Tag: Oklahoma City Thunder

Warriors play defense from start to finish as they knock off Thunder in 112-80 blowout win

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Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND — The Golden Warriors decided to play defense for the entire 48 minutes of Saturday night’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder as they won 112-80 at Oracle Area. The Thunder had embarrassed the Warriors in the two previous meetings this season. Thunders’ stars Russell Westbrook and Paul George sent the Warriors down to a 17-point defeat in Oklahoma City on November 22, and they routed the Dubs 125-105 at Oracle Arena on February 6. The Warriors have not lost the season series to the Thunder since the 2012-13 season, and they played Warrior basketball Saturday night.

The Warriors won the first quarter 24-19 and the second quarter 28-26 to finish with a seven-point advantage 52-45 at the end of the first half. The Thunder closed the gap to one, but the Warriors went on a 37-11 run that included 30 points in the last 8:48 of the third quarter. They continued to shut the Thunder offense down as they outscored OKC 28-14 in the fourth quarter to 112-80.

Game Notes and Stats: After the game, Kevin Durant commented about the team’s performance: “We’re champions. We’re 46-14, and we’ve got one of the best road records in the league,” Durant said. “We’ve been doing this the last two years. We’ve got to be us.”

Draymond Green was hit with his 15th technical foul of the season. If he gets one more technical, he will be suspended for one game. Warrior coach Steve Kerr said he is not concerned at all about the situation. Green commented: “I’m an emotional guy. I play with high emotion, I love this game of basketball. I play it with passion. I’ll continue to play with passion.”

The numbers show how good the defense was. Russell Westbrook, the defending NBA MVP, was held to just 15 points. Westbrook did have a double-double, but the Warriors shut down him down. PAu George, who tallied 38 in the last game at Oracle on February 6, was held to just five points. Carmelo Anthony had 14, and Raymond Felton added 11. The Warriors held the Thunder to  33% from the floor, and the Thunder made just nine 3-pointers in 34 attempts. The Warriors outrebounded them 54-43, and the Dubs had eight steals and six blocked shots.

The Warriors were led on offense by Kevin Durant. Durant knocked down 28. Steph Curry had 21, Klay Thompson 11, Draymond Green 10, and Nick Young chipped in with 16.  The Warriors are now 46-14 for the year.

Kevin Durant received an honor Saturday night.

Durant received the January NBA Cares Community Assist Award for his giving off the court to help kids, families and other charitable causes for education and communities. He donated $3 million last month to the University of Texas where he played and matched Colin Kaepernick’s $10,000 in the quarterback’s “10 for 10” campaign, Durant’s contributions helping a local organization doing community-based justice work.

“I’ve got to continue to leave my mark off the basketball court as well,” Durant said. “Look forward to doing that.”

Up Next: The Warriors head East for a three-game road trip. They play the New York Knicks Monday night in New York. They meet the Washington Wizards on Wednesday and finish the trip in Atlanta against the Hawks.

Curry scores 44 to lead Warriors in 134-127 victory, despite Clippers’ fourth-quarter rally

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Photo credit: nba.com/warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors returned to action Thursday night against the vastly improved Los Angeles Clippers at Oracle Arena. The Clippers beat the Warriors at Oracle Arena the last time they played. Clippers’ Lou Williams knocked down 50 points that night, and the Warriors were determined to not let that happen again. The Warriors, behind Steph Curry’s 44 point performance, Thursday night sent the Clippers down to defeat, 134-127, but it was not easy.

The Clippers started poorly this year, but after the trade that sent Blake Griffin to Detroit, they have turned their season around. They still have Austin Rivers, DeAndre Jordan from last year, but they added Danilo Gallinari, Milos Teodosic, Tobias Harris, and Lou Williams. The Warriors owned the Clippers when Chris Paul and Blake Griffin were their starters. They are gone, and the Clippers are on the rebound.

The Warriors made one change to the starting lineup Thursday night as Steve Kerr decided to start JaVale McGee at center in place of Zaza Pachulia. The move was made to jump start the offense in the first quarter, and the strategy worked as the Warriors raced out to a 34-23 lead at the end of the first 12 minutes of play. It was the first time since November 19th that the Warriors finished the quarter with an 11-point advantage. Curry electrified the crowd as he made a three pointer from half-court as the buzzer sounded to end the period.

