Tag: New Orleans Pelicans

Boogie gets his revenge against the Kings leading the Pelicans to a 117-89 victory

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

by Charlie O. Mallonee

Sacramento Kings v New Orleans Pelicans
DeMarcus Cousins dominates versus the Kings Photo: NBAE

Former Kings All-Star center DeMarcus “Boogie” Cousins did not want to leave Sacramento. In fact not long before the big trade, Cousins said he was looking forward to having his jersey being retired and hanging in the rafters at the Golden 1 Center.

Since being traded to New Orleans, Cousins has been quoted making statements about loyalty – or lack there of – in some not so veiled jabs at his former team. So, everyone who follows the NBA was ready to see the man they call Boogie go off against his former team when they met in NOLA on Friday night. The big man did not disappoint.

Cousins put up 37 points and grabbed 13 rebounds as he led the Pelicans to a 117-89 thrashing of his old team. He also had four assists, three steals and two blocked shots. Cousins teammates made sure their new superstar was able to be in a position to publically embarrass his former team – especially the ownership and front office.

In a post-game interview with the Kings Radio Network, Jordan Crawford of the Pelicans said that he and his teammates were doing everything they could do to help Cousins win the game and dominate his old team. They were successful in their efforts.

Before all Kings fans start tearing their clothes and sitting in ash-heaps in mourning, they need to realize that Cousins presence in New Orleans has not been the difference maker that many people thought it would be when the trade went down.

The “Pels” (33-43) have been on a bit of a roll as they have won eight of their last 11 games and have pulled within 4.5 games of the eighth-place Portland Trail Blazers for the final playoff slot in the Western Conference. With just six games remaining, New Orleans would need a miracle to make the playoffs and turn the first-round draft selection they sent to the Kings into a non-Lottery pick.

Yes, Boogie had a big night. But, it was a short-term success because in the long-run the “revenge win” will mean nothing in big picture of the NBA. That is one of the reasons Cousins in no longer with the Kings. There were too many short-term victories and not enough long-term successes.

How did the former Pelicans do against their former team?

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Buddy Hield working against the his former team the Pelicans Photo: NBAE

Buddy “Buckets” Hield scored 13 points shooting 6-for-9 from the floor. He was 1-for-4 from beyond the 3-point line. Hield hauled in eight rebounds, dished out three assists and had one blocked shot.

Tyreke Evans made the start for his old team against his old team – that gets confusing really fast. Evans recorded 11 points going 3-for-9 from the floor including two 3-point baskets. Evans played just 19-minutes in the game.

Langston Galloway played almost 21-minutes but really struggled on offense. He shot just 1-for-7 from the field. His one score was a 3-point bucket.

How did the other young Kings do in the game?

Skal Labissiere played just over 36-minutes on Friday night and scored 13 points. He also pulled down eight rebounds. The rookie did not have his best shooting night going 5-for-16 from the floor. Labissiere did not attempt a 3-point shot which is an oddity for him. He converted 3-of-6 from the free throw line.

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Willie Cauley-Stein had a double-double game vs the Pelicans Photo: NBAE

Second-year man Willie Cauley-Stein recorded 11 points in 34-minutes of playing time. “WCS” made it a double-double game by posting 14 rebounds. Cauley-Stein is taking advantage his opportunities to start and play big minutes.

Ben Mac leads the Kings in scoring

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Ben McLemore led the Kings in scoring versus the Pelicans Photo: NBAE

Ben McLemore led the scoring attack for Sacramento recording 15 points against the Pelicans. He shot 6-for-16 from floor, added eight rebounds and distributed four assists in his 25-minutes of playing time. McLemore is an improving player under the guidance of Dave Joerger and his staff.

Up next for the Kings

After the game, the Kings headed for the airport and took off for a long flight from the “Crescent City” to the “Twin Cities” to face the Timberwolves. This is the type of brutal back-to-back scheduling that NBA has to eliminate if coaches are to be persuaded to stop sitting stars for rest.

Kings – Jazz Postgame Notes & Quotes

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by Charlie O. Mallonee

utah afflalo
Arron Afflalo puts the ball up for the Kings Photo NBAE

If you are Dave Joerger this morning, you are probably having an agony and ecstasy moment over your coffee. The ecstasy is your team played a great game on Sunday versus a very talented playoff bound Utah Jazz squad. The agony is your team let a 16 point lead slip away and you lost in overtime on a tip-in with 1-tenth of a second left on the clock.

