Tag: NBA

Warriors end the year on a winning note as they rout the Suns 132-109

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Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Warriors finished 2018 as they routed the young and improving Phoenix Suns 132-109. The Warriors won their 17th in a row over the Suns and eighth straight in Phoenix. The Warriors won all four quarters of the game, but it was midway through the second quarter with the second unit on the floor as they caught fire and put the game away. The Warriors finished the first quarter with a four-point lead 31-27. They ended the first half leading by 17, 69-52.

The Warriors refused to let the Suns back in the game. They won the third quarter 39-32 and also the fourth quarter 24-22.

Steph Curry led the Warriors with 34 points, 4 rebounds and, nine assists. Kevin Durant helped out with 25. Klay Thompson added 15. Draymond Green had 7 points and 7 assists and was plus-20 when he was on the floor. The Warriors’ bench contributed 46 points Monday night and that effort put a big smile on Steve Kerr’s face.

The big rookie, 7-foot 1-inch Deandre Ayton, from the University of Arizona knocked down 25 points. T.J. Warren added 24, Devon Booker 20, and Kelly Oubre, Jr. 15.

The Warriors, as a team, shot 54.8% from the floor and were 14-for-28 from 3-point range. The Warriors’ defense outrebounded the Suns and the defense had 7 steals and 8 blocked shots during the contest.

The Warriors improved to 25-13 while the Suns drop to 9-29. The Warriors return home to play the Houston Rockets at Oracle Arena The Rockets, after a slow start, are now 21-15 and are in first place in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference. Game time will be at 7:30 pm.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Charlie O: After seeing the Lakers twice, the Kings host the Blazers on New Year’s Day

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Photo credit: sacbee.com Kings loss in Los Angeles at Staples Center on Sunday

On the Sacramento Kings podcast with Charlie O:

#1 How stunning was it for the Kings being able to beat the Lakers 127-118 last Thursday night?

#2 Leading scorers for the Kings in the first half included Willie Cauley-Stein (11 points), Nemenja Bjelica (9 points), and Iman Shumpert (9 points). Leading the Lakers was Kyle Kuzma (23 points), Brandon Ingram (16 points), and Lonzo Ball (9 points).

#3 Notably not available for the Lakers was Lebron James, Rajon Rondo, and Javale McGee. Needless to say, the Kings were feeling good about the matchup.

#4 The Kings played the Lakers again on Sunday. Talk about how that one turned out.

#5 Next up it’s the Portland Trail Blazers on New Year’s Day Tuesday night.

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

Close but no cigar: Lakers down the Kings 121-114 Sunday night at Staples

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By Charlie O. Mallonee

LAL 12-30 5
Kings starting five @SacramentoKings

The Sacramento Kings goal of winning back-to-back games from the Los Angeles Lakers went up in smoke in the final minutes of the contest on Sunday night when the Lakers went on a 12-0 run. The Lakers, even without LeBron, went on to defeat the Kings 121-114 in the final game of 2018 for Sacramento.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope recorded a season-high 26 points, while Josh Hart added 22 points. Brandon Ingram joined the party by putting in 21 points, including seven points in the final run that decided the game.

The Kings lost for the first time this season when they held the lead going into the fourth quarter.

This was a very entertaining game

LAL 12-30
Bogdanovic to the hoop @SacramentoKings

This was the kind of game the NBA would like to have every night:

  • There were 18 lead changes
  • The game was tied 13 times
  • The Kings outscored the Lakers 58-52 in the paint — it was a battle
  • The Lakers won the war of second chance points 20-9
  • The Kings put up 27 fastbreak points to 12 for the Lakers
  • The biggest lead of the game: Kings 11, Lakers 9

The Kings were led by their backcourt in the game

  • De’Aaron Fox tied for high-scorer in the game with 26 points and he dished out seven assists. Fox grabbed four rebounds and made three steals.
  • Buddy Hield scored 21 points in the game, shooting 7-for-17 in the contest. He hit 4-of-11 from behind the arc.
  • Bogdan Bogdanovic also put up 21 points by shooting 9-for-18 from the floor (3-for-6 from 3-point land).

