Sacramento Kings game wrap: Kings win streak ends at five; Spurs avoid 2 sweep win 120-106

The San Antonio Spurs DeMar DeRozan (10) takes the ball away from the Sacramento Kings De’Aaron Fox (5) in the second half of Wed Mar 31, 2021’s game in San Antonio (AP News photo)

The Sacramento Kings were back in action on Wednesday night. The Kings entered Wednesday after playing the San Antonio Spurs on Monday and getting a day off on Tuesday in Texas. On Wednesday, the Kings were back at it facing the Spurs for the second time in as many games. The Kings beat the Spurs on Monday but weren’t able to replicate the feat on Tuesday losing the game by a final of 120-106.

Flashback Monday: In the Kings last game, they also played the Spurs. They were able to defeat the Spurs by a final of 132-115. It was a strong showing for the Kings who have came out strong in the second half of the season after the All-Star break.

Wednesday recap: On Wednesday, the Kings were set to take on the San Antonio Spurs in Texas at 530 PM PST.

In the first half, the Spurs jumped out to an early lead. In the first quarter saw the Kings defense faltered as they allowed the Spurs to score 33 points compared to the Kings 27.

In the second quarter it was a similar outcome for the Kings. The Kings were outscored again by the Spurs 36-26 as the Spurs took a commanding 69-53 lead into the halfway mark of the game. The Kings would need to pick up the pace on the offensive and defensive ends of the floor to have any shot at a comeback.

In the second half, the Kings weren’t able to pull off the comeback. The third quarter saw the Kings outscore the Spurs for the first time in the game 29-28. However, that wouldn’t be nearly enough. It would take a massive fourth quarter to make a dent in the Spurs lead.

In the fourth, the Kings again outscored the Spurs but not by a 24-23 margin and the Kings fell in Texas 120-106. De’Aaron Fox led the Kings with 20 points in defeat as the Spurs were led by DeMar DeRozan who had 26 points. The Kings would look to get back on track in their next game.

Up Next: The Kings will travel home to take on the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night at 7 PM PST In Sacramento.

Kings Finish Off Spurs 132-115 For Fifth Win In a Row

Photo credit: seattletimes.com

By Barbara Mason

The Sacramento Kings have been playing some pretty good basketball lately and doing something that has been eluding them for some time and that is winning.  They have beaten the Cavaliers twice, the Warriors, and the Hawks for a four-game winning streak.  This is great news for the King’s going into a game against the San Antonio Spurs. 

The Kings are three games out of eighth place and tonight’s game against the Spurs is another winnable game for Sacramento.

The Spurs led at the close of the first quarter 31-27, but the Kings turned it on the second half making up the four-point deficit and outscoring the Spurs 41-29 in the second quarter. The Kings led at the half 68-60. The bench had a good half with Maurice Harkless turning in eight points after coming over to Sacramento. Harkless was one of three players coming to the Kings in trade.

At one time, Sacramento held a significant lead in the third quarter, but the Spurs began chipping away at that lead. At the end of the quarter, the Kings held a 97-91 lead. Sacramento would have one quarter to pull their game together and celebrate a fifth win in a row.

It was a nervous start to the fourth quarter for the Kings. The Spurs refused to go away staying within striking distance of Sacramento.  With eight minutes left in the final quarter, the Spurs had pulled to within three points of the Kings.  

San Antonio got very close in the fourth quarter but the King’s were able to finish this game extending their lead in the final four minutes of the game. The final score was 132-115.  

Sacramento got great work from their starters and their bench as well. Off the bench, Harkless had 13 points and Terence Davis with 14. As for the starters, all of them shot double digits with De’Aaron Fox shooting 24 points, Richaun Holmes with 23 points and Buddy Hield scoring 20 points. With the win, the Kings have now won five games in a row. It was a great offensive effort by Sacramento.

They will be facing the Spurs for game two on Wednesday March 31st. Tipoff is at 5:30 PM PT.  

