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New Orleans squeaks past the Kings 101-95

Published on April 3, 2015April 3, 2015 by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

by Charlie O. Mallonee

The New Orleans Pelicans defeated the Sacramento Kings 101 to 95 on Friday night in Sacramento. The game had playoff implications for the Pelicans who came into the contest just one and a half games behind Oklahoma City for the eighth and final playoff berth in the Western Conference. The Pelicans knew early in the game that Oklahoma City had lost to Memphis. The win cut the Thunder’s lead to just one-half game in the race for the playoffs.

The loss negated another incredible triple-double performance by the Kings DeMarcus Cousins. Cousins finished with 24 points, 20 rebounds and 13 assists. Cousins had a triple-double on Tuesday night in Houston.

The Pelicans led the Kings 56-42 at halftime and had led Sacramento by 14 points several times in the half. New Orleans increased their lead to 18 points with 6:21 to go in the third quarter. Just when it looked like all was lost, the Kings came back to life.

Sacramento went on a 16-0 run and cut the New Orleans lead to just two points with 1:27 remaining in the quarter. The Kings were led by DeMarcus Cousins’ eight points, seven rebounds and four assists. Ray McCallum scored 10 points connecting on four of seven shots from the floor including two 3-pointers. Sacramento trailed New Orleans by just three points, 74-71 after three quarters.

In the final period, the Pelicans twice opened up a 10 point lead. The Kings continued to chip away at that lead and closed it to a two point game on a Omri Casspi slam dunk off a feed from Cousins with 4:17 to go in the game.

New Orleans went up by seven points but the Kings cut the lead to three (96-93) off a Derek Williams dunk with an assist from Cousins with 1:27 remaining. The Pelicans outscored the Kings 5-2 down the stretch and won the game 101-95.

The Kings shot 47.4-percent (37 for 78) from the field. They hit six of 17 (35.3-percent) 3-point attempts. One of Sacramento’s downfalls in the game was its free throw shooting. The Kings were just 15 for 25 (60.0-percent) from the stripe which is well below their season average of 77.5-percent per game.

“I think every game I see, I see progress,” said Kings Head Coach George Karl. “Tonight, because of how we played defensively, we had every opportunity, even after a rough start. We gave up the three-ball in the start, but then we were better defensively. In the fourth quarter, we missed open shots. Those could’ve gone in and gotten us over the hump. I thought New Orleans showed desperation. The have to win some games on the road and they knew that this was one of those games that they had to go and get if they wanted to get ahead of Oklahoma City.”

Sacramento recorded 21 assists and had just 10 turnovers (13 points) for a very respectable 2:1 ratio. The Kings were outrebounded 50-38.

Omri Casspi put up 17 points with a seven for nine shooting night. Ben McLemore also had a 17 point game. Ray McCallum finished with 14 points while Derrick Williams added 10 points in the game.

Sacramento allowed allowed New Orleans to shoot 48.3-percent (14 for 29) from beyond the 3-point arc. Most of the 3-point damage came in the first half.

The Pelicans were led in scoring by Eric Gordon’s 21 points. Gordon hit six field goals, four of which were 3-pointers. Former King Tyreke Evans just missed a triple-double putting up 19 points, grabbing 12 rebounds and dishing out nine assists. Anthony Davis finished with 20 points.

The Kings will return to action on Sunday when they will host the Utah Jazz.

The Pelicans will play the Trail Blazers in Portland on Saturday night.

Live to India

The Kings – Pelicans game was broadcast live to India in hopes that the first player of Indian descent to be included on a NBA roster – Sim Bhullar – might make an appearance in the contest. Because the game was so close up to the end, Bhullar did not play.

The game tipped off at 7:40 AM on Saturday morning in Mumbai.

Kings sign 7-foot-5 center Sim Bhullar

Published on April 3, 2015April 3, 2015 by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings have signed 7-foot 5-inch center Sim Bhullar to a 10 day contract. Bhullar had been playing for the Kings D-League team in Reno. He was also a member of the Kings championship Las Vegas Summer League team.

