Tag: Sacramento Kings

Suns hold off late Kings rally for rare 97-94 victory

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Photo credit: @NBA

By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Tuesday, April 3, 2018

Despite a late rally by the Sacramento Kings, the Phoenix Suns held on and picked up their 20th win of the season by edging the Kings 97-94 Tuesday at the Talking Stick Resort Arena.

The rare victory snapped a franchise-worst 15-game losing streak for the Suns, who possess the NBA’s worst record at 20-59. It was the Suns’ first victory overall since Feb. 28 and their first win at home since defeating Dallas on Jan. 31.

Phoenix will finish with its second-lowest single-season win total ever in the team’s 50-year history unless it wins all three remaining games. The Suns won 16 games as a 1968-69 expansion team.

Josh Jackson led the Suns with 28 points – 18 in the first half. Alex Len contributed 17 points and 15 rebounds, and Tyler Ulis added 13 points and nine assists, as Phoenix held the Kings to 37 percent shooting from the field.

Sacramento (25-54) trailed by 12 points with 4:19 remaining in the fourth quarter after the Suns led by four after three quarters, but battled back with a chance to tie the game after forcing a turnover with 7 seconds to play. Bogdan Bogdanovic and Justin Jackson both misses potential game-tying 3-pointers before time expired.

Bogdanovic topped the Kings’ scoring column with 22 points, with Jackson adding 19 points and eight rebounds, as Sacramento has lost five of its last six contests.

Notes: Kings forward Skai Labissiere did not play due to an ankle sprain, and 20-year veteran Vince Carter sustained an undetermined injury trying to defend a drive to the basket in the second quarter, but later returned.

Up Next: The Kings’ road trip continues on Friday when they travel to Memphis to face the Grizzlies.

Patrick McCaw’s injury overshadows Warriors’ 112-96 win over Kings

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Photo credit: nba.com/warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Warriors had three of their All-Stars back in the lineup Saturday night, and they looked like they were the defending champions. They won the game 112-94 over Sacramento, but all the air went out of the Golden 1 Arena with just 41 seconds left in the third quarter. Patrick McCaw, who had recently returned from a wrist injury, was seriously hurt going in for a layup. While he was in the air, he was brushed by the veteran player, Vince Carter. The force of Carter’s action caused McCaw to fly into the air, and he landed on his backside and was in immense pain. He rolled over on the floor twice, and everyone in the arena knew that McCaw was seriously hurt. The EMT people had to immobilize McCaw, and he was taken on a stretcher to UC Davis Medical Center for examination and tests. A member of the Warriors’ training staff went with him. Nothing was known about his condition after the game. Neither Steve Kerr nor any of the Warrior players felt that Carter’s foul was intentional. Carter apologized to McCaw and Carter participated in a team prayer with the Warrior players before play resumed. Steve Kerr spoke to the media about McCaw after the game. He made some comments about the injury, but did not discuss the game as he felt that was rather inappropriate.

However, a game was played, and the Warriors had Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green back in the lineup. Steph Curry was not able to play, and he will miss the last six games of the season. The Warriors were looking to snap a three-game losing streak, and they accomplished their goal. Thompson looked sharp. He wore a protective guard around his right thumb, and that did not appear to affect his shooting. He tallied 25 points and made three 3-point shots. Kevin Durant led the Warriors with 27 points, five assists, and 10 rebounds. Draymond Green was a force on the court and flirted with a triple-double. He recorded eight points, seven assists, and nine rebounds. Quinn Cook added 10 points.

The Warriors won the first half 57-49. They went on a 19-2 run midway through the first quarter to regain the lead and were never headed after that. As they have done so many times this year, they owned the third quarter. They outscored Sacramento, 36-20, in the period and had a 24-point lead heading into the fourth quarter. If the game could have been stopped at this point, the Warriors would have gladly ended the game. The Kings won the fourth quarter, but they couldn’t catch the Warriors.

