Tag: NBA

Denver Spoils Home Opener, Downs Warriors 114-103

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By Shawn Whelchel

The Golden State Warriors weren’t in championship form on Tuesday night, as sloppy play and a lack of defense spoiled the teams long awaited return to Oracle Arena in a 114-103 loss to the Denver Nuggets.

The Warriors defense looked uncharacteristically lethargic and porous, as the NBA champions failed to stop a rolling Denver offense that put up 63 first-half points. The Nuggets were able to use a 18-3 run late in the second quarter to give themselves a solid lead heading into the half and never looked back.

Klay Thompson had a particularly rough night for the Warriors, making just one-of-eight field goal attempts for eight points across 24 minutes of play. Draymond Green lead the starting five with 15 points on 5-of-13 shooting, while Steph Curry dumped in 14 points on a similar shooting line, going just 1-of-8 from behind the arc. Leandro Barbosa looked to be the most offensively consistent player for Golden State, adding a team-high 16 points off the bench on an efficient 5-for-8 shooting in just 15-minutes of play.

But while the Warriors failed to keep their foot on the offensive gas pedal throughout the middle-two frames of the game, the Nuggets, led by PF Kenneth Faried, took advantage of the spotty Warriors defense to score a preseason-high 114 points.

Faried led all scorers in the game with his double-double line consisting of 22 points and 12 rebounds. Five other Nuggets scored in the double-digits on the night, including four-of-five starters for Denver, and 16 points off the bench from PG Jameer Nelson.

Adding injury to insult, the Warriors lost Harrison Barnes in the second quarter after the small forward sprained his knee while running into a Denver player while running the floor in transition. The Warriors are expected to update his status on Wednesday.

After allowing the Nuggets to shoot 49.5 percent from the field on Tuesday, the Warriors will need to shore up their defensive effort before the Houston Rockets, and spurned MVP candidate James Harden, come to Oracle Arena on Thursday night.

 

Kings defeat Lakers, 107-100, in Sin City

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by Michael Martinez

picture credit Google Images

SACRAMENTO- Lady luck was on the Kings side tonight as they continued to show excellent team offense with 7 players in double figures while adding 26 teams assists, even with All Star Center Demarcus Cousins sitting out. The Kings’ passing and good shooting allowed them to hold a lead throughout the game. The Kings beat the Lakers, 107-100, at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The Kings started off slow in the 1st quarter as the Lakers lead for almost the first half of the quarter. However, Rajon Rondo once again stepped up for his team and showed that he is not only a passer. Rondo scored the ball well and the point guard known for horrible shooting, shot 3 for 5 from the field in the 1st quarter, scoring 7 points and adding 3 assists. He finished the game with 11 points, shooting 5 for 9 from the field, 1 for 4 behind the 3 point line, and added 6 assists in 25 minutes of play. Marco Belinelli also did a good job of scoring the ball for the Kings with 5 points, shooting 2 for 3 from the field. The free agent signings helped give the Kings a 31-27 lead heading into the 2nd quarter.

Again the Kings 2nd quarter woes continued, giving up a 5-0 run to start the quarter. The defense was lackluster until Eric Moreland came up big defensively with a couple blocks and added 6 points on the offensive end. Belinelli began to heat up again as he hit a couple of threes and Darren Collison continued that charge. The Kings got out on an 8-0 run until Lou Williams hit a pair of free throws. To finish out the half, Kosta Koufos, who replaced Cousins in the starting line up, tipped in a buzzer beater to give the Kings a 63-51 lead. At the end of the half, the Kings shot the ball 53.5% from the field with 15 assists.

To begin the 3rd quarter, Rondo made the first bucket of the half off an assist from Koufos. From there the Kings continued to push the ball around the perimeter while also getting the ball inside. Rondo assisted Rudy Gay who filled the lane in really well to give the Kings a 16 point lead. Gay finished the game with a double-double, 10 points with 11 rebounds in 24 minutes of play, although he shot 3 for 12 from the field. But the Kings defense struggled once more giving up a 7-0 run to the Lakers. Ben McLemore, who finished with 11 points on 3 for 9 shooting from the field, 2 for 5 behind the arc in 25 minutes, made a big 3 pointer to stop the Lakers in their tracks. Nonetheless, the offense for the Kings kept their lead to double digits. The big story of the 3rd quarter was Kobe Bryant leaving the quarter with a left leg contusion and sitting out for the rest of the game. Bryant finished with 10 points, going 4 for 12 from the field and his fadeaway jumper looked good early in the game. And Belinelli, the Kings top scorer of the night, once again shot the ball well to finish the first 3 quarters with 17 points, going 5 for 9 from the field and 3 for 5 on 3 point field goals in 23 minutes of play, shooting 50% from the field. The Kings lead to end the 3rd was 88-74, and their field goal percentage was 51.7%, with a 3 point field goal percentage of 40%.

