Tag: NBA

Golden State Warriors game wrap: Warriors look sharp as they beat Kings 113-107

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Golden State Warrior Stephen Curry (30) makes it look all too easy, Curry led Golden State with scoring with 29 points in the Warriors win over the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento (Mercury News/Bay Area News Group photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Warriors finished the short three-game preseason with a win over the Kings in Sacramento Thursday night by 113-107. The regular season starts Tuesday night, December 22nd, when the Warriors meet the Brooklyn Nets in New York City.

The Nets will feature former Warrior Kevin Durant and former Cleveland Cavalier and Boston Celtic star Kyrie Irving. Steve Nash is the new Nets’ coach, and former Houston Rocket coach Mike D’Antoni will be his right-hand man on the Nets’ bench.

Warriors’ head coach Steve Kerr had to be pleased with his team’s performance Thursday night. Andrew Wiggins and Kelly Oubre, Jr showed they could fit in with the Warriors’ up-tempo game.

In the first half, the Warriors outscored the Kings 65-62. Wiggins made his first five shots and tallied sixteen points in the half. Oubre had fifteen. Curry was 3-for-13 from the field in the first half. However, Stephen Curry made three threes in three tries. He finished the first 24 minutes of the game with 13 points. Marquese Chriss, coming off the bench, had five. Reserve guard Brad Wanamaker had nine.

The Warriors moved the ball well and were very good defensively. Andrew Wiggins impressed the coaching staff with his aggressive moves to the hoop.

During the five-year run when the Warriors went to the NBA five consecutive seasons, one of the keys to their success was their domination in the third quarter. This year’s team showed they are ready to be a playoff team.

They outscored the Kings 27-19.  Curry was on fire as he knocked down 16 points. Kelly Oubre and Marquese Chriss performed also did well. The Warriors led 92-81 after three quarters. The Warriors did not use Curry or Oubre in the fourth quarter.

Wiggins was on the floor until he fouled out with about six minutes left in the game. Kerr inserted Damion Lee, Nico Mannion, Mychal Mulder, Juan Toscano-Anderson, and Kevon Looney to finish the game. The Warriors win it 113-107.

Game Notes and Stats: Neither James Wiseman nor Draymond Green was in the lineup Thursday night. They have been practicing with the team and should be ready to play next Tuesday against Brooklyn.

Wiseman, the number two pick in this year’s NBA draft, is expected to be a rim protector. He is nineteen years old and does not have much experience under his belt. Had he played against the Kings, it would have been interesting to see how he would handle Hassan Whiteside. Whiteside is a seven-footer who has given the smaller Warrior centers fits over the years. Whiteside will get his chance to show what he can do Tuesday night. Draymond Green will be back, too. 

 Curry led the team with 29 points, six rebounds, and three assists. He saw 28 minutes of action. Oubre had 22, Wiggins 19. Marquese Chriss tallied nine and had 12 boards. Jordan Poole had eleven, Brad Wanamaker nine.

Former Warrior Harrison Barnes paced the Kings with nineteen. The Warrior defense held the Kings Buddy Hield to eleven and De’Aaroin Fox to eight. Hassan Whiteside had twelve. 

As mentioned above, the season starts next Tuesday night in Brooklyn at Barclay Center with a 4 pm tip.

 

Kings drop preseason game to Warriors 113-109

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Photo credit: sactownroyalty.com

By Ana Kieu

SACRAMENTO — The Sacramento Kings played their second straight preseason game against the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night at the Golden 1 Center. In case you missed it, Sacramento edged Golden State 114-113 on Tuesday night.

The Kings’ starting lineup featured De’Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield, Harrison Barnes, Marvin Bagley III, and Richaun Holmes.

Andrew Wiggins made it rain early with three-pointers, but there was effort on both ends of the court. The game was tied at 29-29 at the end of the first quarter,

Just like the Kings, the Warriors were on the move in the second quarter. Yet, Golden State had a slight advantage. Four Warriors players contributed to a solid rebound that was thrown out to Kelly Oubre, who knew exactly what to do–and that was to tip in a shot for a noteworthy highlight. The Kings trailed by three, 65-62, at the end of the first half.

The Kings were unable to contain Steph Curry in the third quarter. Curry jump started the scoring with a two-pointer. The Kings tried to outscore the Warriors, but ended up trailing 91-82 after three quarters of play.

