by Charlie O. Mallonee
NBA teams have only a 33-percent chance of winning the second game of a back-to-back set on the road. Sacramento won in Dallas on Friday night. The odds were against them going into Denver on Saturday which is why they entered the game as a -12.5 point underdog.
When the final buzzer sounded, the Kings had lost their second game of the season as the Nuggets outscored them 96-79. Denver did not play that spectacular. They just played less sloppy than the Kings did in the game.
For all of the Sacramento rookies, this was their first back-to-back set of games on the road. Add in the fact that the game was played at “mile high” altitude” in Denver and it becomes a real learning situation. This is not an effort to make excuses for the Kings but rather an opportunity to explain the literal uphill battle they faced on Saturday night.
Rebound stats may explain the entire game
The Nuggets out-rebounded the Kings 58-39 in the game. There are very few games where a team can give up 19 more rebounds to their opponents and walk away with a victory.
When the rebounding stats are broken down even further, the impact of Denver’s efforts becomes even greater. The Nuggets pulled down 18 rebounds on offense which created 13 second chance point opportunities. Denver converted eight of the second chance situations which turned into 19 points.
The Kings had only 12 offensive rebounds that turned into 10 points. Eight of those rebounds on offense came in the second half when the Kings had a significant scoring deficit to make up so they did not have the impact they might have had earlier in the game.
The problem — tired legs. You could see that the Kings did not have the spring in their legs like they had in Dallas on Friday night. Fatigue and altitude can be brutal. Yes, the young players will to learn how to deal with these adversities, but that is why fans have been cautioned to remember this is going to be a season of learning.
Top Performances
Kings
Nuggets
Team Performances
It was not a beautiful game for either team.
Sacramento (1-2)
Denver (1-1)
Up next
Sacramento
The Kings will have Sunday off in the Valley of the Sun and then will face the 0-3 Phoenix Suns on Monday night. The Suns lost to the Clippers in Los Angeles on Saturday night 130-88. FiveThirtyEight.com gives the Suns a 66-percent chance to win the game. They make Phoenix -4-point favorite.
Denver
The Nuggets will return to action on Wednesday in Charlotte versus the Hornets. Denver is a 2.5-point underdog according FiveThirtyEight.
Final Note
The rivalry between Denver and Sacramento because they are facing former Kings coach Michael Malone is officially over. No player on the Kings roster was ever coached by Malone. Wow! How quickly things can change in the NBA.
by Charlie O. Mallonee
Sacramento won the game because they played with intensity
Nothing may illustrate that point more than the sequence that took place with 34.1-seconds left to play in the game and the Kings leading 89-86. Zach Randolph missed a 16-foot fadeaway jump shot. Buddy Hield made a hustle rebound under the basket to keep the possession alive for Sacramento. George Hill ultimately hit a 17-foot jumper that for all intensive purposes sealed the win for the Kings.
This was a game of runs
In the second quarter, the Mavs went on a 12-0 run to go up 38-26 and it looked like Kings were going to be in real trouble on the road before halftime. The Kings woke up and went on to outscore the Mavericks 20-8 in the final 5:22 of the period. George Hill was the leader with help from Z-Bo, Cauley-Stein and Buddy Hield.
Sacramento came back to floor ready to go after halftime. They won the 3rd quarter by posting 25 points to just 14 for Dallas. Buddy Hield led the scoring barrage with eight points while Hill added seven points and Randolph put up six. The Kings went into the 4th quarter with a 71-60 lead.
Another run started immediately at the beginning of the final quarter. Unfortunately for the Kings, it was the Mavericks who went on an 11-0 run to take a 72-71 lead with 9:38 to go in the game. Dirk Nowitzki — yes the old guy — and J.J. Barea were the players who fueled the run for Dallas.
The Kings retook the lead when Skal Labissiere hit a 19-foot jumper (assist Fox) at 8:46 to make it a 73-72 game. The Kings would never relinquish the lead again in the contest. They did not have an easy time in those final minutes but they played them with a lead.