As the 4th quarter got underway, Eric Moreland came up big with 2 more blocks and showed Coach Karl he is a huge asset on defense. The Kings held a lead throughout the 4th quarter, but let the Lakers make the game a little closer. Collison once again came up big and did a great job of scoring the ball while distributing to his teammates. Towards the end of the 4th, the reserves came in and D’Angelo Russell tried to make it interesting scoring 6 points in the final minute.

Collison finished the game with 16 points, 2 rebounds and 7 assists. The final Kings player in double figures was Moreland who scored 10 points in 15 minutes going 5 for 6 from the field. Moreland also tallied 4 blocks with 5 rebounds and revitalized the Kings effortless defense.

The overall team effort, ultimately leading to a win, now puts the Kings at 4-1 during the 2015 preseason. The Kings’ offense looks sharp as they continue to swing the ball and push it inside or find the open man, finishing with a 45.6% field goal percentage with 38 points in the paint. If the Kings can get their defense on the right path and pass the ball as well as they have this entire preseason, the 2015-16 regular season could be an exciting one in the City of Trees.

Kings Celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness Night in preseason home opener with 95-92 team win over the Spurs

Published on by Michael MartinezLeave a comment

by Michael Martinez

photo credits google images

SACRAMENTO- On a night where the Sacramento Kings honored those effected by breast cancer, they kept all Kings fans happy defeating the San Antonio Spurs, 95-92 at Sleep Train Arena. The win can be attributed to the Kings big 3, Demarcus Cousins, Rajon Rondo and Rudy Gay as well as Willie Cauley-Stein’s defense. The Kings ball movement was outstanding for most of the night and their defense showed signs of improvement as well.

For the Kings it was a tale of odds and evens as they played well in the 1st and 3rd quarters, however their play declined in the 2nd and 4th quarters. Although they started off slow in the 1st quarter, strong shooting by Rudy Gay allowed the Kings to take the lead, 19-14. Gay’s solid shooting, 10 for 13 from the field and 2 for 3 behind the arc in 30 minutes of play, allowed the Kings to hold a lead at the end of the 3rd quarter and maintain it in the 4th quarter even though Gay only played half of the 4th.

When asked about his hot shooting, Gay humbly said “I’ve just been practicing and shooting, doing what NBA players are doing.”

As the Kings played mostly reserves in the 2nd quarter, the Spurs cut into the lead with a 7-0 run after the 1st quarter break. The Kings were not closing out on their defenders and allowed Rasual Butler to score 7 points on 3 consecutive possessions and this allowed the Spurs to come back and tie the game at the half, 47-47.

The Kings came out of the 3rd quarter with fire under their belts and Rajon Rondo really had a chance to shine. After a good 1st quarter and playing very little in the 2nd, Rondo distributed the ball well and ran some uptempo offense in the 3rd that allowed the Kings to get easy points in the paint and open shots behind the three point line. Totaling 4 assists in the first half, Rondo added 6 assists in the 3rd quarter and wound up with 6 points, 10 assists and 8 rebounds almost getting a triple double in almost 25 minutes of play. He also showed tremendous ball handling skills and tossed Gay a big alley-oop to get the crowd pumped up in the 3rd. Rondo rested in the 4th quarter as Coach George Karl decided to keep him off the court.

Gay was asked about Rondo heating up in the 3rd.

He confidently said “That’s what I know he can do, it’s just been a matter of time.”

Rondo was not in present in the locker room for comment.

Demarcus Cousins was the final offensive piece as he totaled a double-double scoring 17 points with 10 boards and 1 assist in 28 minutes of play. In the 3rd, Cousins did a good job of scoring the ball with his usual mid range jumper as he totaled 8 points in the 3rd. Cousins also sat out the 4th quarter as the Kings took an 11 point lead over the Spurs, 78-67.

