Tag: NBA

Warriors lose a thriller in overtime to Portland 129-124

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azcentral.com photo: msn.com photo: Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard drives to the hoop against the Golden State Warriors.

By Jerry Feitelberg

It was a meeting of two banged-up teams Monday night at the Mod Center in Portland, Oregon. The Golden State Warriors suited up eight players for the game. Draymond Green was out with a sprained finger.

Glenn Robinson has a sore ankle and was not available. Kevon Looney is still on the injured list. Portland had nine players available. C.J. McCollum was held out of action Monday night. He may return on Wednesday. There is no timetable for Zach Collins or Jusef Nurcic to return.

The Warriors beat the Blazers the last time the teams met. The Blazers couldn’t believe what happened to them, and they wanted to get the win. Without McCollum, the scoring load fell to the Blazers’ other All-Star guard, Damian Lillard. Lillard, who is from Oakland, had a sensational game.

The young man from Oakland put a career-high and season-high sixty-one points on the board. He made a career-high 11 threes and led his team to a 129-124 overtime win over the Warriors.

The game was a barn-burner from start to finish. The most significant lead that Portland had all night was six points. The Warriors led by 11 in the second quarter 44-33. Lillard started making threes, and the W’s lead disappeared.

The Blazers won the first period 27-23. D’Angelo Russell was one-for nine from the floor early in the game. Alec Burks and Damion Lee paced the Warrior offense in the quarter. The Warriors started the second quarter on a 12-0 run to lead 35-27 the Warriors, behind D’Angelo Russell’s 13-point performance, finished the first half with a 4-point advantage 57-53.

Russell led the team in scoring in the first half with 15. Burks had 11. Willie Cauley-Stein and Marquese Chriss each had eight. Damian Lillard led Portland with 21. He made two threes in the half.

The third quarter was wild and wooly. The Warriors won the quarter 35-34. Eric Paschall, D’Angelo Russell, Alec Burks, and Jordan Poole all contributed helping the Warriors end the third period leading 92-87. The Blazers’ Lillard put on a show as he had 21 points in the third quarter to keep Portland close to the lead.

The Warriors maintained the lead for a while in the fourth quarter. Russell hit a three to make the score 100-95. Portland clawed their way back and regained the lead for the first time since the first quarter when Lillard knocked down a three to put Portland ahead 103-102.

The Blazers increased the lead to 105-102. It was at this point that the Warriors went on a 7-0 run to lead 109-105. Portland fought back and led 110-109. The Warriors made the next two baskets to lead 113-110. Lillard made his tenth three of the night to tie the game at 113 and send it to overtime.

The Warriors, behind Alec Burks, Eric Paschall, and Willie Cauley-Stein scored the first six points of the overtime period to lead 119-113. The Warriors could not stop Lillard. He continued to find ways to score, and his efforts led the Blazers to the lead 123-121.

Alec Burks hit a three, and the W’s regained the advantage 124-123.  The Warriors would not score again. Portland made a two-point shot to go-ahead 125-124. Burks then missed a three. Portland’s big center, Hassan Whiteside, was fouled, making the rebound.

Whiteside made the free throws to put the Blazers in the driver’s seat 127-124. The Warriors with 8.5 seconds to play, and they needed to make a three-point shot. The Warriors found Jordan Poole in the corner. His three-point shot missed the mark. Damian Lillard was then fouled. Lillard made both free throws to put the icing on the cake. Portland wins 129-124.

Game Notes and Stats- The star of the night was Damian Lillard. Lillard set a career-high with 61 points. He tallied 60 earlier this season. He also had a career-high 11 threes. He also set an NBA record for points scored on Martin Luther King Day.

The Warriors played well but not well enough. The young Warriors have played tough competitive games, and they should be much better when they get their star players back. The Warriors youngsters are getting valuable playing time. They are learning how to compete in the NBA. It has been a challenging year, to say the least, for the Warriors. Let’s take a look at the bright side of Monday’s night loss.

