Tag: NBA

Warriors don’t score 100 points but are able to grind out a win over Miami 97-80

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant celebrates after hitting a three-point basket against the Denver Nuggets during the third quarter of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Nov. 4, 2017, in Denver. (Photo by Jack Dempsey)

by Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland — The Warriors won their seventh game in their last eight starts. It was not easy or pretty, but they still prevailed over the Miami Heat, 97-80. The Heat, coached by Erik Spoelstra, played tough defense and did their best to keep the Warriors from running the court. The Heat loves to play a grind-it-out style of play similar to the one used by the Memphis Grizzlies. They do not run the fast break. They use up as much of the 34-second clock as possible before taking a shot and make the opposition work hard to take a three-point shot.

The Warriors were hoping to get off to a fast start in the first quarter. Miami had other ideas as neither team to get any offense going. The defense was a strong suit for both clubs as the game was tied at 15 late in the quarter. Miami went on a 6-0 run to take a 21-15 lead, but the Warriors came back to finish the first 12 minutes of play with a 7-0 run and ended with the lead 22-21. Miami continued to use the clock and brought the game to a crawl The Dubs led 36-34 with 3:17 left in the first half. It was at this point that the Warriors put it together and went on a 14-2 run to take a 50-37 advantage at the end of the first half. Kevin Durant and Draymond Green led the Warriors in scoring with 14 for KD and 13 for Green. The Heat held Steph Curry to four and Klay Thompson to seven.  Goran Dragovic and James Johnson each had 10 for Miami.

The second half was more of the same. The Heat continued to slow the game down, but the Warriors were able to meet the challenge. They increased the lead to 60-40. Curry and Thompson each knocked down a three-point shot and the Warriors were able to finish the third quarter with an 18-point lead, 75-57.  The Heat went on a 9-2 run to begin the fourth quarter as they reduced the lead to 12. Durant and Curry took over, and the Warrior defense held the Heat offense at bay as they won 97-80

Game notes and stats — Steve Kerr gave David West the night off, and Jordan Bell and Kevon Looney took up the slack and played very well, especially on defense. Green had this to say about the Heat: “They’re gonna drive, they’re gonna hold. It wasn’t pretty. We couldn’t make shots.” Steve Kerr said this: ” I thought it was our best defensive effort of the year…We made really good decisions out there. I liked the way we stayed with it against a good team…It was a grind out game.” The Warriors were very good, indeed, on defense. They outrebounded the Heat, 51-44. They had 12 steals and 19 blocks.  The Warriors’ offense recorded just 20 assists as the Heat really smothered the Warriors’ offense for most of the game.

Leading scorers for the Warriors were Durant with 21. Green knocked down 18. Curry had 16 and Thompson finished with 13. On defense, Durant And Kevon Looney each blocked three shots and Thompson had two. Dragovic tallied 19 for Miami and James Johnson, coming off the bench, poured in 21. The only other Heat player in double figures was Kelly Olynyk with 10.

The Warriors improve to 8-3, and the Heat drops to 4-6.

The Warriors meet the Minnesota Timberwolves Wednesday night at Oracle Arena. Game time is at 7:30 pm.

Warriors conclude three-game road trip with win in Denver 127-108

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

by Jerry Feitelberg

The Warriors started strong, faltered a bit in the second quarter, then broke the game open in the third period as they cruised to victory by beating the Denver Nuggets 127-108 Saturday night in the Mile-High city.

The Warriors came out firing as they sprinted to an early 36-23 lead after the first twelve minutes of play. Draymond Green and Klay Thompson led the Warriors in the early going. Klay made three 3-point shots in the quarter. Late in the quarter, JaVale McGee, with assists from Steph Curry, made four baskets as it appeared the Warriors were on their way to another blowout win.

The Nuggets, to their credit, did not back down from the Warrior onslaught. They scored the first fifteen points in the second quarter to take the lead 38-36. The Warriors failed to score in the first four minutes of play in the second period. Denver went on a 21-3 to lead 44-41 before the Warriors got untracked. The Dubs scored nine of the last thirteen points in the period and led 60-55 at the half.

