Tag: NBA

Kings lose 7th out of last 8 games; Get blown out by Jazz 123-105 Sat night

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All too easy for the Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) who scores against Sacramento Kings defense in first quarter action at Golden One Center in Sacramento on Sat Nov 20, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings welcomed in the Utah Jazz (11-5) on Saturday night in Sacramento. For the Kings (6-11), it was the second night of a back-to-back. The first night of the back-to-back saw the Toronto Raptors come to town. The Kings had lost 6-7 entering play on Saturday night and were in desperate need of a spark to rejuvenate the dying season. On Saturday, the Kings were blown out by the score of 123-105. However, before we get into the action on Saturday, let’s take a look at the Kings last game.

Flashback Friday: In the first game of the back-to-back on Friday, the Kings did not play well. They took on the Toronto Raptors, and they were taken to School. The worst it got was at the end of the third quarter when it was 96-66 Raptors, and it looked like all life was gone from the Kings. It was one of their worst losses of the season at home. Kings fans were booing the home team at times throughout the game, and “Fire Luke Walton” chants were heard throughout the arena.

Saturday Night Recap: The Sacramento Kings welcomed the Utah Jazz to Golden One Center on Saturday night. The tip-off was set for 7 PM PST.

In the first quarter, both teams matched each other’s energy. Both teams came out with decent shooting and not a lot of defense. The Kings managed to score 28 points in the first quarter as the Utah Jazz dropped 29. The Kings came out with good energy in the first quarter, but the defense let them down when the offense seemed capable. They would look to tighten up the defense in the second quarter.

In the second quarter, it started rough for the Kings. The Kings ended up going down more than 10 points in the quarter as the Jazz were hitting shots and the Kings weren’t. At 4:25 left in the second quarter, the Kings found themselves down 48-36. However, to the Kings credit, they did not implode. Assisted by Utah turnovers, the Kings managed to stay within striking distance, narrowing the gap to 54-49, entering halftime. The Jazz outscored the Kings in the second quarter, 25-21.

In the third quarter, the Kings came out of the gates strong. By 7:41 left in the third, the Kings had tied the game, and Utah took a timeout with a score of 64-64. But, the questions remained, could the Kings close the quarter? Unfortunately, the answer to that question was no. The Kings didn’t implode, but they only outscored the Jazz 31-30 in the third quarter to take an 84-80 deficit into the fourth quarter. The Kings desperately needed to come back and win the game with a demanding schedule ahead of them.

In the fourth quarter, the Jazz went on a run. The Jazz opened a big lead on the Kings in opening minutes of the fourth quarter and never looked back. The Kings couldn’t keep pace with the powerful show from the Jazz as they were outscored 39-25 in the fourth quarter. The Kings would drop their seventh game in eight tries by the 123-105 and fall to 6-11 on the season. Leading the way in defeat for the Kings was Richaun Holmes who scored 22 points. The Jazz were led in victory by Donovan Mitchell who scored 26 points.

The Kings would need to do some real soul searching in the coming days and the uncertainty of Luke Walton’s job has never been more perilous. Again, for the second straight night, “Fire Luke Walton” chants could be heard towards the end of the blowout loss.

Up Next: The Kings stay home to take on the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday at 7 PM PST.

Raptors Siakam leads with 32 pts defeat Kings 108-89; Some fans cheer “fire Luke Walton”

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Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam (43) dribbles by Sacramento Kings guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) Fri Nov 19, 2021 at Golden One Center in Sacramento (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings are back in Sacramento and they welcomed the Toronto Raptors on Friday night. The Kings embarked on a four-game road trip on November 9th and just returned home on Friday, November 19th back to Sacramento. The Kings trip saw them go 1-3 and make stops in San Antonio, Oklahoma City, Detroit, and Minneapolis.

It was a disappointing trip for the Kings who had a soft spot in their schedule for the first time all season. During the road trip Kings head coach, Luke was placed on the hot seat after losing the first two games as rumors swirled if he would make it back to Sacramento with a job.

After an up and down start to the season, the Kings were set to begin a crucial stretch at home. On Friday night, the Kings faced one of their worse losses of the season to the Raptors 108-89 at home.

Friday night recap: The Kings were set to take on the Toronto Raptors on Friday at 7 PM PST in Sacramento.

In the first quarter, neither team got off to a very impressive start. Both teams’ defense was lackluster and the offenses looked stagnant. Nonetheless, the Raptors outscored the Kings 30-27 in the first quarter. The Kings would need to pick up the pace and defense in the second quarter to keep the game close.

