in Sacramento.

Neither team took a commanding advantage over the other in the first quarter. The Kings scored 29 points, led by a substantial 10 minutes from De’Aaron Fox, who scored 10. The Kings defense had moments of strength in the first quarter, but the Clippers were hitting their three-point shots. The Clippers also scored 29 points thanks to Reggie Jackson and Paul George, who both scored eight.

In the second quarter, the Clippers kept pace with the Kings for most of the quarter. However, the Kings went on a run towards the end of the half. Tyrese Haliburton was hitting threes from around the floor, and the Kings outscored the Clippers 21-16 in the second quarter to take the lead going into halftime at 50-45.

The Kings were led by Tyrese Haliburton in the first half, who scored 15 points. Reggie Jackson led the way for the Clippers with nine points. Could the Kings finish off the Clippers in the second half?

In the third quarter, the Kings and Clippers went back and forth. The Kings went on a run to open the quarter, and the Clippers countered with a run of their own later in the third. However, the Kings managed to hit a few shots in the final seconds to outscore the Clippers 26-25 in the third.

That performance would give the Kings the 76-70 lead heading into the last 12 minutes of the game. Terence Davis was why the Kings were in the lead, shooting 4-5 from three-point range and scoring 13 points in the third quarter. The Kings would look to close out the game and attempt to beat the Clippers for the second time in two games.

In the fourth quarter, both teams made their bids for the victory. In the last minutes, the Kings would expand the lead; then, the Clippers would pull closer again. However, the Kings ultimately showed a lot of toughness and held onto the lead to beat the Clippers 104-99.

The Kings were outscored by the Clippers 29-28 in the game’s final quarter. For the Kings, Terence Davis led the way again. Davis, who has a renewed confidence in his shot, scored 28 points on 9-16 shooting. Tyrese Haliburton added 18 for the Kings in victory.

The Clippers were led by Marcus Morris Sr., who scored 21 points in defeat. It was an excellent win for the Kings, who have a manageable schedule going forward to inch closer to a .500 record. The Kings currently sit at 10-14 on the season.

Up Next: The Kings stay home to take on the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday at 7 PM PST.

Warriors upset by San Antonio 112-107; Golden State chalks up fourth loss

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San Antonio Spurs center Jakob Poeltl (25) and guard Lonnie Walker IV have plenty to be happy about after handing the Golden State Warriors their fourth loss of the season at the conclusion of the game Sat Dec 4, 2021 (AP News photo)

Warriors Upset By San Antonio 112-107

By Barbara Mason

A slow start for Golden State coupled with poor shooting spelled disaster for the Warriors. Lack of energy was not surprising after last night’s game. San Antonio came in with upset on their mind and their first half shooting 55 % was a huge factor in their 112-107 win.

Last night the Golden State Warriors dug deep to hand the Phoenix Suns their first loss in a very long time. That win by the Warriors took unbelievable energy. Tonight Golden State (19-4) was back on court taking on the San Antonio Spurs (8-13).

After last night’s game how would we see the Warriors handle San Antonio? Would they come out flat or would they take apart the Spurs?

In the first half we saw the later, a very flat Golden State. To make things even worse for the Warriors, the Spurs came out with a perfectly executed game plan and actually led by as much as 22 points in the first half. Stephen Curry couldn’t get anything going being completely covered by San Antonio, so any open looks were not coming Curry’s way. At the half the Warriors had made up a lot of ground trailing 67-58.

San Antonio continued to grind in the third quarter and extended their lead back into the double digits. With under five minutes left in the quarter the Warriors needed to make a move or suffer their fourth loss of the season.

Curry was 1 of 15 and watching this team tonight we all wondered where the team we saw last night had gone. The Warriors turnovers were starting to mount up and really killed any momentum that Golden State was able to create.

In the first three quarters the San Antonio Spurs were the better team in this game. They were better offensively and defensively. As the third quarter came to an end the Warriors began to heat up and Curry began to get loose and hit those three’s. They trailed by the score of 99-88 but a momentum shift in this game favored the Warriors.

The momentum that had favored the Warriors in the third quarter followed them into the fourth quarter. The 22 points that the Spurs had once enjoyed in this game had been cut to seven points. Golden State began forcing turnovers and cutting the Spurs lead. The energy that San Antonio had started the first three quarters with had fizzled but the Warriors were not taking full advantage.

The final four minutes of this game was a wild affair. The Spurs shooting had gone cold and the Warriors were hitting, taking their first lead of the game 106-103 with two minutes left in the game. With 1:05 left in the game the Warriors trailed by a single point. San Antonio extended their lead to 110-106 with 33.6 seconds left in the game eventually winning 112-107.

