Sacramento Kings game wrap: Kings Take Care of the Cavaliers 119-105

The Sacramento Kings De’Aaron Fox (5) drives on the Cleveland Cavaliers Isaac Okor (35) in the second half on Mon Mar 22, 2021 at the Rocket Mortgage House in Cleveland (AP News photo)

Kings Take Care of the Cavaliers 119-105

By Barbara Mason

Monday night the Sacramento Kings took on the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Kings currently sit in 13th place in the Western Conference while
The Cavs are in 12th place in the Eastern.

This game pits two fiery but desperate teams; with the Cavaliers playing
at their home court Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Cleveland is 16-26
overall and 11-11 at home. The Kings are favored by four points in the
latest odds. Their record is currently 17-25.

On the Cleveland side they averaged 114.3 points in their last three
games and prior to that they were unable to score 100 in three games.
Matthew Dellavedova was out of Sunday’s game due to an
appendectomy and missed tonight’s game.

On their current road trip the Kings have lost three of the first four games.
After the debacle against the Sixers and the extremely poor first quarter
play the Kings will be looking to start a whole faster. They could use a lot
of help from their defense and they will be depending heavily on De’Aaron
Fox and Buddy Hield on offense. Off the bench Tyrese Haliburton needs
to have a good game.

The Kings did exactly what they needed to do to win this game. Fox
finished with 30 points and Haliburton was great off the bench with
28 points. Hield had 19 and Richaun Holmes finished with 17. It
was a great effort by the Kings. They led after the first quarter and at the
half. Sacramento turned it on in the second half leading after three 90-76.

The Cavs top starter was Darius Garland with 17 points and Javale McGee
who had 18 off the bench. It was just not enough to turn away the Kings
who won the contest 119-105.

The Kings will meet the Hawks on Wednesday looking for another solid
performance. This will be a much tougher assignment and they will need
everyone on board for this one.

Headline Sports podcast with Barbara Mason: Ramos sent to Giants minor league camp; A’s Olson hitting over .400; plus more

The San Francisco Giants outfielder Heliot Ramos taking his cuts has hit over .390 in spring training has been assigned to minor league camp but not ruled out to make the opening day roster. (mercurynews.com photo)

On Headlines podcast with Barbara:

#1 Barbara, the San Francisco Giants sent one their best hitters outfielder Heliot Ramos in spring to minor league camp the move reportedly doesn’t mean that Ramos will be not make the opening day roster he will remain in camp. Ramos has 11 hits, and three home runs and is hitting .393.

#2 Oakland A’s first baseman Matt Olson is having the spring of his life he’s hitting .406, eight runs, 13 hits, five homers and 14 RBIs there’s not too many pitches getting away from Olson.

#3 The Sacramento Kings have been playing .500 ball of late they have won four of their last eight games but lost their most recent game to the Philadelphia 76ers 129-105. The Kings struggled on defense as the Sixers scored 42 points in the first quarter to the Kings 21 an indicator of what was to come.

#4 The Golden State Warriors have been playing short handed as they lost a tough battle of a game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night 111-103 in Memphis. Jordan Poole led the Warriors in scoring with 26 points and finishing second Andrew Wiggins with 20.

#5 The San Jose Sharks (11-14-4) lost their fourth straight game in San Jose on Saturday night to the St Louis Blues (16-10-5) 5-2. The Blues jumped to a 2-1 lead in the first period and the Sharks tied the game in the second period 2-2 and the Blues put the game away with three goals in the third period for the three goal win.

Join Barbara for Headline Sports each Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports podcast with Barbara Mason Mon Mar 22, 2021 by Sports Radio Service | Free Listening on SoundCloud

76ers blow out the Kings 129-105

Photo credit: @NBCSKings

By Jeremiah Salmonson

The Sacramento Kings were back on the court on Saturday night. After playing on Friday in Boston, the Kings traveled to take on the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center on Saturday night. The Kings weren’t able to math the 76ers and fell 129-105 in regulation. 

Flashback Friday: The Sacramento Kings did something they hadn’t done since 2007 on Friday night. That feat was beating the Boston Celtics in Boston. The Kings had a very uncharacteristic win on Friday beating the Celtics 107-96. The Kings defense is what was on display on Friday as they held the Celtics to only 15 points in the fourth quarter. 

Saturday night recap:
The Kings were set to take on the 76ers on Saturday at 4:30 PM PST in Philadelphia. 