The Kings’ offense was a little rusty in the fourth quarter. The Kings should’ve made more shots to slow down the new-look Warriors. The Kings lost to the Warriors by a final score of 113-109.

The Kings fall to 2-2, while the Warriors improve to 2-1. Harrison Barnes led the Kings with 30 points. De’Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield combined to go 6-of-30 from the field and 3-of-16 from the three-point range.

Notes: Former Kings coach Jerry Reynolds lost a sister to COVID-19. Reynolds clings to hope as his son Jay battles Stage 4 cancer.

Kings guard Buddy Hield turned 28 on Thursday.

Sports Illustrated listed the Kings’ Harrison Barnes, Buddy Hield, and De’Aaron Fox in its rankings for Top Players of 2021.

Les Schwab and Slamson the Lion teamed up to deliver toys to Volunteers of America as part of the Les Schwab Toy Drive, You can donate a toy to any Les Schwab location by December 24th and enter to win Kings prizes. Check out lesschwab.com/toydrive for more information.

Up Next: The Kings take on the Denver Nuggets in the Pepsi Center on Wednesday, December 23 at 6 pm PT.

Sacramento Kings post game wrap: Kings just get by Warriors in first of two game exhibition at Golden 1 Center

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The Sacramento Kings defense has improved as they held the Golden State Warriors in check for most of the game and ended up getting a one point win in the end at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Tue Dec 15, 2020 (warriorswire.com photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

The Sacramento Kings had a rough start to the NBA preseason. They lost the first game of two to the Portland Trailblazers in Portland and won the second game on Sunday to start the preseason schedule. The Kings were looking for a better showing as they returned home to Golden One Center on Tuesday night. They did when they had a good leads against the Warriors and in the end wound up with a one point win 114-113.

The Sacramento Kings welcomed their NorCal rival Golden State Warriors for their third preseason game. The Kings showed grit that had been missing in the first game. They managed to play defense when they had to and score when they had to.

The Kings played their best defense in the first two quarters limiting  Golden State to 47 points at halftime. The Kings managed to put up 62 points in the first half and had a nice pace going to enter the middle portion of the game.

Unfortunately for the Kings and their third-quarter woes, which had been well documented in past seasons came back to bite them just a little bit. Golden State outscored the Kings 34 to 26 in the third quarter. The Kings were able to hold on through in the final quarter, even being out paced by Golden State again. They were outscored 32 to 26 in the fourth quarter but still manage to win the game miraculously. The Kings Kyle Guy hit a game-winning buzzer-beater to give the Kings the win.

Guy finished the night leading the Kings in scoring with 20 points. It was an excellent showing for a second-year player who had been flying under the radar for Sacramento. The Kings hope he can continue this good play into the regular season.

Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 29 points.

Up next: the Kings take on the same Warriors on Thursday night at Golden One Center.

Kings nip Warriors at the buzzer win 114-113

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Despite leading Golden State with 29 points on  Tues Dec 15, 2020 at Golden 1 Center Stephen Curry and the Warriors finished just a point short in their loss to the Sacramento Kings (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors met the Sacramento Kings Tuesday at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. The Kings’ Kyle Guy knocked down a three-point shot as the buzzer sounded to give the Kings the win 114-113.

The Warriors were without Draymond Green, rookie James Wiseman, and second-year player Eric Paschall. Warriors head coach, Steve Kerr, selected Juan Toscano-Anderson to start at strong forward in place of Draymond Green.

Other players in the starting lineup were Kelly Oubre, Jr, Andrew Wiggins, Kevon Looney, and Steph Curry. The Kings lineup included Marvin Bagley III, former Warrior Harrison Barnes, Richaun Holmes at the center position, Buddy Hield, and De’Aaron Fox in the backcourt.

The Kings, coached by former Warriors assistant Luke Walton and Warriors head coach Steve Kerr wanted to see how the players would perform as the season starts in just a week. The starters would play in the first and third quarters, and the backups would see action in the second and fourth quarters. 

As for the game,  Curry scored eleven of the team’s first fifteen points in the first quarter. Curry looked to be in mid-season form. The Warriors finished the quarter leading 27-25. The Kings won the second quarter as they outscored the Warriors 37-20 to finish the first half with a 62-47 lead. Curry led the club with 16 points in 16 minutes of action.