Notes: Warriors chief operating officer Rick Welts was named to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, part of a 13-person class that also includes player development consultant and former MVP Steve Nash.

Up Next: The Warriors return home to Oracle Arena Sunday night to play the Phoenix Suns. Game time is at 5:30 pm PT.

 

Kings lose hard fought game to Pacers, 106-103

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Bogie vs Bogie
It was Bogdanovic vs Bogdanovic in this game! Photo: @Pacers

By: Jordan Chapin

SACRAMENTO- On one of the final home games of the season, the Kings put on quite a show against the playoff bound Indiana Pacers but didn’t have enough down the stretch as they fall to Indiana 106-103. After a sloppy game on Tuesday night against the Mavericks, Sacramento came out tonight, and really seemed like they were playing for their city. Led by the outstanding shooting nights of Buddy Hield and Bogdan Bogdanovic, the Kings were in it for the entirety of the game, but ran into an all-star by the name of Victor Oladipo.

Kings starting 5 vs Ind
Kings starting five vs Pacers Photo @SacramentoKings

Sacramento looked as good as they have this season in the first half of the ballgame. Willie Cauley-Stien was doing everything out on the floor before heading into the locker-room, including scoring 17 of his 19 points and shooting (9-of-10) from the field. The Kings outscored the Pacers bench 48 to 22 led by a 20 point night from Buddy Hield and Frank Mason doing a little bit of everything.

The second half of the game, the Kings continued to shoot the ball well and played hard, but the all-star, Victor Oladipo, began to show why he has led his team to the 5th-seed in the East. He finished his night with 24 points, five boards, and two assists, including the dagger 3-pointer that sealed the win for Indiana. Even after two crazy made baskets in the final seconds of the game by Hield and Bogdanovic, the Kings luck ran out as they fell 106-103.

Indiana sweeps the season series with the Kings, although it took a hard fought game from the Pacers to seal the win. The Kings will finish their six-game homestand on Saturday as the World Champion Golden State Warriors come to town. Fans were able to get into the game tonight and it really seemed like the Kings were playing for the Sacramento faithful. With only seven games remaining, the Kings will not surpass their win total of 32 from last season, but it seems they are truly playing for what is to come in the future.

Sports Headlines podcast with Tony Renteria: Black Lives Matter protests expected to march in downtown and to Kings game tonight

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Photo credit: @latimes

On the Sports Headlines podcast with Tony Renteria:

#1 The Black Lives Matter movement continues as the organization plans a march on downtown Sacramento tonight as well as protesting at the Indiana Pacers at Sacramento Kings game tonight at Golden 1 Center. Sacramento Police reportedly will be on had at the arena to prevent protesters from blocking protesters who succeeded in not allowing fans to enter games last Tuesday and Thursday.

#2 The lockdown of Golden 1 Center for last Thursday saw only small crowds estimated at 4,000 fans per game. Did the protesters make a point with their protests or has what they’be done so far been counter productive?

#3 Former Oakland quarterback David Humm who passed away on Wednesday at age 65 was in a wheelchair for the last few years and has had MS. Humm was a former Raiders broadcaster, and Tony takes a look at the life of Humm.

#4 Opening day for Major League Baseball as the San Francisco Giants are in Los Angeles to play the Dodgers and the Los Angeles Angels are in Oakland for the A’s. First daytime opening day since 1994.

Tony Renteria does the Sports Headlines each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

 

Kings fall to Mavs 103-97 as protests continue outside of Golden 1 Center

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mavs

By: Jordan Chapin

SACRAMENTO — As the season starts to wind down in the NBA, the protest are still in full swing here in Sacramento. For a second time, protesters stood outside of the Golden 1 Center and once again a lot of Kings faithful were not able to get in. Although there was a lot of action outside the arena, the same can not be said for what was going on inside as the Kings fell to the Mavericks 103-97.