The signing is also historic for the NBA. Bhullar is the first player of Indian descent to ever sign a contract with a NBA team and be placed on its regular season roster.

In Reno, Bhullar was averaging 10.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, 3.9 blocks and 25.8 minutes per game. He recorded 11 double-doubles. Bhullar also posted a triple-double putting up 26 points, grabbing 17 rebounds and blocking 11 shots in a game versus the LA Defenders.

Bhullar reported to the Summer League weighing 400 pounds. In Reno, he lost 40 pounds which Bhullar says has helped him improve his game.

Bhullar played his college ball at New Mexico State. He was named WAC freshman of the year and was the Western Conference Tournament MVP twice.

AP Photo/Brandon Dill By Jeff Hall MEMPHIS – The Memphis Grizzlies snap a three game losing streak with a 97-83 win over the Kings in Memphis. Mike Conley and Jeff Green led the way for the Grizzlies. Conley scored 18 points and Green added 16. Rudy Gay was the Kings offensive leader. Gay scored 24 points but had to leave the game in the third quarter after taking an elbow in the face from his former teammate Marc Gasol. The Kings played without their All-Star DeMarcus Cousins who was given the night off for rest. Karl said resting Cousins was based on a remark from the starting center that his body was beat up. Zach Randolph also had a great night scoring for the Grizzlies with 15 points for Memphis. The struggling Grizzlies had lost to Cleveland, Golden State and the Spurs, all by double digits, and the loss at San Antonio on Sunday cost them their hold on the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. Memphis was in a different position than during the losing streak, carrying a 56-43 lead into halftime. Memphis built at the start of the second quarter, hitting its first five shots, including a pair of 3-pointers, to build the advantage to as many as 16 before halftime. "We were behind from the beginning," Kings Power Forward Derrick Williams said. "We kept it close until the last couple of minutes." Sacramento head coach George Karl acknowledged it was hard to challenge a team like Memphis with his two top players, Cousins and eventually Gay, out of the game. "Every time it looked like we had an opportunity, we'd bite ourselves in the butt with a bad pass or a bad decision," Karl said. With the loss Sacramento has lost 10 straight road games to Memphis. Up next the Kings conclude their four game road trip in Houston against the Rockets on Wednesday.

Kings Outplayed by Strong Memphis Team

Published on March 30, 2015March 30, 2015 by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

AP Photo/Brandon Dill

By Jeff Hall

MEMPHIS –

The Memphis Grizzlies snapped a three game losing streak with a 97-83 win over the Kings in Memphis. Mike Conley and Jeff Green led the way for the Grizzlies. Conley scored 18 points and Green added 16.

Rudy Gay was the Kings offensive leader. Gay scored 24 points but had to leave the game in the third quarter after taking an elbow in the face from his former teammate Marc Gasol.

The Kings played without their All-Star DeMarcus Cousins who was given the night off for rest.

Kings Head coarch George Karl said resting Cousins was based on a remark from the starting center that his body was beat up.

Zach Randolph also had a great night scoring for the Grizzlies with 15 points for Memphis.

The struggling Grizzlies had lost to Cleveland, Golden State and the Spurs, all by double digits, and the loss at San Antonio on Sunday cost them their hold on the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.

Memphis was in a different position than during the losing streak, carrying a 56-43 lead into halftime. Memphis built at the start of the second quarter, hitting its first five shots, including a pair of 3-pointers, to build the advantage to as many as 16 before halftime.

“We were behind from the beginning,” Kings Power Forward Derrick Williams said. “We kept it close until the last couple of minutes.”

Coach Karl acknowledged it was hard to challenge a team like Memphis with his two top players, Cousins and eventually Gay, out of the game.

“Every time it looked like we had an opportunity, we’d bite ourselves in the butt with a bad pass or a bad decision,” Karl said.

With the loss Sacramento has lost 10 straight road games to Memphis.

Up next the Kings conclude their four game road trip in Houston against the Rockets on Wednesday.

Kings Extend Win Streak, Beat Phoenix 108-99.

