Tag: Sacramento Kings

Rockets make it “rain” 3-pointers, crush the Kings 130-105 on Tuesday night

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
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Barnes tries to contain Harden Photo: Charlie O. Mallonee

By Charlie O. Mallonee

SACRAMENTO — The Sacramento Kings goal of finishing the season with a 41-41 record took a serious hit on Tuesday night when the Houston Rockets beat them 130-105 at the Golden 1 Center. The young, upstart Kings never held a lead in the game. The win gave Houston a four-game season-series sweep over Sacramento.

In his postgame comments, Kings head coach Dave Joerger noted that the Rockets have beat his team by over 20 points on average in all four games this season. He later would point out that the Rockets as a team are staffed with great players.

Why Did the Kings Lose?

Sacramento lost the game because they could not shut down the dynamic 3-point shooting of the Rockets. Houston literally made it “rain” 3-pointers at they attempted 61 shots from behind the arc and hit 26 of them. The 26 made 3-point shots tied the Rockets NBA record for most 3-point shots made in a game that they set against the Wizards back on December 19, 2018, at home in Houston.

The Rockets made 46 of their 94 field goal attempts (48.9%) in the contest. They converted 26 of their 61 3-point field goal attempts (42.6%). Yes, you are reading that correctly. The majority of the Rockets’ field goals made and attempts were from long range. Houston was very happy to trade 3-point baskets for Kings 2-point baskets all night long.

The Kings shot 44.2-percent overall (42/95) and went 7-for-23 (30.4%) from downtown.

Dave Joerger was not happy after the game

“We did not come with the mental or physical attitude of playing with some force and (weren’t) mentally locked in enough. We can’t play that way. We’re better than that. That’s disappointing if we had a hangover from a long trip – a bunch of games – young guys – but we cannot let go of the rope and we’re not going to.”

Top Performers

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Bagley and Capela prepare to battle for the rebound Photo: Charlie O. Mallonee

Kings (38-40)

  • Buddy Hield was the Kings leading scorer with 20 points. He shot 8-for-16 and four of his field goals were 3-pointers. Hield also grabbed seven rebounds and added five assists.
  • Marvin Bagley III put 19 points up on the board to go with eight rebounds.
  • Nemanja Bjelica scored 12 points and went 6-for-7 from the floor.
  • Sacramento outrebounded Houston 51-43.

Rockets (50-28)

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Harden gets ready to score three of his 36 points Photo: Charlie O. Mallonee
  • James Harden was the leading scorer in the game with 36 points, and he made it a double-double by dishing out 10 assists. He went 12-for-19 shooting and seven of those buckets were 3-pointers.
  • Eric Gordon and Danuel House, Jr. each scored 19 points for the visiting Rockets.
  • Chris Paul scored seven points and distributed 12 dimes.
  • Kenneth Faried posted a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Up Next

The Kings return to action on Thursday night when they will host the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Rockets play the second game of a back-to-back on the road in Los Angeles versus the Clippers on Wednesday night.

Kings beat Spurs on the road for the first time since 2012–113-106

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Photo credit: @NBA

By: Jeremiah Salmonson

Sunday’s matchup featured the Sacramento Kings and the San Antonio Spurs at the AT&T Center. The Spurs have guaranteed themselves a playoff spot, and the Kings were recently eliminated from contention. Sunday’s game for the Kings was the last stop on a five-game road swing taking them through Los Angeles, Dallas, New Orleans, Houston, and San Antonio. The tip-off was set for 4:00 PM PST.

In the first quarter, the Kings showed what appeared to be a lack of energy, which is understandable considering this game was the second night of a back-to-back. With seven minutes having already passed in the first, the Kings were down by 10 with the score being 21-11. At this point, the game was looking close to getting out of hand. LaMarcus Aldridge led all scorers in the first with a terrorizing 18 points. However, the Kings weren’t gonna go away quietly in the first. They battled back to make it a two-point game after the first quarter 30-28.

In the second quarter, the Kings and Spurs traded baskets. It’d prove to be one of the more entertaining quarters this year. Buddy Hield led the Kings in scoring in the first half dropping 11 points with Fox behind him with nine points. For the Spurs, LaMarcus Aldridge had 20 points with Rudy Gay behind him with 12. Going into halftime, the Kings managed to take a slim lead 58-57 into the locker room.

