Tag: NBA

Kobe Leads Comeback Downs The Kings At Staples Center

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AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

By Shawn Whelchel

A late surge from Kobe Bryant helped the Los Angeles Lakers complete their second-half comeback attempt against a struggling Sacramento Kings squad for a 98-95 victory at Staples Center Tuesday night.

Even after 19-years in the league, the 36-year old Bryant showed why he is still considered one of the best closers in the game by adding 9 of his 32-points on the night within the waning minutes of the 4th quarter.

While the Lakers began to surge, the Kings went cold, shooting just 5-for-17 during a crucial fourth quarter, including two three-point attempts from Rudy Gay and Nik Stauskas within the final seconds of the game that could have potentially salvaged the disastrous effort.

The Kings were led by Darren Collison’s 26-point, 6 assist effort. Collison was closely followed by Gay, who added 23 points and five assists for Sacramento as well. The Kings continue to miss DeMarcus Cousins as they were outscored 36-28 in the paint as well.

The Kings led by as many as 12-points in the third quarter. but could not contain Bryant and the Lakers, who were aided by the 27-total points off the bench from Carlos Boozer and Nick Young.

On top of going stagnant late in the game, the Kings continue to have turnover issues, as they committed 16 turnovers for 21-points on the night. After losing the last 6-of-8 games, Sacramento will look to stay above .500 as they take on the Houston Rockets at home Thursday night.

 

Houston Stave Off Kings Comeback, Win 102-89

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By Shawn Whelchel

The Sacramento Kings tried to fight through tired legs on their second game of a back-to-back matchup on Wednesday, but ran out of steam as the Houston Rockets earned a 102-89 victory.

Sacramento dug themselves an early hole, as a lack of scoring and easy offense by Houston gave them as large as a 22-point lead in the first half of play. The Kings continued to find their rhythm on offense while pulling to within striking range of the James Harden lead Rockets, but ultimately stalled short of amassing a comeback as a 16-point fourth quarter sealed their fate.

With center Dwight Howard sitting out tonight’s contest with a knee injury, shooting guard James Harden was able to let loose, heaving 31-shots for 26-points on the night to lead his team in scoring. Without their down-low presence, the Rockets lived behind the arc, connecting on 12-of-25 attempts with guard Isaiah Canaan earning 18 of his 24 points from three point range.

On the other side of the court, big man DeMarcus Cousins kept the Kings in the game with 29-points on 9-of-18 shooting while Sacramento was forced to play without starters Rudy Gay and Darren Collison for the second straight game, as they continue to be plagued by injuries.

While the Kings managed to scrap their way to just a one-point deficit in the third quarter, their sloppy play proved too much to overcome, as Houston benefited from 21 Sacramento turnovers on the night, which they converted into 32 points to back their winning effort.

After jumping out to a hot start, the loss drops the now 9-6 Kings to fourth place in the Pacific division, ahead only of the bottom-dwelling Los Angeles Lakers who sit with a 3-12 record on the season. The Kings will look to bounce back on Friday, as they hit the road to take on the San Antonio Spurs

Suns hand Warriors First Loss of the Season

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By Matthew T.F. Harrington

Nobody’s perfect. That includes the Golden State Warriors. After starting the 2014-15 season off with a five game win-streak, the best start to a season since the mid-nineties, the Warriors (5-1) finally succumbed to an opponent Sunday night. In falling to the Phoenix Suns on the road 107-95, the Warriors were the last of the unbeaten teams to fall this season.

Golden State, missing David Lee for a second-consecutive contest due to a hamstring injury, also played without Klay Thompson. The shooting guard was pulled from the line-up suffering from a hand injury.

The Warriors were up 79-71 heading into the fourth quarter, but were outscored 36-16 in the final frame. For the second consecutive night, Golden State turned the ball over 26 times.

Stephen Curry was the highest scorer for a second straight night. The Warriors point guard notched a double-double, scoring 28 points to go along with 10 assists. He also turned the ball over a career-worst 10 times. Draymond Green, in the starting line-up as Lee’s substitute, put up 22 points.

Isaiah Thomas led the Suns (4-3) with 22 points off the bench, while starter Goran Dragic and reserve Gerald Green posted 19 points apiece.