Sacramento barely shot 40% from the field and a measly 26% from 3-point land. In a game the Kings trailed in for a majority of the time, there was one bright spot, Kosta Koufos. Kosta only played 14 minutes, but racked up 15 points on 7-for-10 shooting to go along with seven boards. The two point guards for Sacramento – Fox and Mason – combined for (3-for-23) from the field. The Dallas Mavericks led by as much as 16 points with heavy contributions from Harrison Barnes and Dennis Smith Jr..

For the fans that were able to get into the game, the Kings did make it interesting at the end as they cut a 15-point lead to a five-point lead in the last three minutes of the game, but they eventually lost the battle to the clock as they didn’t have enough time on it to squeak by the Mavs.

Sacramento has split the season series with Dallas, 2-2. The final attendance for tonight’s game was just over 4,000 people in an arena that holds over 17,000.

The Kings will return to the Golden 1 Center on Thursday, as they will see an old face in Darren Collison and face a playoff-bound Indiana Pacers.

The staff of Sports Radio Service is praying for and sends our condolences to the friends and family of Stephon Clark during this incredibly difficult time.

Stephon_Clark

 

Kings fall to Celtics 104-93 in first game after Black Lives Matter protests

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Photo credit: @SacramentoKings

By: Ana Kieu

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Boston Celtics came into Sacramento on Sunday. The last time the Sacramento Kings played here at Golden 1 Center, it was locked down due to protests.

On Sunday, however, the doors opened without any incidents as fans funneled in to see the Kings take on the Celtics.

These two teams could not be having different seasons. The Kings came into Sunday’s matchup at 24-49. Meanwhile, the Celtics are in second place in the Eastern Conference and have a record of 49-23. Sunday’s matchup was set for tip-off at 3:00 pm PST.

The Celtics won the tipoff and they were underway at 3:10 pm. The first four minutes were not very crisp basketball. Both the Kings and the Celtics tried to keep a handle on the ball. Willie Cauley-Stein was fouled with 6:29 to play in the first quarter and gave the Kings a 10-9 lead.

With 3:23 to go in the quarter, De’Aaron Fox slammed a dunk home with absolute authority. That followed by a three ball from Skal Labissiere put the Kings up 21-17. Both teams ended the first quarter with the Kings leading 27-24.

In the second quarter, the Celtics and Kings duked it out on the court. Not to mention that Duke and Kansas were also going at it during March Madness. Nearly at the halfway point in the second, the Kings had a 38-33 lead. Cauley-Stein and Bogdan Bogdanovic teamed up for a flashy alley-oop to give the Kings a 50-43 lead with 2:58 to go in the first half. The Kings added 10 more points before the end of the half to make it a 60-52 lead going into halftime.

The third quarter was when the Celtics retook the lead. Before they had even reached the halfway point in the third, the Celtics stormed back to snatch the lead. They continued to put up points, and at the 2:46 mark, the Celtics had a 74-68 lead. Buddy Hield was fouled with 1:01 to play in the third, and pulled the Kings within two, 78-76. At the conclusion of the third, the Celtics led 80-78.

In the fourth quarter, both teams would struggle to score with only 6:45 to play the game as the Celtics were on top 88-84 Celtics. Mason got a layup to fall to pull the Kings within two, 88-86. Though, the Celtics started to pull away, making the game a 97-86 match with 3:47 to play. The Celtics extended that lead to make it 104-91 with one minute to play.

At that point, the Kings conceded the game and the final was 104-93 Celtics over the Kings.

What’s Next?
The Kings stay home to host the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday at 7:00 pm PST.

The Celtics continue their road trip and head to Phoenix to face the Suns on Monday at 7:00 pm PST.