In the second quarter, the game began to unravel. The Kings defense evaporated and the Toronto Raptors started hitting their three-point shots. That was a recipe for disaster for a Kings team that hasn’t been able to get the offense on track for a while.

The Raptors topped 30 points in both quarters in the second half putting up 33 points in the second quarter. On the other hand, the Kings put up an anemic 18 points. The Kings weren’t playing defense and the offense wasn’t making shots.

That would lead the Kings to a 63-45 hole going into halftime. In an underwhelming first half for the Kings, they were led by De’Aaron Fox with 11 points. The Kings had a massive amount of ground to make up in the third quarter.

In the third quarter, it only got worse for the Kings. To put it into perspective, at a point in the third quarter faint “Fire Luke Walton” chants could be heard throughout the sections of Golden One Center. The Raptors absolutely destroyed the Kings in the third quarter by outscoring the Kings 33-21. It was almost a carbon copy of the results in the second quarter. The Kings went into the final 12 minutes of action down 96-66.

In the final quarter, the Kings showed some heart early on but it wasn’t nearly enough to overcome the deficit. The Kings outscored the Raptors 23-12 in the last quarter but ultimately fell to the Raptors by the final of 108-89. It was a poor effort from the Kings. From lack of enthusiasm to terrible execution, almost everything that could go wrong for the Kings did.

The Kings with the loss fell to 6-10 on the season. Leading the way for the Kings in defeat was De’Aaron Fox who scored 17 points. For the Raptors, they were led by a stellar performance from Pascal Siakam who scored 32 points.

Who knows what’s in the Kings future at this point. I sure don’t.

Up Next: The Kings stay home for the second night of a back-to-back to take on the Utah Jazz on Saturday night at 7 PM PST in Sacramento.

Poole standout in Golden State Win 105-102; Pistons fall to 11th season loss

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Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) can’t get control of the ball as Golden State Warriors center Kevon Looney (5) stops Cunningham’s movement at Little Caesar’s Arena in Detroit on Fri Nov 19, 2021 (AP News photo)

Poole A Standout In Golden State Win 105-102

By Barbara Mason

The Golden State Warriors (14-2) improved their record largely in thanks to Jordan Poole who had a 22 point first half with more the half of them from downtown. Finishing with 32 points Poole was a standout in the Warriors 105-102 win over the Detroit Pistons (4-11).

Tonight the Golden State Warriors face a unique challeng which also brings a lot of opportunity for the team. As the Warriors take on the Pistons tonight they will be shorthanded the likes of which we have not seen yet this season.

Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Otto Porter Jr. and Andre Iguodala will not be on the court tonight being a bit banged up. Poole and Andrew Wiggins will be staring along with Toscano, Kevon Looney and Payton II. This gives a lot of guys a real opportunity to get some great minutes and show-case their talent.

After the first quarter the Warriors led by a slim margin 26-23. As expected Poole and Wiggins led the charge. It was a very different look for Golden State and they performed great offensively and defensively keeping Detroit from taking the lead. At the half the Warriors had extended their lead 56-51.

After two quarters Poole was having a banner game with 22 points and Wiggins had 12 points. There was still another half left for the Warriors to take this one home. They would have to slow down Detroit’s Frank Jackson in the second half as well as showing more aggressive play. They were holding Detroit to 37% shooting which was great, but they would have to limit the turnovers.

Golden State lived up to their reputation as being a second half team leading after three quarters 86-70. In the fourth quarter, the Pistons trimmed a 16 point deficit to eight points and Detroit began making a lot of noise, they were not going down quietly.

With twenty seconds left on the clock the Warriors had the lead 105-102 and the Pistons had the ball. After multiple stops on the Pistons final possession the Warriors ran out the clock. The final was 105-102.

Besides the 32 points from Poole, Wiggins really stepped up with 27 points. Looney had 12 important rebounds.

This game finishes the short road trip for Golden State. They head back to the Bay Area to take on the Toronto Raptors Sunday. Tipoff is schedule for 5:30.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Kings hoping to bounce back after losing 5 out of last 6; host Toronto tonight

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Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox, right, tries force a loose ball from Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards at the Target Center in Minneapolis on Wed Nov 17, 2021 (AP News photo)

On the Kings podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 The Sacramento Kings (6-9) have lost five of their last six games and have fallen three games below .500. They lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves (5-9) 107-97 what has put the Kings off the track?

