Tag: Oklahoma City Thunder

Kings Soar as Thunder Falls: A Basketball Overture in Sacramento 128-123

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The Sacramento Kings De’Aaron Fox (5) goes for the layup against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Thu Dec 14, 2023 (photo by Mauricio Segura/Sports Radio Service & Golden Bay Times)

By Mauricio Segura

SACRAMENTO–The second place Oklahoma City Thunder (15-8), entered the Golden One Center Arena in Sacramento with an unyielding determination to depart in their chartered plane with a triumphant “W” etched into the stat book. After all, they had already lost eight in a row to the Sacramento Kings (14-9), another loss would be unacceptable.

Little did they know that as their plane soared over the downtown area later that night, all they would witness out of their windows would be a vibrant purple beam piercing through the star-filled sky, a radiant reminder that the “W” fell from their grasps once again to the mighty Kings with a score of 128-123.

The court served as the dramatic stage for a clash of titans of sorts, featuring the league’s standout point guards – Sac Town’s De’Aaron Fox and the Thunders Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The duo delivered performances that merited a standing ovation, leaving an indelible mark on the hardwood.

Fox notched an impressive 41 points (marking the third occasion this season with 40+ points), seven assists, three rebounds, and a flurry of five 3-pointers. On the opposing end, Gilgeous-Alexander showcased his own brand of brilliance, culminating in 43 points, nine assists, six rebounds, and a near-perfect 16 for 18 at the free-throw line.

The Thunder thundered into action right from the tip-off, with Gilgeous-Alexander unleashing a torrent of 14 points in the opening quarter, affording his team a slender one-point lead. Yet, the Kings, orchestrating unparalleled teamwork with the likes of Domantas Sabonis, Keon Ellis, and Malik Monk in the second quarter, surged past the 50% shooting mark, claiming a 59-53 lead as halftime buzzer radiated throughout the G1 Center.

This momentum seamlessly continued into the second half, where the Kings maintained their steady flow while Gilgeous-Alexander valiantly attempted to shoulder his team’s fortunes. Jalen Williams struggled, converting only 2 of his 14 attempts, and Chet Holmgren, finding his rhythm with three successful shots in the fourth quarter, added a layer of hope that proved too late in coming.

As the clock dwindled to 2:03 remaining, the Thunder found themselves trailing by a mere four points. Despite Holmgren’s final desperate shot when the outcome was already decided.

On the Kings’ side of the court, the triumph featured Sabonis, contributing 18 points and an impressive 16 rebounds, Monk adding another 18 to his name, and Ellis capping off the night with a career-high and smile-inducing 17 points.

Thursday’s game was the first of six in this current homestand. The Utah Jazz will be in town this Saturday, tip-off will be at 7:00 pm.

Mauricio Segura has been a Bay Area sportswriter & photographer for the past 20 years, covering baseball, soccer, football, and basketball. He’s contributed articles for Area Chica Magazine, The Baseball Analyst Quarterly, and various newspapers. He currently publishes an online sports and entertainment website called Golden Bay Times and is the graphics and art Director for the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame.

Kings Overwhelmed By Clippers 119-99

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The Los Angeles Clippers center Daniel Theis (10) takes a jump shot against the Sacramento Kings center JaVale McGee (00) in first half action at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Tue Dec 12, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The Los Angeles (13-10) Clippers routed the Sacramento Kings (13-9) for their fifth straight victory 119-99 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The Clippers convincingly won the first three quarters of play. The Kings did win the fourth quarter 29-20 but it was far too little far too late. Sacramento at one time trailed by over 30 points. They had offensive and defensive letdowns throughout the game.

The Kings have been playing some terrific basketball this season and as they headed down to Los Angeles to take on the Clippers more great play was expected from the Kings. What transpired was totally unexpected.

The Clippers got this game going early winning the opening quarter 32-24 and they never looked back. They continued to pile it on in the second quarter extending their lead to 70-48 at the half. The Clippers continued to expand their lead throughout the first half and the Kings were helpless to do anything about it. Sacramento was trailing by 22 points but had an entire half to do something about it.

The Kings were clearly anything but engaged. They fell short offensively and defensively. De’Aaron Fox and company were quiet on both sides of the ball. Sacramento lost the third quarter 29-22 and the Kings had dug a huge hole making a come-back near to impossible. The Kings were not at all focused and it just came down to one of those games where nothing worked.

Sacramento did win the fourth quarter by the slim margin of 31-29 which did not make much of a dent in this game.

This was a huge disappointment for the Kings. Nothing went right for them in this game. Kawhi Leonard continued the scoring binge he has been on scoring 31 points and Sacramento could not contain him. 

The Kings starters had a quiet night; they were just off. Harrison Barnes came away with two points and one rebound. Kevin Huerter finished with three points. Their bench came away with 48 points collectively scoring almost half of the points in this game. 

Keegan Murray led Sacramento with 17 points and Domantas Sabonis had 15 points and 10 rebounds. Kings superstar D’Aaron Fox finished with 14 points, a quiet night for him. The Kings had won five of their last seven games but just could not get it done tonight. 

Sacramento has had a few games this season that were blowout losses but they weathered those storms and came back stronger. There is no reason that they will not come back after this game as well. Returning to Golden 1 Center is going to look awfully good to these guys. There is truly no place like home.   

The Kings will welcome the OKC Thunder Thursday night getting a six-game home stand underway. They will be looking to put this game behind them and move forward. Tipoff for this game is scheduled for 7:00 PM.

Golden State Warriors podcast with Barbara Mason: Warriors battle the Suns Tuesday night at Footprint Center

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Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) defends the Oklahoma City Thunder’s guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) at Oklahoma City on Sun Dec 10, 2023 (AP News photo)

On the Warriors podcast with Barbara Mason:

#1 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Oklahoma City Thunder with 38 points it helped as the Thunder edged the Golden State Warriors 138-136 last Friday.

#2 The Thunder also got scoring help from Jalen Williams with 28 points and Chet Holmgren with 21 points the Thunder defeated the Warriors for the third straight time this season.

#3 This game was in overtime and Warriors guard Stephen Curry scored 10 of his 34 points. Klay Thompson had 22 points and Draymond Green had 12 points.

#4 The Thunder took advantage scoring 35 points off 29 turnovers committed by the Warriors.

#5 Next up for Golden State it’s onto Phoenix against the Suns at Footprint Center on Tuesday night a 7:00pm tip off. The Suns have won six of their last ten games and have lost their last two games.

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

Turnovers Beat Golden State; OKC Thunder Prevail 138-136

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Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) holds the ball as Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Dec. 8, 2023, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

By Barbara Mason

In a horrendous display of ineptitude the Golden State Warriors (10-12) came away with 29 turnovers in their matchup with the Oklahoma City (14-7) Thunder Friday night losing 138-136. The team has struggled with ball protection for awhile but Friday night they outdid themselves. Even the 34 points scored by Stephen Curry couldn’t get the job done, although, they did come close.

Friday night the Warriors took on the Thunder . The Warriors had won their last game beating the Portland Trailblazers 110-106 and were looking to establish a winning streak. The Thunder dropped their last game to the Houston Rockets Wednesday by the score of 110-101. Prior to beating the Trailblazers the Warriors lost a heartbreaker to the Los Angeles Clippers 113-112.

The first quarter was all Warriors and the team had a great start to this game leading 28-19 after the opening 12 minutes. The Thunder did win the second quarter 37-34 but Golden State maintained a 62-56 lead going into half time. In the first half, Klay Thompson had shot for 13 points followed by Andrew Wiggins with 12.

In the third quarter, the Thunder turned the game around winning the quarter 33-22 taking an 89-84 lead. OKC was spurred on by the number of turnovers coming from the Warriors. On 29 turnovers, the Thunder scored 35 points.

The Warriors won the final quarter 34-29, but this was only good enough to tie the game. This game would go into overtime with the Thunder prevailing 20-18 in OT and winning the game 138-136.

Despite the 29 turnovers, the Warriors came very close to pulling this game out. Warriors guard Stephen Curry scored 10 of his 34 points in the overtime. When the dust had settled, this game was lost due to poor ball protection.

This was the third loss in a row that the Warriors dropped in their past four matchups with the Thunder this season. Curry did everything he could to will his team to victory scoring 20 points in the fourth quarter and overtime. Golden State just could not overcome the turnovers. They actually had four turnovers in overtime.

The Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 38 points and Jalen Williams had 28 points in this game. OKC is a very young team yet they now reside in second place in the Western Conference standings.

The Warriors will try to turn things around when they travel to Phoenix taking on the Suns Tuesday night. They will need to clean up the turnovers and the fouls which were also problematic in Fridays game. Tipoff for that game is scheduled for 7:00 PM and will be aired on TNT.

Golden State Warriors podcast with Barbara Mason: Warriors skid hits six; Golden State hosts Houston at Chase tonight

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Oklahoma City Thunder guard Vasilije Micic drives on the Golden State Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Sat Nov 18, 2023 (AP News photo)

On the Warriors podcast with Barbara:

#1 The Golden State Warriors (6-7) lost a real knuckle cracker against the Oklahoma City (8-4) Thunder Saturday night 130-123 in overtime.