The 4th quarter was mainly a quarter of reserves similar to the 2nd and it showed when the Kings let the Spurs go on a 10-0 run to start the quarter. The offense looked dormant as Dave Stockton could not move the ball nearly as well as Rondo. The Kings closed out the game after they took a time out following the Spurs big run and Willie Cauley-Stein subbed in helping protect the rim well and get rebounds when needed. Cauley-Stein’s defense was outstanding all night as he held LaMarcus Aldridge to 8 points on 3 of 10 shooting from the field. Cauley-Stein also helped win the game for the Kings with an offensive rebound and kick out to Marco Belinelli who found his shot late and sunk 2 free throws to ultimately give the Kings a W, winning 95-92.

Coach Karl praised Cauley-Stein’s effort when asked about his confidence in their 6th overall draft pick.

Karl said “He’s solid, he’s a good player.”

Even after a win against a playoff caliber team, minus Duncan, Ginobli, Parker, Diaw and Coach Popovich, the Kings can make improvements. The defense can close out even better and their 23 turnovers leading to 24 points may be a point of concern as the regular season approaches. Nonetheless, the win for the Kings is great heading into the regular season as they proved they can close out games and their defense has improved by only allowing 92 points tonight. The Kings are now 2-1 in the preseason.

I would like to finish this article by asking everyone to keep one of our staff members, Jeff Hall, in there thoughts and prayers as he continues to battle for his life in the hospital. We’re pulling for you Jeff and know you are strong.

Collison and Belinelli lead Kings to overtime win in preseason opener

Published on by Michael Martinez1 Comment

by Michael Martinez

photo credit google images Kings PG Darren Collison

SACRAMENTO- The Kings are coming into this season with some fresh new faces, but chemistry, or a lack thereof, seemed to be the key issue during the Kings’ first exhibition game. The lack of chemistry showed as the Kings poor perimeter defense and shot selection allowed the Trail Blazers to take a 21 point lead in the 2nd quarter. Although the Kings were down for most of the game, they were able to pull out an overtime victory on the road, 109-105, led by Darren Collison and Marco Belinelli.

At the end of the first half, the Kings were shooting the ball from behind the three point line at 7% and their overall field goal percentage was 36.6%. Rudy Gay struggled as he could not find his shot tonight. Gay who played tremendously in 3 games against Portland last year, shot 2 for 11 from the field and only scored 4 points. Demarcus Cousins was the only bright spot in the first half as he scored 14 points in the first two quarters and finished the game with 22 points and 7 rebounds in 23 minutes of play. Cousins was not a part of the Kings 4th quarter resurgence as he sat out the 4th quarter. The Kings poor play had them down 56-41 heading into halftime.

The Kings played a much better 3rd quarter as they outscored the Blazers, but the quarter ended with the Kings still down 68-82. The real come back came in the 4th quarter when the Kings outscored the Blazers, 29-15. Darren Collison began the charge as he not only distributed the ball well but he also shot the ball well. Collison finished the game with 21 points, 10 assists and 4 rebounds while shooting 6 for 10 in 36 minutes of play.

Marco Belinelli continued this come back and ultimately helped put the nail in the coffin to lead the Kings to victory. He shot extremely well, especially in the 4th quarter and the overtime period. Belinelli went 12/18 from the field, scoring 32 points and added 4 assists and 3 rebounds. Belinelli’s smooth shooting is a good sign for the Kings who acquired him in the offseason.

The Kings will take on the Phoenix Suns this Wednesday where hopefully they can fix the holes in their defense and get some better ball movement in order to take better shots. Collison and Belinelli had great games and it will be interesting to see who will get the start in Wednesday’s game. Although the Kings struggled most of the game, the come back victory is a good sign that they continue to compete to the end.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeff Hall: Team built around Cousins Kings hopes this is their season and beyond

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by Jeff Hall

photo credit google images Kings GM Vlade Divac

SACRAMENTO–The Kings went through three coaches last season Mike Malone, Ty Corbin and George Karl this year if all goes to plan Karl should be their man. The Kings are looking to make a big statement this year. Also the Kings center DeMarcus Cousins and we were just talking about it minute ago that Cousins isn’t the biggest problem on the team.