Top Performers
Sacramento
Dallas
Team Stats
Kings
Dallas
Both teams play Saturday night on the road
Sacramento
The Kings (1-1) head north and will play at a “Mile High” in Denver when they will face the 0-1 Nuggets. This will be the first road back-to-back set for the Kings rookies. Denver is 0-1 this season. Game time is 6 p.m. PDT.
Dallas
The 0-2 Mavericks will head south to face the 2-0 Houston Rockets in their home opener. They will not have to see Chris Paul who will be out 2-4 weeks due to his knee injury.
by Charlie O. Mallonee
The third preseason game of the year for the Kings was a premiere matchup between Pacific Division rivals. The Kings and the Lakers are both very young teams that are trying reestablish themselves as legitimate playoff contenders in the NBA Western Conference.
Frankly, neither of these teams will be playing a game after the end of the regular season in April. That being said — both the Lakers and Kings are going to be much more entertaining to watch in 2017-18 than they were last season with the players they acquired in the draft and in free agency.
The game on Sunday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas was not a “beautiful game”, but it was an entertaining game. The Lakers established a big lead in the first quarter and then the Kings fought their way back into the game in the second period.
The Kings actually took the lead in game in third quarter behind 22-9 run but they would not be able to hold on to that lead in final quarter of the game. When the final buzzer sounded, the Lakers had held on to record their first win of the preseason 75-69 over the Kings before a decidedly pro-Laker crowd in “Sin City”.
There were really no losers on Sunday night in Las Vegas
Both the Kings and Lakers donated their proceeds from the game on Sunday night to victims and first-responders of the mass shooting that happened last Sunday in Las Vegas. The donations will go to the MGM Grand Foundation who will administer the distribution of the proceeds.
This was a very nice gesture on the part of both teams.
The Ball vs Fox matchup did not happen again
The summer league rematch between Lonzo Ball and De’Aaron Fox did happen due to an injury reported by Ball. That brought out many comments about Ball not wanting to be embarrassed by Fox the way he was in the UCLA — Kentucky matchup.
On Sunday, it was announced that Ball would not be available due to an ankle problem. Fox would not have been able to play in the second-half due to a lower back bruise suffered in the first-half of the game.
Do not worry. The big face off is going to happen during the regular season and it will be worth the wait.
Neither team had impressive stats in the game
Kings
Sacramento shot 25-for-80 (31.2-percent) from the floor. They connected on just 7-of-25 (28.0-percent) for 3-point attempts. Those are not the kind of shooting numbers that will win games in the regular season. Sacramento went 12-for-16 (75.0-percent) from the free throw line. The percentage was fine but the number of attempts was too low.
Sacramento grabbed 37 rebounds (5 offensive). They recorded 15 assists and 12 turnovers which is not an acceptable ratio. The Lakers scored 10 points off the Kings 12 turnovers.
Lakers
Los Angeles shot 41.4-percent (29-for-70) from the field. The Lakers hit just 6-of-24 (25.0-percent) from beyond the 3-point line. They were 11-for-15 (73.3-percent) from the charity stripe.
The Lakers hauled in 49 rebounds (2 offensive). They recorded 21 assists and 20 turnovers which is not acceptable to any coach. The Kings scored 18 points off the Lakers 20 turnovers.
Team Leaders
Sacramento
Zach Randolph led the Kings scoring attack with 16 points. Z-Bo was 7-for-15 shooting. Garrett Temple put up 12 points while Vince Carter added nine. Bogdan Bogdanovic, George Hill and Buddy Hield each added seven points in the game.
George Hill was the Kings top rebounder with eight. Kosta Koufos grabbed seven.
The Kings used just 11 players in the rotation on Sunday night.
LAK
Julius Randle posted a double-double by putting up 17 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. Rookie Kyle Kuzma dropped in 15 points. Many observers feel that Kuzma could be a bigger story than Ball this season but remember this is just the preseason. Brook Lopez scored 12 while Jordan Clarkson added 10 points.
