Tag: Sacramento Kings

Too much Aldridge, Gasol and Ginobili ends the Kings two-game win streak: Spurs win 108-99 on Saturday night

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
More Hield SAS
Buddy Hield drives to the hoop for two of his 24 points Photo: USA Today Sports

by Charlie O. Mallonee

Sacramento – The Kings stayed with the Spurs stride for stride in the opening quarter and played them to a 33-33 tie at the end of 12-minutes. The energy was high in the Golden 1 Center. Kawahi Leonard was declared unavailable due to injury management, so Sacramento fans felt their team was on a more even playing field talent wise.

They were wrong.

The Spurs outscored the Kings 29-16 in the second quarter as they shot 50-percent (11-for-22) from the field, hit 3-of-5 three-point attempts and converted 4-of-5 free throw attempts. San Antonio began a scoring drive at the 10:10 mark of the quarter and built up a 13 point lead by the time the horn sounded for halftime.

The Spurs went to the locker room at the half with a 62-49 lead over the Kings.

Sacramento came out in the third quarter knowing they had to make a run at the Spurs immediately. The Kings kept chipping away at the San Antonio lead and cut it to six-points twice. When the third period ended, SAC trailed by just eight points, 84-76.

Buddy Hield scored 10-points shooting 4-for-6 (including two 3-pointers) to lead the Kings 27-point scoring attack. Willie Cauley-Stein added eight-points.

The Kings needed to put together a run and cut the Spurs lead to five-points or less with two-minutes to go in the game to have a chance to win. That did not happen.

Former King Rudy Gay – who had previously not scored in the game – sank two jump shots and 25-foot 3-pointer in the opening 2:18 of the final quarter to help the Spurs rebuild a 14-point lead. The San Antonio lead would reach 15-points twice in the period which was too much for the Kings to overcome.

San Antonio won the game 108-99.

Top Performers

Spurs (22-11)

Gasol SAS
Pau Gasol recorded a triple-double versus the Kings on Saturday night Photo: USA Today Sports
  • Star of the Game: Paul Gasol – the Spurs 37-year old, 17-year NBA veteran – recorded a triple-double on Saturday night. Gasol scored 14-points, grabbed 11 rebounds and dished out 10 assists in just over 30-minutes on the floor. After the game Gasol said, “I have to give credit to my teammates. Without them, I wouldn’t be able to get the assists, so it’s a team accomplishment. Just happy it turned out that way tonight. It’s been a couple of years since my last triple-double.” (February 27, 2016 as a member of the Chicago Bulls)
  • Co-star: LaMarcus Aldridge only gets a co-star billing for the game because he recorded just a double-double putting up a game-high 29-points and pulling down 10 rebounds. He also played a game-high 38-minutes and 33-seconds.

  • Ginobili to hoop
    The ageless Ginobili goes to the rack versus the Kings Photo: USA Today Sports
  • Co-star: The final co-star for the Spurs is man who should probably be playing “wheelchair basketball” if you listen to “the experts” who say he should retire at the end of every season he plays. 40-year old Manu Ginobili evidently does not know he is too old to play in the NBA. On Saturday night, he scored 15-points in just over 21-minutes of playing time coming off the bench.

Kings (11-21)

  • Star of the Game: Buddy Hield was the Kings leading scorer with 24 points versus the Spurs on Saturday night. He played almost 32-minutes shooting 9-for-17 overall and 4-for-7 from behind the 3-point arc. Hield also hauled in eight rebounds in the contest. In what was also a major improvement, he committed no turnovers.

  • WCS vs SAS
    Willie Cauley-Stein posted a double-double on Saturday night Photo: USA Today Sports
  • Co-star: Willie Cauley-Stein posted his fifth double-double of the season as he scored 22 points and recorded 11 rebounds. Cauley-Stein shot 10-for-18 for the game and added three assists.
  • Co-star: Bogdan Bogdanovic had a perfect shooting night as he was 6-for-6 overall and 3-for-3 from 3-point land. Bogdanovic played 28-plus minutes against the Spurs.

