Tag: NBA

Kings open pre season with 117-106 win over Suns; Barnes leads with 18 points

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The Sacramento Kings forward Marvin Bagley (35) and Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton (22) scramble for the ball during pre season home opener for the Kings at the Chase Center in Sacramento on Mon Oct 4, 2021 (USA Today photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings were back in action at the Golden One Center on Monday night. It was the first preseason game for the Kings since last season. A lot had taken place since the Kings last took the court.

The Kings drafted elite defender Davion Mitchell to try and jumpstart a defense that is way behind NBA level. The Kings main focus in training camp this year was defense. With the likes of De’Aaron Fox, Tyrese Halliburton, Harrison Barnes, and Buddy Hield the Kings should be able to score plenty of points.

The issue has been defense and that’s what the Kings were looking to address. The Kings would take on the Phoenix Suns on Monday night at 7 PM PST.

The Suns came into Sacramento as the defending Western conference champions. Of course, since it is preseason the Suns wouldn’t have all their starters on the court. However, all the Kings starters did play. The Kings came away with a pre season home opener victory over the Suns 117-106.

In the first half, Harrison Barnes shined for the Kings. The first quarter saw the Kings outscore the Suns 30-23 as the Kings offense got off to a hot start. In the second quarter, it was more of the same.

The Kings offense put up 31 points compared to the Suns 24 as the Kings would pull out in front to a commanding 61-47 halftime lead. In the first half, the Kings got a great performance from the aforementioned Harrison Barnes who scored 16 points.

Barnes hit 4-6 threes in an impressive half for the Kings playing 16:20 minutes. The Suns were led in the first half by Landry Shamet who scored ten points. The Kings would hope to finish off a solid game to start the preseason but would need to avoid a second-half hangover in order to do so.

In the second half, the Kings continued to play solid basketball. The third quarter saw the Kings score 29 points compared to the Suns 24 points. The Kings had outscored the Suns in each of the first three quarters as the Kings regulars continued to get minutes.

The Kings would take a 90-71 lead into the fourth quarter as they looked to seal the deal. In the fourth quarter, the Kings were outscored by the Suns 35-27 but the Kings still won the game 117-106. The Kings were led in victory by Harrison Barens (18 points), Marvin Bagley (15 points), and Buddy Hield who added 14 points. In defeat, the Suns were led by Landry Shamet who scored 13 points.

Up Next: The Kings will take on the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night in Los Angeles. The tip is scheduled for 7:30 PM PST.

Warriors Open Pre-Season With A 121-107 Win; Wiggins relents takes vaccine in time for pre season home opener on Wednesday

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Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins poses for the Warriors Media Day photos at the Chase Center on Wed Sep 27, 2021 (AP News photo)

Warriors Open Pre-Season With A 121-107 Win

By Barbara Mason

Tonight the NBA takes its first step towards the regular season. The Golden State Warriors took on the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center in their first pre- season game of 2021.

We may not see a whole lot of the starters for Golden State. Head Coach Steve Kerr typically does not play them very much in pre-season but there will be a number of bench players we are looking forward to seeing.

The projected starting lineup will be Curry, Poole, Wiggins, Green and Looney. We will have to see just how long these guys stay in the game. Of course we are all waiting for the return of Klay Thompson who is still a few months out but we certainly welcome the fans back. They are such an important part of the game day experience and they symbolize the return to some sort of normalcy.

In the first quarter, the Warrior began firing those 3’s. Jordan Poole had three of them. As the quarter came to an end the Warriors led by a single point 26-25.

In the second quarter both teams played even exchanging the lead in a closely contested quarter. We got a good look at Damian Lee, Otto Porter Jr., Andre Iguodala and Juan Toscano. At halftime the score was dead even at 60. Jordan Poole had 15 points in the half and for Portland the point leader was Damian Lillard with 19.

As the third quarter began to wind down Golden State had taken a significant lead 97-83. At the end of the quarter the Warriors had a 100-85 lead.