Kuzma also pulled down eight rebounds.
Alex Caruso led the Lakers in assists with four and Kuzma had three.
Interesting stat of the game
When you look at the stats, you know this was not a great field goal shooting game. It really became an “old style” NBA battle in the paint contest. Sacramento scored 24 points in the paint (12-for-28) while the Lakers scored 40 points in the key (20-for-34).
Up next
The Kings (1-2) will be back in action on Monday night in Sacramento when they will host the Portland Trail Blazers (2-1). Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
by Charlie O. Mallonee
NBA veteran and now a member of the Sacramento Kings Zach Randolph was arrested in the Watts area of Los Angeles on Wednesday night on suspicion of marijuana possession and intent to sell. He was one of three men arrested by LAPD. One individual was arrested for being an ex-convict in possession of a gun.
What’s the big deal — isn’t weed about to be legal in California
The big deal is the amount of marijuana that was seized in the arrest. According to TMZ Sports, two pounds of marijuana was taken into custody during the bust by Los Angeles Police. You read that amount correctly — two pounds. That is just a “tad” above the amount that is considered to be for personal consumption.
Randolph has earned an estimated $175-180 million in salary alone in his 16-years in the NBA. One would not think he would need to be selling “weed” to in order pay his bills. The problem is being associated with a large amount of marijuana that is considered beyond what would be normal for personal consumption places a person in the potential sales and distribution business. Even if the individual were giving the product away for free, that act could be deemed illegal.
The whole scene got out of control
According to reports, when LAPD rolled up on the scene a pursuit began for three adult males. That pursuit involved the entry into a home in the area. When the three suspects (one of which was Randolph) were brought out of the house, the crowd that gathered in the area turned ugly.
According to the Los Angeles Daily News, a dispersal order was issued by law enforcement. The crowd then began throwing rocks and bottles at police. They also proceeded to damage several police vehicles.
Fortunately no one in the crowd or any officers were injured in what had to be a very tense situation.
Welcome to the LA County Jail
Randolph was booked into the LA County Jail. He was released on Thursday morning at 8 a.m. on $20,000 bail.
“The charges are false and misleading,” Randolph’s agent and attorney Raymond Brothers told The Associated Press. “We’re looking at all options to resolve this matter.”
He has been arrested not convicted
It is really important that fans remember that Randolph has been charged with crimes not convicted. Because he is such a high profile person, there is a tendency to assume guilt rather than wait for the trail process to play itself out.
Does the situation look bad? It looks horrible, but that still does not mean Randolph is guilty. He deserves his day in court.
What about his future with the Kings and the NBA?
The Kings have acknowledged that they are aware of the situation but the team is withholding any statement at this time which is not surprising.
If Randolph is found guilty of involvement with marijuana, he would also face sanctions from the NBA for violating the league policy on drug use.
The Kings have to make some big decisions in a short period of time
The Kings signed Randolph — a 16-year NBA veteran — to be a mentor “on toughness” for their young players. The question the Kings must answer quickly is whether they still want Randolph to mentor their four rookies, three second-year players and other young members of their team.
This not a situation that vice president and general manager Vlade Divac and head coach Dave Joerger were planning on having to deal with as they prepare for the upcoming season.
Photo of Randolph leaving jail taken from TMZ Sports video
by Charlie O. Mallonee
Just as everything appeared to be on the way to stability for the Sacramento Kings — BAM! — big changes have been announced in the front office operations for the team. Executive vice-president for basketball operations Scott Perry has been hired by the New York Knicks to be their new general manager. Reports have Perry receiving a five-year contract.
Perry joined the Kings front office on April 21. The Kings could have told Perry no because he was under contract and told the Knicks to go look elsewhere for a new GM. The fact the team did not block Perry from interviewing for the NYK job says a great deal about the organization’s respect for him as a person and as an executive.