 

Protestors knock on arena doors, but Kings down Hawks 105-90

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Photo credit: nba.com/kings

By: Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO, Calif. —  It was a very interesting turn of events going into the game against the Sacramento Kings and Atlanta Hawks on Thursday evening. Instead of Kings basketball being center stage on Thursday, the Black Lives Matter movement in conjunction with the recent death of Stephan Clark was at the forefront. Clark, who was shot at with 20 bullets last Sunday outside his grandparents home, was featured on countless signs and banners being tended to by protesters. Clark was fatally shot after police believed the cell phone he was holding was a firearm. Chants of “Cell phones, don’t shoot!” and “Justice for Stephan Clark!” filled the concourse around all of the Golden 1 Center entrances.

In light of these protests, the Golden 1 Center was on lockdown. Therefore, only a few fans were able to attend the game inside since they entered before the arena entered lockdown status. Nonetheless, the Sacramento Kings and Atlanta Hawks played basketball.

So, after the turn of events preceding game time, the Kings took the floor. Sacramento jumped out to a quick lead early on in this game. Following a foul that sent De’Aaron Fox to the free throw line, the Kings were up 5-0 with 10:37 to play.

However, the Hawks responded by jumping out to a lead of their own. The Hawks took the lead by a 18-11 margin with 5:22 to go in the first quarter. The first quarter would continue to be a dogfight with the Kings ultimately pulling within three with a 28-25 disadvantage.

Going into the second, the Kings knew that they had some work to do. With the help of Vince Carter, Skal Labissiere, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Frank Mason, the Kings took a 41-38 lead with 3:25 left to play in the first half. The Kings added eight more points, and the Hawks added six to send the Kings to halftime with a 49-45 lead.

The Kings entered the third quarter up by five. Justin Jackson put the first points on the board in the third for the Kings by sinking a two-pointer to make it a 51-46 Kings lead. Jackson had a total of 11 points with 11:20 to play in the third quarter.

The Hawks battled through, and at one point, got within two points of the Kings, thanks to a triple. The third quarter had 8:48 to go and the game was 59-57 Kings.  Justin Jackson continued his hot shooting to compile 19 points with 2:13 left to play in the third and also gave the Kings a 70-67 lead. The third quarter ended with the Kings on top 80-71.

Entering the fourth quarter, the Kings looked as if they were unstoppable. The game bounced around for a good six minutes in the fourth with the Kings leading 93-82 with six minutes to play.

Neither team, up to this point, made any significant ground on the other. Kosta Koufos, Buddy Hield, and Frank Mason all had 12 points at this point in the game. From this point on in the game, the Kings were unable to commit wrongdoing. Some of the players were able to pad the stats, and the Kings came out victorious with a 105-90 win. It was a nice win for the Kings as the city and its fans has had to face some adversity in the last week.

Up Next: The Kings stay home to face the Boston Celtics on Sunday at 3 pm PST. The Hawks take a trip to the Bay Area to face the Warriors Friday at 7:30 pm PST.

Kings find schedule unrelenting, drop home game to the reeling Pistons

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Photo by Marco Estrada/USA Today Sports

By Morris Phillips

SACRAMENTO–Saturday, the Kings drew praise from the NBA’s hottest team in a narrow loss at Salt Lake City.

Back in Sacramento Monday, the Kings let the struggling Pistons capture just their second road win of 2018, losing 106-90 at Golden 1 Center.

And the moral of that story? The NBA schedule is unrelenting, and a sixth game in nine days will blunt the progress of any youthful squad otherwise in the process of a significant growth spurt.

The Pistons got back-to-back baskets from Blake Griffin to break a 57-57 tie midway through the third quarter and never trailed again, breaking their 12-game road, losing streak. Griffin led the way for Detroit with 26 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.

The Pistons hadn’t won on the road since beating the Nets in Brooklyn on January 10.

“This time of year, you’ll take it any way you can get it, but you get one on the road after being on the road for eight nights already — it’s always great,” Griffin said. “We took care of business and we have to go and do it again.”

