Tag: NBA

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Kings host Magic Wednesday; Levine to make his first appearance

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Sacramento Kings Isaac Jones (17) drives the ball against the Minnesota Timberwolves guard Rob Dillingham (4) in the first half at the Target Center in Minneapolis on Tue Feb 4, 2025 (AP News photo)

On the Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 Jeremiah, how much of the decision to move De’Aaron Fox was a Kings decision or a Fox decision. After the firing of former Kings head coach Mike Brown thing took a different turn for Fox who like working with coach Brown and wasn’t exactly happy with the change.

#2 There was that period that Fox was on the trade block, Fox a long time King was a mainstay with the team but during that trade search were the Kings having internal problems was the trade rumors a distractions.

#3 Zach Levine is the anticipated King to come aboard and the Kings are hoping he make up for the loss of Fox. He didn’t play in the Kings last game against the Minnesota Timberwolves and is expected to be in the line up on Wednesday night in Sacramento against the Orlando Magic.

#4 What role, what expectations are expected from Levine once he does get on the floor and play his first game with the Kings?

#5 The Kings had struggled and after the Fox trade to San Antonio they were able to get back in the win column which they did against the Timberwolves on Monday night. Did dealing Fox pretty much smooth out the dressing room issues of the direction of the team?

Jeremiah Salmonson does the Sacramento Kings podcasts Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kings Outlast Timberwolves Without Fox Winning 116-114; No minutes for newest King Levine

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Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (11) takes a shot over the Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (27) during the first half at the Target Center in Minneapolis on Mon Feb 3, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

There have been some pretty crazy changes in Sacramento this weekend. In the Sacramento Kings (25-24) game Monday night the Kings took the court without De’Aaron Fox who was traded to the San Antonio Spurs over the weekend.

Sacramento came away with Zach LaVine from the Chicago Bulls in a three-team trade but he will not play until possibly Wednesday night at Golden 1. The Kings really stepped up in the absence of Fox with DeMar DeRozan scoring the game high with 33 points.

Every starter had double digits and hung tight in this game winning it by the score of 116-114 over the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Target Center in Minneapolis.

Game recap: The Kings came out strong in this game winning the opening quarter 38-34 and extending their lead throughout the second quarter. They outscored the Timberwolves in the quarter 29-25 and led at the half 67-59.

Domantas Sabonis had a very quiet first half of basketball. Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards also had a slow start and did not look to be back on track at all after illness kept him out of the Wizard game. The Kings had set the pace in the first half of this game and needed more of the same in the second half.

The Timberwolves came roaring back in the third quarter cutting the Kings eight point lead at the half trailing by two points after three quarters 86-88. It would all come down to the fourth quarter and who would outlast the other.

The Kings had led at one time in the game by 12 points while the largest Minnesota lead had been two points. The Timberwolves did take the lead in the fourth quarter at times although by only a bucket each time.

Sacramento had the answer every time as the Kings refused to let this game go. Every time the Timberwolves made a push down the stretch the Kings had the answer. Some brilliant play down the stretch by DeMar DeRozan and a lot of fouls committed by Minnesota sent the Kings to the line a number of times in the final minute sealing this game for Sacramento by the close score of 116-114 in a real thriller. In the absence of Fox, the Kings did a great job and now look forward to Wednesday when they will take the court with new kid on the block Zach LaVine.

The Kings starting lineup did a spectacular job against a very tough Timberwolves team. DeMar DeRozan had the game high with 33 points. He made a monster layup giving the Kings a 110-106 lead with just 30 seconds remaining on the clock.

Domantas Sabonis was back on track with a double double, 11 rebounds and 14 points. Malik Monk finished the game with 26 points and eight rebounds. He knocked down four free throws in the final 17 seconds of the game as well as hitting a pair of big shots late in the game.

Keegan Murray continues to play very well with 19 points and seven rebounds. They only had 12 turnovers and out -rebounded the Timberwolves 47-63 which made a huge difference in the game.