#2 The Kings De’Aaron Fox has stayed consistent leading the Kings in scoring Wednesday night with 28 points.

#3 The Kings defense had a hard time trying to defend the Timberwolves Anthony Williams who opened up in the fourth quarter scoring 16 of his 26 points in the final quarter to help Minnesota to a win.

4. The Kings Buddy Hield who scored 16 points off the bench and the Kings got 20 rebounds their most for the year but took a loss to the Timberwolves.

#5 The Toronto Raptors (7-8) have lost five of the last six games before facing the Utah Jazz on Thursday night. The Raptors who played in Portland on Monday night to a 118-113 loss to the Trailblazers (7-8) a five point loss. The Raptors tip off against the Kings tonight at Golden One set the stage for this one.

Jeremiah does the Kings podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Fourth Quarter Onslaught Win One For Warriors 104-89; Cavs now one game above .500 after loss

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Cleveland Cavaliers’ Isaac Okoro (35) tries to dribble past the Golden State Warriors’ Jordan Poole (3) at Rocket Mortgage Field House in Cleveland on Thu Nov 18, 2021 (AP News photo)

Fourth Quarter Onslaught Wins One For the Warriors 104-89

By Barbara Mason

After a convincing win against the Brooklyn Nets Tuesday night, the Warriors (13-2 ) continued their road trip in Cleveland taking on the (9-8) Cavaliers and their winning ways with their second win on this current road trip 104-89.

This game could not have been any closer with the Cavaliers totally dominating on the glass. The Cavs led after one quarter 29-27. At the half Cleveland still held the lead albeit a slim one, but a lead nonetheless 54-51.

The Warriors came out sluggish in the first quarter and the Cavaliers outshot them from downtown. It is true that Cleveland is playing much better basketball but the rebounding by Golden State was not very good.

After two quarters Stephen Curry was 4-7 on three pointers and had 15 points while off the bench Nemanja Bjelica had 16 points. It was Bjelica to the rescue because for the most part it was Curry alone who was scoring for the starters. Darius Garland had the high score for Cleveland with 18 points.

Despite being known for being a fast break team, the Warriors only had five. They would have to do a better job rebounding in the second half as well as making better choices in their shot making.

Many times after an outstanding win teams come out sluggish in their next game. Mid-way through the third quarter the Cavs were completely boxing the Warriors out and the Warriors were not defending the rim.

Golden State found themselves trailing with under four minutes left in the quarter 74-65. Second chance points were 19-2 in favor of Cleveland. After three quarters the Cavs had extended their lead 81-68.

In the fourth quarter Curry found his three and the Curry Flurry was heating up with a lot of ground to make up. Golden State tied the game at 81 with Andrew Wiggins coming alive. It was a 15-0 run for the Warriors in the fourth quarter. The Warriors were making the Cavs work hard offensively. Golden State had finally taken the lead 90-86 with just over six minutes left in the game.

From down thirteen to up thirteen the Warriors had flipped the fourth quarter with 1:24 left in the game. Golden State was going to win an improbable game. It was ugly for three quarters and amazing in the fourth.

Cleveland had no answers to the Warrior onslaught. Golden State did absolutely everything right in the final quarter when it really mattered. The final was 104-89 in a game where the Warriors were completely outplayed in three quarters.

Curry finished with 40, and Bjelica with 14 points off the bench. The Cavaliers did everything possible to win this game through three quarters. They fell apart in the fourth quarter letting the Warriors walk away with the win.

Tomorrow afternoon the Warriors will be taking on the Detroit Pistons. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:00 PM PST.

Edwards, Towns lead Wolves past Kings 107-97

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Sacramento Kings forward Harrison Barnes, left, tries to get a hook shot over Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards at the Target Center in Minneapolis on Wed Nov 17, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Daniel Dullum
Wed, November 17, 2021

Offensive firepower from Anthony Edwards and Ksrl-Anthony Towns, along with stingy defense, helped Minnesota defeat Sacramento 107-97 Wednesday night at Target Center in downtown Minneapolis.

It was the Kings’ fifth loss in their last six games.

Edwards scored 16 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter, and Towns added 22 points for the Timberwolves, who held the Kings to 36.6 percent shooting and forced 20 Sacramento turnovers.

Patrick Beverley added 14 points, six rebounds and six assists for the Wolves, who had lost eight of its last nine games. Edwards sank four 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, laading Minnesota to its third win in 10 home games.