Joerger really had a good attitude after the game on Sunday. “It was good. Arron Afflalo, like I said pregame, has really stepped up into the leadership position. I thought he really set the tone for us. I think he made four of his first five, five of his first six. He was aggressive. He did a great job at (defending) Gordon Hayward.

Afflalo scored 17 points shooting 6-for-12 from the field and 4-for-4 from the free throw line. He had four rebounds and three assists. Afflalo was one of seven Kings to score in double figures.

“It was good,” said Afflalo after the game. “I was extremely proud of my teammates. Everybody was engaged on both ends of the court. We played with a purpose to win tonight. It’s going to be a true test of our will to take a tough loss like this and play the team (Denver) tomorrow (Monday) that we’re trying to catch for the eighth spot.”

Garrett Temple returned to the court

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Garrett Temple returned after missing 11 games Photo NBAE

Garrett Temple returned to action for the Kings on Sunday night after missing 11 games with a partially torn left ham string. Temple scored 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting including two 3-point baskets to go with four assists and three steals.

“Well certainly he has a positive impact,”, said Dave Joerger. “We were better defensively whether he was in there or not. He is certainly a positive defender and a solid positive contributor for sure.”

Willie Cauley-Stein played with intensity

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Cauley-Stein dunks it over Gobert Photo NBAE

“That was a playoff game for us,” opined Joerger. “We played with playoff intensity. If a guy plays 12 minutes of that, that’s better than four (quarters) in summer leagues where he plays 38 minutes. Summer league, you just get minutes, they keep score and that’s great. This is where you find out where you are as a player and what you need to work on. The intensity of competition is a fantastic experience.

Cauley-Stein put up 15 points while shooting 6-for-12 and grabbing 9 rebounds. “WCS” also had Three assists, two steals and one blocked shot.

The Kings have now lost four in a row

The Kings have now lost four consecutive games and their record has fallen to 25-37 for the season. Sacramento has fallen to 11th place in the Western Conference three games behind Denver in the eighth and final playoff spot. They are tied with the Timberwolves while Portland and Dallas stand in between them and the Nuggets.

Kings (25-37) must face the Nuggets (28-34) Monday night in Denver

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The Kings have the tough task of playing the Nuggets in the second game of a back-to-back set on the road at high altitude in Denver. The Nuggets are coming off a loss to the Hornets and are anxious to take advantage of the fact that 8 of their next 11 games at home.

FiveThirtEight.com projects that the Kings have just a 17-percent chance of winning the game in Denver (ouch!). The second game of a back-to-back on the road coupled with the high altitude seems to the influencing factors. This lopsided prediction is out there despite the fact the Kings are 2-0 versus the Nuggets this season. The second Kings win came after the DeMarcus Cousins trade to New Orleans but that win came in Sacramento.

The Jazz were thrilled to escape Sacramento with the overtime win

“It’s a big lift,” said Jazz head coach Quin Snyder.”I think particularly, Sacramento played well. We made some plays to win the game, but they did a heck of a job and probably deserved to win. I like to think our guys did some good things and we were able to steal one. It gives you a lift. There’s no question about it. With plenty more to go right now, you can’t rest on that any more than you can with getting beat.”

The Jazz also have a back-to-back

The Jazz flew home to Utah where they will host the New Orleans Pelicans in the second game of a back-to-back set. Both teams are coming off wins on Sunday. The Pels picked up their first win with DeMarcus Cousins on the roster by beating the Lakers in Los Angeles.

Utah will be looking to increase their 1.5-game lead over the fifth-place Clippers. The Pelicans are in 13th-place in the Western Conference 3.5-games out of playoff contention.

Multiple reports: The “Boogie” era is over in Sacramento

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by Charlie O. Mallonee

SACRAMENTO–The DeMarcus Cousins era in Sacramento has apparently come to an end. Multiple reports have Cousins going to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for shooting guard Buddy – “the Nutcracker”- Hield, guard (and former King) Tyreke Evans, shooting guard Langston Galloway plus a future first-round and second-round draft pick.

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Buddy Hield goes to the hoop

“The Woj” of The Vertical was the first to send the rumors of the possible trade up the wires earlier on Sunday. Most of the reaction to the rumor was negative based on Vlade Divac’s statements to ESPN last week on the Kings intentions to sign Cousins to a long-term extension and the fact that Sacramento is still in contention for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

As the day progressed and the All-Star Game got underway, the rumors of a Cousins trade continued to heat up. Where it had just been New Orleans as a possible destination, there then became rumors that other teams were vying for Cousins. As time passed, the story began “to grow legs”.

