Tag: Washington Wizards

It was a painful game to watch on Sunday as the Wizards destroyed the Kings 100-83

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
wiz beal drives on hield
Bradley Beal drives on Buddy Hield Photo USA Today Sports

by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Washington Wizards opened the game with the Sacramento Kings on Sunday afternoon with a 13 – 0 run. By the time Sacramento head coach Dave Joerger mercifully called timeout with 7:16 to go in the first quarter, very few in the Golden 1 Center had any doubts about how the game would finish.

By the time the final buzzer sounded 48 – minutes later, the Wizards (4-2) had handed the Kings (1-5) their third consecutive defeat 110-83. Quite possibly more important than losing three-in-a-row is the fact the Kings are 0-3 at home this season. Even for a young team – there is supposed to be some semblance of a “home court advantage”. This young edition of the Kings has not established that home court presence as of yet.

Wizards were on a mission

wiz john wall scores
John Wall scored a game-high 19 points Photo USA Today Sports

Washington had been on a very tough road trip. The Wizards won the opening game of the trip in Denver, then everything fell apart in Los Angeles. After John Wall was very outspoken about the way he was going to go at Lonzo Ball, the Lakers beat the Wizards 102 – 99 in overtime. That loss led to some major headlines across the nation.

On Friday night, Washington had to face the Golden State Warriors in Oakland. The Wizards were in control of that contest until late in the game when the Warriors came alive to outscore the Wizards 33-20 in the fourth period. Golden State won the game 120 – 117.

That Warriors game also featured the “scuffle” between Draymond Green and Bradley Beal. The Wizards literally did not know until 90-minutes before the game whether Beal would be able to play or be suspended. The league chose to fine him and Beal played against the Kings.

Wizards head coach Scott Brooks made it very clear in his pregame remarks that his team had one goal and that was to finish the road trip 2 – 2. They met that goal.

The 3-point shot was the Wizards weapon of choice

Washington used the 3-point shot to perfection against the Kings on Sunday. The Wizards hit 17-of-34 3-point attempts (50-percent) in the game. That was not a franchise record. Washington has the 11th best 3-point shooting percentage in the NBA. Ironically, the team with the 12th best 3-point shooting percentage in “the Association” is the Sacramento Kings – except they shot only 27.3-percent (6-for-22) from beyond the arc on Sunday.

John Wall led the Wizards hitting 5-of-6 from downtown. Otto Potter Jr. sank three and Kelly Oubre Jr. connected on two from long range.

Every active player on the Washington roster played and scored in the game

$Wiz Dark

The Wizards had 12 men on the active roster Sunday afternoon and all saw playing time against the Kings. Every Wizard scored points. John Wall scored a game-high 19-points and dished out nine assists.

Otto Porter Jr. put up 16-points and grabbed five rebounds. Bradley Beal – who in this reporter’s opinion should have been on suspension for his actions last Friday night – scored 15-points. Mike Scott added 13-points and Jodie Meeks recorded 11.

Every active player on the Kings roster played in the game

1-Slamson icon

Dave Joerger planned on using a 10-man rotation on Sunday. When Garrett Temple sustained a cut over his eye, that changed the plan and all 13 Sacramento players saw time on the floor.

Bogdan Bogdanovic led the Kings in scoring with with 15-points going 7-for-9 from the field. Frank Mason III put up 11-points shooting 5-for-10 in his 21-minutes on the court. Skal Labissiere and Malachi Richardson each tallied 10 points against the Wizards.

Dave Joerger had some interesting takes on the loss to the Wizards

Wizards Head Coach Scott Brooks thoughts on the game

wiz scott brooks
Scott Brooks looks on as his Wizard destroys the Kings Photo USA Today Sports

“I thought we came out defensively and contested shots and made them miss shots. We were really moving the ball well, and knocking down 3’s. It was probably the best that we’ve played on both ends of the court. Our passing, leading to open 3’s were just terrific. Hopefully, we can continue that trend. Defensive mindset was really good tonight.”

Kings management must react to the “boos” and empty seats

1-Sac Block

Kings head coach Dave Joerger made some comments in his pregame news conference about the starting lineup and roster being about player development. Everyone understands that Kings are in a “rebuilding mode” but that does not mean they will be patient if they go into a “G-League” mode. Kings fans are paying top dollar for the opportunity to see their team play at the Golden 1 Center and they expect to see their team at least be competitive on the court.