Jordan Poole had 30 points for Golden State and Damian Lillard finished with 19. Otto Porter Jr. had 19 points off the bench. Poole also knocked down 7 three’s. He was the story of this game.

The final was 121-107. We got to see some old faces and some new ones as well. The bottom line is that basketball is back and we are going to have 82 games to enjoy this season which gets underway on October 19. Until then we will have four more pre-season games. On Wed October 6th the Warriors will play the Denver Nuggets in one of those pre-season games. Tipoff will be at 7:00 PM.

Notable notes: Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins on Sunday accepted taking his first vaccine shot. Asked what changed Wiggins mind Warriors head coach Steve Kerr didn’t want to elaborate as to the why but only would say he took it and it’s over nothing further to discuss.

Wiggins would not have been allowed inside Chase Center the home of the Warriors had he refused to take the vaccine because of Covid 19 protocols and would have lost $350,000 per game. The Warriors who host the Nuggets Wednesday night at home would have not been able to even allow Wiggins in the building had he further refused to take the vaccine shot.

Golden State Warriors podcast with Barbara Mason: After two years off Thompson ready to splash the net again

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Golden State Warriors Klay Thompson seen here on Thu Jun 13, 2019 getting help from the training staff in game 6 of the NBA Finals vs. the Toronto Raptors at the Oracle Arena in Oakland (AP News file photo)

On the Warriors podcast with Barbara:

#1 It’s hard to believe after two long years of various injuries for Golden State Warrior Klay Thompson in 2019 the ACL tear and in 2020 the ruptured Achilles.

#2 It’s been a long road to recovery but although it’s just an exhibition game on Monday in Portland Thompson has to be happy to be back and although .

#3 You have to go all the way back to the 2019 NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors which Thompson and the Warriors lost. Thompson said his goal is to get back to that level of play after the last two years off.

#4 How important is it for Stephen Curry to get his splash brother back and will they be able to rekindle that old magic again or will the key word be old after two years of not playing together as there might have been some aging process since Thompson’s return?

#5 Thompson said once he gets back out on the floor tonight he wants to be an effective player and a player that can execute will it take some time to get adjusted or know the kind of player Thompson is he’ll be firing on all cylinders right away?

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

Warriors get Kuminga 7th pick; Kings select Queta 39th overall pick

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Jonathan Kuminga the Golden State Warriors 7th overall pick in the NBA draft receives congratulations from NBA Commissioner Adam Silver at the Barclay Center in Brooklyn on Thu Jul 29, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Jessica Kwong

Golden State Warriors: The 2021 NBA Draft took place Thursday night at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The Golden State Warriors drafted two young players: forward Jonathan Kuminga with the seventh overall pick and guard Moses Moody with the 14th overall pick.

Kuminga, from Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, moved to the US in 2016 and graduated from high school at The Patrick School in New Jersey. Last season, he averaged 15.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.00 steals in 32.8 minutes in 13 games for the NBA G League Ignite. Kuminga will wear No. 00.

Moody, from Little Rock, Arkansas, as a freshman at the University of Arkansas averaged 16.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.03 steals in 33.7 minutes. He won 2020-21 AP All-America Honorable Mention honors, All-SEC First Team and SEC Freshman of the Year. Moody will wear No. 4.

The 2021 Draft was the first time in Warriors franchise history that they had two Lottery picks since the Draft Lottery started in 1985. Golden State selected two players in the top 14 picks for the first time since 2001.

Sacramento Kings: Meanwhile, the Sacramento Kings selected Neemias Queta from Utah State with the 39th overall pick. As a junior at Utah State during the 2020-21 season, Queta averaged 14.9 points, 10.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 3.3 blocks, 1.1 steals and 30.0 minutes per game in 29 games.

Queta was the Mountain West Conference defensive player of the year in 2021 and 2019. He “brings a defensive prowess to the Kings after holding records of most career blocks (219) and blocks per game (2.5) during his three-year stint at Utah State,” the Kings stated in a press release.

The first three draft picks went as planned: the Detroit Pistons selected Cade Cunningham, the Houston Rockets took Jalen Green and the Cleveland Cavaliers nabbed Evan Mobley.