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Tyreke Evans is coming back to Sacramento

Adding fuel to the fire was the limited amount of playing time that Cousins saw in the All-Star Game. Cousins played just two minutes and scored three points.

It would appear that the Kings have moved into a rebuilding mode. If they hold unto the number 10 or better lottery draft pick, the Kings will retain that selection rather than having to send that pick to the Chicago Bulls. The upcoming draft has been deemed one of the most star-studded in years. The trade would indicate that the Kings want to participate in the draft process.

Do not forget that Sacramento hedged their bets by sending Marquese Chriss to Phoenix for the rights to shooting guard Bogdan Bogdanovic who is currently playing in Turkey. He is seen as a potential impact player in the NBA.

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Bogdan Bogdanovic will be a King next season

This certainly marks a major change in philosophy for the Kings. Up until now, it has been “all Boogie – all the time”. Now, it’s a clean slate. What kind of team do the Kings want to build? Vivek Ranadive was a minority owner of the Golden State Warriors and loves their style of play. Who doesn’t love the Warriors style?

All change is crisis. So, the Kings are in the middle of another major crisis. They have to justify to their long-suffering fans why they did an about-face and dropped out of the playoff race while jettisoning their only legitimate All-Star player.

I would not want to be an account representative having to call season ticket holders for renewal orders on Monday. When those current season ticket holders ask what are the Kings plans for the future, the answer at this point is probably an honest … I’m not sure.

There is one constant that has not changed. The Sacramento Kings are never boring. They are never easy to understand, but they are never, never boring.

Kings win again surging past the Pelicans 105-99

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nop-wildcats
Boogie and the Brow look for the rebound Photo: NBAE

by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings were in a must win situation on Sunday night when they hosted the New Orleans Pelicans. The Pelicans are also a “Tier 3” team that is trying to break free of the NBA Draft Lottery and make it into the first-round of the NBA Western Conference Playoffs.

The Kings entered the game with a predicted 69-percent chance of winning the contest with the Pelicans. The Kings had won three of their five previous games. Sacramento is still in the hunt for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The men in white and purple had a lot on the line.

The Kings (22-32) did not disappoint their fans as they downed the Pelicans (21-34)  105-99. Sacramento repeated their familiar pattern where they under-performed in the first half and excelled in the second half. The Kings have been victorious in four of their last six games.

Where the Kings stand in the Playoff Race

The Kings are currently in 10th place 1.5 games behind the Denver Nuggets for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Trail Blazers stand in between the two teams one game behind the Nuggets and one-half game ahead of the Kings. All three teams are 5-5 in their last 10 games.

It was another battle of Kentucky Wildcats on Sunday night

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The premiere match up of the night was at center which featured two former Kentucky Wildcats – DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis. Davis – “the Brow” is an All-Star starter for the Western Conference and Cousins – “Boogie” is a Western Conference All-Star reserve.

Davis scored a game-high 32 points and made it double-double by adding 10 rebounds. He shot an impressive 11-for-24 from the floor and went a perfect 9-for-9 from the free throw line in his 40-minutes on the floor.

Cousins led the Kings scoring attack with 28 points and also recorded a double-double by hauling in 14 rebounds. He dished out seven assists. Cousins shot 7-for-14 from the field and went 14-for-16 from the charity stripe.

Stars of the game

Kings

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Collison drives past Solomon Hill Photo: NBAE

Darren Collison gets the star for Sacramento. When the Kings needed someone to step up, Collison was the man. He finished with 20 points (7-for-16 shooting including 2 3-point baskets), eight assists, six rebounds and three steals. Collison again played big minutes playing just under 41-minutes in the game.

Pelicans

The star has to go to “the Brow”. The fact is without the presence of Davis and his finesse on the floor the Pelicans are never really in this game. New Orleans is very much like Sacramento. Take their former Kentucky big man out of the lineup and they are a team that is in deep, deep trouble.