Published on March 25, 2015 by swhelchLeave a comment

By Shawn Whelchel

With both a balanced scoring attack and, perhaps more importantly, a solid defensive outing, the Sacramento Kings earned their fourth straight victory on Wednesday night as they beat the Phoenix Suns 108-99 at US AirwaysCenter.

Sacramento had seven players score in double figures, including all five starters, while leading the Suns throughout the entire game. DeMarcus Cousins led the charge for Sacramento with a team-high 24 points and 11 rebounds with an efficient 11-of-19 shooting from the field.

But while the Kings balanced scoring efficiency is sure to excite some fans, tonight’s battle was won on the other side of the ball, as Sacramento held the usually hot-shooting Suns to under 100 points. Sacramento, who holds the second worst defensive ranking in the NBA by allowing 105.1 points per game, held Phoenix to just 43.7 percent shooting on the night, including a measly 24 percent from beyond the arc.

The game wasn’t a cake-walk for Sacramento though, as a late Phoenix surge brought the Suns to within striking range in the fourth quarter after pulling to within five points with just under five minutes left in the game. But shooting guard Ben McLemore scored six of his 12 points on two consecutive three pointers to extend the cushion for Sacramento heading into the final minutes.

Although the fourth quarter would be the only time that Phoenix would outscore the Kings, the comeback attempt was too little and too late, as Sacramento would hold on for their fourth straight win while advancing their road record to 10-24.

Not only does Wednesday night’s victory improve an abysmal road victory, but it gives the Kings a semi-respectable 8-11 record since George Karl took command of the club. The victory also secured their first season series win over Phoenix since the 2010-11 season.

The Suns will look to continue their hot-streak against the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday.

Deja Vu in D.C., Kings lose 113-97

Published on March 14, 2015March 14, 2015 by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

by Charlie O. Mallonee

Stop me if you have heard this one before. The Kings start the game strong. Sacramento has an unbelieveable second quarter and goes into halftime with a big lead. Then, the Kings falter in the third quarter allowing their opponents to get back into the game. The other team has a strong fourth quarter and the Kings lose the game.

That is a summary of the Kings – Wizards game on Saturday night in D.C. Sacramento lost to the Wizards 113-97.

The Kings went into the game short-handed. Rudy Gay had to sit out the contest due to a left patellar tendon strain. When the Kings are without one of their big two, things usually do not go well for the team.

Sacramento played a solid first quarter as they outscored Washington 25-21 in the quarter.

The Kings played dominant basketball in the second quarter. As a team, they shot 75.0-percent. DeMarcus Cousins scored 13 points to go with the eight put up by Ray McCallum. The Kings bench scored 18 points in the period. Sacramento went to their locker room with a 64-46 halftime lead. It appeared that the Kings were ready to close out their eight game road trip on a high note.

A different Kings team returned to the floor for the third quarter. Their outside shooting went away as they shot just six for 16 from the field. Sacramento could score only 21 points in the quarter. The Wizards came out on fire. John Wall shot four for six with three 3-pointers to score 15 in the period. Paul Pierce was a perfect five for five shooting, including two 3-point baskets, and put up 12 points. The Kings, who led by 21 early in the third, were now holding on to a one point lead, 85-84 after three quarters.

As the fourth quarter began, the Wizards had never held the lead in the game. That changed with 10:11 to go in the game when Ramon Sessions (yes, the former King) hit a 25 foot 3-point shot to give Washington an 89-88 lead. The Wizards would never trail again and went on to win the game.

The loss dropped the Kings record on the eight game road trip to 2-6.

The Wizards are now 38-28 on the season, and they now have a three game winning streak.

DeMarcus Cousins scored 30 points in 29 minutes on the floor. Cousins fouled out with 5:34 to go in the game. It was the 10th time he had fouled out of a game this season. Cousins also picked up a technical foul.

Derrick Williams and Ray McCallum scored 15 points apiece. They were the only other Kings in double figures. McCallum added six assists.