Having George Hill and Zach Randolph on the inactive list against a team like the Wizards is not putting your best product on the floor. If you want to experiment with a young, inexperienced roster, do it in Indiana or Atlanta where their fans will love the “blow out” and not feel “ripped off”. At home, the Kings need to do everything they can to win games. They owe that to their fans.

It is not acceptable to hear boos at the end of the first-half and to have a half-full arena as the second-half tips-off. Kings fans have worked too hard to keep this team in Sacramento to suffer experimental lineup after experimental lineup. Experiment on the road and be competitive at home.

Up next on the schedule

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The Kings head out on the road for a three-game road that begins on Halloween in Indiana with the Pacers. Then on Wednesday, they have the back end of a back-to-back set on the road in Boston. Sacramento wraps up the road trip on Saturday in Detroit with the Pistons.

The Wizards head back to Washington and will face the Suns on Wednesday and then must get ready for the Cavs on Friday.

Kings: There’s money in the bank and they need players; now they need takers!

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

by Charlie O. Mallonee

porter -nba money stack

The Sacramento Kings have an estimated $59-million of available money under the $99-million salary cap limit for the 2017-18 season to sign free agents to play for the team. Part of that money — approximately $9-million — will go to Serbian shooting guard Bogdan Bogdanovic who the team signed to a three-year contract last week.

Porter - bogdan
Kings new shooting guard Bogdan Bogdanovic

 

The Kings obtained the rights to Bogdanovic last year in a draft-day trade that sent Marquese Chriss to Phoenix and ultimately netted the Kings Georgios Papagiannis, Skal Labissiere and the signing rights to Bogdonovic.

Bogdanovic refused to sign with the Phoenix after being drafted by the Suns in 2014. By waiting until 2017, Bogdanovic was able to bypass the NBA Rookie System and enter the league in the Free Agent salary pool. He rolled the dice, played well in Europe for Fenerbahce of Turkey who won the EuroLeague Championship in 2017. Now he is a member of the Sacramento Kings making big dollars.

Signing the 6-foot-6 shooting guard fills a major need for the Kings but does not complete the many needs the Kings have for experienced players at key positions. Sacramento is a very young team at point guard, small forward and power forward. They need some veterans to play vital minutes until very young players can be developed to take over those positions which could take one to three seasons.

The Free Agent Market Opened on July 1

NBA: Boston Celtics at Washington Wizards
Otto Porter Jr. of the Washington Wizards

The Kings have been active in trying to interest free agents to come to Sacramento. The Kings were rumored have been fringe players in the Andre Iguodala sweepstakes. Not that it was a realistic pursuit, but it does prove the team has their sights set high.

Currently, they Kings are rumored to have made an offer to Restricted Free Agent Otto Porter, Jr. Reports have the Kings meeting with Porter on Sunday and offering him a maximum contract of $106-million over 4-years to take over the small forward role for the club. The Kings lost their veteran small forward when Rudy Gay decided to opt out of the final year of his contract to become a free agent.

Porter had his best best year as a pro in 2016-17 for the Washington Wizards. He averaged 13.7 points per game in 32-minutes of playing time. Porter shot 51.6-percent overall from the floor (43.4-percent from 3-point range). He averaged 6.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game.

As a restricted free agent, the Wizards have the right to match any offer that Porter receives from another team. Washington has indicated they intend to match any such offers; however, matching a “max offer of $106-million over four years would put the Wizards over the salary cap and force them to pay luxury tax. Most observers feel the team really does not want to pay that tax and will let Porter walk.

If the Wizards are inclined to let Porter go because of the money, that does not mean he automatically winds up in Sacramento. He is reportedly meeting with the Nets on Monday and will be meeting with a third unnamed team this week.

Porter is just 24-years old so he fits the Kings youth movement perfectly. He also has four years of experience that would be very welcome on team that is so young and full of rookies.

 

 

Kings lose 130-122 in OT to the Wizards: here’s your 2:20 game wrap

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

by Charlie O. Mallonee

willie vs wiz

The Kings looked like they were going to break out of their six-game losing streak on Friday when they took a 15-point lead into the final quarter versus the Wizards. Washington erased that lead to tie the game at 116-all at the end of regulation.