The Warriors return home for a three-game homestand, with a contest against the scuffling defending champion San Antonio Spurs opening up the set on Tuesday. After that the Brooklyn Nets stop by Oracle on Thursday, then the Charlotte Hornets close out the trio of games Saturday.

Warriors Defeat Sacramento on Opening Night

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by Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors got off to a good start Wednesday night in Sacramento defeating the Kings 95-77. For new head coach, it was his first win ever as a coach in the NBA.

The Warriors were without the services of their great Forward, David Lee, due to a hamstring injury. However, Marreese Speights, filling in for Lee, came off the bench and scored 16 points to help the W’s to the win.

The first half ended with Sacramento holding a slim 49-47 lead. The Kings controlled the board and the Warriors couldn’t get anything going. Centers Andrew Bogut, Festus Ezeli and ognjen Kuzmic all were in foul trouble in the first half. However, the Warriors defense was strong and the Kings shot just 31 % from the floor. Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Mo Speights led the W’s in scoring.

With 8:14 left in the third period and all three centers saddled with four fouls, coach Kerr went small and inserted Draymond Green at center. That move ignited the offense and they were able to be in rhythm and got momentum going. The Warriors defense shut down the Kings allowing them just fourteen points in the third period and fourteen points in the fourth period to secure the win. Steph Curry had 24 points, 5 assists, 10 rebounds and six steals. Klay Thompson had nineteen points, Mo Speights kicked in with 16 and Draymond Green had a double-double. Forward Harrison Barnes found his mojo and played a very strong game underneath the boards for the warriors. Final score 95-77.

The W’s announced that they waived the following players-Aaron Craft, Jason Kapono, Sean Kilpatrick, James Michael McAdoo and Mitchell Watt in ordet to get the roster down to 15 players.

The Warriors face the Los Angeles Lakers Saturday night at the Oracle Arena at 7:30 PM

Warriors Guard Will Donate Three Life-Saving Bednets For Every Three-Pointer He Makes this Season To Help Protect Families In Africa from Malaria; Warriors To Match Donation

OAKLAND, CA – Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry will once again lead his Three for Three Challenge for the 2014-15 season by donating three life-saving bednets to the United Nations Foundation’s Nothing But Nets campaign for every three-pointer he makes this season, it was announced today. The Warriors also announced today the team will match Curry’s donation throughout the 2014-15 season up to $5,000.

During his first two seasons running the challenge (2012-13 & 2013-14), Curry donated 1,599 bednets to help thousands of families avoid malaria infection. During the 2012-13 season, Curry established a new NBA single-season three-point record with 272 three-pointers made and donated 816 bednets, and last season (2013-14), Curry recorded 261 three-pointers, providing 783 bednets to families.

“I am honored to support the Nothing But Nets campaign for the third season in a row to continue to help raise awareness and provide bednets to protect families from malaria,” said Curry. “This has been an issue close to my heart since my days at Davidson, and I am grateful that the Warriors organization is helping me once again this season to give to such an important cause.”

Since his time as a college star at Davidson when his college roommate, Bryant Barr, educated him and encouraged him to get involved in the cause, Curry has been a committed champion of the United Nations Foundation’s Nothing But Nets campaign, which works with the UN and other partners to distribute insecticide-treated mosquito nets to protect families across sub-Saharan Africa from malaria. Every 60 seconds, a child dies from malaria. Malaria kills more than 600,000 people worldwide every year, most of them children under five. Bednets provide a simple, cost-effective solution. It only costs $10 to purchase and deliver a bednet, and provide education on its proper use. Since 2006, Nothing But Nets has delivered millions of life-saving bednets to protect families in need thanks to the generous contributions from its partners, champions, and supporters.

“Last year, Stephen traveled with us to Tanzania and saw first-hand how malaria can devastate families,” said Chris Helfrich, director of theNothing But Nets campaign. “We are so grateful that he and the Golden State Warriors have inspired thousands of fans to get involved in the fight to defeat malaria.”

Fans can get involved to help Curry and the Golden State Warriors in the fight against malaria. Go to www.NothingButNets.net to send a net and help save a life.