It was a sluggish start for the Warriors in the first half and dominant play for Golden State in the second half. It was just too little too late. They had fallen behind by such a huge margin in this game and just plain ran out of clock. The Spurs really capitalized on the Warriors mistakes and hit shots at the very end that were crucial.

A lot of credit has to go to the San Antonio Spurs who had five players in double digits and played three quarters of brilliant basketball. That was all it took for the Spurs.

The positives in this game for Golden State was the competitive play in the second half. They really gave themselves a chance to win. Curry finished with 25 points and Jordan Poole had 15 points. Head Coach Steve Kerr felt that the team was a step slow in this game and really drained.

Monday night the Warriors will be playing the Orlando Magic at Chase Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM.

Warriors beat Phoenix by double digits 118-96

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Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) shoots against Phoenix Suns forward Jae Crowder (99) at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Fri Dec 3, 2021 (AP News photo)

Warriors Beat Phoenix By Double Digits 118-96

By Barbara Mason

The Golden State Warriors looked like a different team in tonights game against the Phoenix Suns. Gary Payton II and Juan Toscano-Anderson came off the bench and put this game away in an incredible showing by the entire team 118-96.

Friday night the Golden State Warriors (19-3) took on the Phoenix Suns (19-4) after having lost a close one in Phoenix Tuesday. That night the Warriors had their season lows in practically every category you could imagine.

Stephen Curry had a very frustrating game Tuesday night. We all know that Curry is an absolute student of the game and he has spent a lot of time these past few days watching game film from that Tuesday game. We also know that it is rare for Curry to have back to back disappointing games.

A lot of credit has to go to the Suns for a beautifully executed game that night but even when Golden State had open shots they were just not falling. The Warrior turnovers were horrific tuesday night with 22 and the Suns jumped all over those miscues.

In tonight’s game the Warriors have to protect the ball and stuff the three point shooting by the Suns. As expected the first quarter was a close one although the Warriors turned up the heat as the clock wound down leading 28-21. This was a great start for Golden State.

The Warriors kept up the pressure in the second quarter but was letting Deandre Ayton get loose which as we have all seen is a recipe for disaster. In the quarter Mikal Bridges had to leave the floor for the locker room with an apparent hand issue.

The Suns had already lost Devin Booker for this game and so this was of great concern to Phoenix. The three’s were falling for the Warriors and the tempo of this game was far different from last Tuesdays game. Curry was four of seven from downtown and the Warriors were shooting 51% but they were missing some great looks and fouling far too much.

The Suns were only shooting 37 % but they were in this game thanks to the 20 free throws that the Warriors threw their way. The 12 point lead that the Warriors had in the quarter was whittled to three points 51-48 at the half.

The Warriors extended their lead in the third quarter leading 8t0-68. This game was a far cry from last Tuesdays game. The turnovers were still there although not as plentiful and not sloppy. Curry already had 23 points and Wiggins was having a great game with 16 points. The Warriors had to hang on one more quarter to break the Suns winning streak.

Golden State kept the pressure on in the final quarter. The Warriors continued to put up double digit leads but the Suns had had the answer through three quarters fighting back to within striking distance. Every single Warrior was fighting for this game. It was raining three’s and the defense was extraordinary for Golden State.

When you see Chris Paul angry and rattled you know you’ve got a good thing going. The Warriors had pushed the lead to twenty and Golden State was going to end this incredible winning streak. The final was 118-96.

What an amazing bounce back game for Golden State. Eight players on the roster had shot at least one three and five of them had double digits for the game. In the last game the Suns held Curry to 25% on threes and in this game he was 6 of 11.

Everything that went wrong tuesday night went right tonight. Curry finished with 23, Wiggins with 19 and Poole had 14 points. Off the bench Juan Toscano-Anderson had a great game with 17 points and Gary Payton II had 19 points.

The Warriors will be back on the court tomorrow to take on the (7-13) San Antonio Spurs. Tipoff is 5:30 PM.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Kings try to sweep Clippers in home at home series; Concludes Saturday in Sacramento

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Sacramento Kings forward Chimezie Metu, right, dribbles away from Los Angeles Clippers center Serge Ibaka on Wed Dec 1, 2021 at the Staple Center in Los Angeles (AP News photo)

On the Kings podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 The Sacramento Kings (9-14) have been playing .500 ball and must love the Southland the last time they were there they beat the Lakers (12-11) 141-137 on Fri Nov 26th and they defeated the Clippers (11-11) on Wed Dec 1st 124-115. Is it the coaching change, is it new plays, is it interim coach Alvin Gentry what’s been the difference?

#2 On Wednesday night it was one of those games where you could see that the Kings were not going to give this one up for example although the Clippers outscored the Kings in the fourth quarter 39-25 the Kings hung on to win it by nine points.