The Warriors continued to play well in the second period. At one point, they led 57-40 when Nick Young connected on a three. The Clippers, however, came back on a 9-0 run to close the gap to eight. Curry connected on a three late in the first half to up the lead to 15 70-55, but Danilo Gallinari matched Steph with a three of his own as the buzzer sounded. The Warriors finished the half leading 70-58. Kevin Durant had 12, Curry 15, Thompson 17, and Draymond Green seven. Austin Rivers and Gallinari led the Clippers with 10 apiece. Teodosic had nine, and Lou Williams was held to five.

The Warriors, who have owned the third quarter this year, got off to a good start as they increased the led by 16 after Curry knocked down a three-point shot. Kevin Durant followed with a three of his own, and it looked as if the Warriors were on cruise control. The Clippers cut the deficit to 12 at the end of the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, the Clippers went on a 9-0 run to make it a two-point game. They trailed 104-102. The Warriors behind three big three-point baskets by Curry and one by Durant were able to meet the challenge. They met every Clipper challenge as they showed they still know how to play defense and what they have to do to win a close contest.

Game Notes and Stats: With the win, the Warriors improve to 45-14 and had just 23 games left on the regular season schedule.

The Clippers are now 30-27 but are in the race for the playoffs. The loss time was just the sixth in the last 19 games played and their coach, Doc Rivers, has made them very competitive.

Curry had a double-double with 44 points and 10 assists and he made 8 threes in 11 attempts. Durant knocked down 24, Thompson 19, Green 14. McGee tallied six points and had four boards. Pachulia also scored six. David West had 10.

The Warriors shot 62.7% from the floor but they allowed the Clippers to take 12 more shots in the game.

The Clippers shot 50% from the floor.

The Warriors recorded 31 assists and on defense, they had eight steals and eight blocked shots. The Warriors committed 15 turnovers. At one point in the first quarter, Steve Kerr called a timeout as the Warriors turned the ball over three straight times.

The Clippers had seven players in double figures. Austin Rivers 14, Gallinari 15, Jordan 16. Harris 22, Teodosic, 14. Montrezl Harrell pitched in with 15 and Lou Williams finished with 21. Williams made several big three-point shots when the Clippers rallied in the fourth quarter.

The Warriors’ next opponent will be the Oklahoma Thunder Saturday night at Oracle Arena.

The Thunder, behind Russell Westbrook, Paul George, and Steve Adams, pounded the Warriors the last time they met at Oracle. In fact, the Thunder has won two of the three games played so far this season. The Warriors have their work cut out for them as they have to figure out a way to stop the Thunder attack. Saturday’s game should be a barn burner.

Westbrook adds 18th triple-double of season and hits game-winning shot for 110-107 Thunder win

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By Jordan Chapin

SACRAMENTO — The Sacramento Kings made their return to the Golden 1 Center after a well-needed week off. The return of Frank Mason and Skal Labissiere jump started the Kings final 25-game schedule with a 110-107 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder Thursday night. The reigning MVP, Russell Westbrook, proved once again why he is one of the most clutch players in the league by racking up his 18th triple-double of the season and hitting the game-winning shot.

After trailing by 23 points in the first quarter, the Kings took advantage of their opportunities with the second unit lead by Buddy Hield with 19 points and Vince Carter with 13 points. The Kings cut the lead within eight at half, and then it was Zach Randolph time. Z-Bo finished his night with 29 points and 12 rebounds and put the Kings up by five with under four minutes to go. After several lead changes, the Thunder led by two with just 11 seconds to go in the game. Vince Carter put up a shot from about 34 feet out–missed–was tipped up several times, and with one second left, Justin Jackson came flying in for the put back lay-up to tie the game.

With exactly one second to go, Westbrook caught the in-bounds pass on the wing, and rose-up over Garrett Temple and drained the three-pointer as the clock expired. Although Westbrook did struggle from the field, he reminded us why he is a perennial All-Star in this league. His teammates Paul George and Carmelo Anthony picked him up on the scoring end, as they combined for 49 points.

When the Kings return to Golden 1 Center on Saturday night, they will have a fully rejuvenated lineup as they take on the Los Angeles Lakers. Sacramento will see Isiah Thomas for the first time since he has put on the Purple and Gold. The Kings extended  their record to 18-40 as OKC gets their 34th win of the season and stand pat as the fifth seed in the West.