In the first half, the Kings didn’t play particularly great. It was the teams defense that let them down again. The first quarter saw the 76ers outscore the Kings 42-21. It was an embarrassing defensive performance for a team not known much for defense as it is. In the second quarter, the Kings offense picked up the pace, but the defense remained ineffective. The Kings and 76ers both scored 31 points in the second quarter. An improvement on the first quarter for the Kings, but not really enough to close the 20-point gap heading into halftime. The score at half was 73-52 76ers on top. 

In the second half, the Kings played better, but didn’t get the effort they needed to perform a comeback. The third quarter saw the 76ers outscore the Kings again 33-28 and saw the lead grow to 26 points. At this point, playing the final quarter was just a formality. The Kings outscored the 76ers in the fourth quarter 25-23, but came up drastically short of mounting a comeback. The Kings ultimately fell 129-105 in the city of brotherly love. 

Tobias Harris led the victorious 76ers with 29 points as Buddy Hield led the Kings in defeat with 25 points. It was a tough pill for the Kings to swallow after their improved play of late. The Kings fell to 17-25 as the 76ers improved to 29-14 (Best in the Eastern Conference) on the season.

Up Next: The Kings travel to Cleveland for the final game of their six game road trip to play the Cavaliers at 4:30 PM PST on Monday. 

Holmes, Kings defeat Celtics 107-96

Photo credit: @NBA

By Jeremiah Salmonson

The Sacramento Kings were back in action on Friday night. The Kings season has been “stuck” for lack of better terms in the middle of the pack in the Western Conference. The Kings have a very narrow path to the postseason, and with every passing game, that road gets narrower. However, the Kings continued to keep that door slightly open with their winning as of late. The Kings took on the Boston Celtics on Friday night and won by the final 107-96 at the TD Garden in Boston.

Flashback Wednesday: In the Kings’ previous game, they took on the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night. The Kings played a well-rounded good game. However, things got dicey in the last quarter. The Kings took a comfortable lead into the fourth quarter, but the Wizards came all the way back. The Kings were fortunate that Russell Westbrook threw the ball out of bounds to seal the Wizards’ fate against the Kings. The Kings won the ball game 121-119. 

Friday Night Recap: On Friday, the Kings took on the Boston Celtics in Boston at 4:30 PM PST.

In the first half, the Kings outplayed the Celtics all the way. The Kings managed to outscore the Celtics in the first quarter 28-22. The Kings defense was on display as they held the Celtics to a modest 22 points. In the second quarter, the Kings continued to play good defense. As we know is true with the Kings, the Kings’ defense led to offense. The Kings held the Celtics to 23 points in the second quarter and 45 points at halftime. The Kings took a 55-45 point lead into the half, looking to build on that and take a win from the Celtics.

In the second half, it was a very up-and-down game. In the third quarter, the Kings played one of their worst quarters of the season coming out of halftime. The Kings weren’t able to carry any first half momentum over and were outscored 36-27 in the quarter. The Kings needed to get the defense back on track if they wanted to win the game. In the fourth quarter, the Kings’ defense held the Celtics to 15 points as they outscored Boston 25-15 in the fourth quarter. The Kings won the game 107-96.

It was a great win in Boston, a place the Kings haven’t won a game since 2007. The Kings look to keep their momentum going having won their last two games on Saturday. De’Aaron Fox led the Kings with 29 points, while Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 19 points. 

Up Next: The Kings will travel to Philadelphia to take on the 76ers on Saturday, March 20 at 5 PM PST.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Kings road trip doesn’t get easier, tip off with Boston tonight

Guard De’Aaron Fox of the Sacramento Kings (5) takes the winning shot over the Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal (left) during the final seconds of Wed Mar 17, 2021 game in Washington (AP News photo)

#1 The Sacramento Kings (15-24) won by just two points on Wednesday night against the Washington Wizards (14-24) 121-119 in a game that was all hands on deck for the Kings six scorers finished in double figures and every point counted to win this game.

#2 De’Aaron Fox went all out scoring 28 points to lead the Kings and getting the winning basket at the end of Wednesday night’s game. Fox has led the Kings in scoring and without a presence like Fox the Kings would offensively be left in bad shape.

#3 Harrison Barnes and Richaun Holmes both finished second in scoring with 18 and they’ve had some good outings for Sacramento this season.

#4 The Kings have won four of their last ten games during that run that included wins against Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets and the Wizards.

#5 Next up the start of a three game road trip starting in Boston on tonight against the Celtics (20-19) it isn’t easy winning in the NBA but the Kings have won some surprising games. The Celtics have been playing .500 ball much like the Kings of late and their coming off a 117-110 loss in Cleveland (14-25) on Wednesday night. Jeremiah how do you see these two teams matching up tonight at the Boston Garden?

Join Jeremiah Salmonson for the Kings podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson Fri Mar 19, 2021 by Sports Radio Service | Free Listening on SoundCloud

 

Kings get most needed road victory over Wizards 121-119

Photo credit: @NBA

By Jeremiah Salmonson

The Sacramento Kings (16-24) continue to wallow in the middle of the pack of the teams not in position to make the postseason. After a day off on Tuesday, the Kings were set for action on Wednesday, and this time, they had a break out game and defeated the Washington Wizards (14-25) 121-119 for a road victory in DC at Capital One Arena.

Flashback Monday: The previous game on Monday, didn’t end the way the Kings would have liked. The Kings were in town to face the Charlotte Hornets on Monday. A game the Kings were looking to win to get some momentum going in the second half of the year. Unfortunately, the Hornets won by a final of 122-116. It was a close game, but once again, the Kings offense couldn’t put pace a struggling defense.

Wednesday night recap: The Kings were set to take on the Washington Wizards in Washington as the jump was scheduled for 4:30 PM PST.

In the first half, the Kings and Wizards took place in a good old-fashioned track meet. Both teams were pretty much getting whatever they wanted on offense as neither team seemed to want to play defense. The Kings were outscored by the Wizards 38-34 in the first quarter. That was followed, but by the Kings outscoring the Wizards 32-28 in the second quarter. At this point, going into the half with a 66-66 tie, whichever team played better defense would come out with the win.

In the second half, the Kings came out of the hate strong in the third quarter. The Kings outscored the Wizards 36-27 in the quarter to take a nine-point advantage into the final 12 minutes. The Kings would look to capitalize on the advantage. In the final quarter, the Kings nearly blew the lead. The Wizards outscored the Kings 26-19 as the comeback just fell short by a final of 121-119.

Bradley Beal led the way for the Wizards with 29 points, while De’Aaron Fox led the way for the Kings in victory with 28 points. It was a win the Kings needed to get done against a team that is struggling. They will look to keep the momentum going in their next game.

Up Next: The Kings will continue their six-game road trip as they travel to take on the Boston Celtics at 4:30 PM PST on Friday.

Kings Lose to Charlotte in Final Seconds 122-116

Charlotte Hornets guard Tony Rozier and the Sacramento Kings forward Harrison Barnes can’t hold onto the loose ball during the second half in Charlotte on Mon Mar 15, 2021 (AP News photo)

Kings Lose to Charlotte in Final Seconds 122-116

By Barbara Mason

The Sacramento Kings are going nowhere fast. After losing last week to the Portland Trail Blazers 123-119, the Kings pulled off a win against the struggling Rockets 125-105. They fell short to the Atlanta Hawks Saturday 121-106. They still sit in 13th place and can’t seem to find anyway to make up any ground in the Western Conference.

The Kings had a dominating first quarter in that game but got smothered in the second quarter 39-18. They trailed 61-51 at halftime and were never able to recover. DeAaron Fox had 32 points in the game but it was not enough to dispose of the Hawks.

Tonight the Kings took on the (19-18) Hornets leading at halftime 67-61. The Hornets have become a quality team and currently are competing for a spot in the Eastern Conference. A win over them would be a good thing for the Kings. The Kings continue to have the worst defense in the league although the Hornets are only a 2.5 point favorite. The second half would tell the tale.

After three quarters the Kings continued to hold their lead although it had been cut to 5 points 96-91 after leading by double digits for most of the quarter. The King’s would try to hang onto this game in the fourth quarter.

With just under three minutes left in the game the Hornets tied the game at 110 apiece. This game was going right down to the wire. With a minute and a half the Hornets took the lead 112-111. The game was tied at 113 with 1:02 left in the game. The Hornets Terry Rozier would make a 26 foot three point jumper to give Charlotte a 116-113 lead.

The final was 122-116 in favor of Charlotte. It was a tough loss for Sacramento. They were unable to finish after leading for most of the game. Fox would finish with 29 points, Hield with 23 and Holmes, Barnes and Bagley 11 all with double digits.

The Kings will next take on the 12th place Wizards Wednesday night. They will be on the road for this game. Tipoff is at 4:00.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Kings pick up third win in five games 125-105 over Houston; Play in Atlanta Sat nite

Sacramento Kings forward Nemanja Bjelica (8) reaches in over the head of the Houston Rockets guard Eric Gordon (10) for a foul on Thu Mar 11, 2021 at Golden One Center in Sacramento (AP News photo)

On the Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 The Sacramento Kings (15-22) continue to show improvement getting a win against the Houston Rockets (11-24) at Golden One Center in Sacramento on Thursday night 125-105.