The Wizards (40-24) outscored the Kings 14-6 in overtime and won the game 130-122.

Here’s your 2:20 game wrap:

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John Wall takes it to the hoop Photo NBAE

The Wizards were led by an incredible backcourt performance from Bradley Beal and John Wall who combined for 63 points. The Kings (25-40) were paced by Willie Cauley-Stein who recorded a 20/13 double-double and Buddy Hield who put up 18 points in his first ever NBA start.

Click on this link to see highlights of the game from NBA.com

No time to rest and reflect

The Kings will be back on the court on Saturday night when they host the Denver Nuggets at Golden 1 Center. The Kings lost to the Nuggets 108-96 on Monday night in Denver.

Sportsradioservice.com will have a 2:20 pregame look posted on Twitter @SportsRadioSrvc at approximately 6:30 p.m. PST. There will be twitter updates during the game and the 2:20 game wrap will go up Twitter approximately 30-minutes after the end of the game.

Kings news & notes Monday 11-28-16

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

by Charlie O. Mallonee

webber

Cousins passes Webber on the scoring list

DeMarcus Cousins scored a game-high 37 points in win over the Nets on Sunday night. Those 37 points allowed Cousins to pass Chris Webber for third on the all-time Sacramento Kings scoring list.

Cousins now has 8847 career points for Sacramento. Webber accumulated 8843 points during his six-plus years with Sacramento.

Peja Stojakovic is currently in second-place with 9498 points and the great Mitch Richmond holds down the number one spot with 12,070 points. The all-time franchise (Royals/Kings) points leader is Hall of Famer Oscar Robinson.

Based on his current scoring projections, Cousins could pass Stojakovic for second-place on the scoring list later this season.

It was a night of technical fouls plus a flagrant two ejection

DeMarcus Cousins picked up his fifth technical foul in the third quarter of the game for contact with Luis Scola’s face. It was incorrectly reported as his fourth technical foul in last night’s story. Cousins is now tied for the league lead in that category with DeAndre Jordan of the Clippers.

The Kings Kosta Koufos was charged with a technical foul in the fourth quarter for arguing with the officials. Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson picked up a “T” in the fourth out of frustration with the officials and his team. Nets guard Randy Foye was also a recipient of a technical late in the final period.

Matt Barnes received his flagrant two foul (which was a flagrant one all the way) and ejection from the officiating crew on Sunday night in Brooklyn.

Four technicals and a flagrant two ejection begins to sound like an officiating crew that might have lost control of a game. This would be a good game for the chief of officials to review.

The Kings went back to the big starting lineup on Sunday in Brooklyn

After using the the “small ball” starting lineup for the past three games, Sacramento head coach Dave Joerger went back to the “big lineup” versus the big Nets. That means Koufos started at center, Cousins slid back to power forward, Rudy Gay played the three, Arron Afflalo was at shooting guard and Darren Collison started as the Kings point guard.

Three Kings return to Reno

reno-sc

Center Georgios Papagiannis, Forward Skal Labissiere and Guard Malachi Richardson ended few days with the parent club and returned to the D-League on Sunday. The Bighorns hosted the Warriors D-League entry the Santa Cruz Warriors.

The Bighorns used a runaway second quarter to establish a solid lead over Santa Cruz and won their second game of the season 100-84.

Malachi Richardson led the Bighorns scoring attack with 24 points and made it a double-double with 11 rebounds. He shot 8-for-18 from the floor, 3-for-6 from 3-point range and hit 5-of-6 from the free throw line.

Skal Labissiere recorded 18 points and grabbed four rebounds. He went 6-for-11 shooting from the field and was 6-for-8 from foul line.

Papagiannis did not play which was listed as a coach’s decision. Kings head coach Dave Joerger had told us that having all three players in a game really limited the number of touches each player received and they want to maximize that number to speed up player development.

The Bighorns will host the Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Houston) on Thursday.

Don’t let this guy get to close to you on the court in D.C.

For entertainment purposes only

FiveThirtyEight.com says the Wizards have a 68-percent chance of beating the Kings tonight in Washington (remember: this is the second game of a back-to-back set on the road). FiveThirtyEight’s CARMELO system predicts the Wizards are the favorites minus 4.5 points.

CARMELO also predicts the Wizards will finish with a record of 34-48 and have a 31-percent chance of making the playoffs in the Eastern Conference.