#2 Andrew Wiggins had his season high game with 31 points and was the reason that the Warriors had a great chance to win this game.

#3 With 1.6 seconds left on the clock the Thunder’s Chet Holmgren hit an unlikely 25-foot three point shot to tie the game at 117 and drive this game into overtime.

#4 The Warriors were looking forward to ending their five game losing streak only to have it continued with the overtime loss.

#5 Monday night the Warriors will take on the Houston Rockets at Chase Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM PT.

Golden State Warriors podcasts can be heard with Barbara Mason at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Despite Breakout Game For Wiggins; Warriors Fall to Thunder in Overtime; Golden State falls for sixth straight game

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Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren hits a three point shot against the Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins (22) and forward Kevon Looney (in front) at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Sat Nov 18, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The Golden State Warriors (6-7) lost a real knuckle cracker against the Oklahoma City (8-4) Thunder Saturday night 130-123 in overtime. Andrew Wiggins had his season high game with 31 points and was the reason that the Warriors had a great chance to win this game. With 1.6 seconds left on the clock the Thunder’s Chet Holmgren hit an unlikely 25-foot three point shot to tie the game at 117 and drive this game into overtime.

Warriors fans sure got their moneys worth in Saturday’s Warrior game versus the Thunder. In their last meeting Thursday night Golden State lost to the Thunder 128-101. Back on November 3rd the Warriors did beat Oklahoma City in a close one 141-139. The Warriors were looking forward to ending their five game losing streak only to have it continued with the overtime loss.

Game recap: The Thunder won the first quarter 33-31 in a very tight game. The Warriors turned things around in the second quarter winning that quarter 30-18 and had a 61-51 lead going into halftime. The Warriors had held the Thunder to 29% shooting in the second quarter and were looking solid heading into the locker room.

The Thunder got things under control winning the third quarter 34-26 trailing the Warriors by two points 87-85. A real battle got underway in the fourth quarter. Andrew Wiggins came unglued having a season high game.

In the closing seconds of the final quarter Wiggins hit a three pointer to take a 117-114 lead. When it looked like the Warriors would break their losing streak the Thunder’s Chet Holmgren nailed a three point tying shot with 1.6 seconds on the clock sending this game into overtime.

The overtime was not a good one for Golden State getting outscored 13-6 by the Thunder. Oklahoma City had won back-to-back wins at Chase handing the Warriors their sixth loss in a row 130-123.

The star of the show for the Warriors was Wiggins scoring a season high 31 points for Golden State. He was 12 of 19 from the field and had five 3s. Warrior guard Stephen Curry finished with 25 points and seven rebounds. This was the first time this season that he did not have the high score for the team. The Warriors are still dealing with the suspension of Draymond Green and Gary Payton II is still out with a left foot strain.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had the high score for the Thunder with 40 points which was a huge part of this win for Oklahoma City and Chet Holmgren who pushed this game into overtime had a season high of 36 points.

Monday night the Warriors will take on the Houston Rockets at Chase Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM PT.

OKC Thunder roll over the short-handed Warriors 128-109; Golden State suffers fifth straight loss

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Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) takes a jump shot over the Golden State Warriors guard Moses Moody (4) in first half action at Chase Center in San Francisco on Thu Nov 16, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors (6-7) knew they would have to be at their best to beat the young and talented Oklahoma City (8-4) Thunder squad. Warriors guard Stephen Curry was out of action due to knee soreness, and Draymond Green was suspended for five games.

Warriors head coach, Steve Kerr, inserted Jonathan Kuminga and Dario Saric into the starting lineup. Chris Paul was the leader of the first unit. The last time the two teams met in OKC, the Warriors won 141-139.

The Warriors had to find a way to hold down the Thunder offense. Well, the Warriors had seven players in double figures. All the players contributed on offense. The Warriors came back from a seven-point deficit at halftime to climb within a point of tying the game at 84 in the third quarter.

The fans were on their feet, cheering the team on. OKC broke the game open as they were red hot from behind the three-point arc. The Thunder made 19 threes to roll over the Warriors,128-109.

The Warriors started well in the first period. The Warriors led 15-13 when the Thunder went on a 27-9 run to end the quarter leading 39-24. The Warriors didn’t help their cause, as they committed seven turnovers in the period. The Warriors shot 36% from the floor, while OKC shot 56%.