Thunder dominate Warriors at Oracle 125-105; Golden State drops third game in last four

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Photo credit: @NBA

By Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland — There have been many people expressing doubts about this years’ edition of the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors have not been able to get things goings. They have fallen behind too many times in the first half and have not handled the ball well or played defense as well as they have in the past three seasons.

The Thunder came into the game having lost four straight.

Warriors’ coach Steve Kerr wanted the team to get off to a fast start Tuesday night against the Thunder, but that did not happen.

The Thunder came out firing on all cylinders. They were led by Russell Westbrook, who looked to be unstoppable. The Thunder raced out to an early lead and never looked back as they swamped the Warriors 125-105.

The Thunder outscored them 42-30 in the first quarter, and they never let the Warriors climb back into the game. They moved the ball and defended the Warriors. They wouldn’t let Steph Curry or Klay Thompson get into any sort of rhythm. Kevin Durant was the only Warrior to get anything going against his former team.

Westbrook and Paul George made shot after shot and the Thunder’s big man, Steve Adams, had a huge night both on offense and defense.

No matter what Steve Kerr did, the Thunder had an answer. The Thunder led 70-57 at the half. The Warriors could do nothing in the third quarter as Paul George led the Thunder attack. The Warriors fell behind by 22 at the end of three quarters, and it is very rare for a team to win when they trail by that many so late in the game.

The Thunder kept the momentum going and they cruised to an easy 125-105 win over The Dubs.

Game Notes and Stats: The Warriors have now lost three out of the last four games they have played, and two of the losses were blowouts.

The Warriors are now tied in the loss column with 13 with the Houston Rockets, and the Rockets own the tiebreaker. If the teams end in a tie, Houston would have home court advantage.

The Warriors committed 25 turnovers Tuesday night.

The Warriors committed 25 turnovers in the Sacramento game, but were lucky to get a win. Many people are wondering when the Warriors are going to turn on the switch and start playing the way they have in the past three years. They are limping to the All-Star break, and hopefully, they can regroup and get back on track in time for the playoffs.

Durant led the scoring with 33. Curry had 21, but Thompson was held to 12. Draymond Green knocked down five. Green had seven assists and eight boards, but had to leave the game when has was called for his second technical foul of the night.

The refs called five technical fouls on the team in the game.

David West led the bench with nine, and Shaun Livingston had six.

The Warriors’ bench has not been as productive this year as it has been in previous years, and that may be a factor in the team’s recent lackluster performance.

George led the Thunder with 38. Westbrook had 34. Jerami Grant added 16, and Adams had 14.

The Thunder’s Carmelo Anthony suffered a sprained ankle early in the game and did not return to action. The win was OKC’s first in Oakland since 2013.

Up Next: The Warriors return to action Thursday night against the Dallas Mavericks. Game time is at 7:30 pm PT at Oracle Arena.

Kings defeat the Pelicans 114-103 in NOLA to finish road trip with a 3-3 record

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by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings beat the Pelicans in New Orleans for the second time this season by downing the Pels 114-103 on Tuesday night. The victory allowed the Kings to finish their six-game, 13-day road trip with a surprising 3-3 record.

For the naysayers out there, yes the Pelicans were without DeMarcus Cousins who is out for the rest of the season after rupturing his left achilles last Friday versus the Rockets. The Kings were without the services of Willie Cauley-Stein, Skal Labissiere, Frank Manson, Malachi Richardson and their head coach Dave Joerger.

Why did the Kings win the game?

Two sets of stats really explain why Sacramento came away with the “W” Tuesday night. The Kings out-rebounded the Pelicans 49-36 but even more important than the over all numbers is the offensive rebound count.

SAC pulled down 14 balls off the offensive glass while NOLA grabbed just two offensive rebounds. The Kings scored 26 second chance points converting 10-of-11 opportunities. The Pelicans scored zero second chance points and literally had no second opportunities in the contest. It is virtually impossible to win a game playing one shot and done basketball in “the Association”.

Rebounding made the difference in the game for Sacramento in New Orleans.