The fellows who make those predictions for the owners of those big resorts say go with the Wizards minus 4.5 points. They call the over/under as 210 to 210.5.

Looking ahead to game six of the road trip in Dallas

dallas-dirk

As reported by HoopsHype via Dallas Morning News on the Dirk Nowitzki injury: He’s only played five of 16 games. “We have every expectation that it’s not serious,” owner Mark Cuban said. “It’s dramatically better. That’s why he played the other night (in Cleveland). He just felt it again, so there’s no reason to take a chance. We’re just being cautious.” Said Carlisle: “The important thing is that we’re doing the right things to get him to a full recovery. He’s come a long way in a four-plus week period. But it’s an Achilles strain and it’s taking time. My hope is that it can be complete sometime in December, sooner than later. But we just got to be patient with it. He’s too important to us. If we have to play without him, we’ll play without him.”

Kings win game one on the road beating Brooklyn 122-105

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

By Charlie O. Mallonee

NBA: Sacramento Kings at Brooklyn Nets
Photo USA Today Sports

The road is a harsh place in the NBA

The chances of a road team winning a game in the NBA stand at approximately 40-percent. That means the odds are against you before you ever start the game.

The Sacramento Kings kicked off a six-game road trip in Brooklyn on Sunday night against the Nets. The Nets came into the game having lost six consecutive games and were desperate for a win. Sacramento knew this was a team they could beat and needed to defeat to make it a successful start to the road trip.

The Kings (7-10) met their goal by soundly defeating the Nets 122-105 to start the long road trip on a positive note.

The Nets opened the game with fast and furious play

Brooklyn plays fast as team normally, but they opened this game with a sense of urgency wanting to end their losing streak and feeling like the Kings were a team they could beat on their home court.

The Nets decided to use the Rockets philosophy and started shooting as many 3-pointers as possible against the Kings. The concept worked momentarily as Brooklyn opened up a nine point lead shooting 5-for-10 from long range, but the Kings got organized on offense scoring with high percentage shots in the paint. At the end of the first quarter, the Kings had cut the Nets lead to four points – 35 to 31.

The Sacramento second unit slowed the Nets down in the second quarter

The Kings second unit led by Matt Barnes and Garrett Temple slowed the Nets down by increasing the defensive pressure and continued to cut into the Brooklyn lead using high percentage shots in the paint. Sacramento tied the game up with 8:52 to in the first half, and then they took the lead.

The Nets took the lead back before the end of the half, but they were not able to reestablish the fiery pace of the first quarter. Also, the Kings continued to score. DeMarcus Cousins hit a 25-foot bank shot for 3-points near the end of period. At the end of the 12-minutes, Sacramento had won the quarter 27-24. Brooklyn went to halftime with a 59-58 lead over the Kings.

Sacramento Kings v Brooklyn Nets
Photo NBAE

In the third quarter the Sacramento Express rolled into Brooklyn

The Kings have been a strong second-half team in general this season. On Sunday night in Brooklyn, they found a whole new running gear thanks to their star center. Cousins took charge of the game scoring 18 points in the quarter, shooting 6-for-9 from the floor including hitting 2-of-2 from 3-point range. He went 4-for-4 from the free throw line, grabbed five rebounds and had three steals in the period. Cousins did in 12-minutes what a majority of players would love to do in an entire game.

Rudy Gay added five points and two assists. Darren Collison scored five points and had one assist. Matt Barnes put up three points and dished out three assists in just 5:30 on the floor.

By the end of the quarter, the Kings had outscored the Nets 34-18 in the period and had a 92-77 lead in the game.

The one negative of the quarter was that DeMarcus Cousins picked up a technical foul for hitting Luis Scola in the face under basket while trying to make a layup. Cousins then went to the line to shoot two free throws because Scola fouled him in the act of shooting. It is Cousins fourth technical of the season.

Sacramento Kings v Brooklyn Nets
Photo NBAE

The fourth quarter should have been an easy one for Sacramento but is wasn’t

Everything started off the Kings in fourth quarter just the way they wanted things to go. It looked like it would be a forgettable 12-minutes and Sacramento could move on to Washington, D.C. for the game on Monday night.