It’s not going to be about how the management runs this team it’s going to be about those guys down on the floor and the Kings will see how it goes and how Cousins handles it. He’s got a goal going into this year and he’s going to accomplish his goals whatever goal he makes.

The Kings Rudy Gay will be back at small forward this season and with him teaming up with Cousins that should be a helpful force and after the season that he had last year it should be interesting to see what he does this season. Cousins will be Cousins and Gay will be Gay in what they bring to the game this season.

This could be the season for the Kings and Karl would love to have this season to be the one where the club is headed for a shot at post season and the organization is looking forward to getting into the new arena in October 2016. The Kings general manager Vlade Divac is coming into his second season as Kings general manager and he’s not playing over his head.

Divac was involved in the draft pick as he signed Willie Cauley-Stein and that was Divac’s deal and not former Kings GM Pete D’Alessandro. Divac is not coming into something that he didn’t develop and he’s been part of the signing of Kings guard and forward Marco Belinelli. Divac is providing a new scene especially with the new building Golden 1 Arena going into next season. This is not the old situation for the Kings but just the beginning of new era.

Jeff Hall covers the Sacramento Kings at http://www.sportsradioservice.com listen to the podcast

Kings End Season On A High Note, Beat Lakers 122-99

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By Shawn Whelchel

In what could be considered a small moral victory, the Sacramento Kings handed the Los Angeles Lakers one final loss to close out their disastrous 2015 season, beating the downtrodden team by a score of 122-99 on Wednesday’s season finale.

Although the Kings have had their fair share of injury troubles, which have held starters DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay out of action during the season’s final few games, the Lakers were only able to suit up eight players for Wednesday nights finale during a season which furthered the once prosperous franchise’s fall from grace.

The Kings pounced on the makeshift Los Angeles lineup, jumping out to an early lead by the end of the first quarter, and never looking back, as they continued to make short work of the Lakers defense throughout the entire game.

The Kings finished with seven players in double figures, including all five starters.Ben McLemore led the team with 24 points on 9-of-18 shooting, followed by Ray McCallum who dished in 19 points on 7-of-14 from the field. Derrick Williams and Ryan Hollins provided some spark off the bench, finishing the game in double figures as well. Sacramento’s offense was efficient throughout the entire game, as the squad finished the contest with a 54.8 shooting percentage from the field, and an impressive 47.1 percentage from beyond the arc as they converted 8-of-17 three point attempts.

The loss put an even bigger stain on a wasted Lakers season, as the 21-61 season record gave Los Angeles their worst record in franchise history, good for second worst in the Western Conference behind the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves. The Kings, however, finished the season with a modest two game winning streak while surpassing last year’s win total by one.

The Kings are setup for improving on their fourth place finish in the Pacific Division as new head coach George Karl will be at the helm of the team for his first full season next year. The Kings finished with an 11-19 record under Karl, although they were without Cousins and Gay for the end of the season.

Sacramento Kings Can’t Hold Off Jazz, Fall 103-91

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By Shawn Whelchel

The injury ridden Sacramento Kings could not stave off a late scoring run by the Jazz on Wednesday night, as Utah went on to clinch the season series with a 103-91 win at home.

Sacramento was without two of their top scorers in the lineup on Wednesday, as DeMarcus Cousins, Rudy Gay and Darren Collison were all held out of action with their respective injuries. Omri Caspri led the Kings makeshift starting lineup with 16 points, while Jason Thomas followed with a double-double on 12 points and 11 boards.

Despite their lack of starting depth, the Kings headed into the locker room at halftime with a six point lead over the Jazz, who struggled to get on the board early. But the Jazz would come out stronger in the third, outscoring Sacramento by 8 in the quarter to regain control of the game.

The two teams traded buckets early in the fourth before the Jazz would go on a 15-0 run with a little over 9 minutes left in the game to secure the victory, and the season series, against Sacramento. The Kings were brought down by poor perimeter defense in the second half, allowing the Jazz to dump in 10 three-pointers in their comeback effort.

Rodney Hood led Utah with 20 points and seven rebounds, while Derrick Favors followed him with a double-double on 18 points and 11 rebounds. Utah finished with six players in double figures.

Despite the Kings being poised to end the season on a sour note after losing six of their last seven games, fans of the team were treated to a historic moment with just under 20 seconds to go in the game as Sim Bhullar, the 7’5 giant recently acquired by Sacramento, became the first person of Indian decent to score in the NBA after dumping in a nifty jump hook in the middle of the post. He finished the game with just those two points.