#3 Jeremiah, talk about the offense of De’Aaron Fox who scored 24 points and Terrence Davis who came in second with 23 points on Wednesday night.

#4 What made this game so unique for the Kings was that they played it short handed on the road against the Clippers and won it by nine points.

#5 The Kings next up continue this home at home series which comes to Sacramento on Sat Dec 4th at the Golden One Center. The Clippers who hosted on Wednesday will be visitors on Sat. The Kings have won three of their last six games and the Clippers have been struggling losing four of their last five games including their Wednesday loss to the Kings.

Join Jeremiah for the Kings podcast each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kings Beat Clippers Despite Depleted Roster 124-115

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Los Angeles Clippers guard Eric Bledsoe, left, and Sacramento Kings guard Davion Mitchell (right) battle for the loose ball at Staples Center in Los Angeles on Wed Dec 1, 2021 (AP News photo)

Kings Beat Clippers Despite Depleted Roster 124-115

By Barbara Mason

Injury decimated the Sacramento King’s roster as they struggled mid-way through the first quarter in their game against the Los Angeles Clippers (11-11) but took the lead 29-21 and extended that lead at the half 62-52.

The Kings (9-14) are currently in eleventh place in the Western Conference. They have dropped their last two games losing to the Lakers 117-92 and prior to that losing to the Memphis Grizzlies 128-101. The Kings come up with a key win snapping a two game skid 124-115 at Staples Center in Los Angeles against the Clippers.

The Kings have experienced meltdowns in the second half of their last two games. In their last game against the Lakers they had a double digit lead mid-way through the third quarter and just couldn’t sustain it losing by 25 points.

Richaun Holmes and Alvin Gentry apologized to the fans for the miserable play. No excuses were made in the postgame presser. Holmes expressed how he felt hearing fans cheer for the Lakers. “You don’t want to hear nobody get chants on your own home floor,” he said. He wants to work hard to get better because as he said, the fans deserve better.

This season has been chaotic for Sacramento. Individually these players have a lot of talent but they are not playing as a cohesive unit and until they do wins will be few and far between.

Wednesday night they took on the Clippers at Staples Center. The Clippers are currently are in sixth place in the Western Conference. The Kings have a 8-14 record in the same conference. There are a number of badly needed players that were questionable for tonight’s game.

Harkless (knee), Marvin Bagley (illness), Harrison Barnes (foot) and Robert Woodard II (ankle) all determined out to start this game. Things just seem to be getting more and more discouraging for the Kings right now.

The Kings had the lead after the first quarter and really turned it on with three minutes left in the second quarter leading by 20 points. While they could not sustain that lead they were leading at the half 62-52. The Hornets had trimmed the Kings lead from 20 to 10 and in the second half Sacramento struggled in their past few games.

The Kings had a great start in the third quarter extending their lead to 75-57. Sacramento continued to play hard and by the end of the third quarter every single starter had shot in the double digits. The Kings now led 99-76 having won the first three quarters of this game.

With four minutes left in the fourth quarter the Kings held onto a significant lead 119-104. With a 1:30 left in the game the Clippers were making a final bid to win this game making up some ground and trailing 119-111.

The Kings fought through four quarters winning 124-115. De’Aaron Fox finished with 24 points with Terence Davis right behind him with 23 points. The Kings had proven that they could finish and in this game they were missing some of their key personnel.

The Kings will be taking on the Los Angeles Clippers again on Saturday December 4th in Sacramento. Tipoff is at 7:00 PM.

Suns Top Warriors In A Thriller 104-96; Phoenix forces 23 turnovers

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The Phoenix Suns Devon Booker (1) snuffs the Golden State Warriors Andrew Wiggins (right) at the Footprint Center in Phoenix Tue Nov 30, 2021 (AP News photo)

Suns Top the Warriors In A Thriller 104-96

By Barbara Mason

In the absence of Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton, Chris Paul and Jae Crowder picked up the slack to power the Suns to a brilliant win over the Golden State Warriors 104-96.

Tuesday night fans got to enjoy the two best shooting teams in the NBA today in a battle of the Titans; the Golden State Warriors (18-3) and the Phoenix Suns (18-3) in Phoenix.

The Suns got a quick start in the the first quarter of this game leading by a slim margin for most of the quarter. The Suns were hurting the Warriors inside but it was the three point shooting by Golden State that pushed them into the lead 35-31 after one quarter.

It was so impressive in the previous game against the Clippers when Steph Curry shot 13 points in the fourth quarter but it was equally exciting in this game with Jordan Poole shooting 16 points in the first quarter.