Then at the 9:35 mark of the fourth quarter, Sean Kilpatrick of the Nets drove to the basket for a layup. Matt Barnes of the Kings ran in from the angle to cut him off and there was heavy contact. Replay revealed that Barnes’ left arm made contact with Kilpatrick’s face. The officials went to review the video and everyone knew Barnes was going to be issued a flagrant one foul. Instead, the referees called it a flagrant two foul and Barnes was ejected from the game. (Let me just say that Barnes previous reputation as a tough guy may have come into play in the call – imho).

The ejection changed the momentum of the game and the Nets promptly went on a 16-2 run and cut the Kings lead down to 99-93.

Rudy Gay hit a 19-foot jumper with 6:29 to go in the game which kicked off a 14-0 run by the Kings. That run killed any hope the Nets had of coming back in the game.

Sacramento won the game by the final score of 122-105.

Sacramento leaders

NBA: Sacramento Kings at Brooklyn Nets
Photo USA Today Sports
  • DeMarcus Cousins was the leading scorer in the game with 37 points and made it a double-double with 11 rebounds
  • Rudy Gay had a big game with 22 points, eight assists and eight rebounds
  • Darren Collison scored 18 points
  • Ty Lawson scored 13 points coming off the bench for the Kings
  • Omri Casspi played again for the Kings putting up eight point and grabbing five rebounds. He was 2-for-2 from 3-point range.
  • Everyone on the Sacramento bench except Anthony Tolliver – that includes Ben McLemore and Willie Cauley-Stein- played in the game

Brooklyn’s top producers

  • Guard Sean Kilpatrick was the Nets leading scorer with 22 points. He went 8-for-13 shooting including three 3-point baskets
  • Brook Lopez put up 17 points and hauled in seven rebounds while battling with DeMarcus Cousins all night
  • Bojan Bogdanovic added 13 points for Brooklyn
  • Justin Hamilton was the Nets rebounding leader with 10

Key stat of the game

Points in the paint: Kings 50 Nets 36 – this is where the game was won

Up next on the schedule

The Nets game was the first game of a back-to-back set on the road for the Kings. Sacramento will play on Monday night in Washington, D.C. The Wizards are 5-10 on the season and are coming off a loss to San Antonio. The Kings did play the Wizards in the preseason at Rupp Arena on the campus of the University of Kentucky.

The Nets will try to end their seven-game losing streak on Tuesday night when they host the 14-4 Los Angeles Clippers.

Kings beat the Wizards 124-119 to wrap up “Big Blue Madness Weekend”

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

 

wcs-dmc-wall

Photo credit: Charles Bertram Lexington Herald – Leader

by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings and Washington Wizards met in a NBA preseason game to wrap up the “Big Blue Madness Weekend” which kicks off the NCAA basketball season for the Kentucky Wildcats. The game featured four former Wildcats – DeMarcus Cousins, Willie Cauley-Stein, Skal Labissiere and the Wizards’ John Wall.

The Kings won the game 124-119 for those who care and there were many people in Kentucky who did not seem to care. The Rupp Arena where the game was played has a seating capacity of 23,000 for basketball. Basketball fans in the Lexington area have to drive three hours (192 miles) west to Indianapolis to see a NBA game, so you would think a game in their own backyard would be a big draw. You would be wrong. Just 8,472 people showed up to see a game that featured four former Wildcat professional players.

The score will tell you that the game was not one that featured much in the way of defense. In fact, the final score has more in common with the 2015-16 Kings than it does with the new edition under the guidance of Dave Joerger.

The Kings were led in scoring by DeMarcus Cousins and Darren Collison who put up 22 points each. Before getting too excited, do not forget that Collison will not be with the Kings for the first eight games of the season while he serves his NBA mandated suspension.

Omri Casspi scored 16 points in 22 minutes on the floor while Willie Cauley-Stein put up 12 points, grabbed five rebounds, had four steals and added one block shot in his 22 minutes of playing time. Lamar Patterson scored 14 points in 12 minutes of playing time coming off the bench.

Ben McLemore got the start at shooting guard in the game and played a team-high 29 minutes but had a tough game. He scored just eight points- five in the first half which came with less than two minutes to play and three points in the second half. McLemore shot just 2-for-6 from the floor and was 0-for-1 from beyond the 3-point line. He was a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line. Joerger is giving McLemore the playing time but young guard does not seem to be giving the needed production back in return.