The Kings will travel to Oklahoma City to take on the Thunder on Friday night.

Charlie O – “out of my mind!”: It’s time to change the NBA age limit to 18

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

By Charlie O. Mallonee

The National Basketball Association is trying to avoid paying for player development cost by raising the age limit to join the league to 20-years of age. The current league age requirement is 19-years.

The 19-year old age limit has created the “one and done” phenomena in college basketball. Players enroll for one season. If they are successful on the court, the players leave school and enter the NBA Draft. This means NBA teams must draft and pay to develop this unproven talent in the hope that the players will become NBA level talent.

One way to cut the cost of player development is to raise the age limit to play in the NBA to 20-years old. This would cause players to stay in school for a second season while they develop physically and improve their basketball skills. It would make players drafted into “the Association” a better investment as they would be more prepared to play professional basketball after an additional year of seasoning at the collegiate level. NBA teams would save money by not having to pay for an additional year of player development.

College programs would not have a problem with raising the age limit to 20. It would reduce their recruiting cost and give them additional playing time from more experienced players. It seems like a win-win for the colleges and the NBA but is not a win for the players.

Let’s be frank, college is not for everybody. Some young men do not want to matriculate after high school. They would rather go right to work in professional basketball the way players do in baseball and hockey.

Yes, this would drive up the cost of player development for the NBA. They would need to invest more in the D-League and possibly send players to the Euro league to develop the skills required to play in the NBA. In other words, the NBA needs to develop a true minor league system. Player development cost would increase, but it is just the cost of doing business properly.

The fact is that a college education is not required to play in the NBA (see Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Kevin Garnett, Amar’e Stoudemire, Monta Ellis, et al). The keys to playing in the NBA are not learned in a classroom. They are learned and developed in the gym. So, why must a player go to college in order to continue playing until they reach age 19 or 20 if the NBA has its way? The fact is they should not have playing for a college team as their only option after high school.

This is not an indictment against a college education. Continuing education is a good thing. For the economic development of the nation, it is a necessary commodity. It just should not be a requirement to play in the NBA or a way for the “the Association” to avoid development cost.

Baseball and hockey allow young men aged 18 (or younger in some cases) the opportunity to begin professional careers without  going to college. They get to play in places like Bakersfield, Ft. Wayne and Thunder Bay. As their skills improve they move up the ladder. If they do not progress, they are cut (fired), and they move on to the next phase of their lives. Savvy players have negotiated for their college tuition to paid for by the team if they are released by the club.

The key question is – who would be harmed if high school players could go directly to the NBA? It would cost the NBA money for the cost of developing younger talent, so their bottom-line would be affected. NBA players might not receive the type of raises they desire as teams would have to divert more money to player development. The colleges might not have the opportunity to have some talented players participate in their programs because they would bypass NCAA level play. Ultimately, no person or group would be unduly harmed by the change.

Who would win if the situation were changed? The young men who want to put it all on the line and pursue their dream of playing professional basketball. For some, that will mean a financial windfall as they reach stardom earlier than they would if forced to play in college. For others, it means their dream will end while they are young enough to seek other occupational opportunities, but they will have had the chance to pursue their dreams.

Let me add at this point, I am not against a college education. In fact, I wish that all basketball players would attend college, complete a four-year degree and then go play professionally. I think that would be the best of all options, but that option is really not realistic for all.

It is time for a change. If you are 18-years old (a legal adult) you should be able to play in the NBA. There is no logical reason to keep these talented individuals from playing the game they love professionally.

The Warriors knock off the Clippers

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March 31st Los Angeles

by Jerry Feitelberg

What a great game. It was fast and furious and the outcome was in doubt until the final twelve seconds of the game but the Warriors came back from a seventeen point deficit in the second period to defeat the Los Angeles Clippers 110-106

It was the Warriors tenth straight win and they won the last four games on the road. The Clippers were also playing great basketball as they came into the game having won seven in a row but the win streak ended Tuesday night. It did not start off well for the Warriors as they played a very poor first period. The Clippers opened the game with a 7-0 run and the Warriors were not playing very well on defense. Draymond Green did not play again tonight as he has a shin injury and David Lee started in his place.  The Warriors offense was not very good as they shot just 31% from the floor and they watched the Clippers All-Star, Blake Griffin, have a very strong first period as he went 6 for 7 from the floor for 12 points as the Clippers had the lead at 30-18 at the end of the first period.

