Tag: Sacramento Kings

Kobe Leads Comeback Downs The Kings At Staples Center

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AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

By Shawn Whelchel

A late surge from Kobe Bryant helped the Los Angeles Lakers complete their second-half comeback attempt against a struggling Sacramento Kings squad for a 98-95 victory at Staples Center Tuesday night.

Even after 19-years in the league, the 36-year old Bryant showed why he is still considered one of the best closers in the game by adding 9 of his 32-points on the night within the waning minutes of the 4th quarter.

While the Lakers began to surge, the Kings went cold, shooting just 5-for-17 during a crucial fourth quarter, including two three-point attempts from Rudy Gay and Nik Stauskas within the final seconds of the game that could have potentially salvaged the disastrous effort.

The Kings were led by Darren Collison’s 26-point, 6 assist effort. Collison was closely followed by Gay, who added 23 points and five assists for Sacramento as well. The Kings continue to miss DeMarcus Cousins as they were outscored 36-28 in the paint as well.

The Kings led by as many as 12-points in the third quarter. but could not contain Bryant and the Lakers, who were aided by the 27-total points off the bench from Carlos Boozer and Nick Young.

On top of going stagnant late in the game, the Kings continue to have turnover issues, as they committed 16 turnovers for 21-points on the night. After losing the last 6-of-8 games, Sacramento will look to stay above .500 as they take on the Houston Rockets at home Thursday night.

 

Houston Stave Off Kings Comeback, Win 102-89

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By Shawn Whelchel

The Sacramento Kings tried to fight through tired legs on their second game of a back-to-back matchup on Wednesday, but ran out of steam as the Houston Rockets earned a 102-89 victory.

Sacramento dug themselves an early hole, as a lack of scoring and easy offense by Houston gave them as large as a 22-point lead in the first half of play. The Kings continued to find their rhythm on offense while pulling to within striking range of the James Harden lead Rockets, but ultimately stalled short of amassing a comeback as a 16-point fourth quarter sealed their fate.

With center Dwight Howard sitting out tonight’s contest with a knee injury, shooting guard James Harden was able to let loose, heaving 31-shots for 26-points on the night to lead his team in scoring. Without their down-low presence, the Rockets lived behind the arc, connecting on 12-of-25 attempts with guard Isaiah Canaan earning 18 of his 24 points from three point range.

On the other side of the court, big man DeMarcus Cousins kept the Kings in the game with 29-points on 9-of-18 shooting while Sacramento was forced to play without starters Rudy Gay and Darren Collison for the second straight game, as they continue to be plagued by injuries.

While the Kings managed to scrap their way to just a one-point deficit in the third quarter, their sloppy play proved too much to overcome, as Houston benefited from 21 Sacramento turnovers on the night, which they converted into 32 points to back their winning effort.

After jumping out to a hot start, the loss drops the now 9-6 Kings to fourth place in the Pacific division, ahead only of the bottom-dwelling Los Angeles Lakers who sit with a 3-12 record on the season. The Kings will look to bounce back on Friday, as they hit the road to take on the San Antonio Spurs

Kings file game protest over loss in Memphis

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

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by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings have filed an official protest with the NBA over the team’s loss to Memphis last Thursday night. The Kings lost the game 111 – 110 on lay-up made by the Grizzlies’ Courtney Lee with 0.3 seconds left in the game.

The play was reviewed at courtside by the officiating crew because it appeared that Vince Carter’s inbound lob to Lee was tipped by the defender. If the ball was tipped, the clock should have started immediately and time would have expired before the lay-up could have been made by Lee. The referees ruled the ball was not tipped and upheld the Memphis victory.

The Kings are contending the shot was made after time had expired.

Under the protest procedure, both Memphis and Sacramento will have the opportunity to submit evidence to the league in support of their position. The decision on the protest should be rendered by December 2.

Kings beat the Spurs 94-91

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

Spurs 11-15-14

by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings returned home on Saturday night looking to get back into win column after losing two heartbreakers on the road in Dallas and Memphis. The problem for the Kings was their first opponent on this short three game homestand was the defending NBA Champions – the San Antonio Spurs.

The Kings came out and played 48 minutes of tough defense and played four quarters of consistent offense en route to defeating the Spurs 94-91 before a sellout crowd.

