Tag: NBA

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Golden One Center remained locked down throughout Kings and Hawks game due to Black Lives Matter protest

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@SeanCunningham photo: Sacramento Kings attendee Sean Cunningham took this photo of the fans who were able to get into the building before Golden One Center was locked down due to safety concerns on Thursday night. Cunningham tweeted that the upper deck of the arena was empty

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The NBA Commissioner’s office decided with Sacramento Police to keep the doors at Golden One Center on lockdown meaning that anyone who needed to go to work would be excused for the night and anyone trying to leave the arena would not be permitted to leave the building because of strict security regarding the Black Lives Matter protest over the shooting of Stephen Clark, who was shot at least 20 times, after neighbors reported that he had been breaking windows into cars in the 29th Street neighborhood in Sacramento.

Protesters who arrived between 6:00 pm and 6:30 pm in the thousands with Kings fans waiting to get into the building were outside of the building as late as 8:30 pm on Thursday night. After the release of the video of Clark’s shooting by police that aired on Sacramento TV station KCRA TV 3 Black Lives Matters put their plans of a protest into action outside the most visible and high profile spot in Sacramento the Golden One Center one hour before a game between the Atlanta Hawks and the Kings.

Rather than cancel the game the NBA decided to play the game while the doors of the arena remained on lockdown. SWAT officers were on the Golden One Concourse as protesters and police exchanged words outside. The game is expected to end at 10 pm when fans who got there early before the lockdown will try to leave.

Jeremiah Salmonson is a Sacramento Kings reporter for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Sports Headlines podcast with Tony Renteria: How Tony did with his March Madness brackets; With four big injuries, how that worked for Warriors; Giants’ Samardzija struggling this spring and more

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Photo credit: @marchmadness

On the Sports Headlines podcast with Tony:

#1 Are all of Tony’s brackets broken? Tony talks about his prediction in the Sweet 16 and who’ll be the last team standing.

#2 What benefits do you see to having injuries to Golden State Warriors? Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green. Green and Curry are expected to come back on Friday against the Atlanta Hawks.

#3 Pitcher Jeff Samardzija has given up three homers in one inning twice in two games and is struggling to have a decent spring outing. He’ll be in the rotation for the regular season, but what is happening with Samardzija and giving up the long ball?

#4 A’s pitcher AJ Puk has gone down with biceps soreness and has no major structural damage. He’s listed as day-to-day.

#5 The Giants certainly have the offense coming into the season with big boppers like Evan Longoria, Andrew McCutchen, Joe Panik, Brandon Belt, Brandon Crawford, Buster Posey, and Pablo Sandoval, just to name a few. But the Giants’ pitching staff is still a concern coming into the season.

Tony Renteria does the Sports Headlines podcast each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: After dropping three of last five and Green day to day Warriors aren’t worried

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Photo credit: @NBAUK

On the Golden State Warriors podcast with David:

#1 Golden State’s Big Three are out with injuries: Stephen Curry (tweaked right ankle), Klay Thompson (fractured right thumb), Kevin Durant (fractured rib). They take on the Atlanta Hawks on Friday and a lot now rides on Draymond Green.

#2 The Warriors have struggled and lost to the Sacramento Kings on their home floor on Friday, but came right back with a win over the Phoenix Suns on Saturday. Which team will show up on Friday night against the Atlanta Hawks?

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

Injury jinx continues to haunt Warriors as Draymond Green gets hurt and they lose to Spurs 89-75

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Photo credit: @CaseyPrattABC7

By Jerry Feitelberg

There is an old saying: “when it rains, it pours.” That is exactly was is happening to the injury-ravaged Golden State Warriors, who managed to rout the Phoenix Suns 124-109 Saturday night behind Draymond Green’s big night.

The Warriors were hoping to beat the San Antonio Spurs Monday night, but a win was not in the cards for the Warriors as Green had to leave the game in the second quarter when he hit in the groin by Danny Green’s knee as he was steaming toward the basket.

The Warriors fell behind by 16, but were actually able to regain the lead in the third quarter as they held the Spurs to just 12 points. The Warriors ran out of gas in the fourth quarter and were outscored 28-12 and they lost by a final score of 89-75.

The Spurs relied upon up their big man, LaMarcus Aldridge, to win the game. Aldridge finished the night with 33 points and 12 rebounds. He scored 17 points in the fourth quarter to help finish off the Warriors. With the win, the Spurs moved into fifth place in the Western Conference. Patty Mills had 12 and Danny Green added 11.

The Warriors offense was led by guard Quinn Cook. Cook recorded 20 points, but made just two 3-point shots in eight attempts. Nick Young added 10, but he was 0-for-5 in 3-point tries. Kevon Looney helped out with 13 and Andre Iguodala had 10. The highest amount of points scored in a quarter by the Warriors was 22.

Game Notes and Stats: Steph Curry’s ankle will be re-evaluated Tuesday, and hopefully, he will be cleared to play against Atlanta. Klay Thompson’s thumb will be checked out Thursday and he may ready for Friday, too. Kevin Durant, who has fractured rib cartilage will be examined sometime next week. Omri Casspi’s ankle sprain doesn’t appear to be too serious and he may be back in 7 to 10 days. Draymond Green’s injury does not appear to be serious either and since the Warriors are off until Friday, the injured players will get an extra day of rest.

Up Next: The Warriors host the Atlanta Hawks this Friday at 7:30 pm PST.

Warriors remain without Big Three, but manage to get it going as they rout Suns 124-109

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Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors, still smarting from the loss to Sacramento Friday night, downed the Phoenix Suns 124-109 at the Talking Stick Resort Arena on Saturday night.

The Warriors were again without the Big Three of Steph Curry (ankle), Klay Thompson (thumb), and Kevin Durant (fractured rib). However, it didn’t matter as the Warriors regained their form and played championship-caliber basketball.

Granted, it was the lowly Suns, but the Warriors had to find a way to get the 73 points that the Big Three averaged each night. They found a way as they were led by All-Star forward Draymond Green, who had a season-high 25 points and almost had a triple-double as he had eight assists and 11 rebounds to go with his 25 points.

Quinn Cook, who had a career-high game with 25 against Sacramento, set a new season-high with 28. Cook also knocked down five 3-point shots.

Nick Young–aka Swaggy P–tallied 20 points, including 3 three-point shots.

After falling behind 6-0 early in the first period, the Suns led most of the way in the first half. They led the Dubs 34-30 after the first 12 minutes of the game and outscored them by four to finish the first half with an eight-point lead of 60-52.

Again, the third quarter belonged to Golden State. They outscored the Suns 42-25 to finish the third period with a nine-point lead. Cook scored 16 of his 28 points in the third quarter. He made all six of his shots, including three 3-pointers.

The Warriors’ defense held the Suns to 24 in the fourth quarter, and the offense put 30 on the board to give the Warriors the win 124-109.

Game Notes and Stats: Warriors head coach Steve Kerr had to be pleased with the play of Draymond Green and Quinn Cook. Cook has been impressive in the last two games, and that bodes well for him being a Warrior in the future.

However, since Cook is a two-way player (plays with the Santa Cruz and Golden State Warriors), he will not be eligible for the playoffs.

Draymond Green has asserted himself as the team leader in Curry’s absence, and Kerr had this to say about Draymond: “Without our other three All-Stars, he’s taking on a different look and playing a different position, running different plays from those positions … Draymond likes to be challenged intellectually in this game, and I think this stretch right now, he’s energized because he’s doing something different.”

Green had also worked to encourage his teammates more, which was evident in the third quarter, when the Warriors outscored the Suns, 42-25.

“I think it’s important to not get frustrated and continue to encourage them,” Green said. “Guys are already out of their comfort zone.”

The Warriors had six players in double figures. Green 25, Cook 28, Young 20, Shaun Livingston 11, Andre Iguodala 11, David West 10, and Kevon Looney had a career-high 13.

The Suns were led by Josh Johnson who poured in 36, Troy Daniels 18 including three 3-point shots, Elfrid Payton 11 and Marquese Chriss 10. The Suns’ rising star player, Devin Booker, did not play due to sprained right hand.

Warriors’ forward Omri Casspi did not play, and his return to action is uncertain.

Up Next: The Warriors face the Spurs Monday night at 6:30 pm PST.

Warriors were missing the Big Three and ended up falling to Kings 98-93

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Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors received bad news Friday when it was announced that Kevin Durant suffered a broken rib in the game against the Los Angeles Lakers Wednesday.

Durant joined Steph Curry and Klay Thompson on the sidelines as the Warriors had to face the young Sacramento Kings. The Kings were hoping to beat the Warriors at Oracle for the second time this season, and that was exactly what happened as they went on a 9-3 run late in the fourth quarter to win 98-93 on Friday night.

Warriors’ head coach Steve Kerr shuffled his starting lineup once again. Quinn Cook and Nick Young started in the backcourt for the second game in a row. Andre Iguodala started at forward in place of Durant, and Draymond Green returned from a shoulder injury to resume his usual spot at the other forward position. Kerr chose to start Zaza Pachulia at center Friday night.

The two teams played a very up-tempo first quarter. The Warriors got off to a good start, and they finished the period leading 36-29. Cook scored 10 points to lead the Warrior attack.

The Warriors increased the lead to 50-39, but things went south as the went over five minutes without a bucket and at one point committed five turnovers in six possessions. Sacramento went on a 12-0 run to regain the lead.

The Warrior offense woke up late in the period, but they were outscored 28-23 and finished the first half with a 59-57 advantage. Cook led the Warriors with 18, and Andre Iguodala added 10.

Buddy Hield led the Kings with 14 points. The Warriors’ Omri Casspi suffered a right ankle sprain in the period, and he did not return.

The Warriors could not get anything going in the second half. The Kings weren’t much better, but they were able to outscore the Warriors 18-16, and the game was knotted up at 75 after three quarters of play.

The game was nip and tuck the rest of the way. The biggest lead the Warriors had was by three points after Cook sank a trey to lead 90-87. It was at this point when Sacramento went on a 9-3 run to win it.

The Kings led 93-90 until Green nailed a three-pointer to tie the game. It was all Kings after that as they scored the last five points in the game to seal the victory.

Game Notes and Stats: Cook had the best game of his NBA career. He scored 25 points. He made five three-point shots in seven attempts.

Green has a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. He blocked two shots.

Nick Young helped out with 16 and Iguodala finished with 11. Buddy Hield led Sacramento with 22. Hield made five 3-point shots in 10 attempts.

Bogdan Bogdanovic was the only Kings starter in double figures with 11. Usually, the starters on a team led the club in scoring. The Warriors’ starters outscored the Kings’ starters 70-39, but the Sacramento bench blasted the depleted Golden State bench 59-23.

The Warriors made announcement on the Big Three’s injuries. Durant will be re-evaluated in two weeks. Curry will be checked out on Tuesday–and if his ankle is healed–he may return to action sometime next week.

Thompson will see the doctors on Thursday, and they will check out his fractured thumb.

There was no news on the severity of Casspi’s sprain, and it is unknown how long he will be out.

West and Green returned to action after missing some time due to injury.

The Warriors drop to 52-16 while the Kings improve to 23-47.

Up Next: The Warriors play in Phoenix this Saturday and San Antonio next Monday.

Warriors are missing three All-Stars, but have enough firepower to defeat Lakers 117-106

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Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors faced a daunting task Wednesday night at Oracle Arena as they were facing the rapidly improving Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers had won 20 out of the last 29 games played and are on the upswing. The Lakers’ Isaiah Thomas made his first start at guard since being acquired at the trade deadline.

The Warriors were missing Steph Curry (sprained ankle), Draymond Green (shoulder injury), Klay Thompson (fractured right thumb), David West (infected cyst), and Patrick McCaw (broken wrist). Warriors’ head coach Steve Kerr had his work cut out for to send out a revamped lineup to deal with the Lakers.

The Warriors responded as they had seven players in double figures and their bench outscored the Laker bench 39-22 as they beat the Lakers 117-106.

The Warriors started Kevin Durant, Zaza Pachulia, Quinn Cook, Nick Young, and Kevon Looney. The Lakers countered with Lonzo Ball, Thomas, Julius Randle, Brook Lopez, and Kentavius Caldwell-Pope. The two teams played a very competitive first half. The Laker Attack was led by Thomas with 15, Randle 13, and Brook Look Lopez added 15. Kevin Durant paced the Warriors with 16. Pachulia had eight, and Shaun Livingston picked up the slack with 11. Quinn Cook and Omri Casspi each had six, and Nick Young did not score at all.

The Warriors won the first quarter 26-23, but were outscored 32-29 in the second as the half ended with an even score of 55-55.

The Warriors came out smoking hot in the third quarter. The Lakers held Durant to just one bucket and three free throws, but Young and Cook led the Warriors on a 12-0 run to lead 70-59.

Pachulia, Looney, Iguodala, and Livingston paced the attack, and the Warriors finished the third period leading 89-82. The Warriors refused to let the Lakers get back in the game. The Lakers cut the deficit to five early in the fourth quarter, but Young, Casspi, Looney, and Durant were unstoppable, and the Warriors were able to win by a final score of 117-106.

Game Notes and Stats: The Warriors had seven players in double figures. Kevin Durant finished with 26 points. Durant, however, made just one 3-point shot in seven attempts.

Kevon Looney had a career high with 11 points.

Zaza Pachulia had a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Pachulia also had five assists in his first start since the All-Star break.

Quinn Cook finished the night with 13.

Nick Young, aka Swaggy P, scored all 18 of his points in the second half. Young made three 3-pointers.

Omri Casspi tallied 15, and Shaun Livington finished with 13.

The Warriors brought up Damien Jones and Chris Boucher from the G-League’s Santa Cruz Warriors. Boucher made his NBA debut late in the fourth quarter.

The Warrior shot 55% from the floor, but made just six threes in 20 attempts. They outrebounded the Lakers 50-33 as they made good use of all the big men on the team.

Both teams had 25 assists, and the Warriors defense made eight steals and had six blocked shots.

The Warriors committed 22 turnovers in the game, and they were fortunate as they do not have a good record when they commit 16 or more turnovers in a game.

Andre Iguodala and Jordan Bell returned to action Wednesday night.

The Warriors were 0-3 in games played with Steph Curry and Klay Thompson before the win Wednesday.

The Warriors announced that Curry will miss three or four more games, Thompson will be resting his thumb until March 22, David West is expected to return Friday night, and it is not known how long Draymond Green will be out.

The Warriors are now 52-16, while the Lakers drop to 31-37.

Up Next: The Warriors host the Sacramento Kings Friday night at 7:30 pm PT in Oracle Arena.

Fox shines at the buzzer, Kings outlast Heat 123-119 in OT

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Photo credit: @NBA

By: Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Kings hosted the Miami Heat on Wednesday night. The Heat came into the game having lost their last game, 115-99, to the Portland Trail Blazers. The Kings also lost their last game to the Oklahoma City Thunder, 106-101. The Kings and Heat are having very different seasons. The Kings had a record of 21-47. The Heat had a record of 36-32. Tip off was set for 7:00 pm PST with the Kings and Heat going head-to-head in Sacramento.

The first quarter would start off with a fairly mellow tempo. Neither team came out of the gate looking more dominant than the other. With 4:59 to play in the first quarter, the Kings trailed the Heat by only two points, 16-14. Vince Carter entered the game and fouled James Johnson. The Kings would add a few more points with time running out in the first quarter. It was over yet though as Buddy Hield would toss up a four foot floater to make a buzzer-beating two. The Kings would go into the second quarter down 31-24.

The Kings would come out in the second with full force. They scored the first seven points in the second and pulled within two at 31-33. They didn’t stop there. After the Heat added a two, the Kings were right back at it. The Kings added 10 points to make it 43-38 Kings on top with 6:21 in the second. Between that and with 3:15 to play the Kings would extend that advantage to 49-43. The Kings showed some real heart in the second. For what appeared to be a game favoring the Heat, the Kings battled back and went into the locker at halftime up 59-52.

In the third quarter, both teams came out looking like they did in the first half. The Heat looking for a go-to scorer, and the Kings looking to keep rolling. Both teams would bounce back and forth with the score being 82-73 Sacramento with 3:35 to play in the third. The Kings would add nine more with a minute left to make it 91-76. Frank Mason would attempt to hit a long-range three at the buzzer, but to no avail. The Kings would lead, 91-79, going into the fourth quarter.

In the final quarter, the Kings would get on the board first. Those points scored on a floater by Kosta Koufos. Mason would be fouled and he made both his shots to make it 95-79. At this point, the game looked as if it were heavily in Sacramento’s favor. This narrative would then continue. With eight minutes to play, the Kings led the game 97-84.

The Heat and Kings got in a little scuffle around the seven-minute mark. Two technical fouls were charged. The first went to Koufos and the second to Goran Dragic. At the five-minute mark, the Heat started to put a little pressure on the Kings. So if anyone thought this was over, think again. De’Aaron Fox was charged with a controversial call that put the Kings in the penalty. From all angles, it appeared that Fox made no contact with Dragic, who would make both his shots. That coupled with a three from Dragic to make the game, 104-102, in favor of the Kings. The Heat would storm back and take a 110-106 lead with only 49.6 seconds to play and the Kings had a possession as Hield countered with a long-range three to make it 110-109. As if we haven’t seen Fox come up clutch all year, he showed us again. Fox hit a buzzer beating layup to tie the game at 111 apiece. These two teams headed to overtime!

In overtime, the script was simple. Both teams battled hard! Bogdan Bogdanovic hit a long-range jumper to make it 119-115. The Heat answered back with a two, but Hield was fouled and made both free throws. Hield was fouled again and made both shots to set the stage for the Kings’ victory. With the crowd at Golden 1 Center going crazy, the Kings defeated the Heat 123-119 in OT.

What’s Next?
The Kings head down to the Bay Area, where they will face the Warriors on Friday at 7:30 pm PST.

The Heat stay on the road and go to Los Angeles to face the Lakers Friday at 7:30 pm PST.

 

Golden State Warriors Podcast with David Zizmor: Warriors aim to snap the two-game loss spell against Lakers on Wednesday night

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On the Warriors podcast with David:

1. The Golden State Warriors tip off against Lonzo Ball and the Los Angeles Lakers Wednesday night at Oracle Arena at 7:00 pm PT. The Warriors are coming off two straight loses to the Portland Trail Blazers and the Minnesota Timberwolves both road loses. Dave talks about how injuries have played a role in the recent loses.

2. The Warriors’ head coach Steven Kerr who appeared at a Newark High School has encouraged students at the school that their walkout is a for a good cause that gun violence must see it’s end by gun control and gun bans. Kerr’s father was killed by gun violence when he was a teenager and he really believes that this movement has some substance now for the first time.

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

 

That’s Amaury’s Podcast, News and Commentary: Melvin says Lucroy on track to catch 115-120 games; benches empty between A’s and Giants could lead to a rivalry of sorts; Kerr has freedom of speech to speak out on gun control

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Photo credit: sfchronicle.com

On the Podcast with Amaury:

1. Amaury talks about catcher Jonathan Lucroy and says that this A’s team can really sneak up on teams.

2. Lucroy, one of the many free agents who were available, signed on for this season for $6.5 million, who manager Bob Melvin says will catch 115-120 games.

3. The A’s and Giants starting to show some preseason action. Giants pitcher Sam Dyson threw high and tight at the A’s Khris Davis on Monday. Two hitters later, they were bean, which forced the umpires to warn both benches. Could this be the beginning of a Bay Bridge rivalry?

4. Steve Kerr, the Golden State Warriors head coach, spoke at a Newark High School gym on Monday about gun control and how his father was murdered by gun violence and that he supports the student walk out and protest for gun control. Amaury says Kerr has a right to say what he wants and that he has the freedom of speech.

5. Amaury also talks about his Topps Basketball card from the 1990s when he was the Golden State Warriors’ Spanish play-by-play announcer.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the play-by-play Spanish talent for the Oakland A’s and does News and Commentary for http://www.sportsradioservice.com