Alec Burks led Golden State with 33 points, seven rebounds, and eight assists. Burks made two three-point shots. D’Angelo Russell’s numbers were 27 points, eight boards, nine assists, and five 3s. Eric Paschall had a double-double with 22 points and 13 rebounds. Marquese Chriss had 14, Willie Cauley-Stein 12, and Jordan Poole nine.

Damian Lillard finished with 61 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists, and he connected on 11 threes. Hassan Whiteside, who always plays well against Golden State, had 17 points, 21 rebounds, and he blocked six shots. Carmelo Anthony had 14, Anfernee Simons, 15, and Gary Trent, Jr. 11.

The Blazers will announce on Tuesday that they have traded Kent Bazemore and Anthony Tolliver to the Sacramento Kings for Trevor Ariza, Caleb Swangian, and Wenyen Gabriel.

With the loss, The Warriors drop to 10-35. The Blazers improved to 19-26.

The Warriors return home to face the Utah Jazz Wednesday night at the Chase Center. The game will start at 7 pm.

 

Kings dropped their fourth consecutive game on Saturday night in Utah 123-101

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by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings lost their fourth-consecutive game in Utah on Saturday night 123-101. That is not how the Kings wanted to kick off their five-game road trip.

The Kings were never really in the game against the Jazz. Utah outscored the Kings 38-22 in the opening quarter and that set the tone for the entire game.

Sacramento (15-27) was not able to stop the Utah (29-13) pick and roll attack. The Kings also kept sending the Jazz to the free throw line and Utah kept converting those opportunities.

The Kings were missing Holmes

The Kings defense really missed the injured Richaun Holmes on Saturday night. When Sacramento beat Utah back in November, Holmes played a very physical game versus Jazz star Rudy Gobert. On Saturday night, no one kept a body on Gobert and he had his way with the Kings.

Bogi was back for SAC

Bogdan Bogdanovic returned to the lineup for the Kings, but it was apparent that he was still a bit “rusty” as he returned from being off the court. Bogdanovic scored 11 points shooting 5-for-11 from the floor. He also added four rebounds and four assists in his 22-plus minutes of playing time.

The other Bogi was really on

Utah’s Bogdanovic – Bojan – scored 30 points in his team’s victory. He shot 10-for-15 overall and 6-of-9 from behind the 3-point line. Bogdanovic was really just unstoppable.

TOP PERFORMERS

Leading scorers

  • Bojan Bogdanovic was the game’s high scorer putting 30 points in the book
  • De’Aaron Fox scored a team-high 21 points for the Kings

The Glass cleaners

  • Rudy Gobert the leading rebounder with 15 and made it a double-double game by scoring 28 points
  • Marvin Bagley III led the Kings with seven rebounds

Dropping dimes

  • Joe Ingles distributed a game-leading 12 assists
  • Fox led the Kings with eight dimes

THE BIG HEADLINE OF THE NIGHT

According to league sources, the Portland Trail Blazers and the Sacramento Kings have made a five -player trade. There has not been an official announcement because one of the players involved cannot sign a regular NBA contract until Tuesday.

Reportedly, the Kings will send Trevor Ariza, Wenyen Gabriel, and Caleb Swanigan to Portland in exchange for Kent Bazemore and Anthony Tolliver. The Kings would also receive two second-round draft picks, one in 2024 and one for 2025.

The reason Portland was interested in the trade is believed to be their interest in adding Kevin Love to their roster. This trade will clear millions from their payroll that they need in order to make room to make a deal for Love.

The Kings were interested in the deal because they will receive two serviceable players with expiring contracts. Combined those contracts will be worth over 21-million dollars salary cap clearing-dollars. Sacramento may have just made the way to keep Bogdan Bogdanovic a Sacramento King for the long term.

The Kings will also open an extra roster spot in the deal.

Look for the next deal that the Kings will make to involve Dewayne Dedmon who has publicly requested a trade. The Kings will no doubt be looking for a player with an expiring contract in order to have the flexibility for next season.