The third quarter was filled with excitement and back and forth between the Kings and Spurs. The Kings scored 31 points compared to the Spurs’ 30. This gave the Kings a two-point 89-87 lead going into the last 12 minutes. In the third, the fiery Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich was ejected after an out-of-bounds call going against the Spurs. Popovich was immediately T’d up following the play then proceeded to go onto the court and was dealt the ejection. It was a entertaining turn of events as the teams continued to put on a show. Leading the way through three quarters for the Kings were Buddy Hield with 24 points, Harrison Barnes with 11 points, and Willie Cauley-Stein with 10 points.

Going into the fourth quarter, the Kings seemed confident and that was exactly what the Kings played with. The Kings started the fourth by scoring the first nine points to take a 98-87 lead. From there, the Spurs made a run to tie the game, and it was a back-and-forth affair until the final minute of the game. The Kings managed to get a few key defensive stops paired with some makes to beat the Spurs 113-106. It was a great game for a young Kings team that was eliminated from playoff contention just the night before.

NOTES: Kings swept the season series for the first time ever against the Spurs. The Kings beat the Spurs at home for the first time since 2012.

UP NEXT: The Kings head home to host the Houston Rockets Tuesday at 7:00 PM PST.

Rockets knock Kings out of playoffs with 119-108 win

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Photo credit: @TSN_Sports

By Jeremy Harness

The Sacramento Kings saw their slim playoff hopes officially dashed on Saturday, as they were downed by the Houston Rockets, 119-108, inside of Houston’s Toyota Center.

The team has been feisty all season and held on to their postseason chances as long as they could, even on Saturday. Sacramento entered the fourth quarter with the lead, but they were outscored 28-15 in the final stanza as their fate was sealed.

The Rockets, meanwhile, are still fighting for one of the top spots in the Western Conference postseason picture to get home-court advantage for at least the first round. Houston is currently in the third spot with a 49-28 mark, three games behind Golden State and Denver, who are tied for the top spot in the West.

James Harden recorded a triple-double in spearheading the win, scoring 50 points while making 13 of his 31 shots in the process, to go along with 11 rebounds and 10 assists.

Clint Capela put up 24 points while going 10-of-13 from the field and also pulled down 15 rebounds, while Chris Paul had 22 points and five assists.

The Kings had a couple of guys get a double-double in the loss. Marvin Bagley III had 20 points and 12 rebounds – seven of those coming on the offensive end – while making 10 of his 20 field-goal attempts. Meanwhile, De’Aaron Fox scored 18 points and handed out 10 assists, while making four of his seven 3-point attempts.

Bogdan Bogdanovic just missed a triple-double while coming off the bench, leading the Kings with 24 points while pulling down nine rebounds with eight assists.

The Kings next play the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday at 4:00 pm PT.

Headline Sports podcast with London Marq: Avenatti says that Nike paid college athletes; Kings may not make playoffs, but still not giving up games; plus more

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Photo credit: @nypost

On Headline Sports with London:

#1 Michael Avenantti, former attorney for Stormy Daniels, has said this week that Nike had paid student-athletes at various colleges. Avenatti has been charged for extortion as he is accused of trying to extort up to $25 million from Nike.

#2 After the feds have made charges against Avenatti for the extortion charge, Avenatti–some 24 hours later–made the claim that Nike was paying its Nike Elite Basketball Youth Program bribes in college basketball.

#3 This is a Sacramento Kings basketball team that never gives up. They lost a close five-point game on Sunday to the Los Angeles Lakers, but turned around on Tuesday night and beat the Dallas Mavericks in Dallas 125-121. They’ve got a little something in the tank.

#4. The Los Angeles Kings’ Drew Doughty has questioned whether the San Jose Sharks Brent Burns should have won the Norris Trophy, saying Burns gets beat three times a game and that the Calgary Flames’ Mark Giordano should get the award. Burns leads the NHL defensemen with 77 points to Giordano, who’s in second with 72.

#5 Baseball season opens on Thursday. The Oakland A’s already opened their season in Tokyo last week and are playing their first regular game stateside against the Los Angeles Angels. How much does this take out of a team with the jet lag playing two exhibitions and two regular games then playing in Oakland just one week later?

London Marq does Headline Sports each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sacramento Kings podcast with Charlie O: No escape in trying to beat the Lakers; Kings battle Mavs for 125-121 win

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Photo credit: @Covers

On the Kings podcast with Charlie O:

#1  Charlie talks about the Kings’ last game in Los Angeles on Sunday in a tough loss to the Lakers 111-106.

#2 The Kings defense seemed to struggle in the early first quarter, putting up only 20 points and allowing 22.

#3 In the second quarter, the Kings struggled with their shot, but figured it out with 29 points and the Lakers got only 26.