Sacramento Kings game wrap: Kings win 5th out 6th game; Fox scores 36 in Kings 100-98 victory

Harrison Barnes foreground middle who scored a buzzer beater to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers gets mobbed by his teammates on Sat Mar 27, 2021 at Golden One Arena in Sacramento (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

The Sacramento Kings were back in action on Saturday night in Sacramento. The Kings had a off day on Friday night after playing the Golden State Warriors. They beat the Warriors on Thursday 141-119. On Saturday, the Cleveland Cavaliers came to town against the Kings. The Kings managed to pull out a thriller at the buzzer 100-98.

Flashback Thursday: The Kings took care of business on Thursday against the Warriors. The Warriors really never had a chance as the Kings dominated on both ends of the court. Granted, the Warriors were missing significant fire power with Steph Curry and others out. It was the Kings third win in a row.

Saturday recap: The Kings were set to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday at 7 PM PST in Sacramento.

In the first half, it was a first evenly played game. The Kings managed to outscore the Cavs 31-29 in the first quarter as neither team was playing great defense to start out the game. In the second quarter, both teams picked up their defensive effort.

The Kings were outscore by the Cavaliers 19-18 in the second quarter as neither team was able to reach 20 points in the quarter. The Kings would take a 49-48 lead into halftime as Buddy Hield had ten points in the first half.

In the second half, the game would prove to be very close until the end. The Cavs came out of the locker room and out scored the Kings 26-22 in the third quarter to take a 74-71 lead into the final quarter. If the Kings wanted to win the game they would need to do it in comeback fashion. That’s exactly what happened.

The Kings outscored the Cavs 29-24 in the final quarter to take the win by a final of 100-98. However, that doesn’t tell the whole story. The Kings were down 98-97 with 1.6 seconds left on the brink of defeat.

Thankfully for the Kings, Harrison Barnes was able to hit a buzzer beating 3-pointer to beat the Cavs at the end of regulation. The Kings have now won four games in a row and will look to continue their success in their next game.

Up Next: The Kings will spend the next week in Texas playing their first game on Monday against the San Antonio Spurs at 5:30 PM PST.

Kings Acquire Harkless, Silva and Wright

Photo credit: heatnation.com

By Barbara Mason

The Sacramento Kings got right to work with some trades that could help them with a playoff push.  They are currently in 11th place behind 10th place Golden State after beating them Thursday 141-119.  

The Heat acquired Nemanja Bjelica hoping to provide some front court shooting and rebounding.  Many feel that this is a strong move for the Heat, but just what will it do for the Kings? In this trade, the Kings got Moe Harkless and Chris Silva. Both of these players have not played a lot of games with the Heat. Each of them has only played 11 games apiece.  Harkless started at power forward on opening night, but has been out of the rotation since then for the most part.  Kind of leaves you scratching your head. The Kings need a lot of help from the bench and the hopes are that Harkless can provide that help.

So with this trade, Harkless could possibly help the Kings biggest weakness and that is their defense.  The Kings also got five years younger in this transaction.

The Detroit Pistons have sent Delon Wright to the Kings for Cory Joseph and two second-round picks.  Wright will turn 29 in a month and thought to be the better player of the two.  He is averaging 10.4 points a game.  He is also shooting at almost35 percent from three point range.  So we have Wright as a defender off the bench, again where so much help is needed.  

So we will see if these trades can do anything for the anemic defense that Sacramento has exhibited all season as well as more productivity off the bench.  Improvement in these two departments will make a nice difference in the King lineup. 

Sacramento Kings game wrap: Fox can’t be stopped by Golden State in 141-119 win

The Sacramento Kings De’Aaron Fox (5) defends against the Golden State Warriors Andrew Wiggins (right) laying up for the score at Golden One Arena in Sacramento on Thu Mar 25, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

Sacramento Kings beat writer

The Sacramento Kings were back in action on Thursday night which would be the second night of a back to back. The first night was against the Atlanta Hawks in which the Kings came away with a win. On Thursday, the Kings beat the Golden State Warriors by a final of 141-119.