Key Team Stats

San Antonio

  • Field Goal Shooting: 44-for-88 (50-percent) It’s tough to beat a team that is sinking half of its shots
  • 3-point Shooting: the Spurs made 11-of-23 (47.8-percent) 3-point attempts. Six different players made 3-point baskets
  • Free throw shooting: the Spurs went to the line only 11 times but the made nine free throws (81.8-percent) which helped them to win this game
  • The Spurs also had a fantastic assists to turnover ratio. They dished out 29 assists and turned the ball over just eight times. That is very close to a 4 to 1 ratio with a 2 to 1 ratio being the goal

Sacramento

  • Field Goal Shooting: 46.5-percent (49-for-86) which is respectable until you look and see your opponent shot 50-percent from the field
  • 3-point Shooting: The Kings actually out-shot the Spurs from behind the 3-point line. They hit 12-of-22 3-point attempts (54.5-percent). Four Kings did all of their 3-point scoring – Randolph, Temple, Hield and Bogdanovic.
  • Free throw shooting: the Kings went to the line just 11 times and converted just seven of those shots. They still need to get more attempts per game
  • Assists to turnover ratio – The Kings finished with 20 assists and 10 turnovers or the magic 2 to 1 formula. It just was not enough in this case.

Up Next

Sacramento

The Kings are done until after Christmas. Sacramento will return to action on Tuesday, December 26 when the team will travel to Los Angeles to face the Clippers at the Staples Center.

San Antonio

The Spurs headed home after the game and will have Christmas Day off. San Antonio will host the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night.

 

Randolph’s 10,000th rebound is icing on the cake for Kings as they top Nets 104-99

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Brooklyn Nets’ Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (24) defends Sacramento Kings’ Zach Randolph (50) during the second half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2017, in New York. The Kings won 104-99. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

By Jessica Kwong

BROOKLYN–The Sacramento Kings won back-to-back games for the first time this season on Wednesday night, surviving a late rally by the Brooklyn Nets to win 104-99 at Barclays Center.

As icing on the cake, Kings forward Zach Randolph surpassed 10,000 career rebounds.

“It’s a good win for us,” Kings head coach Dave Joerger said.

“It’s been a tough place for our organization to get some wins. I think in seven years we’ve only done it once,” Joerger said. “We got some good performances tonight from some guys who had tough nights last night.”

Sacramento led throughout most of the match at Barclays Center until about halfway into the final quarter. The Kings lead by as many as 15 points, but the Nets chipped away until Joe Harris made a driving layup to cut Sacramento’s lead to 97-95 with 5 minutes remaining in the game.

Kings forward Bogdan Bogdanovic was fouled with 10.7 seconds to go with his team up 101-99 and made one of two free throws. Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie missed a triple but the ball went out of bounds off the Kings with 4.8 seconds remaining. Brooklyn blew it when Harris made a bad pass.

Dinwiddie fouled Kings guard George Hill, who made both free throws, allowing his team to win the game 104-99.

“That was a team win,” Joerger said. “Teams are going to make runs, teams are going to make shots, so it’s how do we handle that, where do we get the ball to.”

Sacramento’s leading scorers were Hill with 22 points, Randolph with 21 points and Bogdanovic with 14 points.

Towns, Timberwolves blow out Kings 119-96

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Sacramento Kings forward Zach Randolph (5) reaches for the ball in front of Minnesota Timberwolves center Taj Gibosn (67) in the third quarter of an NBA basketball game on Thursday, Dec. 14, 2017, in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves defeated the Kings 119-96. (AP Photo/Andy Clayton-King)

By: London Marq

The explosive Minnesota Timberwolves welcomed the Sacramento Kings in a midseason tilt with plenty of young talent to go around. The Kings, who are 5-5 over their last 10 games, continue to search for rhythm and consistency. The Timberwolves, led by Karl-Anthony Towns, would prove difficult for the Kings to handle.

Slow starts have been a problematic trend for Sacramento. On the road in hostile territory, the Kings fell behind early and were outclassed by the Timberwolves stars: Towns and Jimmy Butler, whose offensive prowesses were too much for the Kings, who are inconsistent and exhibit poor defense.

The Timberwolves were in control from start to finish. All five of Minnesota’s starters scored double-digit points. Towns led all scorers with 30 points and 14 rebounds.

George Hill led the Kings in scoring with 16 points.

16 points was all the Kings could muster in the third quarter, as the Minnesota defense came out rolling in all cylinders after halftime.

The Timberwolves walked away with a 119-96 blowout win over the Kings at the Target Center.