The Kings went up by nineteen early in the third quarter. The Warriors rallied to cut the deficit to seven at the end of the third quarter. Curry continued to play well. Kevon Looney and Marquese Chriss played well. Wiggins and Oubre made clutch buckets to help the Warriors climb back into the game. Sacramento led 88-81 at the end of three.

In the fourth quarter, Curry, Wiggins, Oubre, and Looney were on the bench. Kent Bazemore, Brad Wanamaker, Chriss, and Damion Lee led the W’s comeback. The Dubs led 113-111 with six seconds left to play. The Kings’ Kyle Guy, who was hot coming off the bench, connected with his sixth three-pointer as the buzzer sounded to win it for Sacramento.

Game Notes and Stats: Curry led the Warriors with 29 points in 29 minutes of play. Oubre and Wiggins each had 12. Chriss finished the night with 17 points, nine rebounds, and he made three threes. Bazemore and Lee each had seven. Rookie Nico Mannion saw action for the first time in his career. Brad Wanamaker finished with ten points, five rebounds, and three assists.

Buddy Hield finished with 18, De’Aaron Fox 17. Hassan Whiteside, always tough on the Warriors, had eleven points and nine boards. Kyle Guy finished with twenty points. He made six threes in ten tries.

The two teams meet Thursday night again in Sacramento. The game will tip off at 6 pm. 

Sacramento Kings game wrap: Kings turn it around for 121-106 win in Portland

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The Sacramento Kings and Portland Trailblazers played their second pre season game in Portland on Sun Dec 13, 2020 (live over lay photo from nba.com)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

The Sacramento Kings embarked on their tune-up games on Friday night. Things did not go as planned. The Kings defense let them down big time in a loss to the Trail Blazers in Portland 127-102.

The Kings remained in Portland to rematch the Blazers on Sunday.

In the game, the Kings showed much more resilience on the defensive end of the floor. The Kings allowed the Trail Blazers to score 106 points while holding the Blazers to 22 points or less in two quarters.

The Kings didn’t allow a “meltdown quarter” like Friday night when they gave up 40 points in the first. On the offensive side of the ball, the Kings were able to score 121 points. For a 121-106 victory tally on Sunday. Richaun Holmes led the Kings in scoring by putting up 14 points. Buddy Hield led the game in assists with seven. That was an unusual sight for the Kings but something that undoubtedly helped win the game.

The Kings overall looked much better in the second game in Portland than the first. They are looking to get some sort of rhythm down before starting the regular season on December 23rd in Denver.

Keys to success for the Kings this year appear simple in my eyes. The Kings must play with pace and play good defense on the other end. The Kings have the players to knock down shots in the open court; they just need to get themselves the looks.

Next Up: The Kings will travel home to take on the NorCal rival Golden State Warriors at Golden One Center on Tuesday night. The game is set for 7 PM PST.

Warriors down Nuggets in the preseason opener 107-105

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The Denver Nuggets watch the Golden State Warriors offense take lay ups and shots. The Warriors get a two point win to open the NBA exhibition season on Sat Dec 12, 2020 at Chase Center in San Francisco (photo from @warriors)

By Jerry Feitelberg

San Francisco- The Golden State Warriors opened the first of the three-game preseason with a win over the Denver Nuggets 107-105. It was the first game the Warriors had played since the NBA season stopped play last March. The Warriors had the worst record in the NBA last year. Injuries to key players and the loss of Kevin Durant, in a sign and trade deal to the Brooklyn Nets, caused the Dubs to flounder all season long.

The W’s superstar, Steph Curry, played in only five games last season. All-Star Klay Thompson did not play as he recovered from surgery to repair the ACL in his left knee. Klay will miss the entire 2020-2021 season due to a torn Achilles tendon. The Warriors traded for Kelly Oubre, Jr, to help make up for Klay’s absence. The team acquired Andrew Wiggins from the T-Wolves for D’Angelo Russell. Wiggins did not have a chance to work with Steph last season. The W’s are hoping that Oubre and Wiggins will fit in well with the Warriors’ scheme of attack.

The number one draft pick, James Wiseman, and the veteran forward, Draymond Green, were not available due to bouts with Covid-19. They should return soon. However, it might take time for them to blend in with the new players.