For the first six minutes of the second period, it was more of the same. The Clippers led by Griffin and Chris Paul built the lead to 17. The Dubs woke up and started to chip away at the lead.  They closed the gap to nine with 4:20 left in the half and they did outscore the Clippers by five in the period, but they still trailed by seven at the end of the half 53-47.

The Warriors came to life in the third period. As they have done so many times this season. they got things going and they were able to actually take the lead for the first time 72-71 with about 5 minutes left in the period. The lead lasted about 20 seconds as the Clippers pushed back and had a six point lead 88-82 at the end of three periods of play. Klay Thompson got hot for the Warriors and at one stretch, Klay and Steph Curry accounted for 19 straight points. The Warriors scored 36 points in the period, but the Clippers kept them at bay.

In the fourth and final period of play, the Warriors went on a 9-0 run to put them ahead 91-88. The Clippers fought back and took a 94-91 lead, but Klay drained a 3-point shot to tie the game at 94. The game was tied again at 98 with 4:03 lefty in the game.  The Warriors went ahead 103-100 as Andre Iguodala was fouled attempting a 3-point shot and he made all three free throws to give the Dubs the lead for good. The score was 106-102 with 22 seconds left and the Clippers had the ball in the forecourt following a timeout. On the attempt to get the ball into play, the ball was mishandled by Chris Paul and the Clips were called for a backcourt violation and the ball went to the Dubs and that was the game. Final score 110-106.

Notes- The Warriors won their 10th straight game and are now 61-13 for the season. The Clippers are now 49-26.

Steph Curry led the Dubs in scoring wit 27points and he had 9 assists. Klay Thompson had a great second half and ended the evening with 25 points and 8 rebounds.  Andrew Bogut, who fouled out with 1:26 left in the game, was his usual defensive force as he had 9 rebounds, 5 assists, and 6 points. David Kee, starting just his second game of the year, pitched in with 17 and the Warrior bench led by Mo Speights, Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston and Leandro Barbosa added 34. The Clippers were led by Blake Griffin’s 40 points. Chris paul knocked down 27 and J.J. Redick had 14. The Clipper bench did not provide any offense and Clipper coach, Doc Rivers, had his starters on the floor for most of the game.

Next up for the Warriors will be the Phoenix Suns Thursday night at the Oracle Arena. Game time will be at 7:30pm and the Warriors will then go on another four-game road trip.

Kings Extend Win Streak, Beat Phoenix 108-99.

Published on by swhelchLeave a comment

By Shawn Whelchel

With both a balanced scoring attack and, perhaps more importantly, a solid defensive outing, the Sacramento Kings earned their fourth straight victory on Wednesday night as they beat the Phoenix Suns 108-99 at US AirwaysCenter.

Sacramento had seven players score in double figures, including all five starters, while leading the Suns throughout the entire game. DeMarcus Cousins led the charge for Sacramento with a team-high 24 points and 11 rebounds with an efficient 11-of-19 shooting from the field.

But while the Kings balanced scoring efficiency is sure to excite some fans, tonight’s battle was won on the other side of the ball, as Sacramento held the usually hot-shooting Suns to under 100 points. Sacramento, who holds the second worst defensive ranking in the NBA by allowing 105.1 points per game, held Phoenix to just 43.7 percent shooting on the night, including a measly 24 percent from beyond the arc.

The game wasn’t a cake-walk for Sacramento though, as a late Phoenix surge brought the Suns to within striking range in the fourth quarter after pulling to within five points with just under five minutes left in the game. But shooting guard Ben McLemore scored six of his 12 points on two consecutive three pointers to extend the cushion for Sacramento heading into the final minutes.

Although the fourth quarter would be the only time that Phoenix would outscore the Kings, the comeback attempt was too little and too late, as Sacramento would hold on for their fourth straight win while advancing their road record to 10-24.

Not only does Wednesday night’s victory improve an abysmal road victory, but it gives the Kings a semi-respectable 8-11 record since George Karl took command of the club. The victory also secured their first season series win over Phoenix since the 2010-11 season.

The Suns will look to continue their hot-streak against the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday.