Tag: Sacramento

Kings down Timberwolves 141-130, improve to 15-12

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Photo credit: @SacramentoKings

By: Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO — I said in late October that if the Kings remained at or near a split record through November, I would be excited about this season. Well, the Kings have not disappointed! Monday night’s win over the Chicago Bulls improved the Kings’ record to 14-12 this season. I had an idea this was possible, but didn’t truly believe it would happen. The Kings aren’t the best team in the Western Conference. The Kings aren’t even the best team in their respective division. However, the Kings are much better than last year and dramatically more entertaining. The Kings and their fans headed into Wednesday night’s game looking to build off of their 3-1 road trip. The tip-off was set for 7 PM PST against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Golden 1 Center.

The Kings started the game out the game on a high note. After about 2 minutes of play, the Kings led the Timberwolves 8-4. Through the first quarter, the Kings would be in control the majority of the time. The Kings finished the first with De’Aaron Fox leading the way with 9 points. Andrew Higgins led the T-wolves with 12 in the first quarter of play. After one, the Kings led the T-wolves 35-31.

The second quarter was more of the same. Sacramento wasn’t playing around when they decided to score 28 more points and hold the T-wolves to 19. The Kings clearly had momentum on their side going into halftime. Nemenja Bjelica led the Kings in scoring going into the half with 12 points. Andrew Wiggins led the T-wolves with 14 first-half points. Notably, the Kings shot at a 57.1% FG clip while the T-wolves shot 50% FG.

Going into the third, the Kings came out of the locker room with a 13-point lead. That came into jeopardy when the T-wolves scored 11 unanswered points to bring the game to a score of 63-61. For the rest of the quarter, the game stayed relatively the same. Both teams traded back to back baskets. When the third was all said and done… The Kings led 96-92 going into the fourth.

In the fourth, the Kings would go on a terror early on. That run would ultimately propel the Kings to victory by the score of 141-130. Nemenja Bjelica led the Kings with 25 points. Amongst others, Buddy Hield, and Bogdan Bogdanovic had notable performances with 20 points apiece.

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

Kings drop third straight, 133-121, to the Clippers

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Photo credit: @SacramentoKings 

By: Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The last time the Sacramento Kings played was on Sunday. The last time the Los Angeles Clippers played was on Wednesday. The logical conclusion to draw would be that the Kings would come out fresh and the Clippers would appear to be sluggish. The opposite happened was true on Thursday night at the Golden 1 Center. The Clippers came out in full force, scoring 42 points in the opening quarter. The Kings managed to put up a respectable 26 points, but it was no match for the offensive outburst by the Clippers. The Kings would have to cool down the red-hot Clippers in the second quarter to stay in the game.

The Kings would do just that. Led by Bogdan Bogdanovic and De’Aaron Fox the Kings were able to rally the game closer. After the half, the Kings would be down only by three points 71-68.

In the third, we started nearly even with both teams looking for a leg up! The Clippers would hold onto a slight advantage. Both teams went back and forth shooting baskets and drawing fouls. When it was all said and done, the Clippers extended the lead to 101-93. At this point, the leading scorers were Marvin Bagley (18), De’Aaron Fox (17), and Bogdan Bogdanovic (16) for the Kings. For the Clippers, Tobias Harris led the way with 21 points through three quarters.

Unfortunately for Kings fans, that glimmer of hope wouldn’t last long. The Clippers would go on a roll to score 32 and put away the Kings 133-121.

Perhaps overshadowing the game was the developing story of Dave Joerger and Brandon Williams feud. It was widely reported earlier in the day that Dave Joerger told Brandon Williams to leave shoot-around on Thursday afternoon. This stemming from the rumors that Joerger and Williams have had disagreements on various decisions regarding the Kings for a while now. Keep an eye out on Sports Radio Service for updates on this developing story.

Up Next: The Kings stay home to play the Indiana Pacers on Saturday at 7:00 PM PST.

Kings bounce back with 121-110 win over the Timberwolves

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Photo credit: @SacramentoKings

By: Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento Kings came into Friday night’s game coming off their fifth loss of the year. The Kings were beaten by the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday by a final of 114-105. On Friday, the Kings looked to get back on track and beat the Minnesota Timberwolves. Based on the standings, the Kings are were favored to win the game. Prior to Friday’s game, the Kings were 6-5 and the Timberwolves were 4-8. The tip-off was set for 7 pm PST in smokey California.

The first few minutes of the game did not go as planned for the Kings. The Kings had some open looks in the first few minutes but it proved fruitless. With nearly half of the minutes gone in the first, the Kings had only three points. The Kings were able to slip the script in the final minutes of the first. They were able to put an additional 26 points on the board to bring the game within two points. After the first, the Timberwolves led the Kings 31-29.