Looking into the book

Kings

  • Matt Barnes was important on offense when needed him and then on defense when the situation called for it. Barnes finished with 12 points, five rebounds, three assists. He also hit 2-of-6 3-point tries.
  • Ben McLemore had an 11 point game with nine of those points coming off three 3-point baskets. He hit on 3-of-5 tries from long range.
  • Arron Afflalo put up 10 points, had two assists and one steal
  • Anthony Tolliver struggled a bit shooting as he scored nine points on nine shots. All of his points came off 3-point buckets.
  • Willie Cauley-Stein – the other big man from Kentucky – scored eight points in 17-minutes on the floor. Cauley-Stein did a pretty good job defending Davis which is no easy task.
  • As a team: the Kings shot 44.9-percent; they went  11-for-31 (35.5-percent) for 3-pointers; they converted 24-of-27 from the free throw line; they out-rebounded the Pels 46-36; Sacramento had 23 assists and made 20 turnovers giving up 16 points to New Orleans.

Pelicans

  • Jrue Holiday had another solid game posting a double-double with 16 points and 11 assists
  • Dante Cunningham scored 14 points hitting on 4-0f-7 from long range. Do not leave that man open in 3-point land.
  • Solomon Hill went 3-for-5 from the field (all 3-point attempts) and scored nine points
  • As a team: the Pels shot 41.5-percent; they went 13-for-31 (41.9-percent) from downtown; NOP had 23 assists and 18 turnovers that resulted in 15 Sacramento points.

Now that’s hitting below the below the belt

The Pelicans’ Buddy Hield was ejected from the game with 2:55 remaining to play in the second quarter after he literally hit DeMarcus Cousins below the below the belt. Cousins had already been assessed a technical foul and any retaliation by Cousins could well have resulted in his ejection. The Kings big man kept his cool. The officials in New Jersey reviewed the play and Hield’s actions were ruled a Flagrant 2 foul which resulted in an automatic ejection.

Who knows how the game would have turned out had Hield still been on the floor in the fourth quarter?

Night of Technical Fouls

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Cousins looks to drive the paint Photo: NBAE

The officiating crew felt free to pass out “tech fouls” in the game on Sunday night. They issued three:

  1. Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry picked up the first “tech” just 2:11 into the game when he let the officials know he felt DeMarcus Cousins should have been called for a foul on a play that resulted in two points for Sacramento.
  2. Cousins picked up his 17th technical foul of the season with 1:06 to go in the first quarter when he tangled up with Donatas Motiejunas under the Pelicans basket. The play was reviewed to see if it was a flagrant foul which it was ruled not to be. If Cousins is assessed tech foul number 18, he will be suspended for another game under NBA rules since he is over the 16-tech foul limit.
  3. New Orleans was charged with a technical for a 3-second defensive violation in the first quarter.

In this writers opinion, the Gentry call was a quick trigger and the Cousins “tech” is a candidate to be rescinded. Also, the NBA needs to review the use of “the Tech” and decide what its purpose really is in the structure of the game. “The Association” also needs to grasp that fans do not come to an arena to watch refs call tech fouls.

Up next

The Kings will play the first of their two road games in the month of February on Tuesday in Los Angeles when they face the Lakers. This is another must win game for the Kings. The Lakers are a lower level “Tier 3” team that Kings have to beat if they are to jump into the eighth and final playoff slot.

The Pelicans travel to the Valley of the Sun to face the Suns on Monday night.

 

 

Youth was served in Sacramento: Lakers surprise Kings 101-91

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

 

lat-lakers-kings-wre0044530517-20161110Photo Credit: Rich Pedrocelli AP Photo

by Charlie O. Mallonee

This should have been a Kings win

All of the prognosticators predicted that the Kings would beat the Lakers in Sacramento on Thursday night. FiveThirtyEight.com said the Kings had a 70-percent chance of winning the game on their home court. The Kings had won two consecutive games playing strong defense in both games. The win on Sunday in Toronto was one of the best wins the Kings had experienced in some time.

Momentum did seem to be on the side of the Kings. Not only were they playing well but their opponent was a young team that in the opinion of most has been playing  above their heads most of the season. Everyone expected new head coach Luke Walton to make a difference with the Lakers. No one expected him to make this much of a difference.

The game the Kings (4-6) should have won they lost 101-91 to upstart Los Angeles Lakers (5-4).

The Kings were in control in the first half

Sacramento came out the gate on fire. The Kings hit on 4-of-7 three -point opportunities. DeMarcus Cousins scored 10 points while Rudy Gay added six. The team outscored the Lakers 30-16 in the first quarter and Sacramento looked to be in full control of the game.