The high for the Timberwolves was Naz Reid with 30 points. This was a season high for Naz who scored 16 of those points in the opening quarter. Anthony Edwards finished the game with 21 points and six rebounds but did not look fully recovered from illness that kept him out of their last game. Rudy Gobert had a double double with 13 rebounds and 19 points. Jaden McDaniels chipped in 22 points.

Game notes: This past weekend has been a wild ride for the Sacramento. They suffered a horrible loss Saturday night against the OKC Thunder 144-110. The Kings saw points from Fox in that game and those would be the last points he will score as a Sacramento King.

Fox was traded to the San Antonio Spurs over the weekend for the Chicago Bulls Zach LaVine, Sidy Cissoko and a slew of draft picks. The Kings did not see LaVine in Monday night’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves but he will likely play in Wednesday’s game at Golden 1 against the Magic.

The Timberwolves will probably have Anthony Edwards and Naz Reid who were listed as questionable on the court. The bad news for Minnesota is that Julius Randle would miss this game, his second straight with a groin injury.

The Timberwolves come into this game after a devastating and embarrassing loss to the worst team in the NBA the Washington Wizards. They will be looking to erase that loss with a win tonight at home. The Kings will be looking for a win on the road without their leader Fox.

After a disappointing road trip, the Kings were thankful to end up with a win over Minnesota and now the Kings will head home for a matchup at Golden 1 against the Miami Heat. Tipoff for that game is scheduled for 7:00 PM. The Golden 1 Center will be alive with anticipation in the hopes of welcoming new Sacramento King Zach LaVine on the court.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Barbara Mason: Did the Fox fiasco play into the Kings struggles?

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Former Sacramento King guard De’Aaron Fox (5) who was traded to the San Antonio Spurs in a three way deal. The Kings got Zach Levine from the Chicago Bulls. (AP file photo)

Sacramento Kings podcast with Barbara Mason:

#1 Barbara the Sacramento Kings in a three way trade got Zach Levine from the Chicago Bulls, De’Aaron Fox goes to the San Antonio Spurs, the Bulls got Zach Collins, Kevin Huerter, Tre Jones.

#2 Before we get into the game Saturday night lets just examine the latest rumors regarding the trade of De’Aaron Fox. For quite awhile they have been a constant and suggest discontent on Fox’s part. Are these rumors bringing a surge of bad energy to the team.

#3 With all of that being said, let’s revisit the game Saturday night against the Western Conference leading Oklahoma City Thunder. To say it was a blowout is putting it mildly. They have been playing poorly lately, so what is going on with the team

#4 One of the reasons that the Kings were beaten so badly was the play of Aaron Wiggins who had started in place of the injured Jalen Williams putting up 41 points which was a career high for him

#5 When you look at the stats for this game, they were so lopsided in favor of the Thunder outplaying the Kings in every category possible. There was not much that Sacramento was able to do against the Thunder Saturday night.

#6 Tonight the Kings finish up their current road trip taking on the Minnesota Timberwolves looking to put an end to this lackluster play and get back on the winning track. What can we expect to see tonight.

Join Barbara Mason for the Sacramento Kings podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NBA G League Action: O Captain, My Captain, Capitanes overtake Kings in fourth quarter for 106-96 win

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Stockton Kings guard Boogie Ellis (5) faces the Mexico City Capitanes at Arena CDMX in Mexico City. Ellis scored eight points on Sun Feb 2, 2025 (Stockton Kings X photo)

By William Espy

The Stockton Kings continued their season, heading south of the border. They visited the Mexico City Capitanes in Arena CDMX, in Mexico City, Mexico for the first of two games between the two teams.

The Kings were without a couple of key players including Skal Labissiere and Isaac Jones, while Mexico City was missing Trey Burke from their lineup.

The Capitanes got off to a hot start, leading 34-20 after the first 12 minutes. Momentum swung in the Kings’ favor in the second quarter, as they outscored the Capitanes 34-23, but they still trailed on the scoreboard 57-54.