Top Performers

Kings

  • Star of the Game honors go to Zach Randolph who scored a game-high 26 points and made it a double-double game posting 12 rebounds. Z-Bo shot 11-for-23 from the floor and hit 3-of-6 three-point attempts. The veteran big man also played very physical versus New Orleans star Anthony Davis.
  • Kosta Koufos earns Special Co-Star of the Game status by starting the game and playing 37-plus minutes to post a double-double of his own. Koufos put up 17 points and recorded 17 rebounds (seven offensive rebounds). Koufos hit 7-of-12 shots from the field.
  • Co-Star of the Game credit goes to De’Aaron Fox for scoring 15 points, hauling in six rebounds and dishing out four assists in 27-minutes of playing time. Fox had a +9 rating for his time on the court.

Pelicans

  • New Orleans Star of the Game honors go to reserve shooting guard Ian Clark who played over 29-minutes scoring 20-points while hitting 9-of-10 field goal attempts. Only one of his field goals was a 3-point conversion. Clark also recorded six rebounds.
  • Anthony Davis receives Co-Star credit for the game. With Boogie Cousins gone for the season, the weight of success falls squarely on the shoulders of Davis. He scored a team-high 23 points and made it a double-double by recording 13 rebounds. Davis went 9-for-10 from the free throw line.
  • Jrue Holiday gets a Best Supporting Player nod for contributing 20 points but he went just 9-for-20 shooting from the floor to score those points. Holiday did not post a single rebound.

Key Stats

Sacramento (16-34)

  • The Kings hit 46-of-97 shots (47.4-percent) from the field for the game. They took 20 more attempts than the Pelicans and made seven more field goals than New Orleans.
  • Sacramento converted 10-of-26 three-point attempts (38.5-percent) which was one more made 3-point field goal than the Pels hit in the game.
  • The Kings outscored the Pelicans in the paint 52-42.

New Orleans (27-23)

  • The Pelicans shot 50.6-percent from the field (39-for-77) for the game but it was 20 less attempts and seven less conversions than the Kings put in the books.
  • New Orleans won the battle of Fast Break points outscoring the Kings 23-22 for the game.
  • The Pels dished out more assists (26-22) than the Kings but they were not enough to turn the tide of the game.

Up Next

Kings

The Kings flew home after the game and were able to sleep in their own beds for the first time in 13 days. They will be off until Friday night when they have the unenviable task of hosting the world champion Golden State Warriors at the Golden 1 Center.

Pelicans

New Orleans will hit the road and will play the Thunder in OKC on Friday night.

The Thunder beat the Kings 95-88; Sacramento has lost five in a row

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Photo credit: @SacramentoKings

By Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings suffered their fifth loss in a row as the Oklahoma City Thunder won 95-88 at Chesapeake Energy Arena on Monday night. The Kings’ losing streak may not end anytime soon with their intensified commitment to player development continues.

Sacramento went with a very young starting five on Monday night. Dave Joerger tapped Skal Labissiere, Willie Cauley-Stein, Bogdan Bogdanovic, De’Aaron Fox and Garrett Temple to start the game. Temple was the only starter who was not playing on his original NBA contract and he played just under 18 minutes in the game.

Buddy Hield and Justin Jackson saw significant playing time coming off the bench for Sacramento. Veteran point guard George Hill played just over 24 minutes, but that may be the Kings trying to showcase Hill for a possible trade. There have been persistent rumors that the Nuggets have real interest in picking up Hill who has become expendable with the emergence of Frank Mason.

The Kings played well in the first-half and actually held the lead at halftime 52-46. De’Aaron Fox and George Hill each scored 10 points in the half to lead the Sacramento scoring attack.

As it has been so often this season, the third quarter was the Kings downfall. The Thunder outscored Sacramento 31-16 in the quarter. Carmelo Anthony put up 15 points for OKC shooting 5 for 11 in the period. The Kings used nine players in the quarter but only three of them scored. Willie Cauley-Stein posted seven points, Bogdan Bogdanovic scored six and Garrett Temple recorded three points.

The Kings had a glimmer of hope in the fourth quarter when Russell Westbrook received back-to-back technical fouls and was ejected from the game with 2:51 remaining to play in the contest and the Thunder leading 91-80.

Sacramento was never able to cut the Oklahoma City lead to less than seven points and wound up losing the game 95-88. The Kings are now 13-30 on the season and reside in last-place in the Western Conference. The Thunder’s record improved to 24-20 which puts them in fifth-place in the Western Conference.