Other Kings contributors

  • Willie Cauley-Stein recorded a double-double, scoring 11 points and hauling in 12 rebounds
  • Iman Shumpert scored eight points, but did not have a great shooting night
  • Yogi Ferrell also put up eight points in just over eight minutes of playing time

Team Stats

Kings

  • The team shot 48.4-percent (46-for-95) from the field
  • They went 13-for-34 (38.2%) from 3-point land
  • They were outrebounded 50-45
  • Sacramento made 14 turnovers that resulted in 16 Laker points

Lakers

  • LAL shot 46-for-95 from the floor (48.0-percent)
  • The Lakers hit 15-of-44 3-point shots (34.1%)
  • LA recorded 30 assists versus the Kings
  • Caldwell-Pope’s 26 points were a career-high

Up Next

The Kings (19-17) will host the Portland on New Year’s Day at the Golden 1 Center.

The Lakers (21-16) will welcome the Thunder to the Staples Center on January 2nd.

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: Warriors have lost three of last six, which Dubs team comes out tonight in Phoenix?

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Photo credit: @sn_nba

On the Warriors podcast with David:

#1 Golden State has lost three of their last six games. Do you see any holes in their offense that led to these losses and Kevin Durant alluded to too many shots are being missed on the free throw line?

#2 Do you look at their win over the Portland Trailblazers as something of a relief after losing to the Lakers and the Blazers in Oakland back-to-back?

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

Warriors regain their mojo, defeat the Blazers 115-105

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Photo credit: nba.com/warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors snapped a two-game losing streak as they beat the Portland Trail Blazers 115-105 at the Moda Center Saturday night. The Warriors, coming off two ugly losses to the Lakers and Blazers, excelled on both ends of the court Saturday night. Klay Thompson, who had mired in a shooting slump, came alive and led the team to the victory with 32 points including four 3-point shots in four tries. The Warriors won the first three quarters, and each team scored 22 points in the fourth quarter.

The Warriors won the first quarter 30-27. Kevon Looney helped out with seven points early in the quarter. Looney hit his first 3-pointer of the season to help the Warriors get rolling. He, along with Draymond Green, was tasked with defending Jusuf Nurkic. The Blazers’ big center torched the Warriors for 27 points Thursday night at Oracle Arena. Warriors’ head coach Steve Kerr did not want Nurkic to be a force inside. Looney and Green responded and played well. Nurkic finished with 21, but the Warriors were able to defend him better in this game. The Warriors started the second quarter on a 10-0 run. Curry scored the first seven points, and Jonas Jerebko knocked down a 3 to give the Warriors the lead 40-27. They led by 18, 56-38, but Portland finished the first half on a 12-2 run. The score at the half was 58-50 in favor of Golden State. Andre Iguodala was charged with a technical foul and had to leave the game when he threw the basketball into the stands with force as the buzzer sounded to end the second quarter. The refs had no choice as it is an automatic ejection.

The Warriors were able to increase the lead to 10 at the end of the third quarter. The Warriors behind Curry, Thompson and Durant increased the lead to 14. The Blazers refused to wilt and were able to cut the deficit to five 83-78. Quinn Cook was in for Curry, and he made two big 3-point shots to propel the Warriors to a 10-0 run. Nurkic was a force for Portland in the third quarter as he kept using his big body to barrel into the rim. The Warriors led 93-83 at the end of three.

Neither team scored in the first three minutes of the fourth quarter. Both teams played excellent defense, and the Warriors started to play sloppy and make mistakes as they did Thursday night in Oakland, Thompson’s shooting helped propel the Warriors to a 105-89 advantage. Portland went on a 9-0 run to make it 105-98. It was gut-check time for the Warriors. The Warriors scored the next four points, but Portland made a bucket to trail 109-100 with 2:07 to play. Curry was fouled attempting a 3-point shot. The best free throw shooter in the NBA missed two shots. However, on the ensuing play. The Blazers were charged with two technical fouls. Curry increased the lead to 112-100 with 1:49 left. Kerr pulled his regulars, and the Warriors coasted to the win 115-105.

Game Notes and Stats: With the win, Golden State is now 24-13 for the season. Portland falls to 20-16.

Klay Thompson led the Warriors with 32 points, and he made four treys. Steph Curry had 22, and he connected twice on three-point shots. Kevin Durant had 25. Kevon Looney had 12, Jonas Jerebko 8, and Quinn Cook had six. Draymond Green scored three points, but he was a force on the floor. He had 9 boards and 6 assists. However, when Green was on the court, the Warriors were a plus-28. Jerebko was a plus-18 as he had another stellar performance. The Warriors shot 50% from the floor and made 12 3s in 25 attempts. The Warriors defense held the Blazers to 42.9% from the floor and the Blazers were 9-for 31 from 3-point range.