The second quarter would prove a little more even-keeled. Other than the fact that Karl-Anthony Towns went off, the quarter was relatively quiet for the Timberwolves. Towns put a monster 29 points on the board in the first half. The Kings, on the other hand, kept pace. Led by Willie Cauley-Stein and Iman Shumpert the Kings were able to make it a 63-61 Kings advantage after two quarters. Willie Cauley-Stein had 17 and Iman Shumpert had 12.

The third quarter was the Kings’ quarter. They have proven that so far this year and they did it again on Friday. Nemenja Bjelica contributed 10 points and led the Kings to a strong third. The Timberwolves managed to score 20 points but the Kings scored 29 to expand the lead. The third quarter finished 92-81 Kings up.

The Kings were 12 minutes away from a 7-5 record. The only question was if they could hold the lead. That was in jeopardy halfway through the fourth quarter. The Timberwolves had cut the lead to eight points and clearly had the momentum. So, with 5:55 remaining in the game, Dave Joerger called a timeout. The timeout didn’t appear to do much good. The Timberwolves scored six unanswered points to make it 106-108.

With the game on the line, the Kings put up a pair of defensive stops and were able to make baskets on the other end. With two minutes to play the Kings were up 115-106. From there, the game was the Timberwolves to lose and the Kings did the opposite. The Kings managed to hold things together and pull out a 121-110 win.

The Kings improved to 7-5 and the Timberwolves fell to 4-9.

Up Next: The LA Lakers come to town for the first time in the LeBron James era. Tip-off is set for Saturday night at 7 pm PST.

Kings unable to stop Leonard, Raptors in 114-105 loss

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Photo credit: @SacramentoKings

By: London Marq

If the NBA was known for having Cinderella, worst to first type stories, the Sacramento Kings would be the early season candidate. They have played with a breakneck pace through the first 10 games in the season, with a boastful record of 6-4. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. This early in the season it looks as the Sacramento Kings are moving towards no longer being a bottom-feeder in The Association.

In their first game back in the Golden 1 Center after a successful 3-1 road trip, where they defeated Miami, Orlando and Atlanta, Sacramento played host to the Toronto Raptors. The Raptors have been on a tear to start the season, entering play on Wednesday evening at 10-1.

The Kings started strong, behind a hot quarter from De’Aaron Fox, who scored 9, including one from behind the arc. Toronto’s star guard Kyle Lowry kept pace with Fox in the first 12 minutes, scoring 8 of his own. Despite leading by 8 at one point, the Kings found themselves on the short end as the quarter expired, 29-26.

The Kings, who have made it a habit to push the ball up and down the court with speed, found themselves slowed down be the fact that they were being muscled on the boards. Three players for Toronto had double-doubles, all with 10 rebounds or more. The Kings were outscored, in every quarter except the fourth. Kawhi Leonard led Raptors were arguably helped out by some scandalous calls by the referees, seemed liable to take the wind out of the Kings sails with a bad call or two whenever they were gaining momentum.

They Kings were able to hang around, and give themselves a chance, bur would be outmatched in the end as the had been in the beginning. The season is young and promising, and Kings players and fans have a lot be excited about, despite losing to a better Toronto team.

The Raptors defeated the Kings 114-105.

The Kings continue their homestand vs. the Timberwolves on Friday night at 7:00 pm PT.

De’Aaron Fox, Kings defeat Grizzlies 97-92

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Photo credit: @NBANewsNow247

By: Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — It was game number five for the Sacramento Kings. In the previous four they won one game. Tonight they were looking to build off a strong showing against the Denver Nuggets. However, there was one thing in particular, the Kings had to improve their defense. The Kings’ offense has been putting together good displays, but the defense must improve in order to win games. The Kings and Memphis Grizzlies went at it at 7 pm local time inside the Golden 1 Center on Wednesday night.

The game would go back and forth in the opening minutes. Having played all but four minutes in the first the game was tied at 17 apiece. The Kings’ top scorers at the time were Willie Cauley-Stein, Buddy Hield, and De’Aaron Fox–all of which had 8 points. Turnovers would be the story in the final minutes of the first. Harry Giles would turn the ball over in back to back possessions as the Grizzlies added onto the lead. By the end of the first, the score would be 28-19 with the Grizzlies on top.

The second quarter started exactly how the first ended. The Kings turned over the ball multiple times with the Grizzlies taking advantage of their turnovers. With 4 minutes to go in the first half, the game’s score was 48-36 with the Grizzlies on top. At this point, the Kings had allowed 10 turnovers, leading to 14 points. The Kings made a run in the next few minutes, cutting the deficit to 44-52 leading into halftime.

