SAN FRANCISCO — The Golden State Warriors faced the Oklahoma City Thunder for the third time this season Monday night at the Chase Center. The Warriors dressed eight healthy players once again. Draymond Green was still hobbled by a sore heel. Kevon Looney, D’Angelo Russell, Steph Curry, and Klay Thompson were on hand, but they watched from the bench.
The young Warriors played a very competitive game for 40 minutes. They played well on both ends of the court for most of the game. The Thunder, however, shut the Warriors down on both ends of the court the last 8 minutes and 14 seconds of the game to win 100-97.
The Warriors trailed the Thunder 13-4 early in the game. The Warriors offense, led by Glenn Robinson the third, and Ky Bowman, gave them the lead 28-25 after the first quarter. The Warriors continued to play well in the second quarter. They led by 12 with less than a minute left in the first half. The Thunder’s All-Star point guard, Chris Paul, cut the lead to six when he connected on two three-point shots. The second shot came as the buzzer sounded to end the first half. The Warriors led 59-53. Their play in the first half was highlighted by good ball movement and good defense. Robinson led the Warriors with 18, and Bowman had 16.
The Warriors continued to play well in the third quarter. All eight players made contributions to keep the Warriors in the lead. They were able to increase the lead to nine at the end of the third period. They led 83-74.
The Warriors had to feel confident that they were going to put away the Thunder. They increased the lead to fourteen when Jordan Poole connected on a three to lead 92-78. It was at this point in the game that the Thunder began their comeback. The Thunder went on a 22-5 run in the last 8 minutes and 14 seconds of the game. The Thunder wins 100-97.
Game Notes: The loss had to be very disappointing to Golden State. The Warriors made a comeback late in the game against Utah and led for most of the Way Monday night against the Thunder. They lost both games, but they are building confidence and are getting to know what each player can contribute. The team hopes that they will be better when the stars return to action.
Glenn Robinson had a career-high 25 points to lead the team. Ky Bowman also had a career-high with 24 points. Eric Paschall had a double-double with 13 points and 10 boards. Jordan Poole had 11 points, 6 boards, and 4 assists. The team shot 51% from the floor in the first half. The second half was another story. They finished the night shooting 41.6%. They scored just 14 points in the fourth quarter.
Dennis Schroder, coming off the bench, led the Thunder with 22. Chris Paul had 20. Big Steve Adams had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Danilo Gallinari had 15, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 12.
The Warriors dropped to 3-15. The Thunder improved to 6-10.
Up Next: The Warriors resume play Wednesday night against the Chicago Bulls. The game will start at 7:30 pm at the Chase Center.
photo from sfgate.com: Minnesota Timberwolves’ Karl-Anthony Towns, left, as Golden State Warriors’ D’Angelo Russell defends in the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Nov 8, 2019, in Minneapolis.
By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Saturday, November 9, 2019
Five Oklahoma City players scored in double-figures on Saturday, as the Thunder defeated a short-handed Golden State squad 114-108 in Oklahoma City. It was the Thunder’s second win over the Warriors this season.
Danilo Gallinari led the Thunder with 19 points, followed by Dennis Schroder with 18 points and six assists. Chris Paul scored 16 points to go with nine assists, Steven Adams netted 13 points, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 12 points.
Oklahoma City has won three of its last four games.
D’Angelo Russell continued his torrid scoring for the Warriors, scoring 17 of his game-high 30 points in the third quarter. His 3-pointer at the third quarter buzzer tied the game at 84-all.
On Friday, Russell scored 52 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Alec Burk added 23 points for Golden State (2-8), and Glenn Robinson III added 18 for a Warriors team that has five players inactive due to injury, including Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson.
Early in the fourth quarter, Willie Cauley-Stein’s jumper put the Warriors ahead 88-86. OKC (4-5) responded with a 9-0 run, sparked by four points from Paul. A jumper by Hamidou Diallo gave the Thunder a 14-point lead with 5:01 remaining.
Though Golden State cut its deficit to 112-108 with 17.7 seconds to play, they could get no closer.
The Warriors were 17 of 17 on free throws. Oklahoma City’s 43 baskets had 30 assists, and the Thunder outrebounded Golden State 42-35.
Golden State returns home on Monday night to host the Utah Jazz at 7:30 p.m.
photo from sfgate.com: Oklahoma City Thunder guard Dennis Schroder (17) shoots in front of Golden State Warriors forward Eric Paschall (7) in the second half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Oct. 27, 2019, in Oklahoma City.
By Jerry Feitelberg
The Golden State Warriors, smarting from a blowout loss at the hands of the Los Angeles Clippers last Thursday night, were hammered by the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday by a score of 120-92. Also, the game was not as close as the final score might indicate. The Warriors trailed by 33 at the end of the first half 70-37. Stephen Curry was the only Warrior in double figures with ten.
The Thunder increased the lead to 37 at the end of the third quarter 105-68. The Warriors outscored the Thunder 24-15 in the fourth quarter, but it was too little, too late.
The Warrior fans have to be concerned this team may not be good enough to make the playoffs. Head coach Steve Kerr and his staff know that it will take six to eight weeks to see where this team will be going. Right now, the Warriors are not playing defense. They have two centers out with injury. Willia Cauley-Stein has an ankle injury and may miss another week before returning to action.
Kevon Looney is seeing a neurologist to determine why he is having neuropathic pain in his leg. His return is unknown. Alen Smailagic, the big center from Serbia, also has an ankle injury. He is making progress, but no one knows when he will play. Also, the offense needs to get better.
The role players such as rookie Jordan Poole and third-tear player Damian Lee are going to have to put more points on the board. Jacob Evans has to step up and assume the role that Shaun Livingston had in the past five seasons. The W’s need to have better ball movement. They recorded 17 assists in the game.
They were making 30 or more in the glory years. Failure to move the ball allows opposing defenses to double team Steph Curry. If Curry is double-teamed, that frees up a shooter, and the role players are going to have to step up and make the shots. Failure to do is costing the Warriors to win.
The Warriors also have nine new players on the roster. D’Angelo Russell scored just six points in Sunday’s game. He was ejected in the third period for arguing with a referee. The Warriors need him to help fill the void created by Kevin Durant’s departure and Klay Thompson’s injury. Glenn Robinson III had just 3 points in Sunday’s game. Alec Burks is scheduled to return, and that may help the Warriors put some points on the board.
The Warriors shot 32.6% from the floor. They made 5 threes in 31 tries while the Thunder countered with 15 threes. The Warriors had three players in double figures. Curry had 23, Draymond Green 10, and rookie Eric Paschall also kicked in with 10. The Thunder had five players in double figures.
Dennis Schroeder, coming off the bench, led the Thunder with 22. Danilo Gallinari had 21, Terrance Ferguson 13, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 19, and the veteran point guard Chris Paul added 10. The Thunder shot 55.7% from the floor. They outrebounded the Warriors 50-40.
The Warriors play their first back-to-back game Monday night against the Memphis Grizzlies. Game time at 5:00 p.m. PT. Steve Kerr will be doing everything he can to have his team ready to win their first game of the year.
The Golden State Warriors won their second game in a row on the road by beating the Oklahoma City Thunder 110-88. They did it without the services of Kevin Durant, who is recovering from a right ankle contusion, which happened last Sunday against the Phoenix Suns. The Warriors are answering questions about their ability to repeat as champions. DeMarcus Cousins had two good games back-to-back for the first time this year. He had handled Houston’s Clint Capela and the Thunder’s Steven Adams. He will be tested Monday night as he will be playing against the Spurs’ LaMarcus Aldridge.
The Warriors–behind the exceptional play of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and DeMarcus Cousins, along with a very dominating defense–held the high-scoring OKC offense to just 88 points, their lowest scoring game of the year. Also, Thompson and Andre Iguodala put the clamps on Russell Westbrook. Westbrook, averaging a triple-double for the season, tallied just 7 points. He was 2-for 16 from the floor and did not make a 3-pointer in 7 attempts. DeMarcus Cousins blanketed Adams. Adams, who has tormented the Warriors in the past, was held to just 9 points and 9 rebounds. The Warriors won easily 110-88.
The Warriors had a great first period. Behind Thompson and Cousins, the team had an early 20-8 advantage. Curry started to put points on the board in the second half of the first period, and the Warriors finished with a 40-27 lead after the first 12 minutes of play. Steph recorded 14 points, and Klay had 10. Draymond Green knocked down two 3s in the first period to help the Warrior offense.
The Warriors outscored the Thunder 24-19 to finish the first half leading 64-46. Curry led the attack with 19 and Klay had 14. Cousins had 9 and held Adams to 7. Paul George was the man for OKC with 12. Dennis Schroder, coming off the bench, tallied 10. Russell Westbrook did not make a field goal in the first half, and the points he put on the board came from the free throw line. Westbrook’s total for the half was three.
The Thunder was not able to get back into the game in the third quarter. They did outscore the Warriors by 2 points 25-23, but the Warriors were in control. The Warrior defense refused to wilt as the Warriors entered the final period of play leading 87-71.
The Warriors started the fourth quarter with Shaun Livingston, Quinn Cook, DeMarcus Cousins, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green. Shaun made two key buckets, and Cook nailed a 3. Draymond connected on his third three of the night to increase the Warrior lead to 20, 98-78. OKC cut the lead to 15, 101-86, but the Warrior defense held the Thunder to just two points the last three minutes and 54 seconds of the game. The W’s outscored OKC 23-17 to win 110-88.
Game Notes and Stats: With the win, the Warriors are now 47-21 for the season and lead the Denver Nuggets by one game for the best record in the NBA. The Warriors own a 2-1 advantage over Denver, and they play again in Oakland on April 2nd. The Thunder, currently in fifth place in the Western Conference standings are now 42-28.
The Thunder’s Russell Westbrook, averaging 23.5 points per game, made two buckets in the second half to finish the night with 7 points. Westbrook was charged with his 16th technical foul of the year. The call came after he intentionally ran into Klay Thompson. Thompson had blocked Westbrook’s shot. Westbrook complained to the refs that Klay fouled him, but the refs didn’t change their minds. Westbrook will have to sit out a one-game suspension unless one of the technical is rescinded.
Steph Curry led the Warriors with 33 points and made 5 3s. Klay Thompson had 23 points, 8 boards, and 4 assists. He was 3-for-8 from the 3-point range. DeMarcus Cousins had 12, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists. Cousins left the game in the fourth quarter with a sore ankle. Draymond Green had 9 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, and all his points came on the 3 threes he made. Quinn Cook led the bench with 8, Alfonso McKinnie 7 and Shaun Livingston 6. The rest of the reserves added 10.
The Thunder’s Paul George led his team with 29 points and 13 rebounds. Jerami Grant had 11 and Dennis Schroder 15.
The Warriors’ Quinn Cook was charged with his first career technical foul in the four quarter. The Warriors have the best road record in the NBA 23-11.
Up Next: Game three of the four-game road trip will be played Monday night against the San Antonio Spurs. Game time will be at 5 pm.
#1 The Colorado Rockies’ Nolan Arenado signed a eight-year deal at $250 million. He does have an opt-out year when he turns 30 in three years from now. They really are counting on Arenado to be their cornerstone.
#2 Bryce Harper continues to be a free agent waiting for that longterm deal a payout that would top the San Diego Padres’ Manny Machado’s $300 million deal. Harper is looking in the neighborhood of $350 million and ten years. Will he get a deal done soon?
#3 Dallas Cowboys pass rusher Randy Gregory has been suspended indefinitely for substance abuse. Gregory played two games in 2016, suspended for the whole season in 2017, played 14 games in 2018 and was second in sacks with the Cowboys. Gregory’s attorney says he can make it back in 2019.
#4 The Sacramento Kings have lost two of their last three games, but their efforts were right there with opposing teams: the Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves, and they beat the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Kings have another tough task when they host the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night at the Golden One Center.