De’Aaron Fox paced the Kings with a game-high 28 points, followed by Buddy Hield’s 16 points off the bench. Richaun Holmes added 12 points and seven rebounds.

Sacramento coach Luke Walton wanted better rebounding and got it – the Kings grabbed a season-high 20 offensive boards, 13 of them in the first half resulting in 16 second-chance points.

Though both teams struggled offensively in the first half, Minnesota surged ahead in the third quarter when Towns scored the first seven points of the third quarter, sparking a 10-2 Wolves run. From there, Minnesota hit 13-of-20 field goals, including 4-pf-7 from 3-point range.

Hield tried to keep the Kings in the game with four 3s to pull Sacramento within one early in the fourth quarter. But Edwards went on his fourth-quarter tear to help the Timberwolves pull away.

The Kings return home on Friday to host the Toronto Raptors.

Curry leads with 37 points and Durant scores season low 19 as Warriors defeat Nets 117-99

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Brooklyn Nets’ James Harden, right, and Kevin Durant (7) try and put a stop on the Golden State Warriors Draymond Green (23) at the Barclay Center in Brooklyn on Tue Nov 16, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Jessica Kwong

BROOKLYN— In a matchup of the NBA’s top two scorers – former teammate champions – at Barclays Center on Tuesday night, Golden State Warriors (12-2) star Stephen Curry came out on top with 37 points. Curry led his team to a 117-99 victory over the Brooklyn Nets (10-5) and Kevin Durant, who scored his season-low 19 points.

At the end of the night, it was Curry who stood at half court and enjoyed “MVP! MVP! MVP!” chants.

“It’s fun for us but we appreciate the support. It’s nice to have that energy around when we’re traveling like that,” Curry said. “Doesn’t happen unless you win games, and you don’t win games by yourself.” Curry made nine 3-pointers and was 12 for 19 overall, boosting his average to 28.7 points per game.

Meanwhile Durant, who failed to hit 20 points for the first time this season and finished 6 for 19, dropped his average to 28.9 points per game.

Durant, who decided to leave the Warriors for the Nets more than two years ago, acknowledged that Curry is “a master at what he does… playing at an all-star, MVP, hall of fame level.”

The two players shared a warm embrace on the court after the game.

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr was asked whether Durant is a better player now than when he played for Golden State over three seasons, twice winning NBA Finals MVP.

“He was pretty damn good then, so he doesn’t look any different to me and that’s after an Achilles injury that kept him out for a year and a half,” Kerr said. “So that’s saying something. But I don’t think you can tell he had an injury, given his ability, his speed, his explosion.”

The game started out as a head-on duel. Brooklyn made their first six shots and took a 34-31 lead in the first quarter, with Durant and Curry scoring 12 points apiece.

Andrew Wiggins, who scored 19 points, hit triples for the last two baskets of the first half, including at the buzzer to give the Warriors a 63-58 lead.

The third quarter was when Golden State took control of the game, finishing with a 98-76 lead. The rest was history.

“This was a big game for us,” Wiggins said. “I felt like we came and showed the league that we’re here. That we’re deep and we’re here.”

The Warriors (11-2), leading the Western Conference, take on the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. Tipoff is at 4:30 p.m.

Kings snap four game skid thrash Detroit 129-107

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The Detroit Pistons guard Josh Jackson (20) with the Sacramento Kings guard Buddy Hield (24) on his backside tries to get control of the basketball at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Mon Nov 15, 2021 (AP News photo)

Kings snap four game skid thrash Detroit 129-107

By Barbara Mason

The Sacramento Kings won a decisive game over the Detroit Pistons on Monday. Every starter for Sacramento shot double digits for a lop-sided win 129-107.

Monday night the Detroit Pistons (3-10) took on the Sacramento Kings (6-8) at Little Caesars Arena. The Pistons currently sit near the bottom of the Eastern Conference while the Kings are in eleventh place in the Western Conference.

The Pistons are struggling while the Kings are playing improved basketball over last season. Their leading scorer De’Aaron Fox has been consistently putting up good numbers and the team will be leaning on him in this game. The Kings are favored in this game as they try to work their way to a .500 record.

After the first quarter the Kings had taken a significant lead over Detroit 31-12. They got a quick start and never looked back.

In the second quarter the Kings put a real stranglehold on the Pistons and were leading 68-44 at the half. Everything was going right for Sacramento and the Pistons were really struggling. Fox scored 14 points in the first half followed by Tyrese Haliburton with 11 points.