The Kings failed to win for the fourth time in their last five home games in large part due to their deficiencies beyond the arc and at the free throw line. The Kings missed 17 of their 23 three-point attempts and made just four free throws (in nine attempts) in the game. The Pistons, with Griffin and Andre Drummond leading the way,  held a slight edge on the glass (44-39) along with significant advantages in made threes (14) and free throws (18 for 22).

The unrelenting schedule affected the Kings down the stretch on Saturday night against Utah when the Jazz pulled away for a 103-97 win, their 20th in their last 22 games. Afterwards, the Jazz complimented the Kings for their offensive tenacity and their ability to fashion several runs when Utah threatened to pull away. Against the Pistons, the Kings missed injured facilitator Bogdan Bogdanovich, and failed to capture any offensive flow.

“We talked about it this morning that it had a high probability of being a letdown game but it was a tough game for us,” Kings coach Dave Joerger said. “It’s that type of game we (have to) let roll off of us.”

Surprisingly, the Kings’ veterans put up far inferior numbers than their youthful teammates. The trio of Zach Randoloh, Garrett Temple and Kosta Koufos combined to miss 18 of 21 shots. Sacramento’s two rookie starters, Justin Jackson and De’Andre Fox, combined to make 15 of their 20 shots from the floor.

The Kings take a much-needed two days off before facing the Hawks on Thursday at Golden 1 Center.

 

 

 

Warriors were missing the Big Three and ended up falling to Kings 98-93

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Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors received bad news Friday when it was announced that Kevin Durant suffered a broken rib in the game against the Los Angeles Lakers Wednesday.

Durant joined Steph Curry and Klay Thompson on the sidelines as the Warriors had to face the young Sacramento Kings. The Kings were hoping to beat the Warriors at Oracle for the second time this season, and that was exactly what happened as they went on a 9-3 run late in the fourth quarter to win 98-93 on Friday night.

Warriors’ head coach Steve Kerr shuffled his starting lineup once again. Quinn Cook and Nick Young started in the backcourt for the second game in a row. Andre Iguodala started at forward in place of Durant, and Draymond Green returned from a shoulder injury to resume his usual spot at the other forward position. Kerr chose to start Zaza Pachulia at center Friday night.

The two teams played a very up-tempo first quarter. The Warriors got off to a good start, and they finished the period leading 36-29. Cook scored 10 points to lead the Warrior attack.

The Warriors increased the lead to 50-39, but things went south as the went over five minutes without a bucket and at one point committed five turnovers in six possessions. Sacramento went on a 12-0 run to regain the lead.

The Warrior offense woke up late in the period, but they were outscored 28-23 and finished the first half with a 59-57 advantage. Cook led the Warriors with 18, and Andre Iguodala added 10.

Buddy Hield led the Kings with 14 points. The Warriors’ Omri Casspi suffered a right ankle sprain in the period, and he did not return.

The Warriors could not get anything going in the second half. The Kings weren’t much better, but they were able to outscore the Warriors 18-16, and the game was knotted up at 75 after three quarters of play.

The game was nip and tuck the rest of the way. The biggest lead the Warriors had was by three points after Cook sank a trey to lead 90-87. It was at this point when Sacramento went on a 9-3 run to win it.

The Kings led 93-90 until Green nailed a three-pointer to tie the game. It was all Kings after that as they scored the last five points in the game to seal the victory.

Game Notes and Stats: Cook had the best game of his NBA career. He scored 25 points. He made five three-point shots in seven attempts.

Green has a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. He blocked two shots.

Nick Young helped out with 16 and Iguodala finished with 11. Buddy Hield led Sacramento with 22. Hield made five 3-point shots in 10 attempts.

Bogdan Bogdanovic was the only Kings starter in double figures with 11. Usually, the starters on a team led the club in scoring. The Warriors’ starters outscored the Kings’ starters 70-39, but the Sacramento bench blasted the depleted Golden State bench 59-23.

The Warriors made announcement on the Big Three’s injuries. Durant will be re-evaluated in two weeks. Curry will be checked out on Tuesday–and if his ankle is healed–he may return to action sometime next week.

