Tag: NBA

Golden State Warriors podcast with Barbara Mason: Warriors willing to trade Wiggins, Kuminga and Green

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The Golden State Warriors guard Draymond Green (23) and not pictured Jonathan Kuminga and Andrew Wiggins would be considered to be tradeable if the right deal came along. (AP News file photo)

On the Warriors podcast with Barbara:

1.It has been a struggle for the Warriors for some time now but just when the Warriors thought it could not get any worse, it did with the loss of assistant coach Dejan Milojevic.

2.Let’s talk a little bit about Dejan’s accomplishments, his time with the Warriors and what he meant to the organization.

3.Where do the Warriors go now and for the rest of the season as they fight to regain some sense of normalcy and would consider trading Draymond Green, Jonathan Kuminga, and Andrew Wiggins if the right deal came along.

4.As the team moves forward what will the return of Draymond Green mean to the future of Jonathan Kuminga with the team.

5.Wednesday night the Warriors will take on the Atlanta Hawks at Chase. This will be a tough game for the team as they try to move on with 42 games still left in the 2023-24 season. How do you see this game going?

Join Barbara Mason for the Warriors podcasts Mondays at http://www.sportsradoservice.com

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Tough week for coach Brown $50K fine for NBA official dispute; Loses a good friend in coach Milojevic

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It hasn’t been a good week for Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown as seen here being retrained by Malik Monk (right) on Sun Jan 14, 2024 going after NBA official Intae Hwang and later being thrown out in a game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Arena in Milwaukee (AP News photo)

On the Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 Jeremiah, it has been no doubt a horrible week for Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown starting last Sunday with his argument with an official concerning De’Aaron Fox getting roughed up by the Milwaukee Bucks and getting non foul calls at Fiserv Arena in Milwaukee.

#2 Also Brown fined primarily for coming on the floor and standing and arguing with the official and then in his post game press conference used a lap top to show where the official made the mistake.

#3 NBA head of operations Joe Dumars said he assessed the $50,000 fine on Brown for “aggressively pursuing a game official during live play, and for publicly criticizing the officiating.” Brown pursued official Intae Hwang when he went onto the court and two players one of them Malik Monk had to restrain him.

#4 Brown on Wednesday after learning of the passing of Golden State Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojevic called him a great man saying he will be sorely missed by everyone. Coach Brown was an assistant while coach Milojevic was also assistant coach in San Francisco.

#5 Jeremiah you had a chance to cover Thursday’s game against the Indiana Pacers at Golden 1. The Kings were coming off a three game losing streak. Talk about the Kings first game of this brief two game homestand with the Atlanta Hawks up next on Monday night.

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

Warriors Postpone Fridays Matchup Against the Dallas Mavericks

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Golden State Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojevic who passed on Wed Jan 17, 2024 is seen here on Fri Oct 14, 2024 during practice preparing for a game against the Denver Nuggets. The Warriors have postponed their game against the Dallas Maverick for Fri Jan 19, 2024 (AP file photo)

By Barbara Mason

The Golden State Warriors are still reeling from the sudden loss of assistant coach Dejan Milojevi Wednesday morning from a diagnosed heart attack. Despite immense life-saving efforts Tuesday night, the medical staff was unable to save him due to the damage to his heart and he passed on Wednesday morning. 

In a world of an especially high-pressured environment like basketball he brought joy, light, energy and passion to all who had the pleasure of working with him. He will be immensely missed. 

This event shook the Warriors and their organization to the core. There were no apparent issues leading up to Milojevi’s cardiac event and the unexpected nature of his death tugged at the heart strings of the basketball world. 

The entire staff at Sports Radio joins the sports world in sending our heartfelt condolences to his wife Natasa and their young children; his son Nikola and daughter Masa. We stand with you and grieve with you in this time of unfathomable loss. 

This is the second game postponed since Dejan’s passing. The Wednesday night game vs the Utah Jazz was cancelled and tonight’s game against the Dallas Mavericks has also been cancelled as the team struggles with this harsh reality which will reverberate for some time. 

As the team deals with this loss there is no timeline for makeup games with Utah and Dallas. The next game that Golden State is scheduled for is not until next Wednesday January 24 against the Atlanta Hawks at Chase Center. 