There are some that are questioning the Kings decision to let Perry walk away from the team including two NBA executives that were quoted in the New York Post on Friday:
“It’s a little strange, getting fired in Orlando, then going to Sacramento and they’re willing to let him go so soon after a few months,’’ an NBA executive said.
The SacKings front office was the target of criticism
In 2016, the Kings could not get top lottery picks to come to Sacramento for tryouts and interviews. Agents viewed the organization as being in disarray and it was almost like if they avoided Sacramento their clients would not be drafted by the Kings.
There were also rumors that NBA executives were frustrated because they could not get call through or calls back from Kings executives in the front office. The lack of a traditional front office structure appeared to hurting the Kings ability to get things done operationally.
Sacramento had also been criticized for having the smallest scouting staff in the NBA. Experts felt the Kings needed to see more college talent to be successful in the draft.
Perry received much of the credit for the Kings draft and free agent signing success
Analyst have given the Kings very positive reviews for the job they did in the 2017 draft. Virtually everyone loves the selection of point guard De’Aaron Fox out of Kentucky with the number five overall pick. Most experts approve of the team taking SF Justin Jackson (North Carolina), PF Harry Giles (Duke) and PG Frank Mason III (Kansas) in the draft with their other picks. Some have said Mason might be one of the “value picks of the draft”.
“One of the top evaluators of talent in the NBA,” said one NBA executive who has worked with Perry. “The evidence is Sacramento’s free agency this year.” New York Post July 14, 2017
Sacramento then went to work signing three veteran free agents to play for a team stacked with young players. George Hill gives the Kings a veteran at point guard while Fox and Mason develop their skills at the NBA level. Zach Randolph and Vince Carter who played for Dave Joerger in Memphis were signed to play and mentor.
Scott’s leadership was credited as being a major factor in why the Kings were able to pull things together so well in the all-important player acquisition period. The addition of analytics expert Luke Bornn along with the added experience of another year of working together for Vlade Divac and his staff also added to the success of draft and free agent signing period.
Perry is going to be trying to revive a franchise that is in shambles
One the major problems the New York Knicks have to overcome is their owner. James Dolan who has a history of making questionable decisions when it comes to his NBA team. On draft night in June, he was in Manhattan playing with his blues-rock band while Phil Jackson and his staff made the choices on who the future players for the Knicks would be.
Of course just days later, Dolan and Jackson parted ways in a very public break up. If Dolan was planning on replacing Jackson, why did he wait until after the draft? The bottom line is that it is just another in a long line of bad decisions made by Dolan when it comes to his NBA franchise.
The other major problem that Perry faces in his first days with the Knicks is what to do with Carmelo. Anthony has been making noises about being willing to accept a trade to another team like Houston or Cleveland. His salary and what the Knicks will want in return pose a real problem for the team to actually move Carmelo out and really begin a true rebuilding process.
Perry will work for the Knicks former general manager Steve Mills who will now be the team’s president.
Kings get cash and a future second-round draft pick but what about “Hamilton” tickets?
The Kings will receive an undisclosed amount of cash and a future second-round draft pick as compensation for releasing Perry to sign with the Knicks. Cash? Overrated. Second-drafts picks can be helpful in closing trades.
But Vivek and Vlade, what everyone wants is tickets to “Hamilton” on Broadway. Think about the promotion your marketing team could have put together with a block of “Hamilton” tickets for the week the Kings play the Knicks and Nets in New York. Broadway and Basketball: it would have been a spectacular promotion.
If you do anymore deals with the Knicks or Nets, they must include tickets to “Hamilton”.
By Charlie O. Mallonee
The Sacramento Kings knew their young roster needed some veteran experience to help guide them through the upcoming NBA season and to give them a chance to be competitive in the west. First, it was the signings of point guard George Hill and power forward Zach Randolph that brought maturity to the team.
Now according to ESPN reports, veteran small forward/shooting guard Vince Carter’s agents are announcing their client has signed a one-year contract with the Kings worth a reported $8-million. The 40-year old Carter will be entering his 20th season in the NBA in 2017-18.