Warriors overcome slow start and finish with 109-95 win; Snaps 10 game losing streak

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eastbaytimes.com photo: Golden State Warriors’ Jordan Poole (3) shoots and makes a three-point basket against the Orlando Magic in the first quarter of their NBA game at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2020

By Jerry Feitelberg

San Francisco- The Warriors, after losing a heart-breaker Thursday night to the Denver Nuggets, appeared to be suffering the ill-effects of that overtime loss. Golden State may have started slowly, but they were able to overcome the slow start and went on the beat the Orlando Magic 109-95.

The visiting Orlando Magic started well and grabbed an early 13-0 lead. The Warriors went a litte over four minutes before scoring. Rookies Jordan Poole and Eric Paschall connected on a three to cut the deficit to 13-6. In fact, the Warriors went on a 13-2 run to make in 15-13.The teams played a very competitive firs quarter and the Warriors finished leading 28-25.

The Warriors continued to play well in the second quarter. The Magic kept pace and neither team could get any separtion. Both teams played well on defense and the first half ended with the Warriors in the lead with a one-point advantage 53-52.

Jordan Poole was the only Warrior in double figures. Poole has played well since his return from the G-League team in Santa Cruz. He knocked down three threes and finished with 14. Eric Paschall had nine, and Omari Spellman eight.

The Magic’s leading scorer in the first half Markell Fultz with 14. Fultz, a number one draft pick by the Philadelphia Sixers, has found a new life for himself in Orlando. No other Magic player had more than seven.

The Warriors, who used to own the third quarter during the dynasty days, have had the tables turned on them so far this season. The Warriors, on Saturday, played like the Warriors of old. They outscored the Magic 29-19.

D’Angelo Russell sparked the team to the 11-point lead 82-71 to end the period. They played well on both ends of the court. They also wanted to rebound from the Denver loss. In that game, they had a substantial lead heading into the fourth quarter.

They did not want to have that happen again. However, Orlando, a team that is in contention for a playoff berth in the Eastern Conference, came to life and went on a 14-4 run to trail 86-85. The young Warriors have learned that they cannot let down in the fourth quarter.

Eric Paschall and D’Angelo each made a bucket to go up 90-87. The Magic bounced back and regained the lead 91-90. Orlando were leading 93-32 when Damion Lee made a layup and was fouled on the play. He made the foul throw. Lee’s basket and free throw started the Warriors on a 17-2 run that propelled them to the win 109-95.

Game Notes and Stats- With the win, the W’s improved to 10-34. The last time the Warriors had a 10-game losing streak took place March 9-24, 2002. D’Angelo Russell led the team with 26 points and 12 assists.

Jordan Poole had 21, Eric Paschall 20, Willie Cauley-Stein 10, Alec Burks 11, Damion Lee 9, and Omari Spellman 8. Markell Fultz led the Magic with 23. The Warrior defense held Nikola Vucevic to 13, and Evan Fournier o 12. Both of these players average about 19 points per game. Aaron Gordon had 11, and Terrence Ross 10.

The Warriors’s Draymond Green did not play due to a finger injury. Glenn Robinson was banged up and Steve Kerr gave him the night off. The Warriors, down to nine players, recalled Ky Bowman from Santa Cruz.

The Warriors travel to Portland to face the Trailblazers Monday night. The game will start at 7pm. The Warriors return home to face Utah Jazz at the Chase Center on Wednesday.

Warriors play well still lose in overtime 134-131

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sbnation.com photo: Warriors continue their skid as they lose to the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night at Chase Center in San Francisco

By Jerry Feitelberg

San Francisco- The Warriors welcomed back Damion Lee and Marquese Chriss to the team Thursday night. Lee is no longer a two-way player. He signed a three-year contract with the club on Wednesday. Chriss was waived to make room for Lee.

None of the other 29 teams signed him and the Warriors were able to sign him to a two-way contract. With those two young men in the lineup, the Warriors had to face the Denver Nuggets at the Chase Center. The Nuggets, coached by the Warriors former assistant coach Mike Malone, own the second-best record in the Western Conference.

The Nuggets were missing three key players Paul Millsap, Gary Harris, and Jamal Murray. Those three players score about 41 points a game. The Warriors were without three key players, too. Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Kevon Looney were not available.