Fans Attend Open Warrior Practice

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by Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors held a practice at the Oracle Arena that was open to the public and there was no charge to attend. The fans almost filled the Arena to capacity and there was at least 15 or 16 thousand people in the arena

to watch their team get ready for the upcoming season. The players were introduced to the fans with the biggest

ovations went to fan favorites Steph Curry, David Lee, Klay Thompson and Andre Igoudala.

New head coach, Steve Kerr, talked to the fans and explained what the team had to do to just warm up and the players went through a series of stretching exercises before even trying a shot. The players were in a playful mood and would pass the basketball to a fan in the seats. The fan had to through the ball back but what a thrill for the fan. Coach Kerr then had the players go through a series of exercises that the team uses before each game. they used a 5 man weave to et things going. The players then brought the ball up court as if they were in a fast break

and repeated the procedure going the other way. The coach had three sets of five doing this maneuver.

The Warriors broke up into two teams and several fans were included as the teams had to make fifteen shots to win the "game." First team to win two out of three sets were declared the winner. he team and the fans then were challenged as they tried to make buckets from the half court line. A couple of the fans made the shot much to the pleasure of the crowd.There were some more of these contests before the practice session ended and everyone went home happy.

Coach Kerr and General Manager Bob Myers both expressed they could not wait for the season to begin and that

will happen on Wednesday October 29th as the Warriors travel to Sacramento to meet the Kings in the opener.

First home game is November 1st in Oakland against the LA Lakers.

Spurs Bounce Back to Top Kings

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By Shawn Whelchel

A dominant night from C DeMarcus Cousins wasn’t enough to hold the reigning NBA champions down for long, as the San Antonio Spurs mounted a third quarter comeback to steal a 106-99 victory away from the Sacramento Kings .

With star Tim Duncan sitting out for the game, DeMarcus Cousin was turned loose in the post, scoring 32 points on 12 of 14 shooting from the field, while adding four assists. But Cousins influence was felt on both ends of the court as the dynamic center also hauled in 11 rebounds, 2 steals and a block, turning in a solid defensive effort to match his scoring outburst.

The Kings solid first half of play gave them an 11 point advantage coming out of halftime. But the Spurs would come out of the locker room hungry, forcing nine turnovers in the third quarter of play that saw San Antonio pull to within one point heading into the final frame.

The Kings kept San Antonio at bay throughout the fourth before giving up a dunk to SG Kyle Anderson that would give the Spurs their first lead of the half. It would be a back and forth affair through the middle of the quarter before another Anderson bucket with 2:36 left looked to lock the game up for the Spurs.

Rudy Gay and Darren Collison put in a good effort behind big man DeMarcus Cousins, with Gay adding 18-points on 4-of-12 shooting, and Collison following him with 14 of his own on 6-of-10 shooting.  The Kings bench was quiet throughout out the game with the exception of PF Carl Landry, who provided a solid 15-points off the bench.

Spurs SG Kyle Anderson led all starters for San Antonio with 14-points, while G Tony Parker followed him with 13 points of his own. The Spurs scoring surge was largely supported by their bench, which featured four players in double figures including Jeff Ayres, JaMychal Green, Austin Daye and Marco Belinelli, who added a combined 56 points to the winning effort.

While the Kings were able to batter San Antonio down low for points, they were anything but threatening from beyond the arc, shooting just 12 percent on 3-point field goals while converting just 1-of-8 attempts.

Game Notes:

The Sacramento Kings announced that they will pick up the 2015-16 option on guard Ben McLemore’s contract, as confirmed by Kings General Manager Pete D’Alessandro. Per club policy, the terms of the contract were not released.

Now in his second NBA campaign, the 6-foot 5 guard averaged 8.8 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1.0 assist and 26.7 minutes per contest as a rookie last season.

The Warriors Win Their Fourth in a Row, Beat Denver

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Stephen-Curry-2013.jpg

The Golden State Warrior traveled to Des Moines, Iowa Thursday night to play the Denver Nuggets as they get ready for the 2014-15 NBA season. The Warriors came from behind to win their fourth straight game beating the Nuggets 104 -101.

The game marked the return of Harrison Barnes to his home state of Iowa. Barnes grew up in nearby Ames. Barnes played 35 minutes but scored just 5 points but his 3 point jumper late in the game proved to be the difference for the Warriors.