The Blazers were led by Damian Lillard’s 40 points. Nurkic had 21, and CJ McCollum finished with 14.

Up Next: The Warriors meet the Phoenix Suns Monday night in Phoenix. Game time is at 5 pm.

Warriors lose to the Trail Blazers 110-109 in overtime

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Photo credit: nba.com/warriors

By: Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors played well enough on defense to defeat the Portland Trail Blazers Thursday night at Oracle Arena. The Warrior offense, however, did not take advantage of the many opportunities they had to put the game away, and they fell to the Trail Blazers 110-109.

The Warriors defense held the Blazers to 36% from the floor, but they lost. The Warriors, when they make 11 or more 3s in a game usually win. Until late in the fourth quarter, they were shooting 8-for-34 from the 3-point range. The Warriors literally gave the game to the Blazers as they missed eight free throws in 14 attempts. Klay Thompson, Steph Curry, and Kevin Durant all missed key free throws.

Both teams played a competitive first period. The Warriors finished the quarter with the lead 28-27. The Warriors were ahead 38-35 when Portland went on a 15-5 run to lead 50-43. Andre Iguodala connected on a 3 to bring the Warriors a bit closer. The Blazers scored the last two points of the half to finished with a six-point advantage, 52-46. They outscored the Warriors 25-18 in the quarter.

The Warriors cut the deficit to two at the end of the third period. They had ample opportunities to get ahead as Portland’s offense was non-existent at times. The Warriors couldn’t make 3s or free throws, and Portland was able to finish leading 75-71.

The Blazers’ Seth Curry made three 3-pointers to start the fourth quarter. The Warriors trailed by nine 83-74, and things looked dire. The Warriors tried to come back, but Portland was able to increase the lead to 10 96-86. The Warriors then went on a 16-6 run to tie the game. Curry made two 3-point shots, and Kevin Durant tied it with a 3.

In overtime, the Warriors took an early 106-102 lead. Portland turned the ball over three times, but the Warriors failed to capitalize. Portland went ahead 107-106 with 1:05 left to play. Draymond Green made a 3 from the corner to put the Warriors ahead for the last time 109-107. The Warriors had the ball with time running down. The Warriors inbounded the ball to Curry, who was double-teamed by the Blazers. Curry’s attempt to pass the ball went awry, and the ball went over to Portland, who made the Warriors pay as Oakland native Damian Lillard drained a 3 with 5.2 seconds left. The Warriors gave the ball to Kevin Durant for the last shot, but his shot bounced off the rim, and the Warriors were toast 110-109.

Game Notes and Stats: The Blazers had five players in double figures. They were led by Jusuf Nurkic. He was a force on offense and a monster on the boards. He scored 27 points and had 12 rebounds. CJ McCollum finished with 24, Lillard 21, Maurice Harkless 11, and Seth Curry 11.

The Warriors were led by Steph Curry’s 29. Steph was 6-for-15 from 3-point land. Durant had a triple-double with 26 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. Draymond Green finished the night with 15 points, 11 rebounds for a double-double.

The Warriors drop to 23-23 while Portland improves to 30-15.

Up Next: The two teams play again in Portland Saturday night at 7:00 pm PST.

Kings stun the Lakers 117-116

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Photo credit: @SacramentoKings

By: Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento Kings would play a team from Los Angeles for the second time in as many days on Thursday evening at Golden One Center. Yesterday, the day after Christmas, the Kings squared off against the LA Clippers and the Kings would ultimately lose the game 127-118 in LA. Looking for redemption the Kings were set to face the very injured LA Lakers. Notably not available for the Lakers was Lebron James, Rajon Rondo, and Javale McGee. Needless to say, the Kings were feeling good about the matchup.

In the first quarter, the Kings would jump ahead early, thanks to Willie Cauley-Stein and company. With only a minute 1:30 gone in the game, Cauley-Stein already had six points. From about that point until the final whistle in the first, the game was not pretty for the Kings. The Lakers would go on a terror, aided by Lonzo Ball and his 11 points to lead the Lakers to a 34-32 score after the first.