The young Warriors gave the Nuggets a much tougher battle than they imagined. The Warriors led most of the way until late in the fourth quarter. The Warriors didn’t fold. They clawed their way back to tie the game and send it to overtime. The Nuggets, with three very tall players, were able to hold off the Warriors to win the game 134-131.

The Nuggets grabbed a 3-0 lead in the first quarter on the first bucket of the game. The Warriors made three threes to lead 9-3. They outplayed the Nuggets and finished the first quarter leading 34-19. The Warriors continued to hold the led for the entire second period. The Warriors offense stalled and they committed too many turnovers.

The Nuggets went on a 16-4 run to close the gap to 46-41. Alec Burks, D’Angelo Russell led the Warriors on a 13-2 run to finish the quarter leading 62-45. Russell, with 12, and Damian Lee, with 11, paced the Warrior offense.

The Nuggets, determined not to lose to Golden State, outscored the Warriors 28-23 in the third quarter. They cut the lead to eight 79-71, but the Warriors made buckets near the end of the period to lead 85-73 after three periods of play.

The Nuggets upped the ante in the fourth quarter. They had their two bigs, Nikola Jokic and Mason Plumlee, on the floor at the same time. The Nuggets wanted to get the ball into the hands of Will Barton and Malik Beasley. Barton and Beasley were on fire and they were making threes. The Nuggets defense did its job as they held to 28 points while they scored 40. Denver took a lead late in the game but the Warriors found a way to tie the game and send it to overtime.

The Nuggets showed why they are one of the best teams in the NBA. They made the first basket in the extra stanza. They increased the lead to seven 128-121 when Will Barton knocked down a three. The w’s trailed by six when Damion Lee connected on a three and Draymond Green made two free throws to cut the deficit to one 132-131 with 9.9 seconds left to play. Damion Lee missed a three that would have tied the game, but time ran out and the Nuggets prevailed 134-131.

Game Notes and Stats- The Warriors probably played their best game of the year. The Warriors coaching staff had to be impressed with the effort of his young team. The fans at the Chase Center realized that the team was making progress. It didn’t help that it was the Warriors tenth loss in a row. Many people are saying that the Warriors will be so much better next year when Curry and Thompson return.

Here are some of the positives that the people watched Thursday night. The Warriors had seven players in double-figures. The team made 20 threes. They moved the ball well and recorded 36 assists. The negatives were the 18 turnovers and losing the rebounding battle 50-4.

Alec Burks led the club with 25 points. Lee had 21, Russell 19, Glenn Robinson 17, Eric Paschall 16 ( 12 in the 4th quarter), Jodan Poole, and Willie Cauley-Stein each had 10.

Will Barton, the well-known Warrior killer, paced the Nuggets with 31. Barton made seven threes in ten tries. Malik Beasley posted 27 points and he made five threes. Jokis had a double-double with 23 points and 12 board. Mason Plumlee also had a double-double with 15 points and 15 rebounds. The third big man, Michael Porter, Jr. recorded a double-double, too. He had 18 points, 10 points, and five assists. He made three threes in three tries.

With the loss, the Warriors are now 9-34. Denver’s record improved to 29-12.

 

 

 

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Kings just couldn’t get to finish line Mavericks win it 127-123

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@Sportsnet photo: The Dallas Mavericks Luka Doncic was hard to contain as he and the Mavericks rains buckets on the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night at Golden One Center in Sacramento

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SRS Kings beat writer

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings continued to be mire in the mist that is mediocrity. Just when you think they are turning a corner they have a puzzling defeat that puts them back at square one.

The Kings were hoping to flip the script against an opponent they beat on the road last month, the Dallas Mavericks. It was set to be the showdown of Luka Doncic and Marvin Bagley both of whom were picked high in the draft two seasons ago. The tip-off was set for 7 PM PST at Golden One Center.

In the first quarter, the Kings got a strong showing from Buddy Hield. Trying to put his early-season struggles behind him, Buddy was in double figures in the first with ten points. However, the Mavericks managed to take the early lead on 55.6% shooting 35-31. Maxi Kleber was the leading scorer for the Mavs with eight points.