Up Next: Kings visit the Raptors on Sunday, December 17 at 12:30 pm PST.

Kings black out Suns 99-92; Sac wins two out of last three

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Sacramento Kings forward Zach Randolph, left, drives against Phoenix Suns forward TJ Warren during the second half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2017, in Sacramento, Calif. The Kings won 99-92. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

By Tony Renteria

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento Kings (9-18) were looking to rebound from a bad home loss against against the Toronto Raptors and got what they were looking for with a much-needed 99-92 win over the struggling Phoenix Suns (9-20) at Golden 1 Center in California’s capital.

The Kings, who have now won two of the last three games, are looking to make a move up from last place in the Pacific Division by beating the Suns, who are directly above the Kings in the standings. With tonight’s win, the Kings are now in fourth place and a game ahead of the Suns.

Kings’ George Hill made a nice return to the starting lineup with a solid stat line of 18 points with seven boards and five assists. Hill has been averaging only nine points a game, but in this return, he played a quality game in only 28 minutes. Veteran Zach Randolph, who has been playing center for the young Kings, chipped in 17 points himself.

The Suns, who are are really on a tail spin by dropping eight of their last 10 games before tonight’s loss, really need to turn things around soon if they hope to salvage this season at all.  Interim coach Jay Triano is not not helping his cause to remain at the helm of this once proud franchise with effort from his squad like tonight. The Suns were led by third player T.J. Warren, who scored 18 points, but had less than 40% shooting from the field.  He missed all four of his three point attempts against the Kings.

With the win tonight, the Kings have evened up the series this season to one game apiece with each team winning on their home floor.

The Suns head up to Canada to play the mentioned Raptors Wednesday night. while the Kings also head up north to Minnesota to take on the Timberwolves on Thursday.

Kings Battle, But Can’t Overcome LeBron As The Cavs Win 101-95

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Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James celebrates after scoring in the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Sacramento Kings, Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2017, in Cleveland. The Cavaliers won 101-95. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

By: Jeremiah Salmonson

The Sacramento Kings came into the Cleveland Cavaliers’ territory looking to rebound after a loss to the Milwaukee Bucks 104-109 on Sunday.

Neither the Cavs nor the Kings impressed in the first quarter. Nonetheless, the Kings led 22-19 going into the second quarter. Lebron James took only one shot in the first and was a non-factor. Zach Randolph proved to be a force in the first, scoring the most points for the Kings.

Heading into the second quarter, the Kings had to be feeling good about themselves staying competitive with the Cavs. That good feeling continued as the Kings and Cavs went head-to-head in the second. This possibly happened because of the lackluster first half from James. As a spectator, you could tell he had not put all his legs in the first half. Randolph continued to push forward and dominate the floor on the Kings’ end. At the end of the first half, the Kings led 57-48.

The Kings were efficient in limiting the damage after small mistakes and turnovers. Keeping James contained coupled with a 12-3 run going into the second half led to a 57-48 first half Kings lead.

Going into the third quarter, the Kings felt in control. They led by 17 at one point, but then James began to heat up. He ended the third with his points in the game, reaching 25.

Kevin Love also had 18 points by the time the third came to an end. The Kings still led going into the fourth, but you could feel it dwindling. The third quarter would end 78-73 in favor of Kings.

Kyle Korver and the Cavs opened the fourth quarter on a 9-1 run, thanks to Korver’s three three-point shots. The game in the fourth would prove to be competitive though as the Kings came back to even things out. With 6:20 to go in the game, the Kings committed their 12th turnover and it led to them losing the lead 89-91 to the Cavs. JaKarr Sampson set a career high in rebounds, taking 16 from the Cavs. The game would go back and forth until a shot clock turnover with 1:02 to go, and the Kings trailing 95-97. It was a huge blow that the Kings ultimately could not overcome. James proceeded to hit a jumper beyond the arc and sent the Kings home losers for the 17th time 95-101.

It was a thrilling game, but ultimately the Kings lost, and I’m sure Dave Jaeger was not happy. However, I think the Kings are right on the edge of being more competitive. They held one of the best teams in the NBA down and should hold their heads high after this game. Ultimately, a future Hall Of Famer, James, beat them.