The Warriors are hoping for center Kevon Looney to stay healthy for the entire year. Looney had been saddled with injuries in his first four years with the team. W’s head coach Steve Kerr will have to determine who will be the starting center. Will it be Wiseman, Looney, or Marquiss Chriss. Chriss played well last year. In the five years, the W’s went to the NBA finals, they used three guys in the center position. They used Pachulia, JaVale McGee, and David West in the rotations. They hope to use the three bigs, in the same manner this year.

The W’s are hoping for improvement from the second-year player, Jordan Poole. Poole worked hard in the off-season to add new dimensions to his game. Damion Lee, Brad Wanamaker, Kent Bazemore will be fighting to get playing times this season. These four players will get time on the second unit. Another player who is trying to make the team is Mychal Mulder. Mulder did well last year late in the season.

Players on the bubble know that they have to make the most of their opportunities when they get into the game.

How did they do? The Warriors’ first game was against the Denver Nuggets at the Chase Center Saturday night. Steve Kerr and his staff are looking to see what players will make the team. The W’s had a formidable opponent. The Nuggets beat the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2020 playoffs. They couldn’t handle the Lakers, but they are an outstanding team led by center Nikola Jokic.

The Warriors started Kevon Looney at center, Eric Paschall, who made the 1st team-NBA all-rookie team in 2020, was one of the forwards, Kelly Oubre, Jr the other forward, Andrew Wiggins, and Steph Curry were the guards.

How did they perform? Looney had eight points, six rebounds, and three assists. Paschall eight points, seven boards, and three assists. Oubre ten points, Wiggins eight, Steph 10. Steph made two threes in 22 minutes of actions. The subs did well too, Bazemore knocked down 13, Damion Lee twelve in eleven minutes of action. Brad Wanamaker, signed as a free agent, had eight. Jordan Poole 10, and Mychal Mulder 10 in 10 minutes of work.

Jokic led Denver with 26. Gary Harris 11, Paul Millsap 8, Jamal Murray 4. Backup guard Monte Morris added 10.

The Warriors play the next two preseason games against the Kings in Sacramento on December 15th and 17th. They open the season against the Brooklyn Nets on December 22nd. They will face their old teammate Kevin Durant who will be making his debut as a Net. It will be a must-watch game.

NBA is back Kings get clobbered by Blazers in Portland 127-102

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Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox (5) and Portland Trailblazers Damian Lillard (0) watch the play fold in front of them in Portland on Fri Dec 11, 2020 (nba.com photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

The NBA is back! Most of the teams in the league came back into action for pre season play. The Sacramento Kings would be one of those teams. The Kings on a two game visit to Portland lost the first of the two on Friday night 127-102.

Kings fans come into this season trepidatious at best. The Kings had an off-season that could be described as turbulent. They fired their General Manager Vlade Divac, signed De’Aaron Fox to a max extension, lost Bogdan Bogdanovic to free agency, and tried to repair a shattered Buddy Hield relationship. All of this had taken place since the bubble in Orlando saw the Kings fly home.

The expectations for this year are tempered. The Kings didn’t do much to get better in the offseason. They are hoping that a young core including a healthy Marvin Bagley who can make a splash in a crowded conference.

The Kings took on the Portland Trail Blazers in their first matchup of the preseason. The results weren’t great. The Kings didn’t play well on defense. They allowed Blazers to score 127 points. Carmelo Anthony led the way in scoring for the Blazers with 21 points while recently departed King Harry Giles led the way in rebounds with 14.

For the Kings, who managed to put up only 102 points received 23 of those from Buddy Hield. Nemanja Bjelica led the way with seven rebounds for the Kings. The Kings allowed the Blazers to score 41 points in the first quarter to dig themselves an early hole. The Kings look to have a better performance in their next game on Sunday night.

Next up: The Kings will take on the same Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday at 6PM PST.

 

 

Headline Sports podcast with London Marq: No cusTOMary handshake from Brady; How Obure and Wannamaker will workout for Golden State; plus more

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady didn’t do the customary post game handshake with the opposing quarterback in this case Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff causing a furry of criticism after Monday Night Football (photo from CBS)

On Headlines podcast with London:

#1 Lots of criticism towards Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady for not going on the field after the game for the customary handshake with the opposing quarterback this time with the Los Angeles Rams Jared Goff after Monday Night Football. Brady refused to shake the hand of Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles during week 5.