In the second quarter, The Kings kept things close. The Kings scored 36 points in the second but it wasn’t enough to take the lead. The Mavs added 36 as well to keep the game right where it started in the second at a four-point Kings deficit 71-67. The games leading scorers to this point were Buddy Hield and Seth Curry who both had 16 points. The Kings would look to keep up the pace on defense to contain the Mavs offense.

In the third quarter, The Kings had a familiar occurrence take place. That is the third-quarter meltdown. The Mavs outscored the Kings 37 to 26 in the third to make it a 108-93 game. The Kings looked defeated. The Kings defense had let them down in a big way. The Mavs had scored 35, 36, and 37 points in the first three quarters. No NBA team is going to win a game with those numbers. The Kings were heading into the final session looking for a miracle.

In the final quarter, no miracle occurred in Sacramento. The Mavericks scored 19 in the fourth compared to the Kings 20 as the Mavs came away with the victory 127-123. The Leading scorers for the Kings in defeat were De’Aaron Fox with 27 points, Buddy Hield with 25 points and Harrison Barnes who put up 22. For the victorious Mavericks, it was Luka Doncic who had 24 points to go along with 17 assists and 15 rebounds. The Kings are now 15-26 on the season and are running out of excuses.

They are about to embark on a long road trip that will really test this team’s resolve to stay in the hunt this season.

Up Next: The Kings head out on the road to take on the Utah Jazz on Saturday at 6 PM PST. The Kings won’t return home until January 29th.

Dallas continues their dominance blows out Golden State 124-97

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By Jerry Feitelberg

San Francisco- There was good news and bad news for the Golden State Warriors as they hosted the high-scoring Dallas Mavericks at the Chase Center Tuesday night. The bad news is that the Mavericks blew out the Warriors 124-97. The good news is that the Warriors will not face them again this season. The Mavs trounced the W’s all three times. The only time that the Warriors lead was in the first quarter when Draymond Green knocked down a three to give the W’s a 3-2 lead. From that point on, it was all Dallas.

In the first quarter, with the Mavs leading 16-13, the guys from Dallas hit three consecutive three-point shots to lead 25-13. The Mavericks finished the first quarter with a 10-point advantage 36-26. The Mavericks, led by Luka Doncic and Dwight Powell, continued to pour it on. The Mavericks had a considerable height advantage. They utilized their huge center from Serbia, seven-foot four-inch, Boban Marjanovic, to control the boards and protect the rim at their end of the court. The Mavs finished the first 24 minutes of play with a commanding 64-47 lead. The scoring leader for Dallas was the former Stanford Cardinal, Dwight Powell. Powell led the Mavs with 15. Doncic had 10. Tim Hardaway, Jr, the son of the former great Warrior guard Tim Hardaway, added 10. Maxi Kleber had nine, and the Dallas bench kicked in with 21. The Mavs shot 55% from the floor. The W’s 42%. The Mavs outrebounded the Warriors 30 to 15.

The Mavs dominated the third period as they built a 28-point lead 84-56. It was at this point that the W’s went on a 13-0 run to make it 84-69. Dallas regained the momentum and finished the third period with a commanding 23-point cushion 94-71.

There are not too many teams in the NBA that can come back from a 23-point deficit to start the fourth quarter. Tuesday’s game was not the exception. The Mavericks cruised to a comfortable victory. The Warriors’  rookies Jordan Poole and Eric Paschal had the opportunity to get more minutes of playing time. Poole, who was demoted to the G-League for a couple of games, has played well since his return. Paschall appears to be rounding back into playing shape after missing several games. Dallas won the game 124-97.

Game Notes and Stats- With about four minutes left in the second quarter, Jacob Evans was injured. Evans was going for a rebound when he was stuck in the face by Dwight Powell. Powell’s elbow landed near Evans’ cheekbone, and Jacob crumpled to the floor. He was able to stand, but he looked dazed and wobbled, walking back to the locker room. It was reported that the team sent Evans to the hospital for treatment. The extent of his injury is not known at this time.

The Warriors did not play Damion Lee or Ky Bowman Tuesday night. Lee is expected to sign an NBA contract with the team on Wednesday. The Mavericks’ big guy Kristaps Porzingis did not play due to an injury.