The team has taken a week off in the wake of Dejan’s passing and taking the court again will indeed be a most difficult task especially their first game back without him.

Teams across the league honored Dejan at their games including the Celtics, Lakers, Pistons, Mavericks and the Raptors and more teams are certain to do the same. A moment of silence was observed at many of these games. He made such an enormous impact on so many in a life cut short but at the same time so well-lived.  

Totally unexpected events such as the death of Dejan Milojevi has left his family, his team and millions of fans as well as the sports world in a daze coping to accept and cope with the loss. Thoughts from around the world send strength and prayers to the Warriors and his family, clinging to all that Dejan brought to his sport and thanking him for all the contributions, the joy and the love he demonstrated everyday.   

Barbara Mason is a Golden State Warriors beat writer for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kings Lose to Pacers 126-121; Sac drops 4th straight game

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The Indiana Pacers guard Benedict Mathurin (00) takes a jump shot on the Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (10) in the second half at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Thu Jan 18, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Kings were back in action on Thursday night in Sacramento. The Kings were coming off an off day in which they traveled back from Phoenix to end a five-game road trip. The Kings limped home after the five-game road trip in which they went 2-3.

The Kings won the first two games of the trip, followed by three tough losses. The Most recent game prior to Thursday was on Tuesday, when they lost a heartbreaker to the Phoenix Suns after leading by 22 points in the fourth quarter. The Kings were set to take on the Indiana Pacers on Thursday at 7 PM PST. The Kings would lose the game 126-121.

In the first quarter, the Kings came out playing no defense. This Kings team isn’t exactly known for the defense they play. In fact, they are known for not playing defense. The Kings allowed 34 points to a Pacers team without Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam on Thursday night. The Kings would score 31 points in the first to keep pace but fall into an early deficit.

In the second quarter, the Pacers continued to cook the Kings and expand their lead. The Pacers outscored the Kings in the second quarter 36-26. The Kings couldn’t solve the hobbled Pacers team on the defensive end, as they were getting whatever looks they wanted. On offense, the Kings weren’t getting their shots to fall. The Kings would go into halftime, losing 70-57 and looking for answers.

In the third quarter, the Kings got a bit back. The Kings managed to outscore the Pacers 32-29 in the third quarter. However, the Kings would still trail 99-89 going into the fourth quarter. The Kings couldn’t get any rhythm going in the game to try and make an extended run. The Kings would look for a miracle in the final quarter of the game.

In the fourth quarter, the Kings made a surprise run at the end but weren’t able to come all the way back. The Kings would lose the game 126-121 on Thursday night. In the final quarter the Kings showed fight in the last couple minutes getting the game to a three point deficit. In the fourth quarter the Kings outscored the Pacers 32-27. Kevin Huerter would get a career high in the game with 31 points. Domantas Sabonis recorded his 12th triple double of the season. Bennedict Mathurin led the Pacers in victory with 25 points.

Up Next: The Kings stay home to take on the Atlanta Hawks on Monday at 7 PM PST

Golden State Warriors podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Warriors cancel game against Mavericks on Friday night

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Golden State Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojevic passes the ball before an NBA basketball game against the New Orleans Pelicans Tuesday, March 28, 2023, in San Francisco. Milojević has been hospitalized in Salt Lake City after suffering a medical emergency on Tuesday night, the team said Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024. The seriousness of the situation led the NBA to postpone Wednesday’s game between the Warriors and the Utah Jazz. (AP Photo/Darren Yamashita, File)

On the Golden State Warriors podcast with Jerry F:

#1 Jerry, You have worked as a trainer with the Oakland A’s before and are familiar with medical emergencies. Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojevic 46, whose a native Serbian suffered a cardiac related illness according to numerous European news outlets.

#2 Jerry apparently this happened at a private dinner in Salt Lake City with the players present the shock that something like this causes no doubt no one was thinking about basketball?

#3 The Warriors have had a laundry list of problems all season long now coach Milojevic’s medical emergency will be the forefront of concern for the Warriors it’s just been that rough of a season for Golden State.