After the intermission, the Warriors came out firing on all cylinders and, as they have done so many times in the past, owned the third quarter. Led by Kevin Durant, the Warriors poured in 43 points, and the defense held the Nuggets to just 21 as they finished the third quarter leading by 27 103-76.

Warriors’ coach Steve Kerr used his second unit players for the entire fourth quarter. Patrick McCaw, Nick Young, Omri Casspi, Kevon Looney, and Jordan Bell daw significant minutes as the Warriors won 127-108.

Game Notes and stats- After the game, Kerr remarked this about the game:”We came out firing in the third. I’m really pleased. We played three tough teams (LA Clippers, San Antonio Spurs, And Denver Nuggets) and we turned a corner on this trip,” Kevin Durant said this about his teammates:”I thought everybody came out with great energy.”

The Warriors have now won six of the last seven games and are 7-3 for the year. Kerr was worried about the team’s conditioning a couple of games ago. They seem to be playing like the champions that they are. Denver drops to 5-5.

Four of the five Warrior starters were in double figures, and not a single Nugget starter was in double figures. KD led the Warriors with 25 points, 7 assists, and seven rebounds. Steph Curry scored 22 and had a double-double with 11 assists. Draymond and Klay had 15 each, and Zaza Pachulia knocked down 8.  JaVale McGee led the bench with 11. David West, Andre Iguodala, Omri Casspi, Patrick McCaw, and Nick Young all contributed to the Warrior win. Leading scorers for Denver were Will Barton 21, Emmanuel Mudiay 15, and Trey Lyles with 11.

Shaun Livingston did not play as Steve Kerr gave him the night off.

The Warriors shot 54.9% from the floor and the defense held Denver to 46%. The Warriors made 18 3-point shots while Denver made just six. The Warriors moved the ball well and recorded 37 assists in the game. The defense had 13 steals and four blocks, and they committed 15 turnovers.

The Warriors return home to face the Miami Heat Monday night at Oracle Arena. Game time is at 7:30 pm.

Warriors start slowly but comeback in the second half to defeat Spurs 112-92

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) celebrates with his team during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the San Antonio Spurs, Thursday, Nov. 2, 2017, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

by Jerry Feitelberg

San Antonio, Texas – The San Antonio Spurs took it the Warriors in the first quarter to earn a 19-point lead. The Spurs were making three-point shots, rebounding, and shooting well as they appeared to be ready to blow out the Warriors. The Spurs were without the services of Kawhi Leonard and Tony Parker, and they wanted to send the message to the Warriors that they could win without those two stars. The Spurs also knew that they usually beat the Warriors at home. That did not happen as the Warriors righted the ship late in the second quarter and shut the Spurs attack down in the second half to win by twenty (112-92).

The Spurs held a slight 10-9 lead in the first quarter. They went on a 21-3 run to lead 31-12. The Warriors ended the quarter on a 12-2 run to close the gap to 33-24. Steph Curry and Draymond Green led the charge. The Warriors tried to close the gap, but the Spurs were double-teaming Kevin Durant every time he touched the ball, and at one point, KD missed all of his first eight shots. The Warriors started to play better defense and kept chipping away at the lead. The Warriors offense was led by Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green. The Warriors finished the first half trailing by five (55-50).

The Warriors, as they have done so many times, won the third quarter as they outscored the Spurs 34-23. They took the lead 60-57 for the first time early in the quarter. The Spurs and Warriors exchanged buckets, and the game was tied at 63. The Warriors took over and did not relinquish the lead. Kevin Durant started to make baskets, Steph Curry, who had to leave the game in the second quarter as he tweaked his knee, returned to lead the club to an 84-78 advantage after three periods of play. The Warriors shut down the Spurs offense in the fourth quarter. They outscored them 28-14 to win 112-92.

Game Notes – Spurs’ coach Gregg Popovich left the game in the fourth quarter when he was charged with a double technical.

The Warriors did not allow the Spurs to make a three-point shot in the second half. The Spurs made seven in the first half. The Warriors were led by Klay Thompson’s 27 points. Klay mad five threes. Steph Curry tallied 21, and he had four assists and eight rebounds. Durant, who had just five points in the first half, ended with 24. KD had five assists, eight boards, and three blocks. The Warriors shot 51.8% from the floor, made fourteen threes, had 30 assists, 11 steals, and 11 blocks. They committed nine turnovers in the first half, but just five in the second.

