Tag: NBA

Sacramento Kings Part 1 podcast with Charlie O: Kings holding court with seven straight home wins

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Photo credit: @imanshumpert

On the Sacramento Kings Part 1 podcast with Charlie O:

#1 The Sacramento Kings who beat the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night 127-112 and are now 28-25 and just a game and a half out of the final playoff spot.

#2 Sacramento has won three games in a row and seven straight at Golden One Center. They are 6-4 over their last ten games. What is making the difference in this team?

#3 The trade deadline is Thursday February 7th at 12 noon Pacific. Will the Kings make a deal?

Charlie O does Sacramento Kings basketball podcasts each Tuesday at sportsradioservice.com

 

 

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: Spurs and Popovich to face Warriors on Wednesday night at Oracle

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sfgate.com file photo: Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr (left) and San Antonio Spurs head coach Greg Popovich confer before a meeting between both teams back on Monday January 25th

On the Warriors podcast with David:

The Golden State Warriors, who played their last game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Oracle Arena on Saturday in a 115-101 victory, got offensive help from Klay Thompson, who led with 28 points, and the Warriors got the win without having to face the Lakers’ LeBron James.

Greg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs (32-23) come in sixth in the Western Conference. The Spurs with top scorers DeMar DeRozan (21.3 ppg) and LaMarcus Aldredge (21.2 ppg). In the two meetings this season between the two teams, the Warriors are 2-0.

David Zizmor does the Warriors podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Lucky Seven: Kings home win streak continues in wire-to-wire win over the Spurs

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By Morris Phillips

SACRAMENTO — The stoic looks on the faces of Spurs’ head coach Gregg Popovich and his assistants Ettore Messina and Becky Hammon said plenty, if not all.

The methodical Spurs and their experienced coaching staff have found few answers for the youthful and deep Sacramento Kings thus far this season.

Not on Monday night in the Kings’ 127-112 win, and similarly, not on November 12, in the Kings 104-99 win that broke a 14-game losing streak to the five-time world champions.

In winning the season series against San Antonio (which has one game remaining, March 31 at San Antonio), the Kings have delivered a knockout, getting positive minutes from the 11 players who saw action, and piling up the statistics along the way.

In the two games combined, the Kings have received 105 points from their reserves, not far of the 126 points from their starters. Seven Kings hit at least one 3-pointer, combining for 24 in all, a nice, round number that gets even rounder when coupled with the Kings’ 94 points in paint.

Of the eight quarters in the two games, the Spurs won one–Monday’s second quarter–a 34-point bounce back that still left San Antonio trailing at the half, 63-59.

“We just missed a lot of easy shots and didn’t have a rhythm all game,” said DeMar DeRozan, who paced the Spurs with 24 points. “And you can tell their comfort level was all the way on the 10. They had it going and we didn’t.”

DeRozan’s driving layup got the Spurs even in the third quarter, but De’Aaron Fox’s layup nine seconds later put the Kings up 78-76. The Kings would finish that quarter on a 22-10 run, and they never trailed in the game’s final 12 minutes.

Six Kings finished in double digits scoring led by William Bagley’s career-best 24 points. Starting point guard Fox added 20, and his backup Yogi Ferrell had 19. Ferrell finished 4 for 4 from distance.

“Yogi Ferrell was tremendous and that’s why I thought he had a hot hand,” Kings coach Dave Joerger said. “I did sit De’Aaron and Buddy a long time, but I felt like we had a rhythm.”

With 7:47 remaining in the game, Ferrell and Bagley delivered the game’s signature play, an alley oop that turned Bagley 180 degrees after the catch, and brought the house down upon his dunk.

“I made eye contact with Yogi and saw how I was open down there and in my mind I was just trying to go up and finish,” Bagley said. “He just threw it and trusted it, and I just tried to make the play and make my guy Yogi look good.”

The Kings captured the season series from the Spurs for the first time since 2002. The win was the Kings’ seventh straight at home, and it moved them within a half-game of the eighth-place Clippers.

The Kings (28-25) are three games above .500 for the fourth time this season. On the three, previous occasions, they lost the following game.

The Kings continue their homestand with a visit from James Harden and the Houston Rockets, Wednesday at 7:00 pm PT.