#4 Milojevic joined head coach Steve Kerr and the Warriors during the 2021 season this is his third season with Golden State and is very popular in the NBA circles and is close to native Serbian Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets.

#5 The Warriors game for Wednesday was postponed due to coach Milojevic’s medical emergency and the Warriors next game is postponed for this Friday against the Dallas Mavericks.

Join Jerry Feitelberg for the Golden State Warriors podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Golden State Warriors podcast with Michael Roberson: Milojevic was well liked in NBA circles with players, coaches, fans, and NBA

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Golden State Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojevic holds the ball during practice before a game against the New Orleans Pelicans on Tue Mar 28, 2024. Milojevic passed away from a medical emergency on Wed Jan 17, 2024 in Salt Lake City (AP News photo)

On the Golden State Warriors podcast with Michael Roberson:

#1 Michael, Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojevic 46, whose a native Serbian suffered a cardiac related illness according to numerous European news outlets.

#2 Michael apparently this happened at a private dinner in Salt Lake City with the players present the shock that something like this causes no doubt no one was thinking about basketball?

#3 The Warriors have had a laundry list of problems all season long now coach Milojevic’s medical emergency will be the forefront of concern for the Warriors it’s just been that rough of a season for Golden State.

#4 Milojevic joined head coach Steve Kerr and the Warriors during the 2021 season this is his third season with Golden State and is very popular in the NBA circles and is close to native Serbian Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets.

#5 The Warriors game for Wednesday was postponed due to coach Milojevic’s medical emergency and the Warriors next game is scheduled is Friday against the Dallas Mavericks considering if Milojevic’s condition improves that game might be played?

Join Michael Roberson for the Golden State Warriors podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Dejan Milojevic’s sudden passing stuns the Warriors and the NBA

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The late assistant coach Dejan Milojevic of the Golden State Warriors is seen here driving against Spain’s Jorge Garbajosa during Milojevic’s playing days in 2005. Milojevic suffered a cardiac emergency in Salt Lake City during a private dinner with the coaches and players. Milojevic passed away 46 Wed Jan 17, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

Tragedy struck the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday. One of the assistant coaches, Dejan Milojevic, suffered a heart attack at a team dinner Tuesday night in Salt Lake City and passed away on Wednesday. Milojevic was forty-six years old. The game between the Warriors and the Utah Jazz was postponed and will be rescheduled later.

Milojevic was in his third season with the Warriors. He had a 14-year playing career in Serbia. When he became a coach, he was known for working with centers. He mentored Boban Marjanovic, Ivaca Zuban, Kevon Looney, and Nikola Jokic. Milojevic was very instrumental in bringing Dario Saric to the Warriors this year.

Milojevic was married and was the father of two children. Steve Kerr said this about Dejan: “We are absolutely devastated by Dejan’s sudden passing,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said in a statement. “This is a shocking and tragic blow for everyone associated with the Warriors and an incredibly difficult time for his family, friends, and all of us who had the incredible pleasure to work with him.”

Everyone at SportsRadioService sends condolences to his family and the entire Warrior organization. May he rest in peace, and may his memory be a blessing.

Kings Suffer a Third Loss In a Row to Phoenix 119-117

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The Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant is congratulated in the second half of the game against the Sacramento Kings for making a three point shot at Footprint Arena in Phoenix on Tue Jan 16, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

This was another stunning loss for the Sacramento Kings (23-17). Sacramento had led throughout three quarters and most of the fourth quarter before the Phoenix Suns (22-18) were able to take the lead. The culprit in this game were the 8 Sacramento turnovers in the fourth quarter leading to the 119-117 final. The Kings had led by as much as 22 points in this game but just faded away in the fourth quarter in an absolute melt down.

Game recap: The Kings won both quarters in the first half. Sacramento won the opening quarter 39-27 and finished up the first half with a 29-24 second quarter win taking a 68-51 lead into the locker room. The Kings defense made thing very difficult for the Suns in the first half. 

They held both the Suns Kevin Durant and Devon Booker to seven points apiece. The Suns Grayson Allen was the only Phoenix player on the floor with double digits after two quarters of play. 