The quick start that the Warriors were looking for kept this game close and it would be a dog fight to the end. In the second quarter the pace really picked up and after leading by nine points the Warriors offense began to cool off. With less than one minutes left in the half the game was tied at 53. At the half the Suns had regained the lead 56-54.

The first half was a very frustrating one for Stephen Curry. The Suns had contained him relentlessly and you could see the annoyance etched all over his face. It was a disappointing game so far for Curry who was two of eight from downtown and only had eight points.

Jordan Poole finished the half with 18 points which really got the team going. Off the bench another great performance came from Otto Porter Jr bombing three’s, (he was four of six from Downtown) and scoring 12 points.

The bad news for the Suns was a hamstring strain suffered by the hot Devon Booker who would miss the second half. How much time he was going to miss was still to be determined by the severity of the injury.

The one thing that really stood out for the Warriors were the number of offensive rebounds they had. They just needed to get their rhythm back and avoid getting stagnant like they did in the final minutes of the first half. The turnovers as well had to be cleaned up.

The flow for the Suns was great compared to a stagnant and indecisive Warriors team. It was not the Warrior offense that we are used to seeing although it was good enough to remain within striking distance after three quarters trailing 80-78. Throughout the game the Suns were keeping the Warriors uncomfortable and off balance.

With under four minutes left the Warriors were in trouble trailing 99-92. The Warriors were shooting 42 percent and Curry still could not get going. The Warriors had 23 turnovers which drained the life out them. The Suns were executing a brilliant game plan. This was the first time this season that the Warriors were kept under a hundred points in a game.

The Suns did a tremendous job slowing the Warriors and forcing 23 turnovers. They contained Curry who finished with 13 point unable to get on track at all in this game. This was a heavy weight fight between two giants. While there were a number of things that hurt the Warriors the primary culprit was the turnovers. It’s very hard to win when you are constantly turning the ball over especially against a team like the Suns.

Friday night the Warriors will have another chance to level the score when they will again play the Suns and try to break this amazing winning streak that Phoenix has going. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 at Chase Center.

Golden State Warriors podcast with Barbara Mason: Warriors killing it win eight in a row battle 2nd place Phoenix Tuesday

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That’s all there’s to it, Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) acknowledges the crowd as the Warriors hosted the visiting Los Angeles Clippers at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Sun Nov 28, 2021 (AP News photo)

On the Warriors podcast with Barbara:

#1 The Golden State Warriors (18-2) defeated the Los Angeles Clippers (11-9) with a 105-90 win on Sunday night at Staples Center in Los Angeles. The Warriors just took over from the second quarter on.

#2 Warriors guard Stephen Curry scored 13 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter which made the difference in passing up the Clippers.

#3 Otto Porter had 18 points and Jordan Poole finished with 17 the Clippers just had no answer for them.

#4 The Warriors have won eight straight and when you look at those eight games they won they looked like no ones going catch them.

#5 The Phoenix Suns (17-3) have won 17 straight games and they look like a team that’s not cooling off anytime soon either. How do you see this match up Tuesday with the Warriors and Suns?

Join Barbara for the Warriors podcasts each Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Grizzlies overtake poor-shooting Kings 128-101

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Sacramento Kings forward Chimezie Metu (7) takes a shot against Memphis Grizzlies forwards Kyle Anderson (1) and Maurice Harkless (8) in the first half on Sun Nov 28, 2021 in Memphis (AP News photo)

By Daniel Dullum
Sunday, November 28, 2021

A poor shooting night by Sacramento, combined with the one-two scoring punch of Dillon Brooks and Desmond Bane, helped the Grizzlies defeat the Kings 128-101 Sunday in Memphis, snapping a two-game losing streak.

Brooks led the Grizzlies with 21 points, followed by Bane with 18. Jaren Jackson Jr, contributed 17 points and nine rebounds, and Brandon Clarke added 15 points with De’Anthony Melton scoring 14 off the bench.

Buddy Hield was the Kings’ leading scorer with 14 points, despite making 5 of 17 from the field and missing 8 of 9 3-point attempts. Terence Davis was next for Sacramento with 13 points, followed by De’Aaron Fox with 12.

The Kings made 34 percent of their floor shots, including 9 of 42 behind the arc.

The Grizzlies were playing their first game without leading scorer Ja Morant, who was out due to a knee injury suffered Friday against Atlanta. Memphis collectively stepped up, hitting 15 of its 21 shots in the first half as the Grizzlies built a 76-52 halftime lead.

Sacramento trailed 106-74 after three quarters. The Kings were without forwards Harrison Barnes, Maurice Harkness and Richaun Holmes – all were held out of the lineup due to various ailments.

The Kings are 2-2 under interim coach Alvin Gentry, who took over after Luke Walton was fired last week. They return home to host the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night.