#5 The San Jose Earthquakes open the season this Saturday at Avaya Stadium against the Montreal Impact. After the rough season they had last year, the Quakes are looking to turn it around this year.
#1 Charlie O talks about why the Kings didn’t use Buddy Hield in the last five minutes of Monday night’s game in Minnesota. He didn’t want to talk about Hield and why he was benched at the end of the game. The question came up at the beginning of the press conference.
#2 Kings head coach Dave Joeger doesn’t like being questioned about his coaching and why he makes some of the moves that he did. Hield and Joeger got into a jawing match when they were playing Golden State.
#3 The Kings have struggled against Western Conference opponents with a 17-23 road record, but you would have never known that after watching the Kings play the Oklahoma City Thunder for a 119-116 win.
#4 Coming off the game in Minnesota and knowing Joeger’s reaction to the Hield question, will Joeger and the Kings shake the T-Wolves game off and turn the page?
The Sacramento Kings entered the homestretch of the NBA season knowing that they needed to really improve their record versus Western Conference teams. As they began the game in Oklahoma City on Saturday night, Sacramento was 16-22 on the season versus Western Conference foes and just 5-12 playing those teams on the road.
After losing a heartbreaker to the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night, the Kings had to travel to OKC to face the Thunder who feature Russell Westbrook – “the King of the triple-double” – and the potential 2018-19 MVP Paul George who own the third spot in the Western Conference.
OKC was coming off a tough Friday night
The Thunder hosted the Utah Jazz on Friday night and had to really battle to come away with a victory. That game went into two overtimes before the Thunder finally put the Jazz away 148-147.
Paul George had to play 50-minutes. Russell Westbrook spent almost 43 minutes on the floor before fouling out in the first overtime.
The Kings needed to take advantage of the Thunder playing in the second game of a back-to-back set, especially when the first game went into double overtime.
First half perfection
Photo: @SacramentoKings
The Kings did exactly what they needed to do in the first 24-minutes of the game. Sacramento shot 50-percent (25/50) from the floor. They struggled a bit from downtown hitting just 3-of-12 (33.3%) from long range. They dished out 16 assists while turning the ball over just six times. Those six turnovers resulted in eight Thunder points.
Buddy Hield led the SAC scoring attack with 18 points in the half. He went 8-for-12 shooting including two 3-pointers. Bogdan Bogdanovic added 12 points by going 4-for-6 from the floor. Marvin Bagley III came off the bench to score 11 points and grab six rebounds.
To no one’s surprise, Russell Westbrook led the charge for Oklahoma City who looked tired and out of sync right from the opening tip-off. Westbrook put 18 points in the book while Paul George was the next leading scorer with seven points.
The Thunder shot just 35.8-percent (19/53) from the field. The had just eight assists and turned the ball over eight times which resulted in 12 Sacramento points.
At the end of the first half, the Kings held a 63-49 lead over the Thunder.
The second half had to mean a Thunder comeback
Even if they are tired, a visiting team cannot expect to keep a talented team like the Thunder from making big runs in order to get back into the game.
The Thunder went on an 18-6 run to begin the third quarter and cut the Kings lead to just two points with 7:29 to go in the period. The Kings woke up and began to play their game. Sacramento went back up by 14 points with 2:24 remaining in the quarter.
With 36-minutes in the book, the Kings still held a 94-83 lead, but everyone had a feeling that the Thunder were not ready to give up.
The final 12:00
OKC used a combination of strong play from Dennis Schroder, Paul George, Markieff Morris and of course, Russell Westbrook to fight their way back into the game one more time. By the 6:26 mark, the Thunder had cut the Kings lead to three points.
Russell Westbrook would go on to score 15 of the 33 points the Thunder would score in the quarter. The lead changed four times in the period. OKC outscored SAC 33-25 in the final 12-minutes which is what made it such a close game.
When the final buzzer sounded, the Kings free throw shooting down the stretch allowed them to hang on and win the game 119-116.
Kings by the numbers
The win raised the Kings record to 31-28 on the season which allows them to remain in sole possession of ninth place in the Western Conference. The Clippers beat the Grizzlies so they are 1.5 games ahead in eighth place. The Lakers lost to the Pelicans (even with Anthony Davis held out of the game) which means they are now two games back of the Kings in 10th place.