Stars of the Game

Thunder

  • The “Big Three” for OKC take the honors and that is really no surprise. Carmelo Anthony scored a game-high 20 points shooting 7 for 19 and grabbing nine rebounds as well. Russell Westbrook posted a double-double with 19 points and 16 rebounds. Paul George put 18 points in the book.
  • Steven Adams receives the award for “mouth of the game”. The big man did not stop chirping at the officials throughout entire contest. If Westbrook was ejected for going overboard with his complaints, Adams should have received the same punishment. The constant negative chatter directed at the officials has to stop. Adams scored 13 points shooting 5 for 11 from the floor, but he hit only 3 of 12 from the charity stripe.

Kings

  • Buddy Hield led the scoring attack for Sacramento. Hield came off the bench to score 16 points in almost 28 minutes on the floor. Hield shot just 6 for 15 and was 0 for 5 from behind the 3-Point line. He was a perfect 4 for 4 at the free throw line.
  • Willie Cauley-Stein had another strong game. The Kings starting center played 39 minutes and 52 seconds in the game and scored 15 points. He hit 6 of 13 field goal attempts while pulling down seven rebounds and adding three steals.

Key Stats

OKC

  • The Thunder out-rebounded the Kings 58-37. Of their 58 rebounds, 18 came on offense. Those 18 offensive rebounds turned into 13 second chance points for the Thunder.
  • Turnovers: OKC had 20 TOV but they led to just seven points for Sacramento. The Kings committed 15 turnovers which the Thunder turned into 18 points.

SAC

  • The Kings had a 15 point lead at one point in the game.
  • SAC scored 13 second chance points converting 5 of 6 opportunities.
  • The used 10 players in the game including Georgios Papagiannis.

Up Next

Kings

SAC will host the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night at the Golden 1 Center. The Kings will then head out on a six game road trip – the longest of the year.

Thunder

OKC will host the Lakers on Wednesday night.

Thunder stifle Warriors offense, pick up emphatic 108-91 home win

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by Jerry Feitelberg

The Oklahoma City Thunder played their best game of the season as they defeated the Warriors 109-91 Wednesday night in Oklahoma City. The Thunders’ Big Three, Carmelo Anthony, Russell Westbrook, and Paul George all scored more than 20 points each, and the Thunder slowed the Warriors running game and took the Dubs out of their game. The Thunder, coached by Billy Donovan, entered the game with a record of 7-9. The Thunder made two big moves in the offseason to improve their offense by signing Paul George and trading for Carmelo Anthony. The team really hadn’t played well until Wednesday night. The Thunder lost several games after having a big lead at the half, but they did not let the game slip Wednesday night.

The Warriors’ Kevin Durant was back in the lineup on Wednesday. Durant could not help the Warriors as they fell behind 33-26 after the first quarter. The Thunder offense was on fire as they shot 54% from the floor and held the Warriors to just 36%.

The Thunder kept the pressure on, and the Warriors fell further behind. Everything was going well for OKC. Russell Westbrook, Paul George, Carmelo Anthony were making shots, and the Warriors were not. Klay Thompson could not buy a bucket, Draymond Green scored two points in the first half. Zaza Pachulia did not score at all, and the bench did not provide a spark. Steph scored 13 and KD knocked down 14, but the Warriors ended the first half trailing by seventeen 65-48

The Warriors, who usually dominate the third period, could not get anything going. OKC continued to play stellar defense, and the Warriors continued to make turnovers and missed open shots. The Thunder increased the lead to twenty-three and was in total control as the third quarter ended with a 94-71 advantage.

The Warriors won the fourth quarter 20-14, but it was too little, too late. Billy Donovan kept his starters in for most of the fourth quarter and didn’t remove them until there were just 90 seconds left in the game. The Thunder won 108-91 and snapped the Warriors’ seven-game winning streak against them.

Game Notes and Stats- The Warriors finished the four-game road trip with a record of 2-2 and fell to 13-5 for the season. The Thunder improved to 8-9. Steph led the Warriors with 24 points. KD tallied 21. Klay had 9, Draymond 4, and Zaza 2. Three of the Thunders’ starters recorded a double-double. Westbrook, the NBA’s reigning MVP, scored 34 points, had nine assists, and ten rebounds. Paul George had 20 points and eleven rebounds, Steven Adams fourteen points and twelve boards. Carmelo Anthony poured in twenty.