Thompson will see the doctors on Thursday, and they will check out his fractured thumb.

There was no news on the severity of Casspi’s sprain, and it is unknown how long he will be out.

West and Green returned to action after missing some time due to injury.

The Warriors drop to 52-16 while the Kings improve to 23-47.

Up Next: The Warriors play in Phoenix this Saturday and San Antonio next Monday.

Fox shines at the buzzer, Kings outlast Heat 123-119 in OT

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Photo credit: @NBA

By: Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Kings hosted the Miami Heat on Wednesday night. The Heat came into the game having lost their last game, 115-99, to the Portland Trail Blazers. The Kings also lost their last game to the Oklahoma City Thunder, 106-101. The Kings and Heat are having very different seasons. The Kings had a record of 21-47. The Heat had a record of 36-32. Tip off was set for 7:00 pm PST with the Kings and Heat going head-to-head in Sacramento.

The first quarter would start off with a fairly mellow tempo. Neither team came out of the gate looking more dominant than the other. With 4:59 to play in the first quarter, the Kings trailed the Heat by only two points, 16-14. Vince Carter entered the game and fouled James Johnson. The Kings would add a few more points with time running out in the first quarter. It was over yet though as Buddy Hield would toss up a four foot floater to make a buzzer-beating two. The Kings would go into the second quarter down 31-24.

The Kings would come out in the second with full force. They scored the first seven points in the second and pulled within two at 31-33. They didn’t stop there. After the Heat added a two, the Kings were right back at it. The Kings added 10 points to make it 43-38 Kings on top with 6:21 in the second. Between that and with 3:15 to play the Kings would extend that advantage to 49-43. The Kings showed some real heart in the second. For what appeared to be a game favoring the Heat, the Kings battled back and went into the locker at halftime up 59-52.

In the third quarter, both teams came out looking like they did in the first half. The Heat looking for a go-to scorer, and the Kings looking to keep rolling. Both teams would bounce back and forth with the score being 82-73 Sacramento with 3:35 to play in the third. The Kings would add nine more with a minute left to make it 91-76. Frank Mason would attempt to hit a long-range three at the buzzer, but to no avail. The Kings would lead, 91-79, going into the fourth quarter.

In the final quarter, the Kings would get on the board first. Those points scored on a floater by Kosta Koufos. Mason would be fouled and he made both his shots to make it 95-79. At this point, the game looked as if it were heavily in Sacramento’s favor. This narrative would then continue. With eight minutes to play, the Kings led the game 97-84.

The Heat and Kings got in a little scuffle around the seven-minute mark. Two technical fouls were charged. The first went to Koufos and the second to Goran Dragic. At the five-minute mark, the Heat started to put a little pressure on the Kings. So if anyone thought this was over, think again. De’Aaron Fox was charged with a controversial call that put the Kings in the penalty. From all angles, it appeared that Fox made no contact with Dragic, who would make both his shots. That coupled with a three from Dragic to make the game, 104-102, in favor of the Kings. The Heat would storm back and take a 110-106 lead with only 49.6 seconds to play and the Kings had a possession as Hield countered with a long-range three to make it 110-109. As if we haven’t seen Fox come up clutch all year, he showed us again. Fox hit a buzzer beating layup to tie the game at 111 apiece. These two teams headed to overtime!

In overtime, the script was simple. Both teams battled hard! Bogdan Bogdanovic hit a long-range jumper to make it 119-115. The Heat answered back with a two, but Hield was fouled and made both free throws. Hield was fouled again and made both shots to set the stage for the Kings’ victory. With the crowd at Golden 1 Center going crazy, the Kings defeated the Heat 123-119 in OT.

What’s Next?
The Kings head down to the Bay Area, where they will face the Warriors on Friday at 7:30 pm PST.

The Heat stay on the road and go to Los Angeles to face the Lakers Friday at 7:30 pm PST.