In the second half, momentum went back to the Capitanes however the Kings were still keeping it fairly close. The third quarter was lower scoring than either of the first two, as the Capitanes outscored Stockton 26-21, extending their lead to 83-75. A win was still within reach for the Kings, but they needed to have a dominant fourth quarter.

Ultimately, that wouldn’t happen. The Capitanes would once again outscore the Kings in the fourth quarter, and walked away with a 106-96 victory.

Shots simply weren’t falling for Stockton, as they shot 39.6% from the field over the course of the night. Terry Taylor, Colby Jones and Dexter Dennis all struggled with efficiency. Taylor went 9-19, Jones was 6-16 and Dennis finished the night 6-17 from the field. Had they each hit two more of their shots, Stockton would’ve walked out victorious.

The Kings struggled defensively when Boogie Ellis was on the court, as he had a team-worst -20 on the night and Brian Bowen II was a -18.

The aforementioned Taylor did finish with a double-double though, scoring 21 and grabbing 10 rebounds.

Mexico City’s shooting percentage wasn’t much better than Stockton’s, at 45.6%, but the difference was certainly enough to get them the win. David Jones Garcia recorded a double-double of his own, with a game-leading 23 points and 10 rebounds. He went 10-15 from the field, and was a major part of the reason that his team was able to walk away with a win.

The Kings and Capitanes will face off once again on Tuesday night, once again from Mexico’s capital city. Stockton’s performances have started to dip recently, and if they want to continue holding off the Austin Spurs at the top of the Western Conference, they’re going to need to find their rhythm from the beginning of the season sooner rather than later. Meanwhile, the Capitanes have now passed the Santa Cruz Warriors for third in the Western Conference and could find themselves fighting for the top spot very soon.

Syracuse uses big first half to upend Cal 75-66

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Cal Bears guard Javon Blackshear (10) points to his teammates as Cal battles the Syracuse Orange at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Sat Feb 1, 2025 (Cal Bears MBB X photo)

By Daniel Dullum

Lucas Taylor scored 19 points and J.J. Starling bagged 18 for Syracuse Saturday, leading the Orange past California 75-66 in Atlantic Coast Conference men’s basketball at Haas Pavilion.

The win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Orange (10-12 overall, 4-7 ACC).

The Golden Bears (11-11 overall, 4-7 ACC) were led by Jeremiah Wilkinson and Jovan Blacksher, who each scored a game-high 20 points. Rylis Petraitis was Cal’s leading rebounder with eight, to go with two assists, two steals and 13 points.

Syracuse opened the game with back-to-back layups by Starling, followed by a Taylor jumper and Elijah Moore’s 3-pointer, giving the Orange a 9-0 lead. The Orange never trailed.

Chris Bell hit a short jumper and a 3 to cap a 10-1 Syracuse run that put the Orange up by 13 with nine minutes remaining in the first half. Taking advantage of poor shooting by Cal (17 percent on 4 of 23 shots), the Orange build a 40-23 at the break.

The Golden Bears battled back with two 11-0 runs to pull within seven in the second half. Petraitis scored seven points during a 9-3 Cal run, pulling the Bears to within 67-61 on Blacksher’s layup with 1:14 remaining. The Golden Bears got no closer.

The Golden Bears were without Andrej Stojakovic, their leading scorer. Stojakovic averages 18.9 points per game – third in the ACC.

Cal hosts N.C. State on Wednesday. Game time is 8 p.m PST.

Wiggins Career High Sets Stage for Thunders Beat Down Over Kings 144-110

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Oklahoma City Thunder guard Aaron Wiggins (21) shoots over the Sacramento Kings center Isaac Jones (left) in second half action at Paycom Arena in Oklahoma City on Sat Feb 1, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The Sacramento Kings (24-24) got blasted in their matchup against the OKC Thunder (38-9) 144-110. The opening quarter was close with the Thunder leading after the first quarter 36-31. It fell apart in the second quarter when OKC outscored the Kings 46-24 taking a 82-55 lead into halftime.