The Kings De’Aaron Fox had 17 points in the first half. Sacha Vezenkov shot for 12 off the bench and Domantas Sabonis finished the half with 11 points and eight rebounds. He already had six assists and would be looking for another triple double as the two teams took the court in the second half.

Sacramento had a terrific defensive effort in the first half forcing the Suns into turnovers. At the half the Kings had four turnovers and the Suns had 11. They had really contained Durant and Booker and would have to keep pressure on both of them in the second half. There was still a lot of basketball to be played in this game.

Going into the third quarter Fox hit the teams 14th three. They had shut down the Suns from outside allowing only eight threes from Phoenix. At 7:27 the Kings had taken a 82-61 lead. Phoenix has a lethal offense that was slow to get onboard in this game and Sacramento wanted to keep it that way. 

The one thing that the Kings wanted to avoid was letting Booker get hot. With under four minutes left in the quarter six Kings had double digits and Sabonis was one rebound away from another triple double. 

With under two minutes left on the clock in the third quarter, the Suns made a run cutting the Kings lead to eleven points 92-81. As the third came to an end, the Suns had pulled to within ten points. 

The Kings pushed back and after three quarters led 96-84. Booker had started to come alive and Sacramento would have to dig deep in the fourth quarter. Fox was leading the offense with 25 points.

Sacramento pushed the lead back to 104-87 in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter. Sabonis hit his 11th triple double of the season in the fourth as the Kings continued to dominate defensively. Eight minutes into the final quarter Sacramento had pushed their lead back to 22 points 109-87. In a flash the Suns started to push back and the 22 point lead shrunk to 15 points going on a 7-0 run. 

Every time the Suns pushed, the Kings pushed right back. With under five minutes left in the game head coach Mike Brown called a timeout. The Suns had cut the Kings 22 point lead to ten points and there would be more from Phoenix before this game was all said and done. 

The Suns were scoring off of some horrendous mistakes from Sacramento. With under a minutes left in the game the Kings had a three point lead. With 18.7 left in the game the Suns had delivered a gut-punch taking a 117-115 lead. 

Fox tied up the game with 18.8 on the clock. Fox was called for a foul on Durant and Durant delivered giving the Suns a 119-117 lead in a shocking turn around. 

The Suns prevailed winning this game 119-117 and the Kings had suffered yet another devastating loss. Sacramento had eight turnovers in the fourth quarter and this was absolutely the straw that broke the camels back. It was a real stunner!

Fox had the team high with 33 points. Sabonis finished with 21 points, 11 assists and 12 rebounds garnering another triple double. Going into the fourth quarter the Kings only had six turnovers finishing with 14. 

It was those turnovers that killed Sacramento. In the fourth quarter the Kings couldn’t score inside nor outside. It became stagnant offensively after those three opening quarters handing the Kings another disappointing loss. They were not able to finish this game after playing so well through three quarters.

It was an amazing comeback by the Phoenix Suns and they deserve a lot of credit after trailing by such a margin. They hung in the game and finished the game taking advantage of the multitude of mistakes from Sacramento.

Post game notes: Tuesday night the Kings traveled to the “Valley of the Sun” taking on the Suns at Footprint Center. Sunday night the Kings suffered a heart breaking loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in overtime 143-142. Lillard hit a 32-foot buzzer beater with 1.1 left on the game clock. Sacramento was looking to get back on track but ended up dropping their third game in a row to the Suns.

The Suns have a daunting starting roster with Durant, Booker and Allen. Between these two teams there was some electric offense that went right down to the wire with Durant sinking two free throws for the win.

The Kings will now head home to Sacramento to take on the Indiana Pacers Thursday night. Golden 1 Center will look pretty good to the team after a rough finish to this road trip. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM. 

 

     

 

Green returns but it’s not enough; Short-handed Grizzlies send Warriors down to defeat 116-107

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Golden State Warrior Draymond Green drives on the Memphis Grizzlies upon his return from his indefinite suspension at FedEx Arena in Memphis on Mon Jan 15, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

It was a very cold evening in Memphis on Martin Luther King Day. For the Golden State Warriors, it was a very strange game. The Warriors held the Memphis Grizzlies to 37% from the floor as they took 12 shots less than the Warriors, yet won the game 116-107.