The Warriors down by nine points at the half trailing the Nuggets 62-53 and by thirteen at the end of the third period but they rallied to outscore the Nuggets 32-16 in the fourth period and won the game by three. The Warriors did not play Andrew Bogut, Festus Ezeli,Shaun Livingstone,Mitchell Watt and David Lee. The regulars, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, each played 17:27 minutes. Curry scored thirteen and Thompson had 18. James Michael McAdoo led the Dubs in scoring with twenty and he scored sixteen in the fourth period.

The Nuggets played their regulars for over 26 minutes each and were led by forward Wilson Chandler and center Timofey Mozgov as they each had 18 points. Kenneth Faries and Arron Afflalo scored 11 and Ty Lawson contributed 8 points .

Warrior Notes:

WARRIORS ANNOUNCE SIX BOBBLEHEAD NIGHTS DURING THE 2014-15 SEASON

First 10,000 Fans Will Receive Andre Iguodala Bobblehead October 21; Stephen Curry Bobblehead October 24

OAKLAND, CA – The Golden State Warriors announced today that the team will host six (6) Bobblehead nights this season, beginning with consecutive Bobblehead giveaways during the team’s two preseason games at home on Tuesday, October 21 against the Los Angeles Clippers andFriday, October 24 against the Denver Nuggets. The first 10,000 fans in attendance on October 21 will receive an Andre Iguodala Bobblehead, courtesy of Lucky Supermarkets, and the first 10,000 fans who enter Oracle Arena on October 24 will receive a Stephen Curry Bobblehead, courtesy of Comcast SportsNet Bay Area.

Below are the dates for all Bobblehead Nights this year. The first 10,000 fans who enter Oracle Arena will receive that night’s Bobblehead.

•Andre Iguodala –October 21vs. Los Angeles Clippers, courtesy of Lucky Supermarkets

• Stephen Curry –October 24vs. Denver Nuggets, courtesy of Comcast SportsNet Bay Area

•Šarūnas Marčiulionis–December 4 vs. New Orleans Pelicans, courtesy of The Clorox Company

•Draymond Green –January 7vs. Indiana Pacers

•Manute Bol –January 27vs. Chicago Bulls, courtesy of Kingsford Capital Management

Rick Barry –March 23 vs. Washington Wizards, courtesy of adidas

WARRIORS AND CALIFORNIA ENDOWMENT TO UNVEIL REFURBISHED BASKETBALL COURTS IN RICHMOND, CALIFORNIA

Team Partners With Healthy Richmond, Richmond Community Foundation And The City Of Richmond To Unveil Refurbished Basketball Courts

In Honor of Hall Of Famer Mitch Richmond;

Mitch Richmond To Attend And Officially Unveil Courts For Richmond Youth

OAKLAND, CA – The Golden State Warriors are tipping off this season’s “Step Up Your Game” initiative in partnership with private, statewide health foundation, The California Endowment, to unveil newly refurbished basketball courts at Martin Luther King Jr. Park (360 Harbour Way South) in Richmond, California in honor of Hall of Fame Inductee Mitch Richmond, it was announced today. Mitch Richmond and the Warriors Community Foundation will join The California Endowment, Healthy Richmond, the Richmond Community Foundation, the City of Richmond and local elected officials to unveil the new courts and conduct a basketball clinic for 50 local youth on Monday, October 20 from 3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Youth from Richmond College Prep and the Richmond Police Athletic League (PAL) will attend the unveiling and participate in the Warriors Basketball Clinic. The new courts will feature a 14,000 square foot all-weather acrylic playing surface, four new NBA plexiglass hoop systems, new spectator seating and a drinking fountain.

Kings Swept By Nets In China.

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The first leg of the Sacramento Kings international trip ended in disappointment as the Brooklyn Nets secured a 129-117 victory in overtime on Wednesday morning, sweeping the two game series between the teams in China.

After starting the game slowly on offense, the Nets were able to carry a strong second half outburst into overtime, where they outscored the Kings 17-5 to earn their second straight victory over Sacramento.

SG Ben McLemore led all Kings scorers with 22 points, with Rudy Gay following close behind, adding 21 points of his own in the contest. The Kings bench provided some additional firepower as well, with guard Darren Collison and forward Omri Casspi combining for 34 points in the losing effort.