John Wall led the Wizards scoring with 31 points. Paul Pierce added 17. Washington had six players score in double figures. The Wizards hit a season high 13 3-pointers in the game,

The eight game, 12 day road trip is over for the Kings. They will have Sunday off, and then, the Kings host the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night at Sleep Train Arena. The fun never ends.

Kings implode in Philly

Published on March 13, 2015March 13, 2015 by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings had an 18 point lead over the Philadelphia 76ers with 8:46 to go in the third quarter of the game on Friday night. From that point on the Sixers started chipping away at the Sacramento lead until they took the lead 81-80 late in the third period. Philadelphia went on to defeat the Kings 114-107 in what is a stunning loss for the Kings.

When we looked at the Kings daunting eight game road trip and tried to project game outcomes, virtually every writer and commentator had Kings winning in Philly. Why not? The Sixers have consistently been one of the worst teams in the “the Association” all season. Some have even accused the Sixers of tanking because their performance has been so bad. So, predicting a Kings win versus the Sixers was a no brainer.

Then, you add to the mix the Kings big road win over the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night. Sacramento beat a team that is fighting for a playoff berth. That victory should have given the Kings the confidence and motivation to pick up their third win of the road trip in Philadelphia, but as the man said, “That’s why they play the game.”

The Sixers not only overcame an 18 point deficit but opened up a 13 point lead of their own in the fourth quarter. The Kings fought back and cut the Sixers lead to just three points with 1:15 left to play in the game.

The Sixers responded again to open up another solid lead. An alley-oop pass from Ish Smith to Nerlens Noel that resulted in an easy dunk with 41.9 seconds left in the game gave Philly 108-103 lead. The Sixers added six points off of free throws to seal the deal.

DeMarcus Cousins did everything he could do to lead his team to a win. Cousins scored 39 points in 40 minutes of playing time and added a career high 24 rebounds to his stats for the game. It was Cousins’ 40th double-double of the season.

Rudy Gay had a 24 point game while Derrick Williams added 15 of his own. Cousins, Gay and Williams were the only Kings to score in double figures. The Sacramento bench produced a meager 25 points.

Sacramento shot just 40.2-percent (35 for 87) from the floor. They were just four for 14 (28.6-percent) from 3-point range. The Kings went to free throw line 17 times more than the Sixers scoring 33 points from the line but it was not enough to bring them a victory.

The Kings turned the ball over 17 times and those miscues resulted in 27 Philadelphia points.

Robert Covington led the Sixers scoring with 24 points while Nerlens Noel put up 16. Jerami Grant scored 13. Mbah a Moute, Sampson, Thompson and Smith all scored 10 points apiece. The Sixers bench scored 47 points in the game.

Philadelphia shot 47.4-percent from the field (45 for 95).

Both teams are back in action on Saturday night. The Kings (22-41) have to play the Wizards in D.C. Washington is on a two game winning streak.

The Sixers (15-50) will host the Brooklyn Nets in a battle of non-playoff teams.

Kings Fight Off Hornets, Hold On For A 113-106 Road Win In Charlotte

Published on March 12, 2015March 12, 2015 by swhelchLeave a comment

By Shawn Whelchel

The Sacramento Kings were able to snap a four game losing streak on Wednesday, as a pair of strong performances from DeMarcus Cousins and Ben McLemore lifted them to a 113-106 victory over the Charlotte Hornets.

In what proved to be a close game, the Kings were able to execute on both the offensive and defensive sides of the court late in the fourth quarter in order to sneak away with a rare road win.

Cousins was perfect in the fourth quarter, shooting 4-for-4 to reach 20 points and 14 rebounds on the night, while McLemore added 27 of his own. Rudy Gay added a strong showing as well, dumping in 26 of his own points on the night.

The Kings were aided by the diminished role of Hornets star Kemba Walker, who scored just six points in 16 minutes of play as he continues to recover from a knee injury. Charlotte lost another key piece when center Al Jefferson left in the third quarter.

The loss of Jefferson opened the door for Cousins to go to work late in the game, with both he and Gay scoring 18 combined points on a perfect 6-6 shooting from the field.