In the second quarter, the Kings extended their lead to 19 and appeared ready to turn the nationally televised contest into a “laugher”. The problem for the Kings was the Lakers forgot to rollover and play dead. Los Angeles stepped up and shot 61.1-percent (11-for-18) from the floor and outscored the Sacramento 29-25 in the period behind the solid play of Julius Randle and Lou Williams scoring punch coming off the bench.

At the half, the Kings held a 10-point lead over the Lakers 55-45.

In the third quarter things just got weird 

The Lakers came out of halftime and played with determination. They kept chipping away at the Kings lead cutting it to as little as five points before the Kings opened it back up to a 10 point lead again, but the Lakers went on a 7-0 run to tighten up the game. When the horn sounded to end the third period, Los Angeles trailed the Kings by just three points, 73-70.

Now here comes the weird part. I glanced over to the stats monitor and looked at the line for DeMarcus Cousins and it showed he had 18 points in the game. I then looked again and checked my notes. Everything was correct. Cousins had spent 10 minutes on the floor, shot 0-for-4 from the field and had scored zero points. A struggling team like the Kings cannot have its number one scorer held scoreless for entire quarter and expect to win a game.

Everything just fell apart in the fourth quarter

The Lakers sensed that victory was theirs if they attacked hard right from the beginning of the fourth quarter and attack they did. Lou Williams led the way scoring 13 points in period. The Lakers outscored the Kings 31-18 in the final quarter even with Cousins returning to form and putting up 10 points.

The Lakers shot 62.5-percent (10-for-16) from the floor in the fourth quarter. The went 9-for-11 from free throw line. LA out-rebounded Sacramento 14-9 in the last period.

The Kings shot just 22.7-percent (5-for-22) from the field in the fourth. The went 2-for-8 from beyond the 3-point arc. The Kings were just unable to find a final burst of energy to will themselves back into the game.

Take me to your leader

The Lakers had five players (four starters) finish scoring in double figures. Lou Williams was their leading scorers with 21 points. Julius Randle was their top rebounder with eight. Randle and Clarkson tied for the lead in assist with five each.

DeMarcus Cousins finished with 28 points and nine rebounds to lead the Kings in both categories. Darren Collison led the team with nine assists.

Luke Walton on why the Lakers defense improved in the second half

“We competed. The first half, we give them credit, they were making shots, but we were letting them swing the ball side-to-side. It happens every time we play defense like that. It happened in the Dallas game. We let people get comfortable at this level, they’re going to make shots. In the second half, I felt like we did a much better job of being physical, not letting them move the ball freely, making plays, being aggressive and that’s when we’re at our best.”

Kings head coach Dave Joerger’s views on the game

“Well tonight was a tough night. I thought it was a good first half. We didn’t finish as strong as we needed to. We had a chance to keep the lead at 14-15 and didn’t go into the locker room feeling great at halftime.”

“We did a lot of positive things in the first half. Second half we didn’t make any shots. Our defense was just on the run the whole night and they made shots. I think at the end of the day it came down to who made the shots.”

“I thought we got a ton of looks. Rudy (Gay), DeMarcus (Cousins) – everybody played hard. They had some tougher nights offensively and we’ve got to be able to find some scoring from other places on nights that sometimes the ball goes in, sometimes it doesn’t.

What’s up next on the schedule

The Kings will have no time to lick their wounds and reflect on this loss as they must jump back into action on Friday night in Portland against the Trail Blazers (5-4) for the second game of a back-to-back, home and on-the-road schedule.

The Lakers head to New Orleans where they will play the 1-8 Pelicans on Saturday night.

Steph Curry sets a NBA record as the Dubs slip past the Pelicans

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland- Steph Curry led the Dubs to victory over the New Orleans Pelicans 116-106 Monday night at Oracle Arena, As usual, the Dubs got off to a slow start. The Pelicans held the lead for most of the first period until Steph hit a three-pointer to tie the game at seventeen. Steph hit his third three-pointer to put Golden State ahead 22-19. The Dubs finished the quarter leading 28-24. Steph made three-threes.

The Warriors played extremely well in the second quarter. They ran, they shot, they scored, they played defense, and they rebounded. At one point, they went on a 26-5 run to take twenty-one point lead. However, the Pelicans refused to fold, and they cut the lead to fourteen as they trailed 63-49 at the half. Steph led the Dubs with twenty-three. Klay Thompson added fifteen, and Kevin Durant chipped in with thirteen. Anthony Davis led the Pelicans with fifteen. The Pelicans’ bench outscored the Warriors’ bench 22-8. The Dubs shot 53.2% from the floor, and they made eight three-point shots in nineteen attempts. They also scored nineteen fastbreak points in the half.

The third period was an entirely different story. The Dubs went to sleep for almost eight minutes in the third quarter. The Pelicans went on a 19-4 run to take the lead 73-72. The Pelicans, at this point, outshot, outran and outrebounded the Warriors. However, the two-time MVP took over and led the Dubs on a 12-5 run to give them a six-point lead 84-78 at the end of three. At his juncture in the contest, Steph had made ten three-point shots.

The Pelicans refused to quit, and the Dubs had to play well if they wanted to win. Kevin Durant, who did not score a lot in the first three periods of play, came to life and made a couple of key buckets. Steph made three more three-point shots leading Golden State to victory. Steph tied the record of twelve held by Kobe Bryant and Donyell Marshall when he hit a three to put the Dubs ahead 106-97. He broke the record on his next shot to increase the lead to twelve 109-97. The Pelicans could not catch up as the Dubs’s defense was strong in the final stanza of the game.

Game Notes- With the win, the Dubs are now 5-2 for the season. They are in second place just one game behind the LA Clippers. As mentioned earlier, Steph Curry set an NBA record with thirteen threes in the game. It was quite a turnaround as he failed to make a single three-point shot in ten attempts last Friday night in Los Angeles. Steph scored over forty points for the third time in his career against New Orleans. Steph finished the night with forty-six. Klay added 24 and Kevin Durant scored 22. Durant has now scored at least twenty points in 71 consecutive games. Draymond Green was outstanding on defense. He scored just two points but he had eleven assists and twelve rebounds. Anthony Davis led the Pelicans with thirty-three. E’Twaun Moore had fifteen and Tim Frazier knocked thirteen to go along with his ten assists. The Pelicans, under former Warrior assistant coach, Alvin Gentry fall to 0-7. The Pelicans are missing several key players and hope to get on the winning track when they return.

Warriors’ coach Steve Kerr had this to say about Steph. “Quite a show. Not at all surprising. He comes right back after a bad game and lights it up. I didn’t realize he set the record until I got into the locker room.” Kerr , when talking about the team, remarked ” I liked the effort off the bench. I liked 35 assists. It’s a good number.I thought it was a good win and we’ll get better from this. We’ve got to do a better job of putting it all together” Kerr, responding to a question about Draymond Green said” He’s playing as well as he has in past years. The box score is going to look a little different.” Green’s scoring is down and Draymond responded ” I still approach the game this way. If I’m open, I shoot. I attack, mke plays and rebound. Our offense is different. We got a lot of guys that score with the basketball.”

The Warriors entertain the Dallas Mavericks at the Oracle Arena Wednesday night at 7:30 pm. Former Warrior players Harrison Barnes and Andrew Bogut will make their first appearences against their former teammates since leaving the club at the end of last season.

 

 

Now you see him – now you don’t: Kings waive Jordan Farmar

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

farmar-release

by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Kings announced Monday that they have waived guard Jordan Farmar. Farmar was signed last week to help at point guard until Darren Collison is finished with his eight-game suspension. Collison is eligible to join the active roster tomorrow for the game versus the New Orleans Pelicans.

Farmar played two games for Sacramento averaging 6.0 points, 1.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. The 10-year NBA veteran played for Kings head coach Dave Joerger in Memphis for the final 10 regular season games and four playoff games last season.

Kings fans may have not seen the last of Farmar this season. Should injury or player movement create roster needs at guard, the Kings may well call on him again if Farmar is available.

Kings triumph in Toronto 96-91

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NBA: Sacramento Kings at Toronto Raptors
Photo credit:Tom Szczerbowski USA Today

by Charlie O. Mallonee

Kings victorious in final game of road trip 

The Sacramento Kings bounced back from playing one of their worst games of the season on Saturday in Milwaukee to playing one of their best games of the year on Sunday in Toronto to defeat the Raptors 96-91. Toronto (4-2) had won three consecutive games. The Kings (3-5) had lost four games in a row.

The Kings have played what has been rated the toughest schedule so far this season in the NBA. Five games in seven nights on the road in the Eastern Conference traveling from Miami to Toronto is brutal. It is also the reality of playing in the NBA. Every team has stretches in their schedules like this and to be successful a team has to deal with the difficulties.