The Warriors are home for Thanksgiving and resume play Friday night against the Chicago Bulls at Oracle Arena. Game time is at 7:30.

Organizational Stability must now be the Kings number one goal

Published on by Charlie O. Mallonee1 Comment

by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Kings did what?

silent-scream

SACRAMENTO–An NBA organization that was already labeled “unstable” just became more unstable in the minds of owners, managers, coaches, players, agents and fans with the sudden and surprising trade of All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins to the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday. The trade came on the heels of Vlade Divac – vice president and general manager of the Kings – telling ESPN that his team was about to sign Cousins to a 5-year, $200-million plus deal.

Cousins appeared to be excited about the possibilities of staying in Sacramento long-term. Cousins told ESPN, “I’m very happy. It’s where I want to be. I think we’re on the right path this season. We’re playing the best basketball of the season so far. Our team is extremely confident. We believe we can make this push and make it happen. We’ve been preaching it all year. It’s on us to make it happen.”

At the All-Star Break, the Kings are just 1.5 games out of the eighth and final playoff spot behind the Denver Nuggets. Fans in Sacramento – who have not seen a playoff game in 10 long years – have been be anticipating a first-round match-up between the Kings and the Golden State Warriors. Kings fans hold no illusions about beating the Warriors but what a return to the playoffs that would be for the loyal supporters of the team.

Now, it’s shock and awe time for Sacramento fans once again. Cousins is gone and so are the playoffs. The team now has more shooting guards than any organization can use. Management’s credibility is totally destroyed around “the association”and that credibility was almost no existent before this fiasco. Remember last summer, top rated draft prospects would not even come to Sacramento for workouts.

The Kings need an experienced general manager

vlade-peja

The time has come to promote Vlade Divac to president of basketball operations and let him handle things at a 10,000 foot level while he learns the intricacies of running the day to day operations of an NBA team (see the Philadelphia transaction that the Kings came out on the short end of). An experienced GM could also groom Peja Stojakovic in the area of player development. By all reports, the Kings scouting department needs a boost as well.

Divac and Stojakovic are smart guys who have played the game at the highest level. Now, they need to learn how to manage the game at the highest level. It’s like when they were young players. They need guidance.

Sacramento can also help make a social impact in “the association”

troy-weaver
Troy Weaver Asst. GM OKC Thunder

While bringing in experienced management to help Divac and Stojakovic, the Kings could also be a part of making a major impact in the NBA. In a June 2016 article in The Undefeated, Marc Spears pointed out that there is “a distressing lack of black leadership in the NBA”. He also reference a 2015 survey that 74.4-percent of the players in “the association” were black while there was one African-American team president, two African-American general managers and one native African general manager among the 30 teams.

A prime time target for the Kings should be Oklahoma City Thunder assistant general manager Troy Weaver. Weaver – who is an African-American – has been interviewed for the top job by several teams but has never received the call. Weaver is known for his strong scouting abilities which the Kings need. As the story goes, he led the charge to take the chance on Russell Westbrook. As an assistant coach at Syracuse he helped to recruit Carmelo Anthony. Weaver has been an assistant coach and recruiter at the college level. He has been a scout and director of player personnel for the Utah Jazz as well working for the Thunder.

An experienced executive like Weaver would have to have real decision making power to lead and set the direction for the Kings. He would also need some time. Unfortunately, the Cousins transaction means a return to a dependence on newly drafted players to make an immediate impact for the team. That usually does not have positive results as rookies have to learn how to play in the league. Time is needed to develop a team while time without wins and trips to the playoffs is the enemy of marketing and ticket sales.

The team has made some solid decisions

joerger

Hiring Dave Joerger as head coach has been one of the best decisions the Kings have made in recent memory. After the turbulent rule of George Karl, Joerger has calmed the locker room, won the respect of the players (including the now departed DeMarcus Cousins) and worked hard on developing young talent (see the resurgence of Ben McLemore). Joerger has also been a master at making adjustments as he has lost players to injury. Now, he has to make an adjustment for the loss of an All-Star center and his regular double-double games.

The Kings number one priority must be establishing stability in the basketball operations. They have done a great job of doing that on the business side which is why the team has doubled in value to just over $1-billion. Now they must achieve excellence on the basketball court.