Kings defy the odds to beat the Sixers 115-108 on Saturday night

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

2-2 win 2

By Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings entered the game versus the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night as the underdogs. FiveThirtyEight.com projected them to be a six-point underdog with only a 28-percent chance to win. Vegas had the Sixers as the favorites minus three points. The Kings had other ideas.The Kings won their 27th game of the season as they defeated the 76ers 115-108.

Sacramento had a two-part game plan. The first part called for the Kings to use their speed and run with the ball. The Sixers were playing the final game of a long 10-day road trip. The second part of the plan called for the Kings to keep a big body draped on Joel Embiid at all times. SAC worked their plan, and their plan worked.

The Sixers were not able to stop the Kings 3-point shooting

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Fox fights to keep the ball alive Photo: SportsRadioService.com

Philadelphia beat the Warriors on Thursday night because they shut down the Golden State 3-point shooting game. The 76ers have become known for their very tough defense against the 3-point shot.

The Kings managed to hit 11-of-30 (36.7%) of their 3-point attempts on Saturday night. Buddy Hield led that charge sinking 7-of-11 chances from downtown. The Kings outscored the Sixers 33 to 21 from behind the arc.

It should be noted that Philadelphia played without their best 3-point shooter – JJ Redick – who was held out for rest.

Numbers tell the story of the battle

  • Points in the Pains: 76ers 62; Kings 52
  • 2nd Chance Points: 76ers 18; Kings 14
  • Fast Break Points: 76ers 18; Kings 14
  • Biggest Lead: 76ers 2 (that’s not a typo) Kings 13
  • Lead Changes: 9
  • Times Tied: 9

Kings leaders in the game

  • Buddy Hield scored a game-high 34 points. Hield shot 12-for-21 overall and hit 7-of-13 attempts from long range. He also added six rebounds.
  • Willie Cauley-Stein not only spent the night draped over Embiid but also scored 19 points. He also managed to grab nine rebounds along the way.
  • De’Aaron Fox also scored 19 points in the game and dished out eight assists. Fox converted 8-of-9 attempts from the free throw line. He paid the price physically driving the lane to get those opportunities to go the charity stripe.
  • Marvin Bagley III had his eighth double-double game of the season. He scored 14 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. MBIII covered the rim while WCS covered Embiid.

76ers top performers

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Jump ball late in the 4th quarter Photo: SportsRadioService.com
  • Joel Embiid recorded his 43rd double-double of the season as he scored 29 points and pulled down 17 rebounds.
  • Jimmy Butler also put 29 points in the book – 18 of those points were scored in the fourth quarter. Butler also added seven assists in the game.
  • Point guard, shooting guard, forward, center Ben Simmonds scored 22 points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished four assists.

Up next

The Kings will be back on the floor on Monday night when they will host the San Antonio Spurs.

The 76ers will be back on their home court on Tuesday when the will host their major competition – the Toronto Raptors.

Dave Joerger’s postgame comments

Willie Cauley-Stein talks about the win and how the team played together

MBIII talked about playing guys he had only seen on TV

Thompson returns, leads the Warriors to a 115-101 win over the Lakers

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland- Klay Thompson scored 28 points Saturday night to lead the Warriors to a 115-101 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers were without the services of LeBron James. James returned to action after missing 17 games due to a groin strain suffered on Christmas Day in a game against the Warriors. James played 40 minutes in the overtime win over the Clippers Thursday night and woke up very sore. Lakers’ coach Luke Walton gave him the night off.

The Warriors got off to a good start in the first quarter. They had an early 14-point lead 22-8, but the Lakers got their offense going to make in 22-14. The Warriors shot a  blistering 64% in the quarter and held the Lakers to 35%. However, they did not blow the Lakers away. They held a nine-point lead 33-24 at the end of the first twelve minutes of action. The Lakers won the second quarter 34-30 to finish the half trailing 63-58. Klay Thompson led the Warriors with 23. The other half of the Splash Brothers, Steph Curry, could not make a shot. He made just two free throws, and that was it.

The Lakers continued to double-team Curry and Kevin Durant in the third quarter. Lakers’ coach Luke Walton’s strategy was to not let Steph or KD get any open looks and force the other Warriors to beat them. The theory worked as the Lakers opened the third period with a 22-68run to take the lead 81-71. The Warriors behind the play of DeMarcus Cousins, Kevon Looney, and Andre Iguodala chipped away at the Laker lead until late in the third period when Iguodala nailed a three to give the Warriors a two-point advantage 88-86 after three-quarters of play.