The Warriors are expected to sign Marquese Chriss to a two-way contract on Wednesday. Chriss will split his time playing in the G-League with Santa Cruz and will be recalled when needed to play with the W’s.

The Warriors had six players in double figures. Poole led the team with 17. Eric Paschall had 16, D’Angelo Russell13, Glenn Robinson 13, Alec Burks 10, and Omari Spellman 10.

Dwight Powell, who loves to torment the Warriors, led the Mavs with 21. Luka Doncic, who averages 29 points a game, was “held” to just 20. Maxi Kleber had 11, the big Serbian Marjanovich finished with a double-double 13 points and 11 rebounds. J.J. Barea had 11.

The Warriors dropped to 9-33 to own the worst record in the NBA. The Atlanta Hawks won their game and just 1/2 game better with a record of 9-32. The Mavericks improved to 25-18. They currently reside in sixth place in the Western Conference.

The Warriors resume play Thursday night when they host the Denver Nuggets at the Chase Center. The game will start at 7:30 pm.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Charlie O: Kings can’t force overtime lose by a bucket 114-112 to Orlando

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nbcsports.com photo: The Sacramento Kings De’Aaron Fox (35) defends against the Orlando Magic’s center Nikola Vucevic (9) Monday night at Golden One Center in Sacramento

 On the Kings podcast with Charlie O:

#1 The Kings were focused and concentrated but in the end they lost by a bucket in a see saw fourth quarter loss to the visiting Orlando Magic 114-112 on Monday night at Golden One Center.

#2 The Magic wanted this one just as badly as the Kings did and both team played to death and maybe forcing sudden death but the Magic were able to survive and win in regulation.

#3 Four players in double figures for the Magic with Nikola Vucevic finished on top for the Magic with 26 points it was hard to defend the Magic.

#4 Talk about the kind of night that Nemanja Bjelica who led the Kings in double figures with 34 points the highest scorers for both team

#5 Wednesday night at Golden One the Kings will try again to get in the win column as they tip off against the Dallas Mavericks at 7:00pm

Charlie O does the Kings podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Grizzlies maul Warriors in second half send Golden State down to eighth straight loss 122-102

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Memphis Grizzlies center Jonas Valanciunas, top, shoots between Golden State Warriors forward Glenn Robinson III (22) and guard D’Angelo Russell (0) in the second half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Jan. 12, 2020, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors, who have played well in their last four games. were hoping to snap their seven-game losing streak Sunday. They were facing a young Memphis Grizzlies in Memphis.

The Grizzlies, like the Warriors, are a young team. They, however, have turned their season around and were able to win their fifth game in a row by a score of 122-102. The oldest player in the Grizzlies’ starting lineup was 29-year-old Jae Crowder.

The Warriors welcomed back D’Angelo Russell to the starting lineup Sunday. Russell missed six games due to a right shoulder contusion when he ran into the Dallas Mavericks’ Luke Doncic in December.

Neither Damion Lee nor Ky Bowman was available as they are close to the limit of games that they can play in the NBA as they have two-way contracts. Lee is expected to sign a deal soon that would give remove the two-way status.

With Lee and Bowman out, the Warriors started D’Angelo Russell and Alec Burks at guard. Omari Spellman, who has been in double-figures the last four games, made his second career start in the NBA.

Spellman had the unenviable task of having to stop the Grizzlies big center, Jonas Valanciunas. Valanciunas hails from Lithuania and is six-feet eleven inches tall and is a force in the middle. The other player that is making a difference for Memphis is the rookie, Ja Morant. Morant, who played his college ball at Murray State, is averaging 18 points a game and, at the moment, is the odds-on favorite to be Rookie of the Year in the NBA.

The Warriors and the Grizzlies played a very competitive first 24 minutes. In the first half, the lead changed six times. The Warriors made five threes in the first quarter and kept pace with the Grizzlies. D’Angelo Russell had some trouble making his shots as he showed a little rust after missing six games. The Grizzlies finished the first quarter with a 27-26 lead.