The Kings were led on offense by DeMarcus Cousins with 25 points and 10 rebounds. That is not really a surprise. What was surprising was the fact that Cousins played just nine minutes in the first half. He came out of the game with three minutes to play in the first quarter, and he sat the entire second quarter.

After the game, Kings Head Coach Michael said he did not plan to keep Cousins out for the entire quarter but the unit on the floor was playing well and it gave his center a chance to rest. Cousins would need that energy going down the stretch against the Spurs.

Darren Collison took the lead multiple times in the flow of the game. The point guard scored 19 points, dished out five assists, had two steals and grabbed two rebounds in his 39 minutes of playing time, Colllison consistently pushed the pace of the game to keep the Kings playing at a high tempo.

Rudy Gay had a productive night for Sacramento. Gay scored 18 points, had six assists, pulled down three rebounds and added a steal and a blocked shot to his box score. Gay and Collison combined to lead the Kings when Cousins was on the bench.

Omri Casspi had a very productive night for Sacramento. In his 22 minutes on the floor, Casspi scored nine points, recorded five rebounds, a steal and one blocked shot. Casspi’s rebounds seemed to come at just the right moments for the Kings.

Carl Landry played some key minutes with Cousins on the bench. He finished with eight points, six rebounds, two assists, two blocked shots and one steal. Landry’s solid play off the bench helped the Kings stay in the game.

In his postgame comments, Michael Malone emphasized his teams outstanding defensive effort. The Kings held the Spurs to just 42.5-percent shooting (34 for 80) and just 29.2-percent (7 for 24) from beyond the 3-point line. Sacramento allowed the Spurs to score just 34 points in the paint.

Manu Ginobili led the Spurs in scoring with 21 points but Sacramento held him to just one 3-pointer (1 for 7) in the game. Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green scored 16 points each. Future Hall of Famer Tim Duncan added 15 points. The Kings held Tony Parker to just 11 points.

On holding Parker to just 11 points Coach Michael Malone said, “Darren Collison and Ramon Sessions – all the guys who were out there did a great job. We had discipline.”

The Kings as a team shot 43.0-percent (37 for 86) from the field. Ironically, the Kings went 0 for 12 from 3-point range. They went to the free throw line just 24 times but hit on 20 of those opportunities (83.3-percent).

On offense, the key for the Kings was their play in the paint. Sacramento scored 58 points in the paint. It is safe to say they dominated the paint.

The Kings also took care of the ball against the Spurs. They committed just nine turnovers in the game; well below their goal of 13 turnovers per game.

In summing up the game Michael Malone said,”It feels great anytime that you can beat the defending champions and protect your homecourt. More importantly for me tonight was the defense. We only shot 43-percent from the field, but the key was that we defended at a high level. We held that team to 91 points and 42-percent from the field. We dominated the paint and only had nine turnovers. If we defend like that, like we did earlier in the year, then I really feel we can beat anyone in the NBA.”

The Kings will back in action on Tuesday night versus the New Orleans Pelicans at Sleep Train Arena.

Warriors Defeat Sacramento on Opening Night

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by Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors got off to a good start Wednesday night in Sacramento defeating the Kings 95-77. For new head coach, it was his first win ever as a coach in the NBA.

The Warriors were without the services of their great Forward, David Lee, due to a hamstring injury. However, Marreese Speights, filling in for Lee, came off the bench and scored 16 points to help the W’s to the win.

The first half ended with Sacramento holding a slim 49-47 lead. The Kings controlled the board and the Warriors couldn’t get anything going. Centers Andrew Bogut, Festus Ezeli and ognjen Kuzmic all were in foul trouble in the first half. However, the Warriors defense was strong and the Kings shot just 31 % from the floor. Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Mo Speights led the W’s in scoring.

With 8:14 left in the third period and all three centers saddled with four fouls, coach Kerr went small and inserted Draymond Green at center. That move ignited the offense and they were able to be in rhythm and got momentum going. The Warriors defense shut down the Kings allowing them just fourteen points in the third period and fourteen points in the fourth period to secure the win. Steph Curry had 24 points, 5 assists, 10 rebounds and six steals. Klay Thompson had nineteen points, Mo Speights kicked in with 16 and Draymond Green had a double-double. Forward Harrison Barnes found his mojo and played a very strong game underneath the boards for the warriors. Final score 95-77.

The W’s announced that they waived the following players-Aaron Craft, Jason Kapono, Sean Kilpatrick, James Michael McAdoo and Mitchell Watt in ordet to get the roster down to 15 players.