The Warriors head coach, Steve Kerr, had to be shaking his head after his team’s performance Monday night in Memphis. The numbers show the Warriors committed too many fouls and too many turnovers. Memphis made 20 threes in 54 attempts.

The Warriors made ten in 31 tries. The referees called 25 fouls on the Warriors to give the Grizzlies 40 free throws. Memphis made 32. The Warriors went to Charity Stripe ten times and made nine. The Warriors could not overcome the 30-point advantage nor the 23-point difference from the free-throw line.

The Grizzlies scored 30 points off turnovers. Memphis’ defense kept the Warriors from attempting more three-point shots. The Warriors’ only statistical advantage was scoring in the point. 

Even with the Warrior miscues, the game was a nip-and-tuck affair. Neither team had a double-digit lead for the first three quarters. The Warriors led by two points at the end of the first halftime, 56-53.

The Grizzlies cut the lead to one, 86-85, at the end of the third period. The Warriors had their largest lead of the night, 86-79 in the third quarter. The Grizzlies scored the last six points to trail 86-85. 

The Warriors needed to stop fouling as well as turning the ball over. Memphis needed to stop the Warrior’s offense. We learned the answer: Memphis wanted the game more than the Warriors. The last lead the Warriors had came when Stephen Curry made a three to put the Warriors ahead 91-90.

The Grizzlies defense shackled Curry and Thompson. Memphis went ahead by 12 points,112-104. Memphis went on to win 116-107.

Game Notes: The Warriors were without Moses Moody, Gary Payton II, and Chris Paul. Draymond Green, in his first game back after serving a 12-game suspension, played 24 minutes, and his numbers were seven points, seven rebounds and four assists. The Grizzlies had four players unavailable. The biggest name on their list was Ja Morant, who was out with a shoulder injury for the year.

The Warriors are now 18-22. The Grizzlies improved to 15-25.

The Warriors had four players in double figures. Curry led the Warriors with 26 points, four rebounds, and eight assists. Jonathan Kuninga had a double-double with 20 points and eleven rebounds. For Kuminga, it was his 20th double-digit game in a row.

Dario Saric (13) and Andrew Wiggins(16) were the other Warriors with more than ten points. The Grizzlies had six players in double-figures. Vince Williams led Memphis with 24 points. Greg Jackson had 23. Davios Roddy 12, Jacob Gilyard (11), Santi Aldama (11), and Luke Kennard(11) were the players that led Memphis to the win.

The Warrior’s next game will be against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday evening at 5 pm.

Golden State Warriors podcast with Barbara Mason: Green back in tonight’s game in Memphis

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The Milwaukee Bucks Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) knocks the ball out of the hands of the Golden State Warriors Jonathan Kuminga (left) at Fiserve Arena in Milwaukee on Sat Jan 13, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the Warriors podcast with Barbara:

#1 Talk about the break down that the Warriors had in that fourth quarter in Milwaukee was it too much Giannis Antetokounmpo or the Warriors defense just couldn’t figure out how to stop the Milwaukee Bucks attack.

#2 The Warriors rested guard Stephen Curry for Saturday’s game in Milwaukee with Curry and Draymond Green out of the line up and the Bucks being one of the best teams in the NBA how much of a load was this on players like Jonathan Kumina, Klay Thompson and Brandin Podziemski?

#3 Green who was with the team and was serving an indefinite suspension returned on Monday night in Memphis. He’s missed 14 games and the Warriors have lost four of their last seven games. Green said it was he who is at fault for this current struggle. How much does Draymond Green play the role of the player who stirs the Warriors drink?

#4 Top scorers for the Bucks on Saturday Damion Lillard with 27 points and Khris Middleton 24 were big contributors scoring in second and third behind first place scorer Antetokounmpo who had 33.

#5 Warriors go back to the drawing board after their Saturday night loss in Milwaukee this time on Monday night the Warriors tip off against the Memphis Grizzlies who are 13th in the Western Conference and have lost six of their last ten games. The Grizzlies took a loss against the New York Knicks on Saturday night they have the home floor Monday can they beat back the Warriors on a Martin Luther King Birthday Holiday special tip off at 3:00pm PT.

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