The Thunder continued to roll over the Warriors for most of the second period. OKC increased the lead to 19, 59-40. Dario Saric, Andrew Wiggins, and Chris Paul sent the Warriors on a 20-8 to end the first half trailing by seven, 67-60. The Warriors went to the locker room feeling that they had turned things around.

As mentioned above, The Warriors did play well in the third quarter. They came within a point of tying the game. The Thunder led 84-83. That would be the closest the Warriors would ever get. The Thunder continued to make three-pointers. OKC’s Isaiah Joe was seven-for-seven from downtown. The Thunder closed out the third quarter, leading 94-85.

OKC poured it on in the fourth quarter. They beat the Warriors 34-24 in the fourth quarter to win the Game 128-109.

Game Notes: The Warriors lost their fifth game in a row, and their record is now 6-7. OKC has won five of their last six and are now 8-4. The teams play again on Saturday at the Chase Center,

The good news for coach Kerr was the play of his reserves. Jonathan Kuninga led the Warriors with 21 points, six rebounds, and two assists. Saric had 12, Andrew Wiggins had 12, Paul had 15, Moses Moody had 12, and Brandin Podzienski had 13 points and eight rebounds.

Kevon Looney was everywhere. Looney scored 13 hard-earned points, and he snagged eleven boards. Thompson played well in most aspects of the game. Thompson moved well without the play, was excellent on defense, set up screens, and assisted on shots.

However, Thompson could not find the basket. He scored five points. He made just one basket from the floor in ten tries. Every time Thompson had the ball in his hands, two OKC Defenders were on him to keep him from taking good shots.

The Thunder had six players in double figures. Isaiah Joe finished the night with 23 points. As mentioned earlier, he made seven threes in seven tries. Shea Gilgeous-Alexander led OKC with 24. Jalen William had 16, Josh Giddey had 19, Cason Williams had 10, and Chet Holmgren had a double-double with 13 points and ten rebounds.

The schedule has not been kind to the Warriors at this point in the season. The Warriors play OKC Saturday night, the resurgent Houston Rockets, The Phoenix Suns on the road, and the San Antonio Spurs.

The Warriors will have to pull out all the stops to get some wins against these teams. Let’s hope that Thompson and Wiggins return to their past greatness.

Golden State Warriors podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Warriors try and put Timberwolves in season battle to rest; Golden State sets up for OKC tonight at Chase Center

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Minnesota Timberwolves Rudy Gobert (back) and the Golden State Warriors Klay Thompson (11) scuffle at the Chase Center in first quarter action on Tue Nov 14, 2023 (AP News photo)

On the Warriors podcast with Jerry F:

#1 Jerry talk about how things got out of hand early and quick in the first quarter on Tuesday night at Chase Center between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Golden State Warriors starting with the Timberwolves Jordan McDaniels grabbed the shirt of the Warriors Klay Thompson that just simply started bedlam.

#2 Then there was the Warriors guard Draymond Green who put the Timberwolves Rudy Gobert in a headlock as Gobert was trying to play peacemaker and pull the players apart. Realizing this Green was the one who got tossed out of the game and there was talk that he could face a suspension.

#3 Warriors head coach Steve Kerr now was without Green and Thompson who both were tossed. Green for putting Gobert in a headlock and Thompson for fighting with McDaniels. McDaniels also got tossed as well. Kerr revamped the line up with  rookie Brandin Podziemski as the shooting guard.

#4 The Warriors and Timberwolves had seen each other on Sunday night at Chase Center and got together again on Tuesday night. Do you suppose there was some bad blood leading into the second game on Tuesday that precipitated these fights overlapping from Sunday’s game?

#5 The Warriors play the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night at the Chase Center. The game will start at 7 p.m. The Warriors would like to put the memory of they’re in season game with the Timberwolves behind them soon enough.

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

Warriors Lose Second Game to the Timberwolves 104-101 In a Thriller; Golden State gets swept in in season game

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Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jordan McDaniels (left) grabs some of Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson’s jersey (right) in the first quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Tue Nov 14, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The Minnesota Timberwolves (8-2) beat the Golden State Warriors (6-6) 104-101 in the second game of their two-game series. Warrior guard Stephen Curry was out for this game with a knee strain and to make matters worse, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green were ejected less than two minutes into the game.

The Warriors took on the Timberwolves for a second time in as many nights. After losing the first meeting 116-110 on Sunday the Warriors couldn’t even the score Tuesday night. The Warriors were without Curry who was out with a reported knee strain. The injury isn’t expected to sideline him for very long which is great news. It didn’t fuel the rest of the team in their now fourth straight loss. They couldn’t pick up the slack; they really missed Curry who was out of the line up.