Sacramento shot an impressive 60.0-percent (42-for-70) from the floor and were an outstanding 9-for-19 (47.4-percent) from 3-point land. The Kings went 31-for-38 (81.6-percent) from the charity stripe. They had 26 assists but turned the ball over 27 times. The Kings out-rebounded the Wizards 40-32.

The Wizards shot 48.5-percent (47-for-97) from the field and went 8-for-31 (25.8-percent) from beyond the 3-point line. Andrew Nicholson was their leading scorer with 19 points. John Wall – who is recovering from knee surgery – played 22 minutes and scored 11 points.

Kings head coach Dave Joerger started all three of his former Kentucky players – Cousins, Cauley-Stein and Skal Labissiere. Labissiere went scoreless in 16 minutes on the floor but did haul in four rebounds, block two shots and got two steals.

The Kings Rudy Gay, Ty Lawson, Arron Afflalo, Isaiah Cousins and Matt Barnes were held out of the game by head coach Dave Joerger for rest and to give others playing time.

The Kings are now 3-2 in the preseason and will play their final warm up contest on Tuesday night in Sacramento against the Los Angeles Clippers. The first game of regular season will be played on Wednesday, October 26 in Phoenix.

Warriors’ winning ways continue, hold off Wizards

Published on by jhawkes51Leave a comment

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

OAKLAND, Calif — Reigning league MVP Stephen Curry led all scorers with 26 points and Draymond Green fell one assist shy for his 13th triple double of the season helping the Golden State Warriors fend off a pesky Washington Wizards team, 102-94 Tuesday night in front of a sold out raucous Oracle Arena crowd.

Curry shot just 9 for 20 from the field, but drilled 6 of 8 threes to go along with seven assists, seven rebounds, five steals and emphatic dunk in the closing moments of the first quarter as Golden State (67-7), tied the franchise mark for wins in a season from last season and remain on pace to break the all-time wins mark in a season.

The 1995-96 Chicago Bulls finished the season 72-10 en route to the NBA title.

With eight games to go, Golden State must finish no worse than 6-2 to set a new single-season record for wins in a season.

Green finished with 15 points, 16 rebounds, and nine assists, while Klay Thompson scored just 16 points after back-to-back games of 40+ points over the weekend for the Warriors, who picked up their 54th straight win at home dating back to last season.

Golden State is 36-0 at home this season and have a chance to break the 1985-86 Boston Celtics’ 40-1 home record, an NBA record.

Washington (36-38) played Golden State very tough for three quarters, scoring 25 points off of 16 Golden State turnovers and out-scoring the Warriors in the paint, 50-40.

Golden State did dominate on the glass, out-rebounding Washington 55-48 and held the edge on fast break points, 24-13.

Bradley Beal led the Wizards with 17 points, Markieff Morris had 15 points and eight rebounds, and Otto Porter Jr. finished with 11 points for Washington, who allowed Golden State to close the first half on a 12-0 run to take a 49-46 lead after building a nine-point lead.

Both teams return to floor quickly Wednesday with Golden State flying to Salt Lake City to play a surging Utah Jazz team, while Washington looks to bounce back when they visit Sacramento.

 

 

 

 

The Warriors stifle the Washington Wizards

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

by Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland, Ca March 23rd, 2015

The Golden State won for the 57th time this season beating the visiting Washington Wizards 107-76. The Warriors shut down the Wizards totally in the third period as the Wizards were held to just eight points and they made just one field goal and that came after nearly eleven minutes of play. The Dubs outscored them 29-8 to put the game out of reach and their record improved to 57-13 for the season while the Wizard fell to 40-31.

Steph Curry led the Dubs with 24 points, six assists, and five rebounds. The Dubs are now an amazing 34-2 at the Roaracle Arena. Andrew Bogut had twelve rebounds and Draymond Green added thirteen points and six boards. Klay Thompson saw action in Monday night’s win as he had eight points and three rebounds in eighteen minutes of action. Thompson missed the last three games with a sprained ankle,

The Wizards’ Bradley Beal scored twelve and John Wall added eleven as Washington lost its third straight game.

After the game Dubs’ coach, Steve Kerr said, " I think the last few games have been a real progression for us in terms of just being very methodical and Professional."