The Thunder’s Aaron Wiggins who started in place of the injured Jalen Williams scored a career high of 41 points setting the stage for a blow-out of the Kings. Sacramento was outplayed in this game pure and simple. They got within nine points in the second quarter but the Thunder answered going on a 29-11 run taking a 27 point lead into the half.

Game recap: The Thunder took an early lead in the opening quarter 36-31 but hammered the Kings in the second quarter. They outscored Sacramento 46-24 in the second quarter and led at half 82-55. The Kings did win the third quarter 35-31 but were behind the eight ball for most of the game. OKC finished off the Kings in the fourth quarter 31-20 for a final score of 144-110 handing Sacramento their second loss in a row. This has been a miserable road trip for the Kings.

OKC outplayed the Kings at every turn the most glaring the 70 rebounds to Sacramento’s 37. The Kings protected the ball well with only eight turnovers but their shooting percentage was anemic with 25% from behind the arc and falling flat from the field. The Thunder had 74 points in the paint, the Kings had 50.

The Thunder’s Aaron Wiggins was outstanding scoring a career high 41 points. Wiggins had started in place of the injured Jalen Williams and he certainly made quite a statement clocking a double double.

Williams scored 14 points in the final quarter. Sacramento was helpless to stop him along with the 29 points scored by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Thunder put a real beat down on the Kings with all but one of their starters scoring double figures.

At the half the Thunder had dictated play shutting down the Kings offense. Oklahoma City went on a 29-11 run to end the second quarter and take a 82-55 lead in to the half. The Kings did win the third quarter 35-31 but the Thunder finished the Kings off in the fourth quarter 31-20.

All of the Kings starters had double digits with De’Aaron Fox the high for Sacramento with 20 points. Malik Monk followed Fox with 19 points in the losing effort.

Game notes: Saturday night the Sacramento took on the Western Conference leading OKC Thunder at Paycom Center. This game was tough one for the Kings who have been struggling losing their last game to the Sixers 117-104.

They did win prior to that game beating the Nets 110-96 in Brooklyn but lost two game in a row prior to that win against the Nuggets and the Knicks. They have been spotty lately and the 7-game winning streak they had been on not long ago has fallen apart.

Saturday night’s game was a challenge the Kings who has not been playing very well of late. With so many rumors swirling regarding Fox moving on there has been a lot of distraction as they begin to wind down their current road trip which has been a bit of a disaster.

The Kings will finish off this road trip traveling to Minnesota to take on the Timberwolves Monday night. Tipoff for that game is scheduled for 5:00 PM. They will be looking to right the ship before heading back home for a game with the Orlando Magic Wednesday night at Golden 1 Center.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Kings face first place Thunder Saturday at OKC

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Sacramento Kings Aaron Fox (5) is snuffed by the Philadelphia 76ers Tyrese Maxey (center) and Eric Gordon (right) in first half action at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on Wed Jan 29, 2025 (AP News photo)

On the Sacramento Kings Podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson:

#1 Tyrese Maxey led the way for the Philadelphia 76ers with 30 points as the Sixers defeated the Sacramento Kings 117-104. It was the Sixers fourth straight win and it was the Kings third loss in four games.

#2 Maxey has scored at least 25 points or more in 12 straight games and on Wednesday had eight assists.

#3 The Sixers Kelly Oubre Jr had 15 points, Eric Gordon 14 points, Ricky Council IV had 13 points. The 76ers ended a seven game skid.

#4 The Kings Malik Monk in the first half scored 16 of his first 21 points and Domantas Sabonis scored his second consecutive triple double and eighth triple double of the season.

#5 The Kings head to Oklahoma City to face the Thunder on Sat Feb 1. The Thunder are first place in the NBA Western Conference at 37-9, winning seven of their last ten games and have a 20-3 record. There is little doubt the Thunder will be a handful for the Kings how do you see this match up?