In the second quarter, the pace of the game balanced out a little bit. The two teams traded shot for shot. However, during the final few minutes of the quarter, the Lakers would create a little separation going into the half. When it was all said and done, the Kings would be down 67-61. Leading scorers for the Kings in the first half included Willie Cauley-Stein (11 points), Nemenja Bjelica (9 points), and Iman Shumpert (9 points). Leading the Lakers was Kyle Kuzma (23 points), Brandon Ingram (16 points), and Lonzo Ball (9 points).

Going into the second half, the Kings knew that had to play better defense. Unfortunately for Kings fans, they weren’t able to do so. Nearly through the third quarter, the Kings trailed the Lakers 78-92. At this point, a loud “Let’s go Lakers” chant rained down on Golden One Center. It’s safe to say the game was not going as planned for the Kings. The Kings were able to go on a 6-3 run in the final minute and go into the final quarter down 95-84.

The Kings would need 12 more points than the Lakers in the fourth at a minimum to pull off the win. Halfway through the fourth, the Kings didn’t appear as if they could pull it off. However, after a 3-pointer from Iman Shumpert and a timeout from Dave Joerger, the Kings appeared to have some life. Apparently, the Kings’ bench was able to hear me from press row. I said they showed life and life is what they showed. With 1:42 left in the game, the Kings cut the deficit to 110-107. This game got more exciting going down to the end for the backdrop. The Kings were down 116-114 with 4.3 seconds to go. The Kings inbound and Bogdan Bogdanovic threw up a step back three from near the Golden One Center logo and he hit it at the buzzer. The Kings won 117-116.

The Kings and Lakers travel to L.A. to face each other again on Sunday, December 30 at 6:30 pm PST.

Kings’ comeback effort falls short in 127-118 loss to the Clippers

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Photo credit: @SacramentoKings

By: London Marq

On Wednesday the Kings were facing the other team in L.A. It was battle of California teams at the Staples Center as the Clippers hosted the up and coming Sacramento team.

The Clippers opened the game on a mission with a 12-3 run, carving through the young Sacramento team like swiss cheese. Tobias Harris had it going early, from deep. He would end the game with 17 points and 6 rebounds. Sacramento played with good energy staying true to their run-and-gun mentality, but a lack of effort defensively kept them behind the gun.

Montrezl Harrell had a dominant game playing a feisty brand of basketball along the baseline. His effort led to second chance points and smoothing defense around the rim on both sides of the floor. Harrell completed the game one rebound short of a double-double, 27 points and 9 boards. The Clippers controlled the game in the first half and would go into the locker rooms with a big lead, 71-48.

The Kings would have their day in the second half, however. De’Aaron Fox, the Kings young stud point guard would start to find his rhythm find his shot from beyond the arch and slashing through the lane. Fox finished with 19 points leading all Kings for the night. The Kings would surge in the third quarter and get the lead back to 10 with three and half minutes left in the period. Lou Williams would punch the Kings right back as he started dropping threes all over the Kings’ defense. He finished 4-of-5 from deep, with 24 points.

The Kings, as they often have this season tried to get the last quarter run in effect and just as they have so far, they were successful. Late in the fourth, the Kings would rattle off a 24-1 run against the Clippers starting when the game score was 118-91. They would battle to get the game to within 3, but a clutch play by Harrell, kept the Kings at bay and the Clippers walk away with the home win.

Final: Clippers defeated the Kings 127-118.

Up Next: The Kings return home to host the Lakers on Thursday at 7:00 pm.

Headline Sports with London Marq: LeBron’s slave owner remarks–how much of an impact will this have going forward?

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youtube.com photo: LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers gets a haircut on his HBO show The Shop recently apologized for saying recent remarks made on social media

On Headline Sports with London:

#1 On LeBron James saying in the referring to NFL owners, “They got a bunch of old white men owning teams with a slave mentality.” Although LeBron apologized, some people say they know where he’s coming from.

#2 LeBron said the 21 Savage lyric: “We been getting that Jewish money everything is kosher” on his Instagram post and apologized for what he said on his show The Shop on HBO.

#3 LeBron said this about the mentality of the NFL owners, “This is my team you all do what the hell I tell you to.” What did LeBron mean?

#4 Even after apologizing, does LeBron get a pass for what he said on this subject and that what he said deserves further discussion on what did LeBron really mean? Going forward, will LeBron have problems with the reactions from this?

