Kings lose to shorthanded Lakers 115-94

Photo credit: sportsbookwire.usatoday.com

By Ana Kieu

The Sacramento Kings looked to avoid a two-game losing skid with a win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night. But the Kings lost to the shorthanded Lakers 115-94 at the Golden 1 Center.

The Kings got on the board first. Richaun Holmes threw down a dunk off an assist by Harrison Barnes. The score was 2-0 Kings just 14 seconds into the first quarter. De’Aaron Fox made a step back jumpshot to give the Kings a 12-9 lead with 6:39 left in the first quarter. Harrison Barnes made a pair of free throws and the Kings led by one, 28-27, with 28.1 seconds left in the first quarter. Montrezl Harrell wrapped up the quarter with a free throw. The Lakers were on top 29-27.

The Lakers took a 31-27 lead to start the second quarter. Talen Horton-Tucker made a driving layup just 15 seconds into the second quarter. Horton-Tucker added a two-point shot off an assist by Markieff Morris for a 33-27 lead at 11:15. LA, however, went in a scoring frenzy. Morris made a jumper with 28.2 seconds left in the second quarter. The Lakers took a 65-53 lead into the locker room at halftime.

The Kings made it a 10-point game on Harrison Barnes’ dunk off an assist by Buddy Hield at 11:17 of the third quarter. Although Sacramento picked up the pace, LA maintained a double-digit lead throughout the third quarter. Talen Horton-Tucker made a driving layup with 3.7 seconds left in the third quarter. The Lakers wrapped up the third quarter with a 91-76 lead.

Talen Horton-Tucker made a pair of free throws to give the Lakers a 93-76 lead at 11:16 of the fourth quarter. Alex Caruso hit a three-pointer to help the Lakers to a 20-point lead at 10:20 of the fourth quarter. The Lakers reached the 100-point mark with 9:04 left in the fourth quarter when Caruso threw down a dunk. Devontae Cacok made a driving layup for a 115-94 lead with 25.3 seconds left in the fourth quarter. The Lakers won 115-94.

LA improved to 31-18, while Sacramento fell to 22-27.

The Kings welcome the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday, April 3 at 7 pm PST.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Fox knocks down 44 clobbering Golden State 141-119

The Sacramento Kings DeQuan Jefferies (19) defends against the Golden State Warriors Nico Mannion (2) on Thu Mar 25, 2021 at Golden One Center in Sacramento (AP News photo)

#1 The Sacramento Kings (20-25) now have won three straight games their latest victory coming against the Golden State Warriors (22-23) in a huge blow out 141-119.

#2 The Kings De’Aaron Fox has been carrying a lot of the weight over the last two games Fox scored over 30 for against the Hawks and 44 points against the Warriors on Thursday night.

#3 The Warriors are missing three of their key players from their glory days out of the line up Thursday night Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson (gone for the season) and they have now lost three in row.

#4 The Kings Richaun Holmes came in second in scoring against the Warriors with 25 so somebody different after Fox usually helping run up the score for the Kings.

#5 The Kings try for their fourth straight win as they host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday night in Sacramento. The Kings defeated the Cavs on 119-105 in their last meeting Mon Mar 22. The Cavaliers are coming off a 103-94 win against the Chicago Bulls in Chicago on Wednesday night how do you see the match up between both these two clubs on Saturday in Sacramento.

Join Jeremiah for the Sacramento Kings podcasts each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kings continue to struggle in 118-110 loss to Heat

Photo credit: sports.yahoo.com

By Jeremiah Salmonson

The Sacramento Kings came into Thursday night’s game against the Miami Heat on a four-game losing streak. The Kings have been struggling, and ended up losing their fifth straight game 118-110 at Golden 1 Center. It sounded like a familiar theme that they went through early on in the season and aren’t back dealing with. The Kings showed signs of life a few weeks back, but have since fallen back into their losing ways. Their last game was against the Brooklyn Nets. 

In the Nets game, the Kings didn’t play any defense. The Nets scored a large 136 points against the Kings defense. The Kings managed to score 125 points against the Nets, but the high-powered offense was too much to overcome. On Thursday, the Kings were set to take on the Miami Heat in Sacramento at 7 PM PST. 

In the first half, the Kings fell behind early. In the first quarter, the Heat were able to outscore the Kings 31-21. In the second quarter, it was largely more of the same. The Kings weren’t able to get into an offensive rhythm and they weren’t able to get defensive stops either. The Kings were again outscored by the Heat in the second quarter 26-22 to dig themselves a 57-43 heading into halftime. The Kings would need to right the ship in a hurry to come back in the second half.