NBA Finals podcast Joe Hawkes: Bucks just one away from winning it all; Milwaukee wins game five 123-119

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Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, top, dunks over Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul during game 5. The Bucks hold a 3-2 lead at Milwaukee on Sat Jul 17, 2021 (AP News photo)

On the NBA Finals podcast with J Hawkes:

#1 The Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks have played some close basketball and game 5 on Saturday night in Phoenix was no different the Buck won it four points.

#2 In game 5 the Bucks offense were looking for Giannis Antetokounompo who led all scorers with 32

#3 Khris Middleton has been big for the Bucks in the Finals he finished in second in scoring with 29 on Saturday night.

#4 The Phoenix Suns Devin Booker couldn’t do it all he scored 40 but it wasn’t enough as the Bucks scored just enough to put the series on the brink.

#5 It is game six the Bucks have the home floor on Tuesday night who do you see having the most pressure in game six the Bucks or Suns?

Join Joe for a look at the NBA Finals or baseball coverage by next Friday night http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NBA Finals podcast with Joe Hawkes: Bucks heading to Finals for first time since 1974; Suns first time back since 1993

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The Milwaukee Bucks touch the Eastern Conference Champion Trophy for good luck after game 6 Sat Jul 3, 2021 in Atlanta as they prepare for game 1 on Tue Jul 6, 2021 in Phoenix against the Western Conference Champions Suns (AP News photo)

On the NBA Finals podcast with J Hawkes:

#1 The Milwaukee Bucks Giannis Antetokounmpo who missed his second straight game against the Atlanta Hawks out due to a knee injury could be assured that his talented teammates pressed on without him and won Saturday’s sixth game 118-107 to move onto the NBA Finals.

#2 Giannis Antetokounmpo has been the staple for the Bucks since his acquisition and he’s not doubt going to be a huge part of these finals coming off that knee injury.

#3 The last two games the Bucks won in games 5 and 6 and they made it look relatively easy with an 11 point win to close out the Hawks on Saturday night.

#4 The Phoenix Suns have handled many of their opponents in the post season and closed out the Los Angeles Clippers in game six last Wednesday 130-103. The Suns Chris Paul put away the Clippers almost single handedly with 41 points.

#5 Tip off for game 1 of the Finals is on Tuesday 6th in Phoenix Joe how do you look at this series that opens up on the Suns home floor.

Join J Hawkes for the NBA Finals podcast Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NBA Playoff podcast with Joe Hawkes: Suns Booker nets 40 big effort defeats Clippers in game one, 120-114

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The Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) lets everyone know who controlling this game as the Los Angeles Clippers guard Terrance Mann stands by (right) during game 1 of the NBA Playoffs at Phoenix on Sun Jun 20, 2021(AP News photo)

NBA Playoffs podcast with Joe Hawkes:

#1 The Phoenix Suns got some big scoring from Devin Booker (40 points) and Deandre Ayton (20) points good enough to beat the Los Angeles Clippers in game 1 on Sunday in Phoenix.

#2 The Clippers Chris Paul was out due to Covid 19 protocols how much did that handicap the Clippers.

#3 The Clippers got some scoring production out of Paul George who led with 34 points and Reggie Jackson with 24 but in the end the Clips came up short.

#4 Joe, Talk about the Suns general manager James Jones who just beat out the Utah Jazz vice president of basketball operations Dennis Lindsey for the Executive of the Year Award. The Sun did do a number on the Los Angeles Lakers and the Denver Nuggets to get this far and that might have made the difference for Jones winning the award.

#5 Tuesday is game 2 of the series in Phoenix and the Clippers are hoping to get Paul back in the line up they found out what a nemesis the Sun can be and if there were to drop game 2 they would have their hands full going back to Los Angeles down 0-2.