With Walker still recovering, the Hornets relied on Michael Kidd-Gilchrist for their scoring output, as he poured in 23 points on an efficient 9-of-12 shooting on the night. Mo Williams followed Kidd-Gilchrist with 20-points and eight assists.

The Kings will have a day off before taking on the 76ers on Friday.

Hot Shooting Hawks Hand The Kings Their Fourth Straight Loss.

Published on March 10, 2015 by swhelchLeave a comment

By Shawn Whelchel

The Sacramento Kings were steadily dispatched by the Eastern Conference leading Atlanta Hawks, as they suffered a 130-105 blowout on the road Monday night.

In what amassed to a shootout, the Kings allowed all five Atlanta starters to reach double figures, with the team being led by Kyle Korver and DeMarre Carroll, both of whom scored 20 points on the night while leading their team to victory over the Kings.

The Kings couldn’t come up with timely stops en route to giving up 130 points on the night, allowing the kings to shoot 60 percent on the field while surpassing their previous season high of 127 points in the process.

Sacramento’s defense was especially poor beyond the arc, where it allowed a league leading 20 three-pointers in the contest. Atlanta also set another NBA season record with 42 assists on the night in route to their scoring outburst.

The Kings were able to break the centennial amount on the night, led by Rudy Gay’s 23 points, but it was too little to match the sharp shooting Hawks, who seemingly couldn’t miss. DeMarcus Cousins notched another double-double under his belt by scoring 12 points and grabbing 14 boards on the night.

The Kings have not gotten out to as hot of a start as expected since new coach George Karl took over, going just 3-7 in that span while sporting a four game losing streak. The Kings will continue their road trip against the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday.

The Heat burn the Kings in OT 114-109

Published on March 7, 2015March 7, 2015 by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings were done in by the zone defense, a rookie guard and a Jekyll and Hyde performance on Saturday night as they lost to the Miami Heat 114-109 in OT.

The Kings started the game with great optimism knowing they would face the Miami Heat without Luol Deng, Goran Dragic, Hassan Whiteside and Chris Bosh. It appeared that containing Dwayne Wade would be enough to lead Sacramento to a victory on the road. The Kings had not won in Miami since November 2001.

Sacramento played a strong first half and took a 14 point lead into the locker room at halftime. The Kings shot 56.4-percent from the field. They were 8 for 12 (66.7-percent) from 3-point range. Rudy Gay scored 18 first half points and Ben McLemore added 17 of his own to lead the Kings to the 61-47 halftime lead. All the Kings had to do was show up and play the same way in the second half in order to escape with a victory.

The Heat came out in the second half and changed the dynamics by utilizing a zone defense to tie up Cousins and Gay. The Kings could have eliminated the zone by hitting outside shots, but their shooting touch left them as they went just 13 for 37 (35.1-percent) from the floor in the second half. They were 1 for 11 from beyond the 3-point arc. The Kings turned the ball over 11 times in the second half.

The Miami bench scored 29 points in the second half. The Kings bench scored 8 points in the half.

These factors combined to allow the Heat to close up the gap and ultimately to have the game end in a 96-96 tie at the end of regulation.

In overtime, Dwayne Wade took over for the Heat and scored 10 points. Tyler Johnson added five points including a back-breaking 3-point bucket late in OT. DeMarcus Cousins fouled out of the game with 1:41 left to go in the extra period. Veteran leadership from Wade, the magic of the rookie Johnson and the lack of their big man on the floor led to the Sacramento loss.

“The zone will show we need some zone work. In the same sense, I think our turnovers … I had one thought – our sloppy offensive decisions creates a lot points for the other team. Tonight, we gave them the free throw line. We gave them turnovers. They got to the rim way too often,” said Kings Head Coach George Karl after the game.

Sacramento turned the ball over 22 times and those miscues resulted in 27 points for the Heat. Miami scored 54 points in the paint.

The other area that killed the Kings on Saturday night was bench production. The Miami bench scored 59 points compared to just 22 bench points for the Kings. The Kings starting five tried to carry the load, but in the NBA, your second unit has to produce in order to win games.