Steph Curry, who was held to just two points and had missed all of his shots, came to life in the fourth quarter. He knocked down twelve points and the Warriors outscored the Lakers 27-15 to seal the win.

Game Notes and Stats- The Warriors needed help from DeMarcus Cousins and Andre Iguodala to pick up the lack of production from Steph Curry.  Cousins responded with a double-double. He Scored 18 points and had 10 rebounds. Iguodala kicked in with 17 and he connected on three 3-point shots in four attempts. Klay Thompson finished with 28 and Kevin Durant had 21 points and 11 assists for another double-double. The Warriors recorded 31 assists on 41 field goals. They were moving the ball well.

The Lakers had six players in double figures. Brandon Ingram led the Lakers with 20. Kyle Kuzman had 13, Rajon Rondo 10, Kentavius Caldwell-Pope 12, Ivaca Zubac 10, and Lance Stephenson, 10. Former Warrior JaVale McGee was presented with his 2018 championship ring prior to the start of the game.  McGee received a nice ovation from the Warrior fans. The Lakers are 6-12 when LeBron James is not in the lineup.

The Warriors return to action on Wednesday against the San Antonio Spurs at Oracle Arena. Game time is at 7:30 pm.

 

NBA podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Pistons’ Griffin and Drummond lead the way in win; Magic get seven-point win over Pacers; plus more

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Photo credit: @ESPNStatsInfo

On the NBA podcast with Jerry Feitelberg:

#1 The Detroit Pistons beat Mark Cuban and the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night 93-89. The Pistons’ Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond both scored 24 points in the win.

#2 The Orlando Magic got a seven-point win past the Indiana Pacers 107-100 in Orlando on Thursday night. The Magic’s Terrence Ross led the way with 30 points.

#3 The Milwaukee Bucks got by a tough Toronto Raptors team. Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks in scoring with 19 points in the 105-92 win in Toronto on Thursday night.

#4 The Philadelphia 76ers got past the Golden State Warriors 113-104 in Oakland on Thursday night. The Sixers Joel Emiid led with 26 points. The win for the Sixers snapped Golden State’s 11 game win streak.

#5 The Lakers and Clippers went down to the wire in LA and into overtime on Thursday night. The Lakers outlasted the Clippers 123-120 in OT. LeBron James had 24 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists in his return to action.

Jerry Feitelberg does the NBA podcast each week for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

76ers snap the Warriors’ 11-game winning streak with 113-104 win

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Photo credit: @NBA

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors, who returnedhome after winning all five games on the road, had to face the young and talented Philadelphia 76ers Thursday night at Oracle Arena.

The game marked the home debut of DeMarcus Cousins, and the sellout crowd was hoping that the Warriors would win their 12th game in a row. Cousins had 22 points Monday night in the win over the Indiana Pacers, and it appeared that he fitted in well with the team. Cousins’ presence in the lineup gives the Warriors something they have needed for a long time, and that is a big man that can clog the lanes, rebound, pass, and shoot. Cousins was also able to provide screens for Steph Curry and Klay Thompson.

The 76ers, with the third best record in the NBA East and led by their two big men, Joel Embiid at center and Ben Simmons at forward, were too much for the Warriors as they sent the Warriors down to defeat 113-104.

The two teams played a very competitive first quarter. The Warriors led 21-12 about midway through the period. The 76ers went on a 16-6 run to tie the game at 27. The Warriors got back on track behind two buckets each by Kevon Looney and Kevin Durant. The Warriors led 35-30 after the first 10 minutes of play. Steph Curry knocked down 11 points, and he made three 3-point shots. In the second quarter, the 76ers started the proceedings with an 8-0 run to lead 38-35. The Warriors rallied behind Curry, Durant, and Looney to extend the lead to seven 60-53 at the end of the first half. Curry had 23 points, and he made six threes in eight tries. Alfonzo McKinnie, who was filling in for the ailing Klay Thompson, helped out with 9. Durant had 12, and Looney had 8. Other than Looney, no Warrior coming off the bench, scored a point. Ben Simmons led the 76ers with 15, Embiid had 9 points and 10 rebounds. Former LA Clipper, JJ Redick, had six, and the Warriors held Jimmy Butler scoreless.