 

Kevin Durant leads the Warriors to victory over his former team, the Oklahoma City Thunder

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by Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors faced the OKC Thunder Wednesday night at Oracle Arena. The Warriors, fresh off a smashing victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers, had a tough time getting their game going as OKC took advantage of the Warriors eleven turnovers in the first half. The Thunder’s defense held the Dubs to just eight three-point shots. The game was tied at 56 at the half. The Warriors, behind Kevin Durant’s 40 points, broke the game open in the third quarter as they were able to beat the Thunder 121-100.

The Thunder’s Russell Westbrook, Victor Oladipo, and Enes Kanter led the Thunder’s offense. They played well on defense. The Thunder led 31-30 after the first quarter. The Thunder went on a 9-3 run to start the second quarter. The Warriors came back and took the lead 44-42. The Dubs’ David West scored six and KD made a trey to tie the game at 42. The Dubs were up by four 56-52 near the end of the quarter. Russell Westbrook scored the last 4 points, and the game was tied at 56 to end the first half. Kevin Durant knocked down 20, and Steph had 13 to lead Golden State in scoring.

The Warriors, as they have done so many times this year, owned the third quarter. Draymond Green scored six points to start the quarter. Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, and Klay Thompson all came alive in the period. The Warriors stopped making turnovers, and they played superb defense. They outscored OKC 37-22 to take a 15 point lead after three periods of play. They did not let up in the fourth quarter. They increased the lead to 19 with 7:41 left to play. With the score 117-94, coach Steve Kerr removed his starters from the game. JaVale McGee, Ian Clark, Kevon Looney, Patrick McCaw and Shaun Livingston finished the game, and the Warriors won the game by a final score of 121-100

Game Notes and Stats- The Warriors improved their record to 36-6 and OKC fell to 25-19. OKC’s big man, Steve Adams, was not able to play as he is recovering from a concussion. Klay Thompson was in Portland due to an illness in the family, but he flew back in time to be in the lineup.

Kevin Durant had another double-double. He recorded 40 points, 4 assists, 12 rebounds, and 3 blocked shots. Steph Curry pitched in with 24 points, 8 assists, and 4 boards. Klay scored 14. Draymond Green also had a double-double. Draymond pitched in with 12 points, 5 assists, ten rebounds and 3 blocked shots. Shaun Livingston(8), David West(8), and Andre Iguodala(6) all made contributions in helping the Dubs win. The scoring leader for OKC was Russell Westbrook. Westbrook had a quadruple-double. He scored 27 to go along with 13 assists, 15 rebounds, and 10 turnovers. Victor Oladipo had 20, and Enes Kanter picked up 22 coming off the bench.

The Warriors outrebounded the Thunder 46-36. The Dubs recorded another game with over 30 assists. They had 35 assists on 48 field goals. They were great on defense as they had 8 blocks and ten steals.They outscored the Thunder 56-48 in points in the paint, and they had 29 fast break points compared to 19 for the Thunder. The one negative was turnovers. The Warriors committed 18 turnovers, and that cost them 29 points. They made 11 turnovers in the first half but had better ball control in the second as they were able to pull away and record the win.

The Warriors start a four-game road trip Friday Night in Houston. Game time is at 5 pm. The Rockets beat the Warriors in double overtime earlier in the season at Oracle Arena. The Rockets are 33-12, and Jame Harden’s play has him in the running for the NBA’s MVP.The Warriors then go to Orlando, Miami, and Charlotte before returning home to face the LA Clippers on January 28th.

 

 

Kings battle hard again but come up short against the Thunder 122-118

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okc-west
Westbrook en route to 20th triple-double Photo: Kelley L Cox USA Today Sports

by Charlie O. Mallonee

Sacramento — Stop me if you have heard this before. “Tough night. Tough game to watch. The guys (Kings) are playing as hard as they can,” Sacramento head coach Dave Joerger after watching his team lose to the Oklahoma City Thunder 122-118. The Kings actually cut the Thunder lead to just two points with 11-seconds to go in the game, but there was not enough time left to finish the potential comeback.

The Kings were down by 12 points with 2-minutes remaining in the game and it felt like things were over at that point. Three 3-point baskets by Tolliver, Collison and Gay along with three Oklahoma City turnovers allowed Sacramento to work their way back into the game. Literally, the Kings waited 60-seconds to long to start their comeback and have enough time to finish it with a positive outcome.