Join J Hawkes for the NBA Playoffs podcasts each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NBA Playoffs podcast with Joe Hawkes: Bucks stop Nets on defense for game 4 win 107-96 tie series 2-2

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The Brooklyn Nets Kyrie Irving steals the ball away from the Milwaukee Bucks Khris Middleton in game 4 in the first half on Sun Jun 13, 2021 in Milwaukee (AP News photo0

On the NBA Playoffs with J Hawkes:

#1 The Milwaukee Bucks (2-2) held the lead for most of game 4 over the Brooklyn Nets (2-2) to end up tying the series at 2-2. This was a must win for the Bucks and they did with some great offensive play.

#2 One thing the Bucks didn’t want to do is go down 1-3 but tying the series pretty much give Milwaukee a new look on the series.

#3 Giannis Antetokounmpo lead all scorers and the Bucks and he’s been the big key for the Bucks all along to get them this far.

#4 How surprising is it for you to see a loaded Nets team with Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Blake Griffin get held down on scoring and talk about how long Irving could be out with today’s ankle injury?

#5 Net and Bucks tip off for game 5 on Tue Jun 15th in Brooklyn this will give either team a chance to go one game up at the Barclay Center.

Join J Hawkes for NBA Playoffs podcasts each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Will Warriors deal Wiseman to bring in more talent?

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Golden State Warriors center James Wiseman seen here taking a shot against the Phoenix Suns DeAndre Ayton on Thu Mar 4, 2021 in Phoenix. Wiseman has been in recent discussions about whether the Warriors will keep him on the team or not (AP News file photo)

Amaury Pi-González

Just because the Golden State Warriors were eliminated prematurely by the Memphis Grizzles doesn’t mean they have to overhaul the team. They still have Stephen Curry who at 33 still one of the best players in the world. But they could use another efficient point guard to help the team during those minutes that Curry is not on the court.

Curry is a Hall of Fame player, but even Oscar winners need a supporting cast to make a movie worth the time and effort and hopefully a return on investment. James Wiseman is a young center still learning and with the potential of really helping this team that does need more help on rebounds.

Wiseman at 7′ 1″ could be trade-bait. I like Wiseman and believe he is going to be one of the top centers in the NBA in a couple of years. The Warriors said they are not going to trade him and they expect him to play with them next season, however, I am not too sure of that.

Especially because of his youth and enormous potential James Wiseman is a player that many teams are attracted to and could bring high returns to the Warriors.

When it comes to rebounds, the Warriors are not one of the best teams in the league. The Warriors could be one-trade-away from returning as an elite team in the NBA. Will they pull the trigger? A big question today is: What is the trade value of Wiseman?

There is not much clarity on this, the Warriors organization will have to make that decision, to “trade or not to trade”. One thing for sure is that shooting guard Klay Thompson should come back next season and hopefully most of the troops (like power-forward Draymond Green, who finished third for the NBA defensive player of the year) will be healthy and ready to contend again for another NBA title. This could be a key off-season for the Golden State Warriors.

The Golden State Warriors were one of the few teams in the NBA to first broadcast in Spanish during the 1990’s together with the Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls, Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks.

Amaury Pi-González was the first and only Spanish play by play broadcaster to date, for the Warriors, over KIQI 1010AM La Grande 1010 in San Francisco.

Warriors’ season ends lose heartbreaker in overtime to Grizzlies 117-112

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Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors looks down at the floor as the Warriors were eliminated by the Memphis Grizzlies in the NBA Western Conference Play In game at Chase Center in San Francisco on Friday May 21, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors (0-2) lost a heartbreaker Friday night to the Memphis Grizzlies (2-0) 117-112. The Warriors lost by three to the Lakers Wednesday night. Had they won the game, they would have been the eighth seed and play the Utah Jazz this Sunday. Could the Warriors rebound?

Did they have enough gas left in the tank to take down the young and hungry Memphis team? The Warriors beat the Grizzlies last Sunday 113-101, and the team was confident they could beat Memphis again. Unfortunately for Golden State, Memphis figured out a way to beat them.

The Grizzlies’ young stars Ja Morant and Dillon Brooks led Memphis to the playoffs. They gave the Warriors all they could handle. Golden State didn’t quit as a late surge in the fourth quarter forced the game into overtime.