Randolph shines, leading Kings to 107-106 victory over Bulls

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Sacramento Kings forward Zach Randolph (50) shoots between Chicago Bulls forward Paul Zipser (16) and center Robin Lopez (42) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Chicago, Friday, Dec. 1, 2017. (AP Photo/Jeff Haynes)

By: Peter Elliott

CHICAGO, IL. — It was the Zach Randolph show on Friday night at the United Center.

The 36-year-old veteran big man yet again proved his worth, leading the Sacramento Kings (7-15) to a 107-106 victory over the Chicago Bulls (3-18). Randolph earned his first double-double of the season, as he notched a season-high in points with 25 while grabbing 13 rebounds in 32 minutes of action.

Although Randolph’s star shined the brightest, the Kings also received important contributions from role players like Bogdan Bogdanović, Garrett Temple, and Willie Cauley-Stein, who combined for 42 points, 12 assists, and 11 rebounds.

Bogdanović, a first-year shooting guard from Serbia also achieved his season-high in points with 19 on 6-12 shooting from the field and six made free throws in 30 minutes, the most action he has seen so far this season.

Buddy Hield struggled once more in his seven minutes of playing time, as the second-year shooting guard failed to connect on his two shots and played lackluster defense, good for a plus-minus differential of -8.

Neither of the teams that took the floor at the United Center on Friday night appear poised to contend for the Larry O’Brien trophy this summer. However, both teams made it competitive throughout, with the biggest point margin being just seven points in the third quarter.

The Bulls, who are now losers of 13 of their last 14 games turned in a solid showing for a three-win team, but it was their bench that shined. Sacramento had trouble shutting down a seat-warming trio of Paul Zipser, Cristiano Felicio, and Jerian Grant, who combined for a whopping 55 points, four more than the starters’ total of 51.

What’s Next: The Kings will head north into Milwaukee on Saturday night, seeking revenge for 112-87 blowout loss at the hands of the Bucks just a mere four days ago. Tipoff is slated for 5:30 PT/7:30 CT p.m. on NBC Sports California.

Kings Suffer Hangover From Win Over Warriors As Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo Scores 32 In 112-87 Romp

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Milwaukee Bucks forward Khris Middleton, left, congratulates teammate Giannis Antetokounmpo after he scored during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Sacramento Kings, Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2017, in Sacramento, Calif. The Bucks won 112-87. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

by Tony Renteria

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento Kings (6-14) came off a great over over the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors. Tonight, the Kings hosted the Milwaukee Bucks (9-9) and looked as if the team bus never arrived from Oakland as they fell embarrassingly 112-87 in front of the Purple and Black faithful.

When the Kings brought in Dave Joerger to coach the team two seasons ago, it was the hope he could bring life into a somewhat experienced group of seasoned NBA players. The squad he has now with Rookies and second year players getting many minutes, he has his hands full. This young squad is capable of a great win against the NBA elite in the Warriors, but also landing on a sour note against a mediocre Bucks squad.

The Kings were outscored 29 to 11 in the second quarter, and the Bucks cruised to an easy road win. It’s the type of loss that’s hard to swallow and forget, but that’s exactly what the Kings need to do as they start a road trip in Chicago on Friday as they take on the Bulls.

The Bucks were led by forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, who scored 32 points in just 26 minutes.  He also added five rebounds and assists. The Bucks needed this win as they tried to keep pace in a tough Central Division as they try to move up from fourth place.

The Kings, who are in last place in the Pacific Division, fall father back on what looks to be another very long year for this organization. A bright spot tonight was Garret Temple, who scored 18 points,  Temple has had two back-to-back games with solid production as he chipped in 14 points against the Warriors yesterday.

The Bucks face the Utah Jazz on Thursday before heading home to host the Kings on Saturday as the Kings look for some payback in Milwaukee.

Golden State Warriors post game wrap: Warriors without Durant and Curry can’t stop Kings on home floor 110-106

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Sacramento Kings’ Willie Cauley-Stein lays up a shot against Golden State Warriors’ Kevon Looney (5) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, Nov. 27, 2017, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND — On a night when the Warriors played without Steph Curry and Kevin Durant, they were not able to overcome their absence and lost 110-106 to the visiting Sacramento Kings. The two teams played a very close and entertaining game, and the final outcome was in doubt for the entire 48 minutes. Warriors coach Steve Kerr started Patrick McCaw in place of Curry, and Omri Casspi filled in for Durant. McCaw played very well He tallied 16 points, seven assists, three rebounds, one blocked shot, and four steals. Klay Thompson led the team in scoring, and he knocked down five three-point shots, but he missed a three at the end of the game that would have won it for the Dubs.