#2 This win showed that since they defeated the Los Angeles Lakers and narrowly lost to the Portland Trailblazers there has been some improvement over the course of the last three games.

#3 The Kings De’Aaron Fox continues to have strong offensive nights leading the Kings in scoring against the Rockets with 30.

#4 Anytime you get three players finishing second in scoring with 20 points Harrison Barnes, Richaun Holmes, and Buddy Hield it speaks volumes to offense that needs to get back on track.

#5 The Kings travel to Atlanta to face the Hawks (17-20) on Sat Mar 13th. The Hawks have won five of their last eight games so this might be a little bit more of a challenge than this last game with Houston.

Jeremiah does the Sacramento Kings podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson Fri Mar 12, 2021 by Sports Radio Service | Free Listening on SoundCloud

Sac Kings game wrap: Kings Fox scores 30 in 125-105 win over Rockets

Houston Rockets center Justin Patton (26) desperately looks for some day light against Sacramento Kings center Richaun Holmes (22) on Thu Mar 11, 2021 at Golden One Arena in Sacramento (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

The Sacramento Kings were back in action on Thursday night and took a crucial game for the win at Golden One Center in Sacramento 125-105 against the visiting Houston Rockets.

Flashback to Mar 4th: The Kings had a week long break as the NBA took a week long hiatus to celebrate the best players in the league. In the Kings last game before the All Star break, they played the Portland Trail Blazers. When the Kings played the Trail Blazers a week ago, the Kings put up a fight. The Kings displayed more defense in the game against the Trail Blazers but it ultimately wasn’t enough to stop Damian Lillard. Lillard scored 44 points and put on a show against the Kings. The Kings weren’t able to get a win heading into the All Star break losing 123-119.

Thursday game recap: The Kings would be looking to get the second half off to a good start against a struggling Houston Rockets team on Thursday. The Rockets had lost 13 straight games coming into Sacramento and the Kings were looking to take advantage. Tip off was set for 7 PM PST in Sacramento.

In the first half, The Kings handed it to the Rockets. The first quarter was close with the Kings out scoring the Rockets 35-33 as neither team played any defense. However, the Kings turned it on in the second quarter.

The Kings managed to outscore the Rockets 30-18 in a very lopsided quarter that saw the Kings finish the half with a 14 point 65-51 lead. The Kings had to feel confident going into the second half against a struggling team.

In the second half, Houston kept the Kings within reach in the third quarter. Houston and Sacramento both scored 30 points in the third as the Kings would take their same lead at halftime into the final quarter up 95-81.

In the fourth, the Kings sealed the deal. The Kings outscored the Rockets 30-24 in the final quarter to hand the Rockets their 14th straight loss. For the Kings it was an encouraging sign.

They managed to get a win coming out of the All Star break against a very poor team. Leading the way for the Kings in victory was De’Aaron Fox who had 30 points as Victor Oladipo led the way for the Rockets with 23 points. The Kings will look to keep the momentum heading into their next game.

Up Next: The Kings will head on the road to take on the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday at 4:30 PM PST in Atlanta.

 

 

Sacramento Kings podcast with Tony Renteria: Kings take on struggling Rockets Thursday night in Sacramento

The Portland Trailblazers Carmelo Anthony (00) takes a fade away shot over the Sacramento Kings center Buddy Hield (24) and Cory Joseph (right) on Thu Mar 4, 2021 in Portland (AP News photo)

On the Sacramento Kings podcast with Tony R:

#1 The Kings (14-22) enjoyed the All Star break off but it’s time to get back to work. The Kings lost their last game ending up in a loss 123-119 to the Portland Trailblazers (21-14) in Portland on Thu Mar 4th.

#2 In the loss the Kings did play seven players out of eight who wound up in double figures so they lost by four but ended up playing some good offense against the Blazers.

#3 Tony De’Aaron Fox continues to be consistent with 32 points scored leading the Kings in offense last Thursday he’s getting some help from his teammates where before there were certain games he was carrying the weight of the team.

#4 Also Tony talk about guard Buddy Hield he’s just behind Fox in scoring he was second last Thursday with 21 points and has been a big part of the scoring for Sacramento.

#5 The Houston Rockets (11-23) are next up the Rockets have lost 13 straight games as they visit the Sacramento Kings on Thursday night Mar 11th at Golden One Center. The Rockets really haven’t been the same since James Harden left.

Join Tony R every other Thursday for the Kings podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sacramento Kings podcast with Tony Renteria Thu Mar 11, 2021 by Sports Radio Service | Free Listening on SoundCloud