After the game, coach Steve Kerr said the Warriors had a “great response to the early shock we took. We weren’t ready for battle early, that’s why we fell behind. We started competing, running, and passing the ball.” Kerr also remarked this about the Warriors’ defense: “The last two games have been our best defensive efforts.”

Curry was asked how the Warriors rebounded from the big first-quarter deficit and he said that the team was “sticking with the program.” He also said the team was “starting to gel.” Curry left the game with a slight knee injury in the second quarter, but he came back to play in the third quarter. Curry said it was “a little scary, but I got out all right.” The Warriors coaching staff, players, and fans let out a collective sigh of relief when he came back into the game.

The Spurs’ offense was led by LaMarcus Aldridge, Kyle Anderson, Pau Gasol, and Rudy Gay. The Spurs lost their fourth consecutive game in a row and are now 4-4 for the season. The Warriors improved to 6-3 and have won five of the last six games. The Warriors travel to Denver to face the Nuggets Saturday night. Game time is at 5:30.

 

Kings get blown out by Celtics in 113-86 loss

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Boston Celtics’ Kyrie Irving (11) shoots over Sacramento Kings’ George Hill (3) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Boston, Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2017. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm)

By: Ana Kieu

BOSTON — The Sacramento Kings lost their sixth straight game in a 113-86 blowout loss to the Boston Celtics at TD Garden Wednesday night.

Both teams had a goal in mind. The Kings hoped to snap a five-game losing skid while the Celtics wanted to extend its winning streak to six games. Turns out, Boston got exactly what they wished for—a win over a hapless Sacramento squad.

As usual, the starting lineups were released prior to the game. The Kings went with George Hill, Garrett Temple, Willie Cauley-Stein, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Zach Randolph, whereas the Celtics selected Kyrie Irving, Jaylen Brown, Aron Baynes, Jayson Tatum and Al Horford.

Kosta Koufos hit what would’ve been his first career three-pointer, but the referee didn’t recognize it to count as three points.

The Kings trailed the Celtics by just three points (27-24) in the first quarter. Randolph had nine points while Hill scored seven points.

The Kings were losing miserably as they trailed the Celtics 58-45 at the half, but that didn’t stop the Kings’ Twitter from cracking some jokes for the fans in the third quarter.

As you can see, the Kings were down by 29 after three quarters. The Celtics’ offense kept on getting better. Brown and Irving got 22 points apiece. Irving also collected five assists. Tatum and Terry Rozier had nine points apiece.

The Kings’ Twitter displayed sportsmanship at the end of the game even though the Garden got loud after the Celtics extended their record to 6-2 with a 113-86 win over the Kings.

Kings shooting guard Buddy Hield scored 16 points off the bench at the Garden.

Notes
De’Aaron Fox notched a strong performance against the Indiana Pacers Tuesday night. Fox recorded 18 points (12 in the fourth quarter), five assists, four rebounds and one steal. He also marked the third time in seven games where he’s scored 18 or more points.

“Just coming out with more energy,” Fox told the Sacramento Kings. “We talk about trying to do that in the first half and it’s harder to be done than said but it’s something that we’re going to have to do if we’re going to compete in these games.”

Up Next
The Kings (1-7) visit the Detroit Pistons (5-3) Saturday at 7 p.m. EST on NSCA and FSDT.

Kings get blown out by Pacers 101-83, suffer fifth straight loss

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Sacramento Kings head coach David Joerger gestures on the sideline during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis, Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2017. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

By: Ana Kieu

INDIANAPOLIS — Like the other day, the Sacramento Kings suffered a 101-83 blowout loss to the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Tuesday night.

The Kings went with a starting lineup of George Hill, Buddy Hield, Willie Cauley-Stein, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Zach Rudolph against the Pacers’ starters Darren Collison, Victor Oladipo, Domantas Sabonis, Bojan Bogdanovic and Thaddeus Young.

https://twitter.com/SacramentoKings/status/925509094965854208

The Pacers jumped out to an early 11-4 lead in the first quarter. Sabonis recorded six points and eight rebounds at the 7:16 mark.