#2 Brady had this reputation as a nice person who contributes his time for charity and has opened his house up to the much criticized teammate and running back Antonio Brown but after shunning two opposing NFL quarterbacks twice after two games this season he’s starting to hear it from critics all around.

#3 The Golden State Warriors were hoping to have bolstered their roster adding guard Brad Wanamaker and Kelly Oubre Jr after what Warrior Stephen Curry calls after the injury to Klay Thompson “tragic for a guy as talented and hungry as Klay.”

#4 The Sacramento Kings nearly dealt away Bogdan Bogdanovic but now the team is trying to make him an offer. The Kings nearly dealt Bogdanovic to the Milwaukee Bucks but the Bucks acquired Jrue Holidy from the New Orleans Pelicans and Bogdanovic was up for bid as the Atlanta Hawks are vying for him at $72 million for four years. The Kings are debating whether to match that offer but some sources say that the Kings would better letting Bogdanovic go the Hawks because it allow salary cap flexibility around D’Aaron Fox, Marvin Bagley III, and Tyrese Halliburton’s salaries.

#5 On Monday the San Francisco 49ers signed quarterback Josh Johnson 34, as a practice squad quarterback and most likely won’t be on the active roster unless quarterback Nick Mullens is on the injured list. This is Johnson’s 14th NFL team and he has played in four different leauges, the UFL, AAF, XFL, and now the NFL.

Join London for Headlines podcasts each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Thompson’s News Worse for the Warriors in 2020

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Klay Thompson’s MRI show that he does have a serious Achilles tear and will be out for the 2020-21 season (CBS Sports file photo)

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

Although nationwide Stephen Curry is the most recognizable player with the Warriors, Klay Thompson is as loved by Warriors fans as anybody, and to hear the news that Klay will not be able to play this next season because of an Achilles tear in his right leg, is probably the worse news for the team in 2020.

Many Warriors fans are talking of how much this hurts, especially after he was getting ready to come back and play this upcoming season set to start December 22, after he missed the last season with torn ACL in his left knee.

The five-time shooting guard is expected to make a full recovery, according to all reports, that is sort of good news. However, this would be the second consecutive season for Klay to be on the sidelines.

The Warriors are forced to be without Thompson for the first two full seasons of his new contract. Many are questioning the organization, did they go too far in rewarding Thompson with his new contract of five-years and $189 million, specially because he inked that contract after he played his last game during Game 6 of the NBA Finals in 2019.

The Warriors picked Center James Wiseman (#2) in the first round of the NBA Draft this week. His role becomes much more important, he should be the starting Center for a team that is lacking size, a legitimate big man that can run the court, Wiseman is a 7 footer with great athletic ability. So picking Wiseman could prove to be a very “wise” move for the W’S.

Note: Soon the NBA will release the full schedule for every team. Each team is expected to play 72 games, with 42 of those against teams from the same conference and then 30 against non-conference. The league is moving carefully since we are in the middle of the predicted second wave of covid-19, so there could be more adjustments in the future as there could be games rescheduled because of the protocols.

Stay tuned and stay well.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sacramento Kings had a big draft night

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Photo credit: cbssports.com

By Ana Kieu

The NBA Draft started on Wednesday night, and the Sacramento Kings had a big night. The Kings had their first and second round draft picks as well as the 35th pick and the 52nd pick, thanks to a three-team trade between the Kings, Houston Rockets, and Cleveland Cavaliers by the 2019 trade deadline,

With the 12th pick, Sacramento selected Tyrese Haliburton. Haliburton is a point guard who played at Iowa State University from 2018 to 2020. He was most recently named to the Second Team All-Big 12.

Haliburton told ESPN: “I’m in the perfect spot.”

ESPN Front Office Insider Bobby Marks shared his praise for the Kings’ 12th pick. Marks said: “In my 25 years working in the NBA, [Haliburton’s] the best interview I’ve ever gone through.”

The Kings traded their 35th pick to the Memphis Grizzlies for the 40th pick and a future second round pick.

With the 40th pick, Sacramento selected Robert Woodard II. Woodard is a guard and forward who played at Mississippi State University from 2018 to 2020.

With the 43rd pick, Sacramento selected Jahmi’us Ramsey. Ramsey is a guard who played at Texas Tech University from 2019 to 2020.

Nobody is sure that the Kings will get out of dysfunction this coming season, but these three picks are promising. Also, Sacramento has to consider changing their team’s culture.