Top performers:
Bagley scores two of his 19 points Photo: @SacramentoKings
Buddy Hield led the SAC scoring attack with 34 points. “Buddy Buckets” hit 12-of-22 shots overall and went 3-for-5 from beyond the 3-point line. He also was very effective from the free throw line converting 7-of-9 opportunities.
Marvin Bagley III recorded a double-double by scoring 19 points and hauling 10 rebounds. MB35 also added three assists, three blocked shots, and two steals.
De’Aaron Fox also scored 19 points in the game. He also dished out nine assists, blocked three shots and added a steal.
Team performance:
The Kings outscored the Thunder 48-46 in the Paint
The Thunder won the battle of 2nd Chance Points 16-7
Even though they were tired, OKC scored more Fast Break Points than the Kings 25-19
SAC shot 45.8-percent (44/96) for the game
They hit 7-of-19 (36.8%) from long range
The Kings converted 24-of-34 (70.6%) from the free throw line. The key was the number of opportunities.
The team was out-rebounded 59-46 and still managed to win the game
Protecting the ball has become a key trait for Sacramento. They turned the ball over just nine times which resulted in 15 OKC points.
The Kings recorded 24 assists which denotes excellent ball movement
Checking the book for OKC
Key individuals performances:
Russell Westbrook was the game’s high scorer with 41 points. Westbrook connected on 15-of-30 field goal attempts and made 5-of-12 3-point shots. He also had a good night at the charity stripe converting 6-of-8 opportunities. Westbrook made it a double-double game by adding 10 rebounds.
Dennis Schroder came off the bench to score 14 points. The German transplant went 5-for-12 shooting.
Paul George also scored 14 points but he was 4-for-19 shooting for the contest. That 50-plus minutes of playing time on Friday obviously took its toll.
Markieff Morris put 10 points playing some key minutes late in the game for George.
Team numbers
The key number you need to know is the field goal shooting percentage. The Thunder shot just 38.1-percent (40/105) for the game. A team almost never wins a game in the NBA when they shoot under 40-percent. Yet, OKC came within four points of putting this game in the win column.
Up next
The Kings wrap up this 3-game road trip on Monday in Minnesota versus the Timberwolves.
The Thunder will return to action on Tuesday on the road in Denver against the Nuggets.
sactownroyalty.com photo: The Sacramento Kings Skal Labissiere (7) asks “what gives” as teammate Harry Giles III (20) looks on in the Kings’ 30-point loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night at the Target Center.
On the Kings podcast with Charlie O:
#1 The Minnesota Timberwolves had just too much fire power on Monday night for the Sacramento Kings. The Wolves’ Andrew Wiggins led all scorers with 17 and the Kings’ Bobby Hield topped scorers with 21 points.
#2 Kings head coach Dave Joerger had 13 players even players who have not played in a long while come off the bench and get minutes. Was this because the Wolves were piling on or because he thought he could right the ship with a rotating lineup?
#3 Skal Labissiere–it was his ninth time playing and he got some minutes. While Labissiere was happy to get in the game. he hasn’t seen much action at this season.
#4 The Kings were in over their heads at the Target Center against the Wolves in the 30-point loss. With Wiggins, the top scorer with 17, is it an indicator that all the players in this one were all shooting the lights out no matter who they were? Did they find a weakness in the Kings’ game plan?
#5 The Kings host the OKC Thunder on Wednesday night at Golden 1 Center. Will the Kings need to put their shoulder into this one much like the game in Minnesota? How does Charlie see this one?
The last place a 0-2 NBA team wants to play when trying to get its first win of the season is Oklahoma City. The Thunder had a 9-1 opening night record at home heading into the game versus the Kings on Sunday night. OKC also had won 74.2-percent of their home games at the Chesapeake Energy Arena going the 2018-19 home opener. That is what you call a “real uphill battle.”