#5 Does LeBron need to get off social media? On the program Speak for Yourself on FS1, they said when he goes on social media “he’s drunk.” Does LeBron go too far on social media and his show The Shop?

London Marq does Headline Sports each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Lakers outplay the Warriors on both ends of the court for 127-101 blowout

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland- The Los Angeles Laker, a team on the rise with the addition of LeBron James, Rajon Rondo, and Ivaca Zubac, thoroughly outplayed the defending NBA champions, the Golden Stae Warriors, Christmas night at Oracle Arena. The Lakers head coach, Luke Walton who was an assistant under Steve Kerr in 2015 and 2016, had his young and upcoming team outscore, outrebound, and out defense the Warriors. The Warriors, who had a record of 15-3 at Oracle this season lost by 26 points 127-101. All the Warrior losses at Oracle this year have been by more than twenty points. The Warriors need help. General Manager, Bob Myers, has work to do to get the team some players that can come off the bench to, hopefully, ignite the offense. One such player, who is a restricted free agent, is Patrick McCaw. It might be time for the team and the player mend the rift.

The two teams played a close game until late in the first quarter. The Laker went on a 12-2 run to finish the first period leading 32-25.  The Lakers, in the second quarter, continued to pressure Kevin Durant, Steph Curry. and Klay Thompson. They double-teamed the Big Three at every chance and gave opportunities for Draymond Green, Kevon Looney, Jonas Jerebko, and Andre Iguodala to pick up the slack. Iguodala responded by knocking down 16 in the first half. The Lakers held KD, Klay, and Steph to a total of 18 for all three. LeBron James and company raced out to a 65-50 halftime lead.  James had a double-double with 17 points and 10 boards in the first 24 minutes of action. The Lakers controlled the boards pulling down 27 while the Warriors total was 17. The Lakers Ivaca Zubac, filling in for former Warrior JaVale McGee, who was sidelined with a bout of pneumonia, proved to be too much to handle as he cleared the boards and added 8 points. The Lakers shot 58% from the floor, and they held the Warriors to 39%. The

The Warriors, who have been so good in the third quarter, failed to slow down the Laker onslaught. The Lakers increased the lead to 16 71-55. The Warrior then started a comeback. With the score 76-62, Steph Curry hit his first three-pointer of the night to make it 76-65. Steph hit another three, and the crowd at Oracle came alive. The Warriors closed the gap to two trailing 78-76. It was around this time the LeBron James suffered what appeared to be a groin injury, and he left the game. That was as close as the Warriors would come as the Lakers finished the quarter leading 91-82.

The Lakers refused to let the Warriors back in the game. The veteran guard, Rajon Rondo, took over the game for the Lakers and they increased the lead to fifteen 100-85 with nine minutes left in the game. The Warriors scored just three points in the first three minutes, and their doom was sealed. Warriors coach Steve Kerr raided the white flag and sent in the scrubs to finish the game.

Game notes and stats. The Warriors are now 23-12 for the year, but many people are worried that the team does not have the depth that they have had in the past. The three big men, Pachulia, McGee, and West, are gone. Kevon Looney’s play has improved, but he can’t do it alone. The Warriors are waiting for Demarcus Cousins to return from an Achilles heel injury suffered last January. Cousins has been working out with the Santa Cruz G-League and practicing in Oakland with the Warriors. The Warriors don’t want to rush him back too soon, but, hopefully, he will be ready soon. It will take a while for him to get back into game shape.

The numbers show the dominance of the Lakers. They had seven players in double figure. Zubac had a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Rondo knocked down 15, and he recorded 10 assists. LeBron finished with 17 points and 13 boards. Kyle Kuzma had 19, Brandon Ingram 14, Josh Hart 12, and Lance Stephenson 11. The Lakers improved to 20-14.

Andre Iguodala had a season-high 23 points to lead the club in scoring. KD finished with 21, Steph had 15, and Klay, who is mired in a shooting slump, had a season-low 5 points.

The Lakers shot 55% from the floor. They made 13 three is 33 attempts. They outrebounded the Warriors 49-37. The Warriors shot 39% from the floor and made nine three in 36 attempts.

The Warriors face another tough opponent when they play the Portland Trailblazers at Oracle Arens Thursday night at 7:30 pm.