The Warriors honored the 1974-75 NBA championship team throughout the game. Many players, including Hall of Famer, Rick Barry, were on hand to see this year’s team continue to excel as they seek to go all the way. Barry spoke to the team after the game, praising the current players and wishing them well.

The Warriors travel to Portland to face the Trail Blazers Tuesday night.

Warriors offense falls flat, lose to Wizards 88-85

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By Gabe Schapiro

The Golden State Warriors (27-19) struggled for most of the game, losing to the Washington Wizards (22-22), 88-85, Tuesday night, at Oracle Arena. Neither squad looked particularly good, in a contest that quickly turned into an ugly offensive showing. Both sides failed to shoot above a 38% clip, and combined for 37 turnovers.

The contest remained close throughout in a very defense-oriented game, and ultimately came down to which side would make the least mistakes and hit the big shot when the opportunity presented itself.

For the Wizards it was their electric backcourt that saved the day, and nailed the last nail in the Warriors coffin. Washington held a slight one-point lead heading into the fourth quarter. Bradley Beal, who’s impact had been limited, came up big and sunk three straight from beyond the arc to open up a lead.

Golden State slowly scratched their way back. A tough David Lee lay-up in traffic tied the game up at 85-85 with 1:47 to play. Unfortunately, that would be the last points they could muster.

On the very next possession Beal finally missed a three-pointer, but an offensive rebound kept it alive for the Wizards. The pass quickly went to a wide-open John Wall, who nailed the trey. The basket would prove to be the game-winner. Stephen Curry had the final shot, but Trevor Ariza did an impressive job covering him, and all Curry could get off was an awkward heave that never had much of a chance.

For Golden State, Curry was their only consistent source of offense. Despite an off shooting night, he finished with a game-high 23 points, to go along with four assists and four steals. He was the only Warrior to reach double figures until Klay Thompson joined him in the fourth quarter. Thompson contributed 13, on 5-of-17 shooting.

Lee and Andre Iguodala both struggled. They combined to make just four-of-17 shots, for 16 points.

Golden State’s bench, which has struggled for much of the season, was the biggest bright spot. They combined to hit 11-of-20 shots, for 29 points. Jordan Crawford in particular played a big role in bringing the team back in the fourth quarter with several electric plays.

Beal led the way for Washington. He contributed a team-high 20 points, with seven rebounds and four assists. Wall came up big when he needed to, and had 15 points, eight boards, and five assists. Ariza and Marcin Gortat both finished with double-digit rebounds, with 11 and 12 respectively. As a team they out-rebounded the Dubs, 56-47.

It was a disappointing loss after such a strong win over the Portland Trail Blazers a couple of nights ago. They’ll look to rebound when the LA Clippers come to town, this Thursday.

Warriors Continue Historic Run, Make Wizards Early Lead Disappear

Published on by Matthew HarringtonLeave a comment

By Matthew Harrington
The Golden State Warriors ran their win-streak to nine-straight games, topping the Washington Wizards 112-96 at the Verizon Center Sunday afternoon. David Lee and Andrew Bogut registered double-doubles for the Dubs who continued their longest win streak since the end of the 1991 season and start of the 1992 campaign with the win.
Guard Klay Thompson had a game-high 26 points for the Warriors (23-13) on 9 of 14 shooting while Lee dropped 21 points and 11 rebounds. Bogut also had 11 rebounds, tying Lee for the game-best, and 15 points on seven baskets made in nine attempts. Wizards starting point guard John Wall and reserve Nene Hilario tied for the team-high in points with 14 with Wall notching a double-double of his own courtesy of his 10 assists. The Warriors Stephen Curry matched his Wizards counter-part with 10 assists and 14 points of his own.

The Wizards (14-17) raced out to an early 36-28 lead but Golden State would send the teams to the half tied at 58 after outscoring Washington 30-22 in the 2nd quarter. The Warriors took the 92-73 lead in the third by outscoring the hosts 34-15 then cruised to the win despite the Wizards outscoring them 23-20.

The win, coming in Golden State’s fifth road game in a row amidst the season’s longest road trip of seven games, boosted the Dubs past the Clippers to the top of the Pacific Division standings. The Warriors will travel to Milwaukee Tuesday looking for their tenth in a row, a streak that would match a ten-game run the Warriors compiled in December, 1975. After that, it’s a stop in Brooklyn then back home to Oracle Arena.