The Kings got help off the bench with Buddy Hield scoring 11. The Pistons Saddiq Bey had 17 points in the half. In the first two quarters the Kings obliterated the Pistons and would try to take the same play into the second half to close out this game. The Pistons certainly had a huge deficit to contend with. Trailing by twenty-four points would be a major challenge for Detroit.

The Pistons made up a little ground in the third quarter but the Kings came roaring back and extended their lead. Going into the fourth quarter the Kings had opened up a thirty point lead and things were looking pretty bleak for Detroit.

The high score for Sacramento was off the bench. Buddy Hield shot for 22 points to cement the win for the Kings 129-107.

Wednesday night the Kings will continue their road trip taking on the Minnesota Timberwolves. Tipoff is slated for 5:00 PM.

Golden State Warriors podcast with Barbara Mason: Did Warriors look lethargic in loss to Charlotte?

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The Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) plays defense on the Charlotte Hornets forward Gordon Hayward (20) Sun Nov 14, 2021 in Charlotte (AP News photo)

On the Warriors podcast with Barbara:

#1 The Golden State Warriors (11-2) lost their second game of the season to the Charlotte Hornets (8-7) snapping their seven game win streak in the game they looked awfully tired and their just starting the first of a four game road trip on Sunday night.

#2 Warriors top scorer Andrew Wiggins was getting his shot to fall scoring 28 points tops on the leaderboard and followed up by Warrior guard Stephen Curry 24 points.

#3 The Hornets Miles Bridges led with 22 points, LeMelo Ball 21 points and Terry Rozier 20 points as the top three scorers for the Hornets Sunday.

#4 Rozier said after the game that the Hornets are trying to get somewhere like the where the Warriors are and the Hornets put out their best efforts.

#5 The Warriors head to Brooklyn to take on former teammate Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets (10-4) tell us how you see this game Tuesday night at the Barclay Center.

Barbara Mason does the Warriors podcasts each Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Warriors 7 game Winning Streak Comes To An End 106-102

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Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (2) looks to throw the ball inbounds over Golden State Warriors guard Gary Payton II (0) Sun Nov 14, 2021 in Charlotte (AP News photo)

Warriors Winning Streak Comes To An End 106-102

By Barbara Mason

The Golden State Warriors (11-2) missed far too many wide open looks from downtown against the Charlotte Hornets (8-7) losing 106-102. The Warriors shot 9-39 from long range and just the fact that they were in this game till the end was amazing in itself.

Sunday afternoon the Warriors faced the Hornets on the road. The Warriors will be minus one of their weapons and that is their fan base, one of the loudest crowds in the NBA. The Warriors are coming off an eight-game home stand in which they went 7-1 winning all seven games by double digits. Road games can be an entirely different challenge.

The Hornets will be looking for a little revenge after having lost to Golden State less than two weeks ago. The Hornets can be inconsistent but they can also heat up and give the Warriors some real trouble.

The Warriors have to have a fast start and control the turnovers. Charlotte is the worst defensive team in the NBA but they are also a high octane offensive team. The Warriors have to take advantage of the Hornets ineffective defense. They will also have to contain the trio of Miles Bridges, LaMelo Ball and Gordon Hayward.

The Hornets led at the end of the first quarter 30-27. They were up to their old tricks and had seven turnovers which robs them of a possible seven shot attempts. They will have to clean that up going forward in this game.

There were far too many turnovers by Golden State in this game and at the half this game was all tied up at 57. The two highest scoring teams in the league were living up to their reputations. In the third quarter the Warriors would have to contain Ball who already had 19 points and was 4-6 from downtown. They needed to convert those wide open looks that they were missing in the first half as well.

Mid-way though the third quarter this game was as tight as the Warriors have seen all season. They were tied up at 70 and the Hornets were giving the Warriors all they could handle.

28 points in 26 minutes for Andrew Wiggins was big for Golden State. The fourth quarter of this game saw lead changes every minute or two. This game was going down to the wire with both teams struggling offensively in the final three minutes of this game.

Would this be the game that saw the winning streak end for the Warriors? With 44 seconds left in the game it was all knotted up at 102. The Warriors were 9-39 from downtown which is something seldom seen from this team and could prove to be their undoing.

The Warriors continue their road trip on Tuesday night taking on the Brooklyn Nets. Tipoff is at 7:30PM.