The Kings, coached by Dave Joerger, probably played their best game of the year. The Kings are not known as a good shooting team, but shot 53% from the floor and made nine three-point shots as they upset the Warriors. The Kings had five players in double figures, and the stats will show how even the game was.

Both teams played well in the first quarter as the first 12 minutes ended with the teams tied at 27. With Sacramento leading by a point (36-35), the Dubs went on an 11-2 run to lead 46-38. The Kings refused to wilt and clawed their way back to finish the first half trailing by two (55-53). McCaw and Thompson led the Warriors with nine points each. Nick Young gave the Dubs a boost as he poured in eight. The Kinds were led by Zach Randolph and Garrett Temple. The Kings’ bench of Bogdan Bogdanovich, Willy Cauley-Stein, Buddy Hield, and Frank Mason III all made contributions to the Kings’ offense.

In the third quarter, it appeared that the Warriors had found their mojo as they were able to take a seven-point lead (76-69). The Kings were not to be denied. They continued to attack the Warriors’ defenses and went on a 9-0 run at the end of the period to take the lead 83-82. They increased the lead to six (90-84), but David West made a two-point shot, and Andre Iguodala connected on a three to tie the game at 92. The Warriors increased the lead to five (106-101), but the Kings tied the game at 106 with 1:43 left in the game. The Kings took the lead for good when they scored a bucket with 12.6 seconds left to play. The Warriors had a chance, but Thompson missed the shot, and the Warriors had to foul. The two free throws were made to seal the victory for Sacramento.

Game notes and stats — The Warriors shot 50% from the floor and made 16 three-pointers, but it wasn’t good enough. The Kings shot 53% from the floor, and they made nine threes. The Kings had seven more free throws and outscored the Dubs by seven in that department. The Warriors recorded 31 assists, which indicated the team had good ball movement. The Kings had 27. Rebounds were even. The Warriors had nine steals and six blocks while the Kings had seven steals, and they too, had six blocked shots.

The Warriors’ scoring leaders were Thompson with 21, McCaw with 16, Green with 14, Iguodala with 11, Livingston with 10, Casspi with nine, D. West with eight, and Young with eight.

The Kings’ Cauley-Stein had a terrific game. His line was 19 points, six assists, eight rebounds, and two blocked shots. George Hill had four threes and ended the night with 16. Temple had 14, Randolph had 11, Skal Labissiere had nine, and Frank Mason 14.

The Warriors embark on their longest road trip of the year when they meet the L.A. Lakers Wednesday night. They then go to Miami, Orlando, New Orleans, Charlotte and finish the trek in Detroit.

Game time for Wednesday’s game with the Lakers is at 7:30 pm PT.

Sacramento Kings post game wrap: Kings Humiliate Warriors With 110-106 Win In Front Of Sellout Crowd At Oracle Arena

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Sacramento Kings’ Bogdan Bogdanovic (8) celebrates a score in the final seconds of an NBA basketball against the Golden State Warriors with Garrett Temple, left, and Frank Mason III (10) on Monday, Nov. 27, 2017, in Oakland, Calif. Sacramento won 110-106. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

By: Ana Kieu

OAKLAND, Calif. — The Sacramento Kings humiliated the Golden State Warriors with a 110-106 win in front of a sellout crowd of 19,596 at Oracle Arena Monday night.

The Kings had a goal in mind to snap the Warriors’ two-game win streak in order to avoid a two-game losing skid on the road.

Nick Young hit a three-pointer to put the Warriors up 25-20 with 2:26 left in the first quarter. However, Buddy Hield made a statement after getting off the bench in the second quarter. Hield hit a three-pointer to tie the game at 25 with 1:31 left in the first.

The Kings and Warriors were tied at 27 after the first quarter of the regional rivalry game.

Zach Randolph completed a set of free throws with 21.5 seconds left in the second quarter. Garrett Temple then attempted a three-pointer, but it missed the net. The Kings trailed the Warriors by two (55-53) at the half.

The Kings and Warriors continued to compete in the second half.