The third quarter was a different story. The Warriors, who have done so well so many times in this quarter, were outplayed by the 76ers. The Warriors were ahead 69-59 until Philadelphia went on a 12-2 run to tie the game at 71. The Warriors tied the game at 73, and it was all 76ers after that. The 76ers outscored the Warriors 42-26 in the period and led by nine, 95-86, heading into the fourth quarter. Joel Embiid had 11 points in the period to lead the 76er rampage.

Each team scored 18 points in the fourth quarter. The 76ers were able to bottle up Curry. He was able to make two threes, but the other Warriors couldn’t help him out. Both teams played defense in the last 12 minutes of action. The Warriors tried, but Embiid and company won the battle Thursday night.

Game Notes and Stats: The 76ers are now winners of 7 of their last nine games and improve to 34-18. They trail the Milwaukee Bucks and Toronto Raptors for the best record in the NBA East. The Warriors fall to 36-15. They still have the best record in the NBA West.

Steph led the Warriors with 41points, and he connected on 10 threes in 18 tries. Durant had 25, Looney 14, and McKinnie 11. DeMarcus Cousins had 7 points, 6 boards, and six assists. Draymond Green finished with 4 points, 8 boards, and 10 assists.

Joel Embiid had his 42nd double-double of the season. He finished with 26 points and 20 rebounds. Ben Simmons had 25. JJ Redick added 15. The 76er bench contributed 31 points while Looney had 14 and the rest of the Warrior bench added just two points.

The Warriors were without the services of Klay Thompson, who was not able to play due to an undisclosed illness. McKinnie filled in for him, and he did well in his first NBA game as a starter.

The stats show how close the game was. Both teams made 41 field goals in 88 attempts good for 46.6% The 76ers made one more three-pointer than the Warriors 12-11. Where the game was won was on the free throw line. The 76ers outscored the Warriors 19-11 from the charity stripe.

The 76ers beat the Warriors for the first time since the 2013 season.

Up Next: The Warriors face the Los Angeles Lakers Saturday night at Oracle Arena. Game time will be at 5:30 pm.

Lakers superstar LeBron James, who did not play when the Warriors, beat the Lakers in LA in game two of the five-game road trip and will be back in action for LA.

The Kings feast on some home cooking as they crush the Hawks 135-113

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atl score

By Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings returned to their home court on Wednesday night after going 2-6 on their longest road trip of the season. The team was in need of a rowdy home crowd and a big win.

Things started off rough

The Atlanta Hawks entered the game with a 16-33 record, but they did not start the game like a team that is in 12th place in the Eastern Conference. The Hawks opened up a 20-10 lead at the 6:36 mark in the first quarter as they were shooting near 70%. It appeared that the Kings were going to be in for a real fight as they opened their longest homestand of the season.

The Kings second unit stepped on the court and put some life into the game. By the time the buzzer sounded at the end of the first 12 minutes, Sacramento held a 32-31 lead.

The Kings made a statement in the second quarter

The Kings decided not to lift their foot off the accelerator in the second quarter. The team came out kept the pace fast and continued to score at will. They outscored the Hawks 35-22 in the quarter.

Sacramento outscored Atlanta 24-4 in the paint. They scored eight second chance points to none for the visitors. The Kings won the battle of fast break points 7-0.

Marvin Bagley III led the Kings scoring with nine points while Yogi Ferrell added seven. Hawks rookie Trae Young pace his team with 11 points.

At the half, Sacramento held a 67-53 lead over Atlanta.

The Kings poured it on in the third

atl giles
I’m Harry Giles – get out of my way! Photo: @SacramentoKings

Sacramento smelled the victory and decided to put the game away in the third quarter. Harry Giles III led the way for the Kings as he scored 12 points in just over 10 minutes on the floor. Giles went a perfect 6-for-6 shooting in the period.

Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 10 points in just under eight minutes of playing time. “Bogi” hit 3-of-5 shots including one 3-pointer. He also went a perfect 3-for-3 from the free throw line to go along with his three assists.

The Kings outscored the Hawks 38 to 27 in the period and led the game 105-80 after 36 minutes of play.

The fourth quarter was “garbage” time

That is really not a fair description of the final 12 minutes because there were players who received an opportunity to play that have not had the chance to see the court for a while. All 13 active players on both benches saw playing time in this game.

When the final buzzer sounded, the Kings had won the game 135-113. Sacramento is now 26-25 on the season and is tied for ninth place in the Western Conference with the Lakers just two games out the eighth and final playoff spot.

Atlanta now has a record of 16-24 and is eight games out of the playoff race in the Eastern Conference.