The Warriors face the Los Angeles Lakers Saturday night at the Oracle Arena at 7:30 PM

Warriors Guard Will Donate Three Life-Saving Bednets For Every Three-Pointer He Makes this Season To Help Protect Families In Africa from Malaria; Warriors To Match Donation

OAKLAND, CA – Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry will once again lead his Three for Three Challenge for the 2014-15 season by donating three life-saving bednets to the United Nations Foundation’s Nothing But Nets campaign for every three-pointer he makes this season, it was announced today. The Warriors also announced today the team will match Curry’s donation throughout the 2014-15 season up to $5,000.

During his first two seasons running the challenge (2012-13 & 2013-14), Curry donated 1,599 bednets to help thousands of families avoid malaria infection. During the 2012-13 season, Curry established a new NBA single-season three-point record with 272 three-pointers made and donated 816 bednets, and last season (2013-14), Curry recorded 261 three-pointers, providing 783 bednets to families.

“I am honored to support the Nothing But Nets campaign for the third season in a row to continue to help raise awareness and provide bednets to protect families from malaria,” said Curry. “This has been an issue close to my heart since my days at Davidson, and I am grateful that the Warriors organization is helping me once again this season to give to such an important cause.”

Since his time as a college star at Davidson when his college roommate, Bryant Barr, educated him and encouraged him to get involved in the cause, Curry has been a committed champion of the United Nations Foundation’s Nothing But Nets campaign, which works with the UN and other partners to distribute insecticide-treated mosquito nets to protect families across sub-Saharan Africa from malaria. Every 60 seconds, a child dies from malaria. Malaria kills more than 600,000 people worldwide every year, most of them children under five. Bednets provide a simple, cost-effective solution. It only costs $10 to purchase and deliver a bednet, and provide education on its proper use. Since 2006, Nothing But Nets has delivered millions of life-saving bednets to protect families in need thanks to the generous contributions from its partners, champions, and supporters.

“Last year, Stephen traveled with us to Tanzania and saw first-hand how malaria can devastate families,” said Chris Helfrich, director of theNothing But Nets campaign. “We are so grateful that he and the Golden State Warriors have inspired thousands of fans to get involved in the fight to defeat malaria.”

Fans can get involved to help Curry and the Golden State Warriors in the fight against malaria. Go to www.NothingButNets.net to send a net and help save a life.

McCallum’s Tip In Time Leads Kings Past Lakers

Published on by Matthew HarringtonLeave a comment

By Matthew T.F. Harrington

The Sacramento Kings erased a 14-point fourth quarter deficit, then rode a Ray McCallum buzzer-beating tip-in to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 93-92 Friday night from Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena. DeMarcus Cousins dropped a game-high 21 points for the Kings along with 10 rebounds for a double-double, while Palo Alto’s own Jeremy Lin paced LA with 19 points off the bench.

Apart from Cousins, the Kings received only 16 points combined from the remaining starting five of Ben McLemore, Darren Collison, Jason Thompson and Rudy Gay. Reserves Nik Stauskas (10), Ramon Sessions (13) and Derrick Williams(14) all put up double-digit scoring to push the Kings past their SoCal foes.

The Kings held a 49-48 edge heading in to the half, but LA dominated the third quarter. The Lakers outscored Sacramento 28-15 after 36 minutes of play for a 76-64 margin, but the Kings collected 29 fourth-quarter points, including McCallum’s game-winner, while forcing the LA to settle with 16 points.

With the win, the Kings wrap up preseason play with a 3-4 overall record. They open the season Wednesday night at home against in-state rivals the Golden State Warriors.

Kings add Casspi and Hollins to roster

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

Omri_Casspi

by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings have signed two free agents and added them to their roster. Former Kings first round draft pick forward Omri Casspi and center Ryan Hollins were signed to contracts on Wednesday.

Casspi, who played for Houston last season, averages 7.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 20.7 minutes per game. He shoots 42.1-percent overall and 35.2-percent from 3-point range. Casspi has played for Sacramento, Cleveland and Houston. He is the first Israeli-born player to compete in the league.

Hollins is a seven-foot center who played in a reserve role for the Clippers last season. He averaged 2.3 points, 1.5 rebounds and 7.9 minutes per game in 61 appearances. Hollins has played for six teams in his eight seasons in the NBA.

The Kings open training camp on September 27th in Sacramento.