Carter entered “the association” in 1998 when was drafted in the first round (fifth overall) out of the University of North Carolina by the Golden State Warriors. He then was traded plus cash to the Toronto Raptors in a Draft Night trade that saw the Warriors receive the number four overall pick Antwan Jamison in return.
This is another part of getting the band back together for Joerger
Every coach desires to have the key people from his previous team join him in a new situation, but that is not always feasible. When Dave Joerger found out he would not be returning to the Memphis Grizzlies as head coach, he barely had time to go find a new job and bring assistant coaches with him to Sacramento let alone try to transfer player personnel.
Dave Joerger now has two key veterans from his days in Memphis on his roster in Sacramento with the addition of Carter. Carter joins Zach Randolph who is expected to his special “Z-BO” brand of toughness to the front line of the young Kings team.
Joerger knows how to develop young talent. He earned his way to an NBA head coaching job by spending years coaching young players in the CBA, D-League and then as an assistant in “the association”. Joerger really likes to have inexperienced players learn by observation as well as by instruction. He has some strong talent for them to watch in Carter, Randolph and Hill.
Carter was a key figure for Memphis in ’16-’17
Carter played in 73 games last season – his most appearances since 2013. He averaged 8.0-points per game to go with 3.1-rebounds per game in 24.6-minutes per game. The Grizzlies used him at small forward the majority of the time.
Carter shot 39.4-percent overall in 2016-17. He shot 41.8-percent from 2-point range and 37.8-percent from beyond the 3-point line. His eFG% was 50.8-percent. Carter added an average of 1.2-assists, 0.8-steals and 0.5-blocks per game. He turned the ball over less than once per game (0.7).
Carter is a “long distance” shooter. Of his 490 field goal attempts last season, 303 of them came from a distance of at least 20-feet away from the basket. 175 of those attempts came from 25-29 feet away from the bucket. Carter will help the Kings spread the floor.
They are going to miss “Z-BO” in Memphis
The Memphis Grizzlies have announced they are planning to retire the number 50 jersey worn by Zach Randolph who has just become a member of the Sacramento Kings as a free agent. Randolph was in Memphis for eight seasons.
In a tweet, Grizzlies majority owner Robert Para said that number 50 “will never be worn by another member of the Memphis Grizzlies.” He also thanked Randolph for helping turn a lottery team into a playoff contender and helping to make the team a model of community service.
Randolph will be the first Memphis player to have his number retired in team history.
Kings add to the coaching staff
Phil Ricci has been hired to be an assistant player development coach for the Sacramento Kings working on head coach Dave Joerger’s staff.
Ricci has a resume that includes almost twenty years of coaching and playing time at the professional and collegiate levels. He played in the NBA Development League (now the G-League) and overseas.
This is a homecoming for Ricci who attended high school in Galt and played basketball at Delta Community College (Stockton) prior to going to Oregon State.
by Charlie O. Mallonee
The Sacramento Kings appeared to be in neutral on the free agent market while waiting to see if the Washington Wizards would match their offer sheet for Otto Porter Jr. In reality, they were working on deals in a stealth mode that caught most observers by total surprise.
Kings get experience at point guard
Sacramento is very happy with the talent they drafted at point guard in De’Aaron Fox and Frank Mason III. The only problem is that neither player has one minute of playing time in the NBA. That is not an acceptable situation.
The Kings point guards from last season were both free agents. Darren Collison just signed a two-year deal with the Indiana Pacers. There were reports that Sacramento was in discussions with Ty Lawson about returning to the team, but he certainly would be looking for a guaranteed contract with multiple years or options. Lawson played last season on a one-year non-guaranteed contract.
Enter George Hill. Hill had been rumored to be heading to Los Angeles to play with the Lakers and to be a mentor to Lonzo Ball. Reports are circling the Lakers were only willing to offer a one-year deal. Not the kind of security a 31-year old, nine-year NBA veteran in a salary market gone mad is looking for this year.