The Kings decided to change the narrative of the game in the third quarter. What could have turned into a blowout loss turned into a comeback. Having not led in the game since the first quarter, the Kings took the lead with 5:20 left in the third quarter. De’Aaron Fox finished a layup to give the Kings the lead, 61-60. Both teams matched basket for basket, bringing the game to a screeching halt after the third tied at 71 apiece.

It was clear going into the fourth that the Kings had momentum on their side. The only question was if they could harness that and sink baskets. The Kings would score followed directly by a Grizzlies’ basket. This until Fox went to the rim with an authoritative dunk–coming from beyond three-point range. he slammed it home one-handed. This was followed by a Buddy Hield dunk after a Memphis time out. The score was 87-80 Kings with 6:30 to play. Fox and Marc Gasol got tangled up on the next play leading to a time out. Gasol was lifted and taken out of the game with an apparent collarbone injury. With 3:44 to play in the game, the Kings were up 89-82. The Kings continued to put the pressure on the Grizzlies and that led to a 95-86 lead with 18 seconds to go. The game ended 97-92 in favor of the Kings for their second win of the year.

Up next: The Kings will stay home to host the Washington Wizards on Friday at 7 pm PST.

Jazz ruin Kings’ Opening Night with 123-117 road win at Golden 1 Center

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Photo credit: @desnewssports

By: London Donson

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — NBA opening night is a special night for every team.  It’s a time when every team believes in themselves, despite what the rosters may indicate, possible predictions and off-season hype that they have a chance to create some magic. For the Sacramento Kings, it’s the opportunity for ultimate redemption, like, say, Wednesday night versus the Utah Jazz at Golden 1 Center. Also, a chance to pave a path back to the playoffs after 12 years of being bottom-feeders in the West. With a significant amount of young talent like De’Aaron Fox and Marvin Bagley, Sacramento is looking to progress into the future and it all starts tonight…or not.

The Kings looked like they were hoping to keep the hope alive. With less than eight minutes to go in the first quarter Sacramento held a 9-0 lead over Utah. Sacramento would hold a 10-plus lead for the majority of the quarter, thanks to early contributions from Buddy Hield. Utah rallied early and closed the gap behind seven points, thanks to Joe Ingles. The first quarter ended with a four-point advantage for Sacramento, 34-30.

The Jazz were in control during second and third quarters, while the Kings seemingly couldn’t catch a break with the referees and found themselves in foul trouble in the first three quarters. Rudy Gobert showcased his tremendous length and proved why he is one of the best big men in the NBA. Going into into the fourth quarter, Gobert had a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. The Kings got contributions from many different places with five players with double-digits, but trailed by six at the start of the fourth quarter, 93-87.

The Kings never lost the fire they had going in the game, starting the fourth quarter with energy and refusing to let the Jazz walk away with an easy win. Willie Cauley-Stein went on to be Sacramento’s leading scorer with 23 points. Hield and Fox scored 21 and 19 points, respectively; but the Kings’ real standouts were Nemanja Bjelica and Yogi Ferrell, whose clutch effort plays kept the Kings competitive. Ferrell caused two jump balls through four quarters, the second coming at a crucial late stage in the game as the Kings were trying to close the gap in the fourth quarter.  Bjelica was one of the Kings’ most potent scorers, pouring in 18, including a fourth quarter three-pointer.

In the end, both teams scored 30 points apiece, and the Kings fell by the same third quarter deficit of six points. Even still, Sacramento played with great effort and well enough to be competitive, keeping up with a Utah team that’s considered to be one of the better teams in the West. The Kings can look back at this game for growth, and keep the hope for a better season.

Final: The Jazz defeated the Kings 123-117.

Up Next: The Kings travel to Smoothie King Center to take on the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday, October 19 at 5:00 pm PT on NSCA and FSNO.

Kings snap two-game losing skid with shocking 109-95 win over Cavs

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Sacramento Kings’ George Hill, left, and Garrett Temple celebrate in the closing moments of the Kings 109-95 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers in an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2017, in The Kings won 109-95. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

By: Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Both the Sacramento Kings and Cleveland Cavaliers came into Wednesday’s game trying to rebound from losses suffered prior to the statistically lopsided matchup.

Of course, the Cavs–especially Lebron James–were coming off the controversial Kevin Durant incident consisting of a reported three fouls in two minutes. The Kings’ starters were Garett Temple, Malachi Richardson, Zach Randolph, George Hill, and Frank Mason. The Cavs countered with a starting five of James, Jae Crowder, Kevin Love, JR Smith, and Jose Calderon.