Flashback Wednesday: The Kings took on the Atlanta Hawks a day prior on Wednesday. The Kings and Hawks played a seemingly evenly matched game that saw both sides shine and both side struggle. The Kings offense was fairly consistent throughout the game as De’Aaron Fox scored 37 points. The defense was not as consistent and almost cost the Kings the game in the end. The Kings were able to defeat the Hawks by a final of 110-108.

Thursday night recap: The Kings were set to take on the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night at 7 PM PST in Sacramento. 

Neither team came into the game as a playoff team. The Warriors are on the fringe if the season ended today they would get a chance at the play in tournament. They are low on momentum having gone 3-7 in their last ten games. The Kings however have gone 6-4 in their last 10 games and appear to be showing a little life. The Kings would look to keep that momentum going against a team two spots above them in the standings. 

In the first half, both teams had up and down quarters. The Kings were outscored by the Warriors in a high powered first quarter 37-37. At this point neither team seemed they wanted to play any defense. In the second quarter, the Kings offense took off and the defense was better. The Kings outscored the Warriors 37-24 in the second as De’Aaron Fox finished the half with 25 points. The Kings led at halftime 72-61.

In the second half, The Kings took off with the game. The Kings scored 34 third quarter points compared to the Warriors 25. That would vault the Kings into a 20 point 106-86 advantage heading into the final 12 minutes. In the fourth, the Kings were able to seal the deal.

They outscored the Warriors 35-33 in the final quarter and were able to take the game by the final of 141-119. De’Aaron Fox continued his tremendous play of late finishing as the games leading scorer with 44 points. Andrew Wiggins led the Warriors in defeat with 26 points. The Kings will look to continue this winning formula at home in their next game.

Up Next: The Kings will stay home to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday at 7 PM PST in Sacramento.


Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Fox knocks down 44 clobbering Golden State 141-119

The Sacramento Kings DeQuan Jefferies (19) defends against the Golden State Warriors Nico Mannion (2) on Thu Mar 25, 2021 at Golden One Center in Sacramento (AP News photo)

#1 The Sacramento Kings (20-25) now have won three straight games their latest victory coming against the Golden State Warriors (22-23) in a huge blow out 141-119.

#2 The Kings De’Aaron Fox has been carrying a lot of the weight over the last two games Fox scored over 30 for against the Hawks and 44 points against the Warriors on Thursday night.

#3 The Warriors are missing three of their key players from their glory days out of the line up Thursday night Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson (gone for the season) and they have now lost three in row.

#4 The Kings Richaun Holmes came in second in scoring against the Warriors with 25 so somebody different after Fox usually helping run up the score for the Kings.

#5 The Kings try for their fourth straight win as they host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday night in Sacramento. The Kings defeated the Cavs on 119-105 in their last meeting Mon Mar 22. The Cavaliers are coming off a 103-94 win against the Chicago Bulls in Chicago on Wednesday night how do you see the match up between both these two clubs on Saturday in Sacramento.

Join Jeremiah for the Sacramento Kings podcasts each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kings run by Warriors 141-119; Golden State drops third straight game

By Jerry Feitelberg

Golden State Warriors beat writer

Without Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, the Warriors lost their third game in a row Thursday night. The host, Sacramento Kings, pasted them 141-119. The Warriors’ defense, without Green, was non-existent. The Kings’ De’Aaron Fox, coming off a 37-point performance against the Atlanta Hawks Wednesday night, had a career-high 44 points to lead the Kings to an easy win over the Warriors.

The Kings shot 59% from the floor and connected on 19 threes in 38 attempts. When an NBA team puts up those offensive numbers, one can assume that the team will win.

The Warriors’ numbers weren’t that bad. They shot 51% from the floor and made 17 threes in 32 tries. They scored 119 points, and that should get a team a win. The Kings De’Aaron Fox, Ty Haliburton, Buddy Hield, and Richaun Holmes could not be stopped.