It has been reported the Jazz tried to sign Hill to an extension during the season valued at $88-million but he and his representatives thought he would do better on the open market in the offseason. The free agent market did not fall Hill’s direction.
According to the Vertical who broke the story, the deal is for three years and worth $57-million. David Aldridge of NBA.com is reporting the third year is only partially guaranteed.
Hill will almost certainly be the starter in Sacramento. Head coach Dave Joerger makes no bones about not being thrilled about throwing rookies into starting roles. Last season, first-year players sat at the end of the bench and then were summoned into the game for limited minutes. Depending on their performance, more or less playing time was awarded to the young players.
Hill will be expected to mentor the young point guards. He can also play along side them as an off-guard. Joerger also liked using an offense that incorporated two point guards on the floor in a “small ball” lineup.
Hill averaged 16.9 points per game in 49 games last season. His overall shooting percentage was 47.7. He shot 40.3-percent from 3-point range. Hill averaged 4.2 assists, 3.4 rebounds, 1 steal and 1.7 turnovers per game.
The injury that caused Hill to miss so many games last season was a sprained big toe. He said it was a freak injury and it proved to be a nagging injury that did not heal well under the pressure of playing. The toe did not require any surgery in the offseason.
He’s big — he’s bad — he’s Z-Bo and now he is a King
The other player the Kings reportedly signed on Tuesday brings a dimension of toughness to the team that they lost when DeMarcus Cousins was traded away. The difference is that Zach Randolph knows how to keep things under control while banging under the basket.
“Z-Bo” as he is known has reportedly signed a two-year, $24-million contract with Sacramento. The signing was first reported by the “the Woj” of ESPN. Randolph’s signing also reunites him with his old coach Dave Joerger who was the head man in Memphis for three seasons.
Last season in Memphis, Randolph worked as a sixth man for the Grizzlies. He averaged 14.1 points and 8.2 rebounds in 29.5 minutes playing time per game. Will Randolph be a sixth man in Sac? Dave Joerger likes to vary starting lineups based on matchups and on who is hot at the moment. The one thing you can count on is the Randolph was not signed to come sit on the Kings bench.
Randolph — who will turn 36 later this month — has been in “the association” since 2001. He has made stops in Portland, New York, Los Angeles (Clippers) and Memphis. Randolph played his college basketball at Michigan State for Tom Izzo and helped lead the Spartans to the NCAA Final Four in 2001.
by Charlie O. Mallonee
The Sacramento Kings started an eight game road trip in Memphis on Friday night with a 107-91 loss to the Grizzlies. The Kings (16-26) have now lost four games in a row and have fallen to 11th place in the Western Conference but are just 1.5 games behind the Denver Nuggets who are in eighth place – the final playoff qualifying position.
As the Kings struggle to figure out how to win games without the injured Rudy Gay (Achilles tendon) for the rest of the season, the team must also deal with the fact they are still in playoff contention. At this point, it is almost appears that no team really wants to take control of eighth place in the West.
The Kings started the game strong in Memphis – something that this team has not been doing recently. They outscored the Grizzlies 23-15 in the first behind seven points from DeMarcus Cousins and Ty Lawson’s six points. The Kings also played strong defense holding Memphis to just 30.4-percent shooting including going 0-for-7 from beyond the 3-point line.
The situation changed dramatically in the second quarter as the Grizzlies came alive behind the play of Vince Carter who scored 11 points off the bench. Memphis shot 12-for-22 (54.5-percent) from the floor and hit 3-of-7 from long range. The Grizzlies outscored the Kings 34-19 and took a 49-42 lead with them to the locker room at halftime.
The Grizzlies came out in the third quarter ready play just like they had in the second period. In the third, it was Marc Gasol who led the Memphis attack with 15 points. Zach Randolph put up seven points in less than three minutes on the floor. The Grizzlies outscored Sacramento 34-22 as DeMarcus Cousins was limited to just three points in the period. At the end of three quarters, Memphis held a 84-63 lead.