Rudy Gay and DeMarcus Cousins led the Kings in scoring with 27 points apiece. Cousins posted a double-double by grabbing 17 rebounds. Ben McLemore scored 20 in the game.

Dwayne Wade led the Heat with 28 points. Miami capitalized on the outstanding performance of their rookie guard Tyler Johnson out of Fresno State who scored 24. Johnson was seven of 12 from the field, hit three of five 3-point attempts and went to the free throw line 10 times. Johnson also had six assists. Not bad for a player who spent 15 games in the D-League before being called back to the big club.

The Kings are now 3-6 in George Karl’s 30 game mini-season plan. They are 1-3 on the road trip with four games yet to be played.

The Kings have Sunday off, and then, they must play the Eastern Conference leading Atlanta Hawks on Monday night in Atlanta.

Kings come close but lose to the Magic 119-114

Published on March 6, 2015 by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

by Charlie O. Mallonee

“I wanted to win that game so badly. It would have been great for our morale,” said Kings Head Coach George Karl after his team lost to the Orlando Magic 119-114 on Friday night.

The fact that the Kings had a chance to win the game in Orlando was a miracle in itself. Sacramento allowed the Magic to score 68 points in the first half. The Kings took their first lead with 6:45 to go in the game off a Nik Stauskas 3-pointer. Sacramento’s biggest lead of the night was one point. Their defense was inconsistent at best.

Even with all of those things going against the Kings, they still had a chance to win the game with 32.7-seconds left to go. Omri Casspi was fouled in the act of shooting a 3-pointer. Casspi went to the free throw line and converted all three opportunities to give the Kings a one point lead.

After an Orlando timeout, the Magic inbounded the ball, the Kings defense broke down and Tobias Harris was left open in the right corner. Harris hit the “short” 3-point shot to give the lead back to the Magic and ultimately gave his team the win.

“That’s what the road is. The road is a hard place. It’s an unfair place.A place where you might have been the better team in the second half and you don’t get rewarded,” summarized Karl during the postgame news conference.

Defensive breakdowns and turnovers were the Kings downfall against the Magic. Coach Karl pointed out the Magic scored on almost every possession after a Kings turnover. Orlando scored 22 points off of the 14 Sacramento turnovers in the game.

The Kings defense allowed Orlando to shoot 56.5-percent (48 for 85) from the field and go 13 for 24 (54.2-percent) from beyond the 3-point arc. The Magic posted 29 assists and made just 12 turnovers.

Victor Oladipo led the Magic recording a double-double by scoring 32 points and dishing out 10 assists. Elfrid Payton put up a double-double with 10 points and 12 assists. Channing Frye also had a double-double putting up 22 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Frye hit six 3-pointers for the Magic.

The Kings were led by Rudy Gay and DeMarcus Cousins. Gay scored 39 points for Sacramento. Cousins had a double-double night with 29 points and 12 rebounds. Ray McCallum (13) and Omri Casspi (12) were the other Kings who scored in double figures.

The Sacramento bench added just 28 points in the game.

The Kings went 38 for 85 (44.7-percent) from the floor and a respectable 37.0-percent (10 for 27) from downtown. They went to the free throw line 38 times and were successful 28 times (73.7-percent). A team does not go to the charity stripe 38 times and come away the losers very often.

It took the Kings too long to get into the game on Friday night, and their defensive breakdowns sealed their fate.

The Kings (21-39) record falls to 1-2 for the road trip. Sacramento has to play the second game of a back-to-back in Miami on Saturday night.

Orlando ended a four game losing streak with the victory over the Kings. The Magic are now 20-43 for the year.

A Spirited Conversation

Much will be made of a “dust up” between Rudy Gay and DeMarcus Cousins late in the second quarter of the game. The two exchanged words on the bench and on the floor after a turnover. It was really nothing more than two competitors who are sick of losing taking it out on each other for 30-seconds. “There‘s nothing to see here. Move along now. Nothing to see here.”