Jeremiah Salmonson does the Kings podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Tyrese Maxey Proves To Be Too Much For Sacramento As Kings Drop Game to the Sixers 117-104

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Sacramento Kings DeMar DeRozan (10) takes a shot over the Philadelphia 76ers Tyrese Maxey (0) in the first half at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on Wed Jan 29, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The Sacramento Kings (24-23) played a tough three quarters losing to the Philadelphia 76ers (19-27) in the fourth quarter of their matchup 117-104. The playing field was pretty level until the fateful final quarter.

The Sixers outplayed the Kings from the field and they could not contain Tyrese Maxey after three quarters of pretty even play. Domantas Sabonis had a triple double, his second in a row. and Malik Monk had the team high score with 21 points. He scored 15 of those 21 points in the first half and was pretty quiet in the second half finishing the game playing for 40 minutes.

Game recap: The first half of this game was a close one from the get go. The Kings led after the first 12 minutes by the slim margin of 30-28. The Sixers prevailed in the second quarter outscoring the Kings 32-26 and led at the half 60-56. This was still a tight game after two quarters. De A’aron Fox finished the half with 15 points pushing through the hand injuries that have hurt his play recently.

The game remained close through the third quarter with the Sixers continuing to lead by a slim margin 89-87. In the fourth quarter the Sixers turned the game around in the final minutes. The Kings offense went stale with under four minutes left in the game.

Through the final four minutes of play Sacramento was only able to score four points in a real offensive letdown. The final was 117-104 in favor of the Sixers and Philadelphia had their fourth win in a row. After struggling for a time, the Sixers have really turned things around and appear to be right on track.

The stats in this game were not all that bad for Sacramento. The high for the Kings was Malik Monk with 21 points. De A’aron Fox and DeMar DeRozan each chipped in 19 points. Keegan Murray had a nice game with 17 points and eight rebounds.

Domantas Sabonis had a triple double with 13 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists. The Kings were able to protect the ball with 12 turnovers. They shot at 82% from the line, they out-rebounded the Sixers 46-35, they had more fast break points and more points in the paint.

Where did they fall short? They could not contain Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey who was able to shoot for 30 points. The Sixers bench played a lot in this game coming away with 40 points, while the Kings bench, although they did not play close to as many minutes were only able to hit 15 points. This was a huge discrepancy coupled with Philadelphia’s 52% shooting from the field to the Kings 44%.

Tyrese Maxey had another great game for Philadelphia with the 30 points, in fact, this was his 12th straight game with 25 or more points. The Sixers have certainly recovered from the seven-game skid they were on.

The Kings on the other hand have really fallen short after the amazing run they went on right after Doug Christie took over as head coach. They are struggling right now having lost three of their last four games and it often times comes down to the defense and the lack of talent on the bench.

Game notes: After getting back on track beating the Brooklyn Nets Monday night, the Sacramento Kings traveled to Philadelphia to take on the Sixers Wednesday night but couldn’t win a second game in a row. As the trade deadline approaches the Kings are working hard to keep all distraction at bay and stay focused on their current road trip.

They are mid-way through the trip which includes Saturday night’s game with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Monday’s game with the Timberwolves next on their schedule.

The thumb sprain which has hampered De’Aaron Fox for a bit now has not healed. What has improved however is the comfort level he now has with the sleeve he is wearing to protect the thumb. This was obvious from his performance in Monday’s win over the Nets in which Fox scored 30 points.

Fox was tied in scoring with 19 points Wednesday night’s game. The Sixers were missing a lot of key players which include Paul George and Joel Embid. The Kings had every starter available for this game. Philadelphia picked up their fourth win in a row.

This was a huge disappointment for the Kings as they go into their toughest matchup of the season on Saturday taking on the first place OKC Thunder at Paycom Center. They will have their work cut out for them this weekend trying to contain Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder. TIp-off for that game is scheduled for 5:00 PM.