The Kings found a way to deal with best team they had to face on this road trip by stepping up their defense and shortening the rotation off the bench. Head coach Dave Joerger used just nine players off his bench on Sunday night and his veteran players came through for him with the extended playing time – especially on defense.

The Kings held the hot shooting Raptors to just 35.7-percent (30-for-84) from the floor. The Toronto guard tandem of DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry entered the contest averaging 53 points combined per game. The Sacramento defense held them to just 38 combined points on Sunday night.

DeRozan had scored at least 30 points in each of Toronto’s five games this year. The Kings held him to just 23 points.

The Sacramento Kings won on Sunday because of their defense. It has been awhile since you have read those words.

It’s deja vu all over again

The Kings swept the two -game series with the Raptors last season. The Kings won 107-101 in Sacramento behind DeMarcus Cousins 36 points and 10 rebounds. The Kings downed the Raptors in Toronto 104-94 when they had six players score in double figures.

The Kings will have a chance to complete the sweep this season on Sunday November 20 when the Raptors will visit the Golden 1 Center.

Kings dominate the paint

Toronto was without starting center Jonas Valanciunas who sat out because of a left knee contusion. That meant the Raptors 2016 first-round draft pick Jakob Poeltl and Lucas Nogueira who the Raptors have been developing overseas and in the D-League since 2011 had to play the five spot. Poeltl looked like a rookie and eventually fouled out of the game. Nogueria who was seeing his first action of the season after being out because of a sprained ankle looked very good. It is easy to see why Toronto has invested in his development.

The Kings dominated the paint outscoring the Raptors 52-30. Sacramento also out-rebounded Toronto 47-43.

Top performers

Rudy Gay led the Kings scoring attack with 23 points. Gay missed the game in Milwaukee with sore ribs. He played the game in Toronto with his ribs wrapped which did affect his shooting as he went 9-for-19 from the floor.

DeMarcus Cousins posted another double-double game with 22 points and 14 rebounds to go with four assists. Cousins was much more effective from out on the high post than down low under the basket. When he would drive the lane, Cousins was virtually unstoppable.

Ty Lawson was very good on the point dishing out 11 assists and adding five points. Shooting guard Arron Afflalo scored 12 points off just eight shots.

Matt Barnes was a force on defense and scored eight points plus grabbed 10 rebounds. Garrett Temple impacted the game with presence scoring eight points to go with a steal and a blocked shot.

DeRozan led the Raptors in scoring with 23 points but went 7-for-20 shooting. Lowry had 10 assists. Nogueia was the Raptors leading rebounder with five.

Dave Joerger was a happy man after the game

In the postgame press conference Joerger said:

  • He was really proud of his guys and how they responded in a back-to-back game
  • They (the Kings) get after people defensively
  • We had seven guys with two or more rebounds
  • We kept the turnovers down (the Kings had 11 turnovers and gave up just two points off those turnovers)
  • We had seven stops in a row with under 2:30 to play
  • A win like this gives you confidence
  • Rudy (Gay) gave us a big boost

What’s coming up

The Kings have a long flight home and then must get ready to face the New Orleans Pelicans (0-6) on Tuesday night at the Golden 1 Center. Sacramento then has the Lakers (3-3) at home on Thursday night before heading back out on the road.

The Raptors hit the road and will face the Thunder in Oklahoma City on Wednesday. They then travel to Charlotte to face the Hornets on Friday night.

Kings sign guard Jordan Farmar

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

by Charlie O. Mallonee

Free Agent Point Guard Returns to Kings

The Sacramento Kings announced today that they have signed free agent guard Jordan Farmar. The announcement was made by Kings vice president of basketball operations and general manager Vlade Divac.

Farmar was with the Kings in the  preseason looking to fill one of the open spots on the roster. He averaged 6.5 points, 1.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists per contest in the 4 games he played in for Sacramento. Farmar scored 14 points and had five assists against the Lakers in a preseason game on October 13th.

The Kings waived Farmar along with rookie point guard Isaiah Cousins on October 24th.

Farmar was in Memphis with Joerger Last Season

Farmar joined Dave Joerger’s squad in Memphis late in the regular season in 2016. He started 10 regular season games and then started four playoff games for the Grizzlies.

Farmar is a nine-year veteran of the NBA. He has played for the Lakers, Net, Clippers, Grizzlies and now the Kings. Farmar played his college basketball at UCLA.