The Warriors and Kings played a very competitive, fast-paced first quarter. Andrew Wiggins paced the Warrior attack, and they finished the first quarter leading 37-35. The Warriors led 47-46 after Nico Mannion made a three.

The Kings, behind De’Aaron Fox’s spectacular effort, started to pull away. The Kings won the quarter 37-24 to finish the first half leading 72-61. Fox led the Kings with 20. Haliburton had 17. Haliburton was five-for-six from downtown. Andrew Wiggins knocked down 20 for the Warriors. Nico Mannion made four threes, good for 12 points. No other Warrior was in double figures. James Wiseman did not score. Kelly Oubre tallied two. Jordan Poole had six. 

The Warriors knew they had to find a way to stop the very potent Sacramento offense. They had to come up with answers if they hoped to win the game. The Kings continued to attack the basket. Fox and company sped past the Warriors to finished the third quarter with a 20-point advantage 106-86. The Warriors Kelly Oubre played well in the quarter, but it was not enough. 

If a team trails by 20 heading into the fourth quarter in the NBA, they usually lose. The Warriors would have to outscore the Kings by 20 to tie the game. The Kings put up over thirty points in each of the first three periods. While it is possible, the Warriors couldn’t do it Thursday night.

Game Notes and Stats: The Warriors lost their third game in a row and are now 22-23 for the year. The Kings have now won five of the last six games and are now 20-25 for the season.

Curry missed the game with a bruised tailbone. Draymond Green did not feel well Thursday morning. He may be ready for Friday night’s game against the Atlanta Hawks.

The Warriors made two trades on Thursday. They sent Brad Wanamaker to the Charlotte Hornets. Wanamaker will be a free agent at the year, and with the emergence of Jordaan Poole and Nico Mannion, he did not figure to be in the Warrior plans for the future.

In a move that surprised many Warrior fans, the team sent Marquese Chriss to the San Antonio Spurs. Chriss played well last year and figured in the Warriors plans for this season. Unfortunately for Chriss, he suffered a broken leg and was lost for the season. Rookie James Wiseman will be the Warriors’ starting center next year. Kevon Looney and Eric Paschall will be used on the second unit.

Andrew Wiggins led the Warriors with 26 points, 11 rebounds, and four assists. Wiggins was ten-for 18 from the floor and knocked down three threes in five tries. Kelly Oubre finished with 19. Nico Mannion also had 19. Mannion was five-for eight from downtown. Jordan Poole had 17. Juan Toscano-Anderson had 15 points, six boards, and four assists. Anderson was six for six from the floor, and he made three threes in three attempts. He did not miss a shot.

De’Aaron Fox had a career-high 44 points. It was his tenth game of the year with 30 or more points. Richaun Holmes had a double-double with 25 points and 11 rebounds. Tyrese Haliburton had 21, Kyle Guy 20, and Buddy Hield 16.

The Warriors return home to face the new-look Atlanta Hawks. After firing their coach, the team, under Nate McMillan’s tutelage, have won eight in a row. They cooled off a bit, but they made news as they acquired Lou Williams in a trade with the LA Clippers. Williams, a two-time winner of the NBA’s sixth man of the year award, has killed the Warriors in the past. The Warriors will have their hands full Friday night.

The game will start at 7 pm Friday at the Chase Center in San Francisco.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Tony Renteria: Kings win over Hawks proves something to themselves as they host Golden State tonight

The Sacramento Kings guard Tyrese Halliburton (0) passes to Harrison Barnes forward (40) with Atlanta Hawks foward John Collins (20) and Trae Young (1) defending on Wed Mar 24, 2021 at Golden One Center in Sacramento (AP News photo)

#1 Tony the Kings (19-25) just got by the visiting Atlanta Hawks (22-22) with a two point victory 110-108 on Wednesday night at Golden One Center in Sacramento and it’s the fourth win out of six games for the Kings.