Memphis increased the lead to nine 39-30 early in the second quarter. Russell started to make shots. Russell got hot and finished the first half with 18 points. Each team scored 33 points in the second period, and Memphis retained their one-point lead at the end of the first half.

The third quarter was a different story. Over the last five years, the Warriors used to own the third quarter. They would go on the attack and put teams away. On Sunday night, the tables were turned. It was the Grizzlies that owned the quarter.

The Warriors could not stop Jonas Valanciunas. The big center helped the Grizzlies dominate. He grabbed eight offensive rebounds. He made layups. He even made a three-point shot. Memphis stopped the Warriors offense cold in the third quarter.

The Warriors scored just seven points in the first six and one-half minutes pf play in the quarter.  Memphis outscored them 35-17 to finish the period with a 19-point advantage 95-76.

The Warriors played better in the final stanza. Eric Paschall and D’Angelo Russell did what they could, but it was too little, too late. Memphis won the quarter 27-26 and the game 122-102.

Game Notes and Stats- With the loss, the Warriors lost their eighth in a row and are 9-32 for the season. Memphis won their fifth in a row and are now 18-22. Memphis, if the playoffs were to start now, own the eighth spot in the Western Conference.

The Warriors had five players in double figures. Russell led Golden State with 34 points, seven rebounds, and four assists. Russell made five threes in nine tries. Jordan Poole and Alec Burks each had thirteen. Poole made four threes. Omari Spellman had 12 points, four assists, and has made three threes in three tries. Paschall finished with ten.

Jonas Valanciunas had a monster double-double. Jonas knocked down 31 points and pulled down 19 rebounds. Memphis outrebounded The Dubs 60-47. They ripped down 18 offensive boards. The Warriors had 12. Jaren Jackson, Jr. had 21, Ja Morant 11. The Memphis bench added 47 points. Bench players Grayson Allen had 11, Tyus Jones 11, and De’Anthony Melton 10.

The Warriors return home to face the Dallas Mavericks Tuesday night at the Chase Center. The game will start at 7:30 pm.

 

 

 

Warriors falter in fourth quarter fall to Clippers 109-100

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sfgate.com photo: Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, left, passes the ball as Golden State Warriors guard Ky Bowman defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Jan. 10, 2020, in Los Angeles

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors, still without D’Angelo Russell and Kevon Looney, gave the Los Angeles Clippers all they could handle for three quarters Friday night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Omari Spellman made his first start in the NBA and continued to play well for the Warriors.

Spellman had his fourth consecutive game in double-figures, and it appears that he will see a lot more action in the upcoming games. The Clippers, who blew out the Warriors on opening night at the first game ever at the Chase Center, figured they would have no trouble beating the revamped lineup.

They were wrong, and they trailed the Warriors by ten at the end of three periods by a score of 83-73. The young Warriors felt they had an upset in the making, but the Clippers behind Kawhi Leonard, Montrezl Harrell, and Lou Williams found their game, and they were able to propel the Clippers to a 109-100 win.

In the first quarter, the Clippers got off to an early 18-9 lead. The Warriors’ Alec Burks, Glenn Robinson, and Willie Cauley-Stein all made contributions, and the Warriors erased the deficit to tie the game at 20. The Clippers made the last basket of the quarter leading 22-20.

The Warriors found their game in the second quarter. They outscored the Clippers 33-26 to finish the first half leading 53-48. Spellman made two threes to help pace the Warriors to the five-point advantage. Glenn Robinson led the Warriors with 13. Spellman had 11.

Kawhi Leonard paced the Clippers with 15. Leonard was the only Clipper in double-figures in the first half. The Warriors played well on defense to stymie the Clipper offense. The W’s shot 43% from the floor in the half but were 4-for-19 from beyond the 3-point arc.

The Clippers went on a 7-0 run to start the third quarter. LA erased the five-point deficit to lead by two 55-53. The Warriors regrouped and led 68-62 when Draymond Green knocked down a three. Reserve guard Jacob Evans made three mid-range jumpers to help send the Warriors to a 10-point lead 83-73 after three-quarters of play.