No Roster Move Required

Darren Collison – who is serving his eight-game suspension for a domestic incident – has been moved to a suspended list. That leaves an opening on the roster that Kings are filling with Farmar.

Collison Due Back Next Tuesday

Darren Collison will be eligible to play beginning next Tuesday, November 8th when the Kings host the New Orleans Pelicans at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. The Kings will have to make a roster move prior to the start of that game in order to meet the 15-man maximum roster limit.

Kings Play Thursday Night

The Kings play game three of their five game road trip Thursday night in Orlando. With Farmar signing today, it is reasonable to expect he will be in uniform tomorrow night to face the Magic.

Kevin Durant leads the Warriors to their first win of the year, beat the Pelicans

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

by Jerry Feitelberg

AP photo: Golden State Warriors Kevin Durant goes for the high percentage points as the Dubs chalk up their first win of 2016-17 against the New Orleans Pelicans Friday night

New Orleans-The Golden State Warriors, led by the stellar play of Kevin Durant, subdued the New Orleans Pelicans 122-114 Friday night in New Orleans. The Dubs, although they led most of the way, could not break away from the Pelicans. The Dubs, however, had an answer for every challenge thrown at them by the Pelicans. Golden State took an early 7-6 lead and kept it until late in the third period when the Pelicans led by a single point 74-73. The Warriors went on a 19-7 run to finish third period leading 92-81. The Pelicans refused to quit. Golden State led by sixteen 103-87 but Anthony Davis and company continued to peck away and closed the gap to six with just 19.4 seconds left in the game.

The Warriors did not play well in the opening game against San Antonio. They were looking to get the offense going behind the Big Three of Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Steph Curry. They also wanted improvement on defense, especially rebounding. They did improve in both those categories but still need to be better.

Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson led the Dubs to a 59-50 halftime advantage. Durant scored eighteen and had ten rebounds. Klay Thompson found his shot and knocked down fourteen. Steph Curry, saddled with three personal fouls, added six. Steph picked up the pace in the third period. He drained a couple of three-point shots and had a bucket and a free throw to complete a three-point play the hard way. Kevon Looney entered the game slightly after the mid-point mark of the period and was very effective as the Dubs closed out the period on a 19-7 run. Kevin Durant continued to amaze everyone as he blocked an Anthony Davis shot and the ran the court to make a spectacular dunk. The Dubs worked hard for the win. The biggest lead of the night was sixteen points, and they had to work hard on the defensive end to stop the Pelicans from overtaking them. Golden State wins a tough contest 122-114.

Game Notes. Kevin Durant had a double, double in the game. He scored thirty points and had seventeen rebounds.  Durant has now scored at least twenty points in sixty-six consecutive games. It is the longest streak since Michael Jordan’s sixty-nine in the 1990-91 season. Klay Thompson added twenty-eight, and Steph Curry finished with twenty-three. Za Za Pachulia had a double, double, too. Pachulia scored ten and had eleven rebounds. Draymond Green finished with eight points, and he recorded eleven rebounds, too. The Pelican bench outscored the Warrior bench 39-23.  The good news for Warrior fans was the play of Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingstone. They made several key buckets and the second unit played much better than they did against San Antonio. The one sour note was the injury to Patrick McCaw late in the first half. McCaw sprained his left ankle and was helped off the court. The Dubs do not know the extent of the injury at this time.

Anthony Davis led the New Orleans attack with forty-five points and seventeen rebounds. He had ninety-five points in his first two games of the year. New Orleans lost both. Tim Frazier had a career-high twenty-one points to go along with ten assists and six rebounds.Lance Stephenson and Duane Cunningham each scored fifteen, coming off the bench.

After the game, Klay Thompson said: “it felt great to get the first win of the season.” , “I was just trying to be myself” when asked if he was too aggressive in the first half. He  said this about Kevin Durant: “he’s gonna be huge for us all year.”

Dubs’  head coach Steve Kerr was pleased the Dubs had just fourteen turnovers in the game. “We did a good job of taking care of the ball.He added that we had “lapses defensively and (that we have)some things to work on.” “We played hard, but we had some breakdowns when everyone just looked at each other.” It was “more lack of communication that led to the breakdown.” “We are going to get much better. You can see how much work we have ahead. We gotta be smart, tough, and grow.”

The Dubs travel to Phoenix to play the Suns Sunday. Game time is at 3:00 pm