#4 Third quarter was another tough outing for Sacramento, the Lakers scored 39 points and in the fourth quarter. The Kings launched a comeback, scoring but falling five points short of victory.

#5 The Kings battled the Dallas Mavericks and Dirk Nowitzki Tuesday night and get the win 125-121. Charlie O sets this one up.

Charlie O does the Kings podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kings fall to Lakers 111-106 in LA

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Photo credit: @Lakers

By: Jeremiah Salmonson

LOS ANGELES–The Sacramento Kings came into LA coming off a 3-1 homestand. They beat the Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, and Chicago Bulls while only dropping one game. A heartbreaker in which they were up 25 going into the fourth quarter and lost by two points. All in all, the Kings were happy with what they were able to accomplish during the homestand. They were looking forward to attempting revenge on the Lakers as they have had the Kings’ number this year. The tip-off was set for 6:30 PM PST.

In the first quarter, the Kings were off to another slow start. Remembering back to a day earlier on Saturday where the Kings were only able to score 20 in the first quarter. Sunday was not much different. The Kings continued to struggle through the early minutes of the game. They were only able to put 20 points on the board on Sunday while allowing 22. The Lakers weren’t playing great either as both teams were struggling to put the ball in the bottom of the hoop. The leading scorer in the game was Marvin Bagley, who had seven points through the first.

In the second quarter, it looked like more of the same for the Kings. They were struggling to find their shot and looked to be falling further behind. However, the Kings were able to battle and put up 29 points to outscore the Lakers. The Lakers managed to score 26 in the second. The leading scorer in the second quarter was Lance Stephenson, who put up eight points in the second. If the Kings wanted to keep pace, they had to start knocking down some shots in the third.

In the third quarter, it didn’t look pretty as the Lakers started off the quarter with a 14-0 run to start the second half. Kyle Kuzma led the Lakers’ charge with 21 points in the third. Lebron James also made an impact in the third, scoring eight points to help rack up a 39-point third for the Lakers. On the other hand, the Kings scored 28, but it wasn’t enough to keep pace. Nemanja Bjelica and Marvin Bagley led the Kings with six and five points, respectively. The third ended with the Lakers leading 87-77. The Kings needed a big late-game push to have a chance.

In the fourth quarter, the Kings kept with tradition and made things interesting. To give the credit where credit is due, the Kings battled in the final minutes; however, the deficit they created in the previous minutes proved too large to overcome. The Kings fell to the Lakers in LA 111-106.

Up Next: The Kings travel to Dallas to take on the Mavericks at 5:30 PM PST on Tuesday.

Kings make it two wins in a row with 112-103 win over Suns

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Photo credit: @NBCSKings

By: Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento Kings came into Saturday night’s game feeling good. After defeating the Dallas Mavericks two days ago, the Kings were looking to make it two in a row. The Pheonix Suns, who aren’t having a good season, have been playing better as of late and were looking to be a formidable opponent for the Kings. Tip-off was set for 7 PM Saturday night in Sacramento.

In the first quarter, it was all Suns. More specifically, it was all Devin Booker. Booker went on an absolute terror in the first quarter. He was 6-for-10 from the floor, scoring 15 points in the quarter. The next closest scorers were Nemanja Bjelica and Deandre Ayton with six points apiece. The Kings struggled to score all quarter, only putting up 19 points on 25 tries. On the other hand, the Suns scored 32 points on 24 attempts. The Kings didn’t seem to have much energy in the opening minutes of the game. In order to stay close, the Kings needed to pick up the energy going into the second quarter

In the early minutes of the second quarter, it appeared the Kings were headed for another disastrous quarter. However, with some key contributions from Buddy Hield and Harrison Barnes, the Kings were able to lead by three with 1:33 remaining in the half with the Suns on top 48-45 Suns. At this point, the Kings looked to get greedy and grab the lead before going into halftime. Unfortunately, the Kings were unable to do so. A couple of baskets from the Suns led to a 53-47 lead going into halftime.

The Kings had to play with more energy in the second half if they wanted to come back and win at home. The Kings did just that in the third quarter. They came out of the locker room looking energized. The Kings scored 32 points in the quarter compared to the Suns’ 22. The Kings appeared to have put their first-half woes behind them and were ready to battle the game to the end with the Suns. Going into the final quarter, the Kings were ahead 79-75.