The Kings are playing hard. They are not giving up. They just do not have enough “____________” (fill in the blank with your own opinion because there are so many and no one idea seems to be the right one at this moment). There can be no doubt that something is missing. Be assured the Kings want to fix it. At this point, it must not be that easy to fix or the organization would do it immediately.

No team wants to be in playoff contention – and the Kings are still in ninth place one-game back of Portland even after this loss – with a record of 1-5 on a seven-game homestand. The Kings management, coaching staff and players want to fix whatever is wrong. At this point, they just have not been able to do so successfully.

What will the Kings do next? They have a multitude of options so predicting the next move is very difficult despite whatever anyone is saying. The one thing that is known at this point is the Kings want that eighth spot in the Western Conference Playoffs.

Oklahoma City Thunder v Sacramento Kings
Dave Joerger draws up a play for the Kings versus the Thunder Photo: NBAE

It was a long game on Sunday night

Early in his postgame comments, Kings head coach Dave Joerger talked about what a long game it was on Sunday night. In fact, Joerger said it felt like game went on for hours.

  • There were 57 personal fouls committed by both teams
  • A total of 81 free throws were attempted
  • Four technical fouls were assessed

Add in timeouts, arguments by coaches and players plus video reviews and it was a long night for everyone

Stars of the game

Oklahoma City Thunder v Sacramento Kings
Cousins goes to the basket against the Thunder Photo: NBAE
  • Russell Westbrook – it did not look like the triple-double machine would pull off another impressive stat night early in the game. The OKC star guard had just 11 points, four rebounds and six assists at the half. By the time game ended, Westbrook had posted his 20th triple-double of the season by scoring 36 points, grabbing 11 rebounds and dishing out 10 assists. The man is truly a phenomena.
  • DeMarcus Cousins – the Kings center had a big night as he scored 31 points for his team and made it a double-double game by hauling in 11 rebounds (6 offensive). He also had seven assists. It was not a great shooting night as he went 8-for-20 from the floor but Cousins made up for it from the free throw line by hitting 14-of-17 from the stripe.

Co-stars

  • Darren Collison – the point guard had just two points in the first half of the game and finished the game with 21 points. He shot 7-for-9 from the floor including going 2-for-3 from 3-point range. Collison also took advantage of the charity stripe going 5-for-6 from the free throw line. He also posted two assists and two steals.
  • Enes Kanter – he is an easy selection for the Thunder. When Steven Adams went down due to injury, Kanter picked up the slack. Kanter scored a season-high 29 against the Kings hitting 10-of-18 shots. He also recorded a double-double by pulling down 12 rebounds.

Other featured players

Oklahoma City Thunder v Sacramento Kings
Rudy Gay brings the ball up the floor versus the Thunder Photo: NBAE
  • Kings – Rudy Gay 21 points and 10 rebounds, Anthony Tolliver 10 points, Garrett Temple 8, Matt Barnes 7 points and 8 rebounds, Arron Afflalo 7 points
  • Thunder – Victor Oladipo 23 points shooting 7-for-14, Alex Abrines 13 points and Steven Adams 6 points and 4 rebounds in just 19-minutes before being injured

Spotlight on stats

  • Points in the Paint: Thunder 56 Kings 46
  • 2nd chance points: Kings 17 Thunder 14
  • Fast break points: Thunder 25 Kings 9
  • Turnovers: Kings 22 (23 pts for OKC) Thunder 19 (28 pts for SAC)
  • Rebounds: Kings 44 (14 offensive) Thunder 44 (17 offensive)

Injury update

  • Steven Adams, OKC Thunder – Adams went down after battling for a rebound at the 10:48 mark of the third quarter. He left the court and did not return to the game. Adams hit his head on the floor and was experiencing concussion-like symptoms. He will be evaluated on Monday to determine if he must enter the NBA concussion protocol program.

Up next on the schedule

Kings – Sacramento closes out the seven-game homestand versus the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night at the Golden 1 Center. Sacramento is just 1-5 on the current homestand and would like to close it out on a positive note before heading out on a brutal road trip. The Kings will play eight games over 13 days on the road and will not be back in Sacramento until February.

Thunder – Oklahoma City has the second game of a back-to-back set on Monday night in Los Angeles against the Clippers. The Thunder will then head back to the Bay Area on Wednesday night to take on Kevin Durant and the Golden State Warriors in a nationally televised game.