#2 Tony, once again if it weren’t for De’Aaron Fox no telling how the Kings would have ended up last night. Fox led the way with 37 points and all those points really counted especially after the Hawks out scored the Kings in the fourth quarter 34-25.

#3 Tony talk about Tyrese Halliburton who finished second in scoring with 17 points his efforts have been strong and have given the Kings leverage in some of their recent wins.

#4 Kings head coach Luke Walton had been questioned about his future with the team after they had got into a horrendous losing streak an eight game losing streak that extended from Feb 9th to Feb 25 it was a tough period do you believe this Kings team in March are much better than that Kings team back in February?

#5 Now comes the Golden State Warriors who will play the Kings tonight at Golden One they’ve been struggling they had a four game losing streak between Feb 28 to Mar 11 and recovered but have recently dropped two games to the Memphis Grizzlies and Philadelphia 76ers. Is this a matter of a Warrior team playing without Stephen Curry or they’re just struggling with their young talent.

Join Tony for the Kings podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Fox, Kings edge Hawks 110-108

Photo credit: @NBA

By Jeremiah Salmonson

The Sacramento Kings were back in action on Wednesday night after an off day on Tuesday. The Kings last played on Monday as they took on the Cleveland Cavaliers. On Wednesday, the Kings on Wednesday managed to beat the Hawks at home by a final of 110-108. 

Flashback Monday: The Kings took care of business against a rebuilding Cleveland squad. The Kings never really trailed in the game as they beat or matched the Cavs in each of the four quarters. It was a win the Kings should have gotten and Kings fans were happy they executed.

Wednesday Night Recap: The Kings were set to take on the Atlanta Hawks at 7:00 PM PST at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. 

In the first half, it was a pretty even contest. The Kings outscored the Hawks 29-27 in the opening quarter as the Kings came out of the gate motivated. In the second quarter, neither team could really find a defensive rhythm as the Hawks outscored the Kings 30-28. Going into halftime, the game was up for grabs with the score tied at 57 apiece. The Kings looked to avoid a third quarter slump and come out strong in the second half.

In the second half, the Kings defense was sporadic. The Kings managed to hold the Hawks to only 17 points in the third as the Kings put up 27. This launched the Kings into the driver’s seat heading into the final quarter up by 10 points. In the fourth quarter, the Hawks made a run, but ultimately came up short. Atlanta outscored the Kings by a mighty 34-25 and almost took the game from Sacramento. However, the Kings prevailed by a final of 110-108. It was a hard-fought win for the Kings, who seemed to step up when it counted. De’Aaron Fox led all scorers in the game with 37 points as Trae Young managed 29 points in the contest for the Hawks. The Kings look to keep the momentum going in their next contest. 

Up Next: The Kings stay home to take on the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night at 7 PM PST. 

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: Warriors lose lead to Sixers; Tip off against Kings on Thursday night

Golden State Warriors rookie center James Wiseman (right) looks overwhelmed by defender Ben Simmons center of the Philadelphia 76ers on Tue Mar 23, 2021 at the Chase Center in San Francisco (AP News photo)

#1 Just wanted to give pause first about the passing of the Los Angeles Lakers great Elgin Baylor who died this week at the age of 86. Baylor revolutionized the game with his ability to put on an aerial show of sorts and was a role model for the modern player.

#2 In Golden State Warriors news the Warriors sank another tough game now losing four of their last seven games this time to the Philadelphia 76ers 108-98 it was the Sixers fifth straight road win. The Warriors got within a point of the Sixers but the Sixers quickly pulled away and got the ten point win.

#3 The Warriors are in Sacramento on Thursday night at Golden One Center. The Kings have won six of their 11 games and have played a little over .500 ball. With the Warriors in Sacramento how do you see this match up on Thursday night.

Join David for the Warriors podcasts each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor Wed Mar 24, 2021 by Sports Radio Service | Free Listening on SoundCloud