The Clippers are a team that will be in the playoffs. They know how to win games. Their star player, Kawhi Leonard, won the NBA Championship last year when he was a Toronto Raptor. He is excellent in crunch time. His teammates, Montrezl Harrell, Lou Williams, Patrick Beverly, and Mo Harkless, have been around the block a few times, and Friday night’s game was not their first rodeo.

The Clippers showed the young Warriors that if they want to win in the NBA, they have to stop their opponent’s big guns. They tried but could not shut down the Clipper offense. The Clippers went on a 13-2 run to open the quarter to lead 87-85. The Warriors never led again. They came close, but Kawhi Leonard and Company outscored them 36-17 in the quarter  to win 109-100,

Game Notes and stats- The Warriors dropped their seventh game in a row and are now 9-31 for the season. The Clippers improved to 27-12. The Clippers’ Paul George did not play due to a hamstring injury.

The Warriors played well on defense the entire game. They also did an excellent job rebounding. The Warriors had trouble making three-point shots. They made eight in 39 tries. Spellman accounted for four of them. Spellman and Robinson led the Warriors with 17 points each. Alec Burks had 16, Eric Paschall 12, and Damion Lee 10.

Kawhi Leonard finished the night with 36. He had nine boards and five assists. Patrick Beverly just missed a triple-double. Beverly had 12 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists. He made three threes, too. Montrezl Harrell finished with 11 pints and 10 boards for a double-double. Lou Williams, coming off the bench, tallied 21. He made three threes in six tries.

The Warriors resume play on Sunday in Memphis against the Grizzlies. The game will start at 3 pm. Pacific Time

 

Kings can’t pass the Buck get stomped 127-106

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nbcsports.com photo: De’Aaron Fox (5) of the Sacramento Kings drives on the Milwaukee Bucks Khris Middleton (22) at Golden One Center on Friday night

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Kings have been playing better of late. They are 3-1 in the new year and hoping to continue the trend after a brutal month of December. The Milwaukee Bucks were the opponent in store for the Kings. The Bucks have the best record in the NBA while the Kings are just starting to get their footing again. The tip-off was set for 7 PM PST at Golden One Center.

In the first, the Kings were flat outplayed. The Kings weren’t able to hit any of their nine three-pointers and only shot 38.1% overall from the field. The Kings mustered only 18 points in the first quarter. It was a different story for the Bucks. They shot 56% from the floor in the first and were able to put up 34 points. Leading the way for the Bucks was Eric Bledsoe who had 11 points. The Kings had four players with four points.

In the second, the Kings continued to miss shots. Thankfully for Kings fans, the Bucks couldn’t hit a three-pointer to save their lives either. The Kings shot 18% from deep in the first half while the Bucks shot a whopping 19%. Each team struggled mightily to hit from deep.

However, the Kings did manage to pull closer. The Kings scored 26 points compared to the Bucks 19 to pull within nine points. The score would be 53-44 as the teams paused for intermission. Leading the way through the first half for the Kings was De’Aaron Fox with 10 points as Eric Bledsoe dropped 17 first-half points.

In the third, The Kings rallied early. They even came all the way back and took the lead for a short minute. However, the success was short-lived. The Bucks rallied back to retake the lead and coast into the fourth quarter. The Bucks put up 37 points compared to the Kings 31 to make it a 90-75 headed to the final session.

In the fourth, there wasn’t much good for the Kings. Both teams traded buckets with each other to keep the game around a 15 point bucks lead. Unfortunately for the Kings, Harrison Barnes came up hobbling with a few minutes left in the game. It wasn’t apparently known the severity of Barnes’s right leg injury but it didn’t appear good.

Barnes hobbled off the court and the Kings couldn’t muster anything from the reserves as came in. The Kings ultimately fell to the Bucks 127-106. Leading the way for the victorious Bucks was Kris Middleton with 27 points followed by Eric Bledsoe who had 24. The Kings received good appearances form De’Aaron Fox and the aforementioned Harrison Barnes who both had 19 points.

Up Next: The Kings stay home to face the Orlando Magic on Monday at 7 PM PST.