Nets can’t shutdown Sabonis with 22 rebounds and a triple double Kings win 110-96 at Barclays Center

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Sacramento Kings Domantas Sabonis (11) is thrilled after scoring against the Brooklyn Nets in the second half at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Mon Jan 27, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Jessica Kwong

BROOKLYN, NY. — The Sacramento Kings snapped a two-game losing streak on Monday night with a 110-96 win over the Brooklyn Nets in the annual Chinese New Year celebration game at Barclays Center.

Kings guard De’Aaron Fox scored a team-leading 30 points and Kings center Domantas Sabonis scored 21 points and had 22 rebounds and 10 assists, notching his seventh triple-double this season.

The game was close throughout most of the first half but Sacramento trailed at halftime by seven points. When the Kings were down nine points with just over 10 minutes to go in the third quarter, Fox scored eight points and led his team on a 12-0 run.

“I think more than anything, when you get that aggressive Fox, it’s a special sight to behold. He can get down heel when he wants, he’s got the floater. All of a sudden the three ball starts to fall, he gets to the free throw line,” said Kings interim head coach Doug Christie.

“All those things, they add up. And even defensively when he’s engaged, like that physical presence, he’s a load to deal with and I was really happy to see it.”

After the break, Sacramento outscored Brooklyn 33-24 in the third and ended the quarter up 80-78. The Kings went on a 13-2 run and reached peak momentum when Keegan Murray made a triple to put them up 97-85 with just over six minutes to go in the fourth.

The Kings outscored the Nets 63-42 in the second half.

“There’s a lot for us to be happy with and there’s some things that we’ve still got to clean up with our consistency. But overall, we got out of here with a W and we continue to build and solidify our identity and that’s the most important thing,” Christie said.

“Winning is everything, but us solidifying who we are on a night-to-night basis so we know what we’re going to our arena with is paramount for us.”

Sabonis became the fifth player in Kings franchise history with 20 or more games with 20 rebounds.

“I’m just going out there trying to do my job,” said Sabonis. “As a big, you got to rebound you know, and then try to be involved on the offensive end, help my teammates.”

Brooklyn (14-33) had their losing streak extended to seven games – their worst since losing 11 straight in January to February 2022. They were without star Ben Simmons who has lower back soreness and has missed five games

The Kings (24-22) continue their road trip visiting the Philadelphia 76ers (17-27). Tip-off is at 4:30 p.m. PT.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Barbara Mason: Kings-Nets tip off at Barclay Center tonight in Brooklyn

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Sacramento Kings small forward DeMar DeRozan (10) attempts to take it to the net being defended by the New York Knicks small forward OG Anunoby (8) in the second half at Madison Square Garden in New York on Sat Jan 25, 2025 (AP News photo)

On the Sacramento Kings podcast with Barbara Mason:

#1 The New York Knicks OG Anunoby led with 33 points, Josh Hart followed up with 20 points and had 18 rebounds and 11 assists it was Hart’s sixth triple double for the 2024-25 season and the effort was good enough to beat the Sacramento Kings 143-120 at Madison Square Garden on Saturday.

#2 Adding to the Knicks scoring total Mikal Bridges with 27 points and Jalen Brunson with 25 points, 11 assists. Brunson needed two more points to reach his season high. Karl-Anthony Towns scored 16 points and had 15 rebounds.

#3 Despite the hard effort and the loss by the Kings DeMar DeRozan led the Kings with 31 points and Domantas Sabonis followed up with 25 points, 13 rebounds, and 12 assists.

#4 So this season no player on the Kings roster has played in all 45 games this season. Keon Ellis is the closest with 44 games played. The Kings still continue to struggle against the Knicks at MSG having not won there since Nov 3, 2019.

#5 The Kings take on the Brooklyn Nets at the Barclay Center in Brooklyn for a 4:30pm PST tip. The Nets are 12th in the Eastern Conference at 14-32 and are struggling big time having lost six straight games. The Kings have lost two straight and are hoping to get back in the win column. The Kings are tenth in the Western Conference at 23-22 and are .500 on the road at 15-15.

Join Barbara for the Kings podcasts each Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com