In the fourth quarter, both teams seemed determined to come away with the win. The Kings and Suns went back-and-forth in the early minutes of the quarter. It was so close that it was 110-97 in favor of the Kings with only 2:40 remaining in the game. The Kings were less than happy with the referees in the final quarter. Notably, Marvin Bagley, who hacked on a layup attempt, but it was a no call. The Kings regrouped with roughly 90 seconds left and went back to work. The play that sent the crowd into a frenzy was De’Aaron Fox’s dunk in transition after he stole the ball on a pass attempt. The Kings won 112-103.

Up Next: The Kings travel to LA to take on the Lakers on Sunday at 7 PM PST.

Kings hammer Mavs 116-110

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Photo credit: @NBA

By: Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Kings fans were not in the best of spirits coming into Thursday night’s game. This game was just two nights removed from the Kings blowing a 25-point lead with only 12 minutes to play. That, my friends, wouldn’t sit well with many of the Sacramento faithful. Yet, the Kings were ready to shake it off and face Dirk Nowitzki for possibly the final time at 7 PM PST.

The first half of the game was fairly routine for both teams. In the first quarter, the Kings managed to score 27 points vs the Mavs’ 29 points. Marvin Bagley and De’Aaron Fox scored the most for the Kings with six points apiece. Former King, Justin Jackson led all scorers with 11 first quarter points. The Kings came out a little sluggish in the first, but were able to pick it up and keep up with the Mavericks.

In the second quarter, the Kings and Mavs remained close. However, the Kings gained a slight advantage over the Mavs in the second quarter by scoring 26 points. Fox and Buddy Hield had 10 points apiece at this point and the Kings appeared to gain momentum. For the Mavs, they managed to score 22 points in the second. When the second quarter was said and done, the Mavs had three players with 11 points apiece before halftime. They were Dwight Powell, Luka Doncic, and Justin Jackson. At halftime, the Kings led the Mavericks 53-51.

In the third quarter, the Kings started to take control of the game. Led by Hield and Harrison Barnes, the Kings scored 31 points in the third compared to the Mavericks 25. So, at the end of the third, the Mavs trailed the Kings 84-76. Yes, that’s not a large margin, but the rest of the game was all Kings.

In the fourth quarter, the Kings dropped 32 points compared to the Mavericks 24. This sealed the deal for the Kings. Unlike the Kings performance on Tuesday night against the Nets, the Kings were able to put this one to rest. Notably in the game for the Kings was Bagley, who hit three shots from downtown to polish off a spectacular performance with 22 points. Fox also put on a show with a couple of highlight-worthy dunks. Fox finished the game with 15 points. Also, Hield who did Hield things. Hield finished the game with seven 3’s and 29 points in all. The final score for the game was 116-110 in favor of the Kings.

Up Next: The Kings stay home to face the Suns on Saturday, March 23rd at 7 PM PST.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Charlie O: Kings pull away with 27-point win after four ties with Bulls Sunday

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Photo credit: @SacramentoKings

On the Sacramento Kings podcast with Charlie O:

#1 It was a game that saw seven lead changes and four ties, but the Sacramento Kings in the end mustered up a 27-point win over the Chicago Bulls Sunday.

#2 After Bogdan Bogdanovic got a three-point shot to put the Kings ahead after the first period 24-23, the Kings never looked back.

#3 In the paint, Kings head coach Dave Joerger said the team worked the paint inside for five six seconds and if not worked the ball outside and took open shots, including threes and layups. It paid off the Kings went 80-56 against the Bulls for the inside game.

#4 After having a rough time on free throws on the road, the Kings went 81.2% on the free line on Sunday at Golden One.

#5 Tuesday night the Kings host the Brooklyn Nets (36-36), who are a very improved club.

Charlie O does the Sacramento Kings podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports with London Marq: Improved Kings need wins in Philly and Boston

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photo from nbcsports.com file: The Sacramento Kings and D3’Aaron Fox head to Boston and Philadelphia for games Thursday and Friday nights.

On Headline Sports with London:

#1 The Sacramento Kings dropped a tough game to the Washington Wizards 121-115. The Kings made it close losing by six.

#2 The Kings head to Philadelphia and Boston this Thursday and Friday. Can the Kings pick up some key wins after losing to Washington in their bid to try and make the postseason?

#3 De’Aaron Fox led the Kings in scoring. Talk about what he means for the club this season.

#4 In MLS action, the San Jose Earthquakes are headed to New York to face the NY Red Bulls. The Quakes are coming off two losses to the Montreal Impact and the Minnesota United FC. The later game was rough as they lost in a 3-0 shutout.

#5 After watching the 3-0 shutout, was this reminiscent of last year’s Quakes team or maybe more concerning than last year’s team?

London Marq does the Headline Sports podcast at http://www.sportsradioservice.com each Wednesday