Nik Stauskas meets the press in Sacramento

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

Image                                             Photo credit: Sports Radio Service

By Charlie O. Mallonee

Nik Stauskas the newest member of the Sacramento Kings met the press on Saturday morning at the Kings’ practice facility. Stauskas was the eighth pick overall in the NBA Draft and was a surprise selection to many of the draft experts who have expressed displeasure with the Kings’ choice.

Stauskas said being drafted started to sink in while traveling to Sacramento. “I think yesterday having a lot of travel I had some time to sit on the plane … I got to take a couple of minutes to sit back and reflect on everything  I’ve been through and the fact that I’m here now. I am extremely happy and excited to get to work.”

Stauskas wanted to make sure the fans in Sacramento know that he is here to improve and play hard. “I want to let people know here that I’m not satisfied with being just a NBA player. Obviously it has been my goal to get here now to this point. Now that I’m here I need to reevaluate things and make new goals. I’m a very motivated kid. I’ve had a chip on my shoulder my entire life and I want to keep it that way because I know that’s what’s going to keep me successful. Just moving forward, I want you guys (the press and fans) to know that I will be giving 150-percent every day to help this team win and help myself be successful as well.”

The press wanted to know more about the chip on Stauskas’ shoulder. “Well the chip on the shoulder started as young kid growing up just outside of Toronto where … no one really pays attention to basketball in Toronto (like) here in the U.S. Now they do because we have a lot of kids coming from there. I feel like I was never recognized and that kind of motivated me to show out and let people know how good I was. That’s been the case my whole life. And even when I got to Michigan my first year, I had players like Trey (Burke) and Tim (Hardaway,Jr.), Glenn Robinson (III). These were projected lottery picks, so I always felt like I had something to prove.

Stauskas wanted to be sure the Sacramento fans know that he is all about basketball. “Basketball is what I love to do. It’s what makes me happy. I hope that people will get the sense when I’m out there and I’m talking a little bit of trash that that’s just me out there having a little fun and enjoying the hard work I’ve put into it.”

Stauskas’ uncle was the person who introduced him to the game. “My uncle was the first one to invite me to play basketball for his club team when I was a young kid. I don’t what it was about the game of basketball, but I just seemed to love it and it made me happy. The more I played the better I got. The better I got the more I wanted to play. It just became a cycle and being a fan of the Toronto Raptors I looked up to bunch of NBA players … just watching them and the lives they live just inspired me to be like them.”

The next question to Stauskas was obvious – who was your favorite Toronto Raptor? “I loved Vince Carter when he was there. I got a chance when I was young to meet him and play with him when I was like nine-years old. That was a huge moment for me because was like god and he couldn’t do any wrong. To meet him, to see him play and to be the face of the franchise was one the things that motivated me to become an NBA player.”

Even though his plane did not arrive in Sacramento until 11:30 PM Friday night, Kings’ fans were there to greet Stauskas as exited the plane. That reception made an impression on the newest King. “Yeah, it’s awesome. I’m so excited to be here in a city where the fans are passionate about the team and supportive. Coming from just outside Toronto where no one really knew who I was and coming to Sacramento – a city I’ve never been to before – and have fans stay up late to welcome me at the airport is a dream come true and really made me feel happy. I want to send a special thank you to everyone who came out and supported me yesterday.”

The Nik Stauskas era has begun in Sacramento. If confidence and drive count (and they do), Stauskas is going to be an exciting addition to the Kings.

Kings take shooting guard Nik Stauskas at No.8

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

By Charlie O. Mallonee – Sports Radio Service

The Sacramento Kings surprised the experts on Thursday night by selecting shooting guard Nik Stauskas from the University of Michigan. The experts were predicting the Kings would draft a power forward or a point guard at number eight. The Kings drafted shooting guard Ben McLemore out of Kansas last year. McLemore saw an increasing amount of playing time in the second-half of the 2013-14 season. Does the selection of Stauskas mean the Kings are giving up on McLemore or could Stauskas have been drafted as a piece for a potential multi-player trade with someone like the Detroit Pistons? As the great expert continues to say on a regular basis, “Only time will tell.”