Kings Top Performances

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Buddy Hield scored 18 points Photo: @SacramentoKings
  • Harry Giles III scored a team-high and a career-high 20 points in the game. He shot an impressive 10-for-12 in the game and added seven rebounds.
  • Marvin Bagley III had a double-double game scoring 17 points off the bench to go with 12 rebounds (five offensive rebounds).
  • Buddy Hield put 18 points in the book. He went 6-for-11 shooting, including going 4-for-8 from behind the 3-point line.
  • Bogdan Bogdanovic recorded 16 points and added seven assists.

Atlanta leaders

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Could Linsanity come to SAC? Photo: @ATLHawks
  • Rookie Trae Young scored a game-high 23 points and dished out eight assists.
  • John Collins put up 14 points and pulled down seven rebounds.
  • Alex Len scored 13 points off the bench hitting 6-of-10 shots.
  • Jeremy Lin, who has been mentioned as a possible trade target for the Kings, scored 11 points.

Key numbers

  • Points in the Paint: Kings 76, Hawks 40
  • Second Chance Points: SAC 19, ATL 8
  • Fast Break Points: Kings 25, Hawks 8
  • Biggest lead: Sacramento 29, Atlanta 10

Up Next

The Kings will be back in action on Saturday night when they will host the Philadelphia 76ers at the Golden 1 Center. Philly is 33-18 on the season and currently is in third place in the Eastern Conference.

The Hawks travel to Utah and will play the Jazz on Friday night.

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: Warriors don’t supply the mercy rule, beat Pacers by 32, 132-100

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Photo credit: nba.com/warriors

On the Golden State Warriors podcast with David:

#1 The Warriors’ Steph Curry led with 23 points in the first half of their game against the Indiana Pacers on Monday night in a game that was no contest 132-100.

#2 In games where the offense dominates like this, does Warriors head coach Steve Kerr end up deciding to rest some of his key starters?

David Zizmor does the Warriors podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Curry leads the Warriors to a 132-100 rout over the Pacers

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Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

Steph Curry scored 23 points in the first half to lead the Warriors to a 132-100 victory over the Indiana Pacers Monday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Steph was 9-for-10 from the field and connected on all 5 3-point shots attempted. He connected on a 3 as the buzzer sounded to give the Warriors a commanding 69-48 halftime advantage.

The Warriors led from start to finish. With the score tied at 16, the Warriors went on a 24-6 run to finish the first quarter with a 40-22 lead. The Pacers’ leading scorer, Victor Oladipo, was not available as he injured his knee and underwent a season-ending surgery to correct the problem. His replacement, Tyreke Evans, also was not able to play. The Pacers started Edmond Sumner, who made his first start in the NBA.

The Warriors, behind Curry, Klay Thompson, and Kevon Looney, continued to expand the lead. They finished the first half 69-48. The Warriors shot 59.6% from the floor. They made 6 3s in 12 attempts and recorded 20 assists in the half as they moved the ball well.

The Pacers played well in the third period. they scored 31 points against the Warriors defense. The Warriors, however, scored 32 and led by 22 heading into the final period of play. In the fourth quarter, DeMarcus Cousins played very well. He made several buckets and the score was 115-90 and 7:46 left to play, Steve Kerr had Curry, and Kevin Durant watching from the bench. Thompson exited with 6:50 left and Cousins departed with 4:50 to play. Kevon Looney, Quinn Cook, Damian Lee, Marcus Derrickson, Jordan Bell, and Shaun Livingston finished the game for the Warriors.

Game Notes and Stats: Draymond Green did not play Monday night as coach Steve Kerr gave him a night off. Jordan Bell started in Green’s forward position and played well. Bell, who has not been as consistent as he was a year ago, recorded 8 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists. Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson each finished with 16. DeMarcus Cousins had a season-high 22 points, 6 boards, and 4 assists in 34 minutes of action. Kevon Looney had a career-high with 15 points to go along with 5 rebounds and two assists. Curry led the Warriors with 26, and he made 6 3s.

The Warriors finished the 12-day, 5-game road trip undefeated. It was the fourth time in Warrior history that the team went undefeated on a road trip of 5 or more games. The Warriors won their 11th game in a row and the 10th road game in a row. The Warriors are now 36-14 for the year while the Pacers drop to 32-17.

Up Next: The Warriors return home to host the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night at Oracle Arena. Game time will be at 7:30 pm.