The Grizzlies got off to a great start. They were leading 24-14 when Steph Curry went on a personal 10-2 run to bring the Warriors within two, 26-24. Jordan Poole hit a three to give the Warriors a short-lived lead 27-26. Memphis regained the lead to finish the first quarter leading 30-29. 

Things did not go well for the Warriors in the second quarter. Memphis started the quarter on a 15-9 run. They increased the lead to 15, 57-42. The Warriors Stephen Curry made a three, and Jordan Poole made a two-point basket to close within ten, 59-49.

The Grizzlies answered with a three to finish the first half leading 62-49. The Grizzlies outscored the Warriors 32-20 in the period. The Warriors continued to have problems handling the ball. They turned the ball over nine times in the first half to give the Grizzlies 13 points. Curry led the Warriors with 17. No other Warrior were in double figures. The Grizzlies’ bench outscored the Warriors bench 25-11. 

The Warriors’ defense came to life in the third quarter. The Warriors held the Grizzlies to 16 points while scoring 24. The Grizzlies’ Dillon Brooks hounded Curry all night long. Curry and Andrew Wiggins helped the Warriors fightback to finish the third quarter trailing by five, 78-73.

The fourth quarter would be a nailbiter. Memphis upped the lead to nine 97-88 with less than three minutes left in the game. The Warriors went on a 9-0 run tie the game 97-97. Draymond Green, Jordan Poole, and Curry all made key plays on the 9-0 run. Memphis went ahead by two 99-97 with 55 seconds left.

Andrew Wiggins made a bucket to the game 99-99. Memphis had the ball with 33.2 seconds left. The Warriors defense came up with the stop. The Warriors had 9.2 seconds left to make a basket and win the game. They could not score, and the game went into overtime.

Memphis scored the first bucket in OT. Wiggins tied it with a two-pointer to tie the game at 101-101. Curry scored a basket to put the Warriors in the lead 102-101. The Grizzlies’ Grayson Allen connected on two three-point shots to make it 107-103.

Green and Poole made baskets from downtown to give the s the Warriors advantage, 109-107. The Grizzlies’ Xavier Tillman made a three. Ja Morant made two more buckets to put the Grizzlies in the driver’s seat 114-109 with four seconds left. Poole hit a three to cut the lead to two, 114-112. With two seconds left in the game and Memphis had the ball. Desmond Bane scored the final three points of the game. Memphis wins 117-112.

Game Notes and Stats: The Warriors’ season ended Friday night. The Warriors lost key players to injuries. Klay Thompson will return to action next season. He suffered an Achilles tendon injury in November and worked hard to get back into playing shape.

Rookie center James Wiseman suffered a knee injury, Kelly Oubre, Jr wrist, Eric Paschall hip flexor. The Warriors were down to eight players. Curry had an amazing season and is now a candidate for the NBA’s MVP award. Jordan Poole showed that he could be an offensive threat coming off the bench. Poole was sent down to the G-League. He found his game.

Andrew Wiggins played well on both ends of the court this year. Green, a finalist for Defensive Player of the year, excelled as a point guard. He was third in the league with assists, averaging about nine per game. 

Curry led the Warriors with 39 points. He was 13-for-28 from the floor and connected on six threes. Andrew Wiggins had a double-double with 22 points and ten boards. Green did everything he could to help the Warriors effort. He finished the night with a triple-double.

The Warriors usually never lose when Green has a triple-double. It was the second time in his career that the team lost when he achieved his goal. His line was 11 points, 16 rebounds, and ten assists. Poole had 19, Kent Bazemore ten.

As a team, the W’s shot 44.7% from the floor. They made 12 threes.

Ja Morant led Memphis with 35 points. Dillon Brooks had 13, Jarret Jackson 10. The Memphis bench outscored the Warriors bench 40-27. 

The Warriors committed 21 turnovers. Memphis scored 22 points off those turnovers. 

So, the season ends for Golden State. The team played well down the stretch. Curry was amazing. The team may not be going to the playoffs this year, but there is great anticipation for next season when Thompson, Wiseman, Paschall, and Oubre return. They were fun to watch.