After his team’s lackluster third quarter performance, Dave Joerger sat his starters for the fourth quarter and inserted Willie Cauley-Stein and Ben McLemore. Later in the fourth, rookies Malachi Richardson and Skal Labissiere saw playing time. The Kings did outscore the Grizzlies 27-24 in the final period.
Joerger’s postgame analysis
Stars of the game
Grizzlies
Kings
Co-stars
Kings
Grizzlies
Key stat of the game
The Grizzlies out-rebounded the Kings 58-35. More importantly, 15 of the Memphis rebounds were offensive rebounds which extended possession and created second chance scoring opportunities. The Grizzlies posted 18 second-chance points to just four for Sacramento.
Up next on the schedule
Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry (30) drives past Memphis Grizzlies’ Marc Gasol (33) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Jan. 6, 2017, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
by Jerry Feitelberg
Oakland-The Memphis Grizzlies, down by 24 points 88-64 midway through the third quarter, stopped the Warriors cold in the fourth quarter. The Grizzlies never led at all in the entire 48 minutes of regulation. They tied the game at 2 in the first quarter and trailed until they tied the game at 111 at the end of the second half. The Grizzlies owned the five -minute overtime period to send the Dubs down to their sixth loss of the year by a score 128-119.
The Warriors lost to Memphis in Memphis on December 10th. The Dubs lost that game by 21 points and were gunning to avenge that loss Friday night at the Oracle Arena.They knew the Grizzlies like to slow the game down. The Grizzlies love to play defense as they are tied for second in that department. The Dubs started well. Steph Curry, playing more aggressively, scored 17 in the first quarter to put the Dubs up by five 34-29. They continued to play well in the second quarter too. The Warriors scored 33 and held the Grizzlies to 28 and led by 12 at the half 67-55. Steph had 19, Klay Thompson knocked down 15, and Kevin Durant added 16.
The Warriors looked unstoppable in the third quarter as they finished the period with a 19-point lead. Steph made four 3-point shots, and the crowd was going wild. No one in the arena could believe what was about to transpire in the fourth quarter. The Grizzlies shut down the Warrior offense. The Warriors went almost nine minutes without a field goal. They made just two buckets in the entire fourth quarter. They scored a total of just 13 points while the Grizzlies outscored them by nineteen to tie the game and send the contest into overtime. The Warriors missed seven free throws in the final period of play to help seal their fate. The Grizzlies dominated play with a smothering defense and were able to get back into the game behind the play of their big men, Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph. Point guard Michael Conley was a force and Troy Daniels made four 3-pointers that helped the Grizzlies to victory. The Grizzlies owned the overtime period. They took the lead for the first time 113-111 and never trailed to win 128-119.
Game Notes- The Warriors turned the ball over just six times in the first half. The second half was a different story as they committed nine turnovers and the Grizzlies were able to capitalize on those mistakes. With the loss, the Warriors are now 31-6 for the year while the Grizzlies,- under first-year head coach Dave Fizdale, improve to 23-16. The Grizzlies now are 2-0 against Golden State this season.
All the Warrior starters were in double figures. Steph led the team with 40 points, six assists, and 4 rebounds. Kevin Durant had a double-double with his 27 points and 13 rebounds. Klay had 17, Draymond 11 points and 8 boards. Zaza Pachulia scored 10, and Shaun Livington tallied 7. Michale Conley paced Memphis with 27 and 12 assists. Zach Randolph, coming off the bench, had a double-double. Randolph scored a season-high 27 to go along with 6 assists and 11 rebounds. Marc Gasol chipped in with 23.The Grizzlies scored 56 points in the paint, and they had 29 assists. The Dubs were held to just 23 assists.
The Warriors will have 48 hours to reflect on the loss. They probably played the worst quarter of basketball of the season Friday night.
The Warriors travel to Sacramento to face the Kings at the new Golden 1 Arena on Sunday. Game time is at 6 pm.
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