The Kings played in front of what appeared to be a sellout crowd. During the first few minutes of the first quarter, the Kings seemed to have lacked energy. The score with eight minutes left in the first was 12-4. However, the Kings clawed their way back to a 15-12 Cavs advantage with 5:44 to play. At one point, the game would make its way to a 21-16 Cavs advantage, but Kings fans had no fear as their team roared back to finish the first with a 28-27 lead, thanks to Bogdan Bogdanovic’s buzzer two-point shot.

The second quarter would prove to be another strong display from the Kings. It began back and forth until the Kings came out to a 57-45 advantage following a three-pointer from Buddy Hield. Zack Randolph proceeded to hit a three from way downtown. With about a minute left to play, George Hill would hit a two to make it 62-53 Kings with 31.7 seconds left to play in the second. The Kings were up 55-62 at halftime.

The second half began with Randolph hitting a two from in close to make it 64-55 Kings. However, it was short-lived as the Cavs went on a run to make it 67-66, forcing Dave Joerger to take a timeout. With 6:45 left to play, the score was 69-68 Cavs. LeBron would dunk and transition followed by a Randolph two. Randolph made it a three by hitting his free throw and tied the score 71-71 with five minutes left in the third. Timeout halted play with 2:45 left and the score 79-74 Kings. To cap off a great third, Carter hit a three from the wing to put the Kings up 85-80 going into the final quarter.

The fourth quarter began in favor of the Kings, who went on a 11-0 run to extend the lead to 94-80 with 8:37 left to play. With 7:10 left, the Kings got a jump ball. The game sat pretty tight until Vince Carter hit a three to break the 100-point barrier and make it 101-87 Kings with 5:11 left. With 3:38 left, Willy Cauley-Stein was fouled and made one of his two free throws. Carter would hit a two and Temple then hit a three to make it 109-92 and appeared to put the game out of reach. LeBron would sit and the Kings went on to win by a final score of 109-95.

Kings black out Suns 99-92; Sac wins two out of last three

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Sacramento Kings forward Zach Randolph, left, drives against Phoenix Suns forward TJ Warren during the second half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2017, in Sacramento, Calif. The Kings won 99-92. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

By Tony Renteria

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento Kings (9-18) were looking to rebound from a bad home loss against against the Toronto Raptors and got what they were looking for with a much-needed 99-92 win over the struggling Phoenix Suns (9-20) at Golden 1 Center in California’s capital.

The Kings, who have now won two of the last three games, are looking to make a move up from last place in the Pacific Division by beating the Suns, who are directly above the Kings in the standings. With tonight’s win, the Kings are now in fourth place and a game ahead of the Suns.

Kings’ George Hill made a nice return to the starting lineup with a solid stat line of 18 points with seven boards and five assists. Hill has been averaging only nine points a game, but in this return, he played a quality game in only 28 minutes. Veteran Zach Randolph, who has been playing center for the young Kings, chipped in 17 points himself.

The Suns, who are are really on a tail spin by dropping eight of their last 10 games before tonight’s loss, really need to turn things around soon if they hope to salvage this season at all.  Interim coach Jay Triano is not not helping his cause to remain at the helm of this once proud franchise with effort from his squad like tonight. The Suns were led by third player T.J. Warren, who scored 18 points, but had less than 40% shooting from the field.  He missed all four of his three point attempts against the Kings.

With the win tonight, the Kings have evened up the series this season to one game apiece with each team winning on their home floor.

The Suns head up to Canada to play the mentioned Raptors Wednesday night. while the Kings also head up north to Minnesota to take on the Timberwolves on Thursday.

Kings defeat rival Lakers, 113-102, Cauley-Stein records season-high 26 points

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Photo credit: @SacramentoKings

By London Marq

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — All eyes were on the rookies for tonight’s matchup in Sacramento, California at the Golden 1 Center. This year’s fifth pick in the draft De’Aaron Fox and the No. 2 pick Lonzo Ball, squared to face-off for the first of four times this season in a highly anticipated matchup.  Though Ball was selected three spots earlier, he has played better through the early stage of the season and it has become a hot topic to debate. Only exacerbated by the fact that Fox outplayed and beat Ball in the last NCAA tournament this past March. The Kings enter play trying to find any trace of consistency in their play. Going against their arch-rival Lakers that are also trying to maximize young assets. The Kings had a lot of motivation to win tonight.

When the Kings have played at their best this season, they played lockdown defense. That was how the night started for Sacramento. They opened the first quarter in impressive defensive fashion keeping Los Angeles to just 19 points in the quarter. Zach Randolph led an efficient offense early, pouring in 11 points, helping the Kings gain a 31-19 advantage after one quarter.