As usual, the Kings’ Twitter account had some fun, which sparked some outrage among Kings fans and #BasketballTwitter in general.

The Kings and Warriors went back-and-forth in the third quarter. The Kings put Frank Mason III in for Fox with 2:52 left in the third. Warriors’ JaVale McGee committed an offensive charge foul. After the replay review, the officials announced a support ruling. Andre Iguodala hit a three-pointer and McGee picked up the assist, but Vince Carter shot a driving reverse layup to put the Kings ahead 82-76 with 1:36 left in the third. That’s the reason why Kings fans call Carter “Vinsanity” for a reason.

The Kings took a 83-82 lead over the Warriors after the third quarter.

The Kings weren’t expecting any surprises, but the Warriors were without Steph Curry and Kevin Durant, so they weren’t at the top of their game tonight. Willie Cauley-Stein shot a driving dunk to tie the score at 98 with six minutes left in the fourth quarter.

However, the Kings started to fall behind, and that wasn’t what they wanted. As a result, Cauley-Stein came to the rescue and shot an alley-oop dunk to tie the score at 106 with 1:46 left in the fourth.

The Kings had no more timeouts, so they had to hang on late in the game. Bogdan Bogdanovic made a driving floating bank jump shot to give the Kings a 108-106 lead with 12.6 seconds left. Bogdanovic added two free throws, and the Kings (6-14) ended a nine-game road losing streak and dealt a humiliating setback to the defending champion Warriors (15-6) with a 110-106 win on the road.

Notes
Kings’ Starters
De’Aaron Fox, George Hill, Garrett Temple, Skal Labissiere and Zach Randolph.

Injuries

Kings: Harry Giles (bi-lateral knee rehabilitation) is out.
Warriors: Steph Curry (right hand contusion) and Kevin Durant (sprained left ankle) are out. Andre Iguodala (sore left knee) is doubtful. Draymond Green (right foot contusion) is available to play. Damian Jones is on a G-League assignment.

Team leaders
Kings

Points: Randolph (13.2)

Rebounds: Koufos (6.2)

Assists: Fox (4.5)

Warriors

Points: Curry (26)

Rebounds: Green (7.4)

Assists: Green (6.7)

Up Next
The Warriors take on the Lakers on Wednesday, November 29 at 7:30 pm PST.

The Kings host the Bucks on Tuesday, November 28 at 7 pm PST.

Kings defeat rival Lakers, 113-102, Cauley-Stein records season-high 26 points

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Photo credit: @SacramentoKings

By London Marq

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — All eyes were on the rookies for tonight’s matchup in Sacramento, California at the Golden 1 Center. This year’s fifth pick in the draft De’Aaron Fox and the No. 2 pick Lonzo Ball, squared to face-off for the first of four times this season in a highly anticipated matchup.  Though Ball was selected three spots earlier, he has played better through the early stage of the season and it has become a hot topic to debate. Only exacerbated by the fact that Fox outplayed and beat Ball in the last NCAA tournament this past March. The Kings enter play trying to find any trace of consistency in their play. Going against their arch-rival Lakers that are also trying to maximize young assets. The Kings had a lot of motivation to win tonight.

When the Kings have played at their best this season, they played lockdown defense. That was how the night started for Sacramento. They opened the first quarter in impressive defensive fashion keeping Los Angeles to just 19 points in the quarter. Zach Randolph led an efficient offense early, pouring in 11 points, helping the Kings gain a 31-19 advantage after one quarter.

In the second quarter, the Kings kept the ball rolling on both ends of the court, outscoring the Lakers 23-22. This would maximize Sacramento’s lead and they would take a 13-point advantage going into halftime.  The Lakers ended up having a decent night offensively. Six players scored double digits and Ball had a double-double with 11 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds. Fox’s stat line was not as flashy with 13 points, three assists, and four rebounds, but he played a crucial role in getting a much-needed Kings win. Especially considering a win over the Lakers always counts for more in Sacramento.

The Lakers gained a bit of momentum in the third quarter, but they would end up allowing 37 points in the fourth quarter. Willie Cauley-Stein had a great game off the bench scoring a season-high 26 points. The game’s final score was Sacramento defeating Los Angeles 113-102.

“I’m thankful for beating the Lakers,” Cauley-Stein said after the game. This was definitely a sentiment that was sure to be felt throughout the locker room tonight.