The Kings parlayed a two-point first quarter lead into a 12-point halftime lead. Everyone knew the Thunder would not go quietly–especially with Superstar Russell Westbrook back for the first time this season after a knee scope.
The Kings held a 97-90 lead at the end of three quarters and then had to gut it out for the final 12 minutes.
The Kings (1-2) led by Justin Jackson, Willie Cauley-Stein and De’Aaron Fox outscored OKC 34-30 in the fourth period and won their first game of the season 131-120. Beating the Thunder (0-3) on the road is a real motivator for a young team like Sacramento.
Sacramento turned to a vet for a lift
Iman Shumpert was on fire Photo: @OKCThunder
Kings head coach Dave Joerger inserted NBA veteran Iman Shumpert into the starting lineup on Sunday night. Shumpert gave the team an immediate lift by scoring 16 of their 34 first quarter points. He hit 4-of-6 3-point shots in the opening 12 minutes.
Shumpert finished the game with 26 points shooting 9-for-13 from the floor including four 3-point conversions. He also added four assists, three steals, three rebounds and two blocked shots.
Fans should not expect Shumpert to produce those kinds of numbers on a regular basis but he will be good as a “spark plug” for the team during the season.
Defense It may seem odd to talk about defense when a team gives up 120 points, but it has to be a discussion for this game. One of the key issues was not allowing long scoring runs. In the game in New Orleans, the Pelicans went on very long scoring runs which were back breakers. Sacramento did not let that happen on Sunday which helped them win the game.
The Kings also held the Thunder to 44.2-percent shooting (46-for-104) overall. In their two losses, the Jazz and Pelicans shot over 50-percent for the game. Scoring is up in the NBA dramatically as teams are pushing the pace, but defense will still be important to winning games.
Rookie watch Marvin Bagley III came off the bench and played just over 23 minutes. MBIII scored 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Five of those rebounds were off the offensive glass setting up second-chance opportunities. He attacked the basket often looking like he had jumped off a mini-trampoline. The young man can “raise the roof.”
Harry Giles III played almost 17 minutes and did not foul out. That is significant because he was assigned to slow down Steven Adams, which is no easy task for a veteran, let alone a rookie. HGIII did put a crimp in Adams style and managed to score eight points to go with six rebounds.
The Fox was on the loose After the game, coach Dave Joerger said he may have played Fox for too many minutes (41:59) in the contest. Not only did the second-year point guard push the pace but he also had to defend against Russell Westbrook for 35 minutes. Fox did look tired during his postgame interview.
Fox recorded a double-double putting up 22 points and dishing out 10 assists in the victory. He hit 7-of 12 shots from the field and converted 7-of-9 opportunities from the charity stripe.
Seven Kings scored in double-figures
Buddy Hield enjoyed his time in his adopted state of Oklahoma, scoring 17 points while shooting 6-for-11. He hit 2-of-4 3-point tries and was 3-for-3 from the free throw line.
Willie Cauley-Stein was particularly effective down the stretch in the fourth quarter when the Thunder threatened to get back into the game. Cauley-Stein finished the game with 13 points, seven rebounds (four on offense) and two assists.
Justin Jackson was also very active in the final period. He finished with 11 points and five rebounds. He hit 4-of-6 shots from the field. His play in the fourth quarter helped to deliver the win.
Nemanja Bjelica scored 12 points spread over the first three quarters. He played just over 30 minutes in the game. Bjelica pulled down five rebounds, had four assists, made three steals and had one blocked shot. He made 5-of-6 shots from the floor including two 3-pointers.
Yogi Ferrell added nine points and four rebounds.
Kings team numbers were impressive as well
Field Goals 50-for-91 54.9-percent
45.5 3-point percentage (10-for-22)
Free throws 21-for-28 (75.0-percent)
46 rebounds (12 offensive)
28 assists versus 20 turnovers that resulted in 26 OKC points
11 steals
7 blocked shots
Up Next The Kings wrap up this three-game road trip on Tuesday night in Denver against a very tough Nuggets team. The Nuggets are currently 3-0 after squeaking out a 100-98 win over the Golden State Warriors on Sunday night.
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