In the second quarter, the Kings kept the ball rolling on both ends of the court, outscoring the Lakers 23-22. This would maximize Sacramento’s lead and they would take a 13-point advantage going into halftime.  The Lakers ended up having a decent night offensively. Six players scored double digits and Ball had a double-double with 11 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds. Fox’s stat line was not as flashy with 13 points, three assists, and four rebounds, but he played a crucial role in getting a much-needed Kings win. Especially considering a win over the Lakers always counts for more in Sacramento.

The Lakers gained a bit of momentum in the third quarter, but they would end up allowing 37 points in the fourth quarter. Willie Cauley-Stein had a great game off the bench scoring a season-high 26 points. The game’s final score was Sacramento defeating Los Angeles 113-102.

“I’m thankful for beating the Lakers,” Cauley-Stein said after the game. This was definitely a sentiment that was sure to be felt throughout the locker room tonight.

Cousins fined, apologizes and gets back to work

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

Sacramento Kings v Dallas Mavericks
photo: NBAE

by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings came down hard on DeMarcus Cousins Tuesday for his outburst in the locker room with a Sacramento Bee columnist that was caught on video and presumably for the actions he has taken against the editor of the website Cowbell Kingdom. According to Marc Spears of ESPN/The Undefeated, the team fined Cousins $50-thousand.

The Kings management issued the following statement on Tuesday, “The Kings have a clear set of standards of conduct expected of our entire organization. As a result of negative interactions with certain members of the media that were not corrected after verbal warnings, we have decided to impose a substantial fine. If this behavior is repeated again we will be forced to consider further discipline.”

The Kings did not and we expect will not reveal the amount of the fine.

A statement from Cousins

DeMarcus Cousins released the following written statement before the game on Tuesday afternoon:

“There is a time, place and manner to say everything, and I chose the wrong ones. Like most people, I am fiercely protective of my friends and family, and I let my emotions get the best of me in this situation. I understand my actions were inexcusable and I commit to upholding the professional standards of the Kings and the NBA. I apologize to my teammates, fans and the Kings organization for my behavior and the ensuing distraction and look forward to moving on and focusing on basketball.”

Some may be critical that he issued the apology in written form and not publicly. A face the press apology may well have turned into a spectacle that would not have served either side well.

If there is any point of concern with Cousins apology from this reporter’s point of view, it is that it did not include Andy Furillo and Leo Beas in the list of people receiving apologies. Cousins did not need to apologize to me or the press corps in general but it would have been appropriate to have included the two reporters who had the target of the anger.

Why did the Kings act now?

The Kings in the past have taken a “hands off” approach toward their star big man. Why did they suddenly take such swift and decisive action in this case with Cousins?

First, there is the video evidence. The videos that have been displayed on the internet are not flattering and are not supportive to any type of explanation that Cousins might have wanted to make about his actions.

Second, some have suggested the presence of new blood in the front office has made a difference in the process. Ken Catanella was brought in during the offseason as assistant general manager to help Vlade Divac with the day-to-day operations of the team. He held a similar position with the Pistons and previously worked in the NBA Office of Labor Relations. He does not have the close ties that Divac and owner Vivek Ranadive have to Cousins.

It may be that a more independent and less emotional viewpoint led to more decisive action in this case.

cantella

Was a fine necessary?

I am not sure that a fine was the way to go in this situation. A suspension would certainly have been inappropriate. The solution here should not include harming the team’s performance on the floor and chances of success for the fans.

A commitment to some media training and an apology would really would have sufficed in this situation. The Kings probably felt the fine was needed to show the public that they were serious about the situation.

It is believed the NBA has strongly encouraged or mandated that Cousins receive some media training as well.

What to do with the money?

Fine money in all professional sports winds up in some charitable giving account. The most appropriate use of the money would be to evenly divide the money between the journalism departments of Sacramento State and UC Davis to be used for the furtherance of sports journalism education at both institutions.

Andy Furillo’s point of view

One of the people who had not been heard from was Sacramento Bee Reporter Andy Furillo. The Rise Guys from ESPN 1320 Radio in Sacramento made contact with Furillo in Chicago were he is vacationing for the holidays and you can hear his take on the situation by clicking on this link: http://media.espn1320.net/a/117859440/where-does-the-fallout-from-andy-s-article-come-from.htm

rise

Let’s move on

Hopefully, this is the end of what has been an unfortunate series of incidents involving the Kings, Cousins and the press. Now, it is time to put the focus back on the basketball court where it belongs.