Game recap: This first quarter was a crazy one with three ejections in less than two minutes. The first incident occurred when Thompson and Jaden McDaniels were both ejected after getting into a fight to start this in-season tournament game.

Seconds later Green was ejected for putting Rudy Gobert in a headlock. The Warriors were now down three of their starters, and losing two additional players for this game was not the way Golden State envisioned their start. The rest of the team had a nice start to the game winning the first quarter 30-22 really picking up the slack. They had a terrific opening quarter.

The second quarter was a close one going to the Timberwolves 32-29. Despite losing the quarter the Warrior continued to hang onto the lead 59-54.

A very close third quarter went to Golden State 24-22 and a 83-76 lead going into the fourth quarter. It was crunch time. Minnesota cut the Warriors lead and actually took the lead mid-way through the quarter.

The remainder of the game was either a tie or a one to two point swing. With 51 ticks left on the game clock Minnesota had a one-point lead 99-98. The Timberwolves Mike Conley nailed the coffin shut when he hit a shot from downtown with 9.1 seconds left in the game giving Minnesota the lead and the game. The Timberwolves continue to be one of the hottest teams in the NBA.

The Warriors got some amazing things from Dario Saric with 21 points and Chris Paul with 15. Top dog in this game was Brandin Podziemski with 23 points a career high for him. Kevon Looney had 12 rebounds.

This was a wild game for Golden State being so short-handed and competing so hard and just coming up short. Golden State responded so beautifully after the way this game started, picking up the pieces and almost winning this game. The high for Minnesota was Karl Anthony-Towns with 33 points and 11 rebounds and Gobert chipping in 13 rebounds of his own.

There will be little rest for the Warriors taking on the Oklahoma City Thunder Thursday night. That game is scheduled for 7:00 PM.

Sacramento Kings game wrap: Sobonis stays hot scores his 15th Kings triple double; Sac takes out Thunder 105-98

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Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Homgren (7) takes a shot against the Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sobonis (10) in the first half at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Fri Nov 10, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings were back in action at Golden One Center in Sacramento. The Kings were set to play their first NBA in-season tournament game. In the Kings last contest on Wednesday, they managed to defeat the Portland Trailblazers at home.

On Friday, the Kings were welcoming the Oklahoma City Thunder. The game was set for a 7 PM PST tip-off on the new hardwood exclusively for the NBA in-season tournament. The Kings defeated the Thunder by the final of 105-98 on Friday night.

In the first quarter, the Kings started the game on a terror. The Kings came out firing on all cylinders in the first, scoring 34 points in the quarter. On the other hand, the Thunder were held to 20 points by the Kings defense. The Kings were playing with an intensity that had been missing in the previous few weeks since the De’Aaron Fox injury.

In the second quarter, the Kings played much worse. The Kings offense reached a standstill in the quarter, scoring only 19 points. Fortunately for the Kings, the Thunder only managed 22 points for themselves in the quarter. So, the game would go to halftime with the Kings leading 53-42. The Kings didn’t play how they wanted to on the offensive end of the floor in the second quarter, but they maintained the lead. Kevin Huerter had a tremendous first half for the Kings, scoring 19 points. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 12 for the Thunder.

In the third quarter, the Kings lead continued to shrink. The Kings played an underwhelming third quarter, which shrunk the lead down to five going into the fourth quarter. The Kings were outscored by the Thunder 28-22 in the third quarter. The Kings were playing a very inconsistent game on the offensive end of the floor all night. The Kings would need to play with the same intensity they did in the first quarter to defeat Shai and the Thunder.

In the fourth quarter, both teams played with high intensity and attention to detail. Ultimately, the Kings would prevail by the final score of 105-98. The Kings scored 30 points in the last quarter of the game. The Thunder managed 28 points in the fourth quarter in defeat. It was an excellent win for the Kings, who didn’t shoot particularly well in the game but still found a way to win.

The Kings only shot 42% from the field, while the Thunder shot 44%. Coach Mike Brown was complimentary of his team postgame. In his postgame presser, Coach Brown said he was impressed with the game that Keegan Murray and Kevin Huerter turned in.

Huerter and Keegan have struggled in early part of the season yet excelled on Friday night. The Kings were led in victory by Huerter, who scored 28 points in the contest. In defeat, the Thunder were led by a 28-point performance from Gilgeous-Alexander.

Up Next: The Kings stay home to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday at 7 PM PST at Golden One Center.