On a positive note, Bogdanovic had a clever move and finish, reducing the Pacers’ lead to 17-8 with 3:14 left in the first quarter.

The Sac Kings trailed the Pacers 24-13 at the end of the first quarter.

The Pacers offense smothered the Kings defense in the second quarter. Indiana had eight unanswered points and led Sacramento by 20 (43-23) with 4:51 left in the second quarter.

The first 24 minutes of the game were terrible for the Kings, who trailed the Pacers 55-30 at the half. Both the Kings defense and offense looked lackluster. In terms of the Pacers, Sabonis got a double-double (10 points, 11 rebounds) in the first half.

Despite the Pacers’ success on the court, Thaddeus Young didn’t take his team’s half-time lead over the Kings for granted. Young told Fox Sports Indiana, “They’re going to keep fighting, keep scratching and clawing.”

This was the second of back-to-back games for both the Kings and Pacers, but Indiana continued to dominate Sacramento in the second half. They led 69-48 after three quarters.

The Pacers chased down a rebound (sound the horn!) and the Kings’ three-game road trip began with an ominous start after they got blown out 101-83 for their fifth straight loss.

Notes
Kings exercised their 2018-19 options on Willie Cauley-Stein, Buddy Hield, Malachi Richardson, Skal Labissiere and Georgios Papagiannis.

Kings transferred JaKarr Simpson and Jack Cooley to the Reno Bighorns.

De’Aaron Fox scored double-digit points in five of his first seven games.

Up Next
The Kings (1-6) head to TD Garden to take on the Boston Celtics (5-2) Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. EST on NBSB and NSCA.

Warriors get it together and they lower the boom on the Clippers 141-113

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, left, knocks the ball lose from Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin, center, as he is defended by forward Draymond Green, right, during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, Oct. 30, 2017, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Kang)

by Jerry Feitelberg

Los Angeles – The Warriors played their best game of the year as they defeated the Clippers for the 11th straight time by a score of 141-113.

The Clippers lost guards Chris Paul, J.J. Redick, and sixth man Jamal Crawford in the offseason. They were replaced by Patrick Beverly, Danilo Gallinari, and Lou Williams. The Clippers had eleven new players on the roster for coach Doc Rivers, but the result was the same. They lost to the Warriors.

The first quarter was fairly competitive. The teams were tied 20-20 when the Warriors started to take charge. Shaun Livingston made the next bucket to make it 22-20, and the Warriors began to pull away. They increased the lead to six at the end of the period 34-28. Ja Vale McGee knocked down a couple of lobs, and the Warriors were now in control.

The Dubs scored forty points in the second quarter and led by 17 at the half. They were making all the shots as they were 60% from the floor. Everyone was playing well, and the team committed just four turnovers in the first 24 minutes. Steph Curry led the scoring with 16 points. Draymond had 13, Kevin Durant 14, and Klay Thompson had 11. The leading scorers for LA were Blake Griffin 10, Gallinari, 12, Beverly 6, DeAndre Jordan 6, Lou Williams 6, and Wesley Johnson 6. The score at the half was 74-57.

The Clippers went on a 10-2 run to start the second half. However, the Warriors regained their composure after the Clippers closed the deficit to just nine. The Warriors behind the stellar play of Steph Curry went on a 13-1 run near the end of the third quarter, and they finished the period with a twenty-one point lead 107-86.

The Warriors increased the lead to twenty-five 120-95 and then Coach Steve Kerr turned the game over to the bench. Jordan Bell, Patrick McCaw, Omri Casspi, Nick Young were on the floor with David West or Ja Vale McGee, and they coasted to the win. The final score was 141-113.

Game Notes and Stats – Steph led the Warriors with 31 points. Draymond Green had his best performance of the year with 16 points,6 assists, 9 rebounds, and one blocked shot. KD had 19, Klay added 15. Klay hit a three-point shot to extend his streak to 62 consecutive games. The bench performed well as they scored 54 points. Blake Griffin 16, Gallinari 19, Beverly 14, Jordan 10, and Lou Williams 17 were the Clippers scorers.