Stauskas is a 6’6”, 205 pound shooting guard from Etobicoke, Ontario. He played his high school ball at St. Mark’s School in Southborough, Massachusetts before heading to the University of Michigan. Stauskas was voted the Big Ten Player of the Year in 2014. He was named to All-Big Ten First-Team and to the Associated Press All-American Second-Team last year. Stauskas was selected to the NCAA Tournament All-Midwest Regional Team for his play leading the Wolverines to an Elite Eight run. Michigan lost to Kentucky, the eventual tournament champions, 75-72 in the Elite Eight.

Stauskas led Michigan in scoring in 2014 averaging 17.5 points per game which ranked third in the Big Ten. He shot 47.0-percent from the field and 44.2-percent from three-point range. Stauskas is an 82.4-percent free throw shooter.

Stauskas is an elite shooter with a quick release and great mechanics. The experts say he has unlimited range and is comfortable shooting off the dribble or on pull-ups. Stauskas is solid ball-handler with a good first step and the ability to make plays off the bounce pass. He is also known as an unselfish player who will make the extra pass. David Aldridge of NBA.com had Stauskas as the number-one shooting guard available in the draft.

When asked how he felt about being selected by the Kings Stauskas said’ “I’m excited about the city and the organization. They have a great young corps there. I’m excited to get in there and help the team win some games.”

Responding to a question about being drafted after the Kings selected shooting guard Ben McLemore last year he said, “I feel like I can play multiple positions. Moving forward in the NBA I feel I can play a little bit of the one (guard) and some two. I know this team has kind of struggled shooting the ball and that’s obviously the best part of my game and spreading the floor and knocking down shots is what I’m excited about doing for this team.”

“A lot of guys who come to Michigan, the guys who were under recruited, we play with a chip on our shoulder,” he said on ESPN. “Me and Trey we felt we had something to prove and coach Beilein and the assistant coaches they’ve all done a great job and they gave us a great system to play in and we really succeeded in it.”

“You’re playing with Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr. you have to take a backseat somewhat,” ESPN analyst and former Wolverine Jalen Rose said on the broadcast. “He improved his ball handling, he got stronger, able to finish at the hoop, knock down three-point shooter and he’s fearless. He’s one of those guys who goes on the court and thinks, I’m the best player out there.”

Kings interested in Love?

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

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By Charlie O. Mallonee

Marc Spears of Yahoo Sports is reporting the Sacramento Kings are interested in trading the number eight draft pick and an unnamed player package to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Kevin Love. Of course, the Kings are not the only NBA team interested in Love.According to Yahoo:

The Sacramento Kings have let the Minnesota Timberwolves know they are interested in trading for All-Star forward Kevin Love – and the Kings would make a deal without any assurance from Love he’d re-sign with them, a league source told Yahoo Sports.

The Kings are willing to give up their eighth overall pick in this year’s NBA draft and a combination of players for Love, even though he would not be expected to sign a contract extension before next season – if ever, with the rebuilding, small-market franchise, the source said. Sacramento envisions Love and DeMarcus Cousins playing alongside each other in the front court. Swingman Rudy Gay has a player’s option for next season.

The Kings know they’d have to gamble on convincing Love to re-sign, given that the franchise is rebuilding and Love is looking to play for a contender after never reaching the playoffs with the Timberwolves. Love’s suitors also figure to include a number of bigger markets, including the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets and Chicago Bulls.

Love’s representatives with Excel Sports have pushed Timberwolves president Flip Saunders to find an acceptable trade prior to the start of free agency in July. Without a trade, Love plans to opt out of his contract in the summer of 2015 and likely leave Minnesota as a free agent.

The Kings showed in their first season under new owner Vivek Ranadive and general manager Pete D’Alessandro they are willing to spend money. They acquired Gay and signed Cousins to a four-year, $62 million extension.

Sacramento struggled to a 28-54 record last season and missed the playoffs for the eighth straight season. The Kings expect to begin playing in a new downtown Sacramento arena in 2016.

The Kings have not issued any reaction to the Yahoo Sports report.

 Love has never played in a post-season game in the NBA. He most likely wants to be traded to a contender. A team that is just one player away from competing for the NBA Championship. That does not describe the Sacramento Kings who must first make the playoffs before thinking about playing for a title.

 The Kings have become an aggressive team when it comes to acquiring personnel. Going after a Kevin Love is admirable but not realistic at this time. The packaging of the eighth pick for a veteran impact player is a logical move if the right player is available. If a fair trade cannot be arranged then it’s time to choose the best available player on draft night.

 The next 30-days will be active ones for the Kings player personnel department.