With Kevin Garnett sitting out for the Nets, it was Mirza Teletovic who went to work down low for Brooklyn, leading the team with 22 points on the night. Teletovic was aided by his partner in the post Mason Plumlee, whose strong overtime play contributed to his 18 point total while capping off the comeback effort.

With DeMarcus Cousins taking the game off, the Kings relied heavily on plays from the guard and small forward position with 98 of their 117 points stemming from the two positions. While the team couldn’t get much going in the post with Cousins out, they took advantage of their outside opportunities, shooting 42 percent from beyond the arc while putting in 13 three pointers.

After falling to a 1-3 record, the Kings will make one more stop on their international itinerary, taking on the Isreali basketball club, Maccaba Haifa on Saturday.

 

Warriors beat the LA Lakers in Pre-season game

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, left, and Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant battle for a loose ball during the first half of a preseasonGolden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, left, and Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant battle for a loose ball during the first half of a preseason basketball game, Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) ( Mark J. Terrill )

The Golden State Warriors played their second pre-season game of the year against the Los Angeles Lakers Thursday night at the Staples Center in LA. The Warriors were led by Klay Thompson as they beat the hated Lakers 120-105. Thompson scored 20 points in the first half and ended up with 25 total playing just 25 minutes of the game. The other half of the Splash Brothers, Steph Curry scored 20 in his 27 minutes of work and the Warriors cause was helped out by David Lee with 12 points and 4 assists. Andrew Bogut had 4 points,6 rebounds,four assists and four blocked shots, Harrison Barnes contributed 11 points and his play was much better overall Thursday night. Brandon Rush, trying to make the team again, had 8 points and was on the floor for 16 minutes.

The Lakers’ aging superstar, Kobe Bryant had 15 points for the game but Carlos Boozer led the club with 16. Bryant said this about Thompson”he has the whole package.”

Former Laker great, Jerry West, an NBA Hall of Fame member and an executive Board member of the Warriors said this about Klay” I talked to some people who were involved with USA basketball, and they loved him, absolutely loved him.”

Game notes- the Warriors and Klay Thompson are working on an extension but they are 2-3 million dollars apart at the present time. Thompson is in his third year in the league and has improved each year and the club would like to get the contract settled by Halloween. If they don’t agree, Thomson will become a restricted free agent meaning that the Warriors can match any exorbitant offer sheet he sign with another team in July 2015.

Andre Iguodala suffered a broken nose just before halftime but is expected to play Sunday against the Lakers in Ontario.

The Warriors committed 14 turnovers which was a big improvement as they turned the ball over 23 times against the Clippers last Wednesday night.

The Warriors will have an open practice from 6-7:30pm October 23rd at Oracle Arena. Parking and admission will be free.

The Warriors Win the Pre-Season Opener

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by Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors played their first pre-season game Tuesday night in Los Angeles against the Clippers and won 112-94.

The game, as one might expect, was ragged at times but the players are trying to fine tune their game and so play was sloppy. The Warriors had their first unit of Andrew Bogut, David Lee, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala start the game, Lee played most of the first half and had 11 points.

Curry and Bogut each scored 10. The Clippers’ Blake Griffin led his team with 18 points at the half and finished with 24 points for the game.

The Clippers had 57 wins last season and they have added Spencer Hawes who is seven feet one inch tall to back up DeAndre Jordan at center. Both men looked to be in great shape and should be formidable opponents this year. J.J.Redick, Chris Paul,Matt Barnes round out the starting five for LA and Jamal Crawford, the NBA’s 6th man of the year, came out blazing off the bench. Glen “Big Baby” Davis is another physical force that the Warriors will have to deal with again this year.

Back to the game- The Warriors led 56-52 at the half. Steph Curry fouled out with 7:13 left in the third period but Klay Thompson filled the void as he picked up his game and scored 12 points in the third period and finished the game with 20. Draymond Green and Harrison Barnes as well as Leandro Barbosa saw considerable playing time. The Warriors played the fourth quarter with most of their reserves. Marreese Speights, Nemanja Nedovic, Justin Holiday and James Michael McAdoo all saw quite a bit of action as the W’s won by a final score of 112-94.