The Warriors recorded 37 assists and on defense had 46 rebounds, 8 steals, and 8 blocks.  The Warriors made 14 three-point shots in 29 attempts and committed just 12 turnovers for the entire game.

The Warriors improve to 5-3 while LA drops to 4-2. The Warriors travel to San Antonio to face the Spurs Thursday night. Game time is at 5 pm.

 

Warriors play another sloppy game as they lose to the Pistons 115-107

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Detroit Pistons’ Reggie Jackson, left, looks to pass away from Golden State Warriors’ Golden State Warriors’ Klay Thompson (11) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Oct. 29, 2017, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

By Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland – The Warriors were not able to pull a rabbit out of the hat Sunday night as they fell to the visiting Detroit Pistons by a score of 115-107.

The Pistons are now 5-2 for the season, and the Warriors dropped to 4-3. It was the Warriors second home loss of the season. The Warriors know that every team is gunning for them as they are the champs but they are not playing like the champs so far this year. They are committing too many turnovers, and they made twenty-six of them Sunday night, and Detroit was able to score thirty-three points off the turnovers.

The Warriors led by five at the half, but they lost both the third and fourth quarter to the Pistons. The Dubs led by fourteen with 8:30 left in the third quarter but they played fast and loose with the ball and were outscored by six in the third and seven in the fourth.

Draymond Green scored just two points. He did have thirteen rebounds, but he committed a game-high six turnovers. Zaza Pachulia also scored two points, and he turned the ball over four times. The Big Three of Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, and Steph Curry scored 29,28, and 27 respectively. Klay turned it over four times, KD three, and Steph five. Avery Bradley, the former Boston Celtic, paced the Pistons attack with 23. Reggie Jackson had 22, Tobias Harris 16, Stanley Johnson 15, big Andre Drummond, 8, and Ish Smith, coming off the bench added 16. The Detroit bench outscored the Warrior bench 31-19.

Game Notes – Many of the fans are worried that something is not clicking with the Warriors. The Dubs are still a team loaded with talent, but they do not seem to be in sync. Some nights they are outrebounded. Some nights the defense is not there. So far, they are committing too many turnovers. Coach Steve Kerr had these thoughts about Sunday’s performance: “”It just has to matter enough. Right now it just doesn’t seem to matter. Our guys are lacking in energy and focus and discipline,” Kerr said. “We finally started caring with six minutes left when we were threatened, and we immediately cut it to three because we cared. But the right team won, karma was in the right place tonight.”

The Warriors will not have too much time to correct the flaws as they travel to Los Angeles to face the Clippers Monday night.

Warriors win a thriller 117-112 come back from five-point deficit over Toronto late in the fourth quarter

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry, right, shoots against Toronto Raptors’ Jakob Poeltl, left, as Warriors’ Draymond Green, second from right, blocks Raptors’ Delon Wright (55) during the second half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2017, in Oakland, Calif. Warriors won, 117-112. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

By Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland – The Golden State Warriors showed the Toronto Raptors why they are champions as they came back from a five-point deficit with less than two minutes to play in the game to win by five 117-112.

The Warriors had their hands full with the Raptors all night long. The Dubs continue to make too many bad passes and the committed eighteen turnovers in the game. Draymond Green committed six turnovers, and that did not help the Warriors cause.

The two teams played a very spirited first quarter. The Raptors led most of the way, but the Warriors were able to have three-point advantage 29-26 at the end of the first quarter. The Warriors increased lead to 59-49 late in the first half, but Toronto kept rebounding and playing defense, and they trailed by eight at the half 61-53  The Warriors’ big four of Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson did most of the scoring. Klay had 18, Steph 10, Draymond 11, and KD had 13. Serge Ibaka paced the Raptors with 11, DeMar DeRozan had 8, Kyle Lowery 7, and C.J.Miles tallied 10 coming off the bench.

In the third quarter, The Warriors seemed to have put its act together as they took a 14-point lead 71-57. The Raptors came right back and went on a 16-4 run to trail by just 2 points 75-73. The Warriors, behind a key 3-pointer by Steph Curry, regained a six-point lead 88-82 late in the period. Toronto would not fold and then trailed by just five 91-86 after three. The Raptors outscored the Warriors 33-30, and the play was fast and furious. Neither team would break, and the Raptors were poised to upset the Warriors at Oracle Arena.

The Warriors started the fourth quarter as  KD and David West made key baskets to give Golden State an 11-point lead.  The Raptors did not fold. They went on a 13-2 run to tie the game at 99. The Raptors defense kept the Warriors from scoring, and they went ahead 112-107 with just 1:52 left to play in the game. The Warriors then showed their fans, the NBA, and the world why they are champs. They scored the last 10 points of the game to win 117-112. Klay Thompson pulled down a key rebound Steph tied the game with a 3-point shot. Kevin Durant also made a key rebound. Steph made another three and finished the scoring with two free throws to ice the win for Golden State.

Game Notes and stats- Klay Thompson tallied 22 points, and he is donating a thousand dollars for each point he scores, and the money will go the victims of the Northern California Wildfires. The amount will go up as Klay will continue to donate his point total the next two games. Klay also extended his consecutive game streak to 59 by making a three-point shot in the first half. Steph led the Warriors with 30 points, and he had 5 assists, 4 rebounds and one blocked shot. KD added 29, and Draymond Green had a double-double with 15 points and 11 boards. David West led the bench with 8. After the game, Steph said this:”we didn’t play our best and they played a great game.”

The Raptors were paced by DeMar DeRozan with 24. Pascal Siakhan 20, Serge Ibaka 15, Kyle Lowrey, 14, C.J.Miles 10, and Jakob Poeltl had a double-double for Toronto with 12 points and 14 rebounds.

The Warriors improve to 3-2 and face the Washington Wizards Friday night at Oracle Arena. The Wizards are led by the dynamic backcourt of John Wall and Bradley Beal. The Warriors will have to deal with Marcin Gortat, the big center that pushed Zaza Pachulia into Kevin Durant last year. Durant suffered a knee injury and missed about a third of the games last season. Markieff Morris, a power forward who averaged 14 points a game last year will not play as he is out with a sports hernia.

 

 

Warriors rout the Mavericks 133-103, but it was not that easy

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) comes up with the loose ball against Dallas Mavericks forward Harrison Barnes (40) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Dallas, Monday, Oct. 23, 2017. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

by Jerry Feitelberg

DALLAS — The Golden State Warriors played a great first quarter, a not-so-good second quarter but put it all together in the third and fourth quarters to easily defeat the Dallas Mavericks 133-103.

The Warriors never trailed in the game. They seemed to be on a mission in the first quarter as they scored forty points and led 40-24 after the first twelve minutes of play. Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, and Klay Thompson all played well as the Dubs dominated.  The second quarter, however, did not go as planned. The Mavericks refused to wilt and after trailing by eighteen put the pressure on the Warriors. There was no question the Mavs were outplaying the Warriors as the Dubs were committing too many fouls and too many turnovers. Dallas trailed by just one paint 63-62 late in the first half, but the Warriors made a bucket to end the half with a three-point advantage 75-62 Steph tallied 17, KD 15 and Klay had 8. The Mavericks’ leading scoring was Wesley Matthews with 14, Dirk Nowitzki had 6, Harrison Barnes 0, Yogi Ferrell 8, Dwight Powell 7 and J.J.Barea added 9.

The third quarter belonged to the Warriors once more. The Warriors stopped committing fouls and did not turn the ball over. They had terrific ball movement, and they pulled away from the Mavericks as they outscored them 34-22 in the third period. The offense was led by Steph, Klay, Draymond Green, and KD. THey propelled the Warriors to a 99-84 lead after three.

They kept it going in the fourth quarter. The outgunned Mavericks could do nothing as the Warriors behind KD, Klay, Andre Iguodala upped the lead to 111-89 with 6:17 left. Coach Steve Kerr removed the regulars, but the bench kept the momentum going and the Warriors cruised to a 133-103 victory.

Game Notes – The Warriors finished the road trip with a 2-1 record and evened the season record to 2-2. The Mavericks dropped to 0-4.

Steph Curry led the Dubs with 29 points. Curry made 13 free throws, and it was the third consecutive game that Curry has had double-digit free throws. Curry passed Nate Thurmond on the Warriors all-time scoring list and is now in fifth place. Klay Thompson finished the night with 21 points and has made a three-point shot in 58 consecutive games.

It was the first time the Dubs scored forty points in the first quarter, and it was the 43rd time in Kerr’s tenure.

Jordan Bell made a spectacular dunk in the fourth quarter. Dallas coach Rick Carlisle glared at Bell as Carlisle thought he was showboating. The players on the Warrior bench were absolutely amazed by the play. The Dubs bench played well. too. Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingstone, JaVale McGee, and Nick Young came through for Golden State. Young was impressive as he made four 3-point shots and ended the game with 13.

The Mavs were led by Wesley Matthews 19, Dirk Nowitzki 11, Harrison Barnes, 13, Yogi Ferrell 13, Dennis Smith, Jr 10. J.J.Barea finished with 13 and Dwight Powell, the Stanford product, ended the night with 10.

The Warriors return home to face the Toronto Raptors Wednesday night at Oracle Arena. Game time is at 7:30 pm.

Kings lose to Suns 117-115 for second straight loss

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @NBA

By: Ana Kieu

PHOENIX — The Sacramento Kings dropped a 117-115 decision to the Phoenix Suns at the Talking Stick Resort Arena Monday night.

The Suns fired their head coach Earl Watson after the team’s 0-3 start so far this season. Watson left the position with a 33-85 record. Shortly after, they promoted Jay Triano as an interim head coach.

The Kings, on the other hand, got blown out by the Denver Nuggets 96-79 last Saturday. So they were obviously hungry for a win.

The Suns were off to a fast start in the first quarter. They were also on fire from the three-point line. They led the Kings 36-17 after the first. Marquese Chrisse had 10 points and two rebounds.

The Kings had a rough first half. The Suns continued to bring their offense as Alex Len’s dunk was nice, but the pass from Tyler Ulis was even better. After a Kings delay of violation, TJ Warren blocked George Hill’s five-foot driving layup and then Bogdan Bogdanovic missed a 22-foot jumper.

The Kings mounted a large comeback with 34 points in the second quarter, but trailed the Suns 59-51 at the end of the first half. Despite missing an extended jumper, Bogdanovic had 13 points in 12 minutes in the second.

Troy Daniels’ three-pointer put the Suns up by nine with 3:36 left in the third quarter. Skal Labisserie made a dunk with 1:09 left in the third. However, Labisserie missed a shot as the clock winded down and the Suns held a 87-76 lead over the Kings after the third.

The Suns reached the 100-point mark when Dragan Bender made the first of two free throws with 6:35 left in the fourth quarter. Bender did end up making both free throws after Tyson Chandler entered the game to take Len’s place.

Not much luck for the Kings as Willie Cauley-Stein drew a shooting foul with 6:13 left in the third. But there was a light at the end of the tunnel as soon as Garrett Temple made a 26-foot three-pointer to pull the Kings within 10 with 5:54 left. Labisserie then entered the game for Kosta Koufos, which prompted the Suns to take a timeout.

The score reverted back to single digits (102-94) after Bogdanovic found Cauley-Stein for the dunk with 5:17 remaining. The Kings were behind the Suns until De’Aaron Fox made an eight-foot driving floating jump shot, tying the game at 112 apiece with 58 seconds left in regulation.

Though, a shot by Mike Jones put the Suns ahead 114-112 with only 14 seconds left to go. Both teams called timeouts and Devin Booker made two free throws to extend the Suns’ lead to 116-113. Yet, the Kings weren’t ready to back down as Hill responded with two of his own.

Troy Daniels added a down-to-the-wire free throw to expand the Suns’ lead to 117-115. The Suns held on for their first win of the season, a 117-115 victory, and handed the Kings their second straight loss.

Notes
Bogdan Bogdanovic made his debut with the Kings.

Here’s a throwback from the Kings’ last game against the Suns in Phoenix. Skal Labissiere dropped a career-high and game-high 32 points that day.

Up Next
The Kings return to action Thursday night as they host the New Orleans Pelicans at Golden 1 Center at 7:30 p.m. PST.