In the second half, the Kings weren’t much better. However, they started on the right foot. In the third quarter, the Kings outscored the Heat 36-32. It appeared the Kings were on the right track for a comeback, but the fourth quarter would go as planned. The Kings did outscore the Heat 31-29 in the final quarter, but it nearly enough to overcome the deficit. The Kings ended up losing 118-110 as they continue to search for answers to end their five-game losing streak. The Kings left this game still searching for answers. They’ll have to wait until they play on Saturday. Tyler Herro led the Heat with 27 points in the win. In the losing effort, the Kings were led by Nemanja Bjelica, who scored 25 points. 

The Kings head to Chicago to take on the Bulls on Saturday night at 6 PM PST. 

Kings fall to Pelicans 128-123 behind Fox’s 43 points

Photo credit: @clutchsources

By Ana Kieu

SACRAMENTO — The Sacramento Kings ended their seven-game homestand by seeing a close game go up in smoke as they ended up losing 128-123 to the New Orleans Pelicans at Golden 1 Center on Sunday night.

The Kings used the same starting lineup in their seventh straight home game. De’Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield, Harrison Barnes, Marvin Bagley III, and Richaun Holmes took the court. Also, the Kings honored the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The Kings wasted no time getting on the board. In a span of 42 seconds, De’Aaron Fox made a pullup jump shot and Buddy Hield hit a 3-pointer for an early 5-0 lead. The Pelicans responded with a dunk by Steven Adams to pull within three, 5-2, at 10:45. The Pelicans continued to pour in the points, JJ Redick hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer, and the Kings trailed 34-25 at the end of the first quarter.

The Pelicans continued their strong play, but the Kings kept it a close game in the second half. The Kings made it a 10-point game, 37-27, when Cory Joseph hit a 2-pointer at 11:05. De’Aaron Fox hit a 2-pointer to make it a 9-point game, 67-58, with 1:37 left. The Kings trailed 67-58 at halftime.

The Kings came out to play in the second half. De’Aaron Fox opened the third quarter with a pullup jump shot and a 3-pointer in a span of 40 seconds. Fox added a step back jump shot with 28,3 seconds left. Harrison Barnes hit a 3-pointer to pull within three, 97-94, with 1.2 seconds left. The Kings trailed 97-94 through three quarters.

Despite a back-and-forth fourth quarter, the Kings kept the lead in single digits. After JJ Reddick hit an early 3-pointer, but Richaun Holmes made a pair of free throws to pull within four, 100-96, at 11:13. Buddy Hield hit a 3-pointer to pull within five, 115-110, with 5:43 left. De’Aaron Fox made a driving dunk to make it a 1-point game, 116-115, with 3:18 left.

Unfortunately, the Pelicans continued their scoring surge at the Kings’ expense. Zion Williamson went on a tear with 30 points at one point. Steven Adams made a pair of free throws to give the Pelicans a 124-119 lead with 17.9 seconds left. De’Aaron Fox hit a 2-pointer to pull within three, 126-123, with 6.6 seconds left. Nickeil Alexander-Walker added a pair of free throws to seal the 128-123 victory.

The Kings fell to 5-9. De’Aaron Fox led all scorers with 43 points, 13 assists, and 4 rebounds.

The Pelicans improved to 5-7. Zion Williamson led all scorers with 31 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists.

The Kings head to Los Angeles to take on the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday, January 20 at 7 pm PT.

Kings snap 3-game losing skid with 128-124 win over Bulls

Photo credit: sportsbookwire.usatoday.com

By Ana Kieu

SACRAMENTO — The Sacramento Kings kicked off a seven-game homestand on Wednesday night, hosting the Chicago Bulls at the Golden 1 Center.

The Kings looked to snap their three-game losing skid, but it wasn’t going to be an easy task as the Bulls brought a two-game winning streak, including a come-from-behind win 111-108 over the Portland Trail Blazers, into the Golden 1 Center. Both teams exchanged leads and ties throughout the game, but the Kings came out on top with a 128-124 win.

After a scoreless 40 seconds, Richaun Holmes collected a pass from Harrison Barnes and hit a 2-pointer to get the Kings on the board 2-0 at 11:20 of the first quarter. Patrick Williams made a pair of free throws to help the Bulls tied the game at 18 with 4:43 left in the first. Thaddeus Young missed a 3-point attempt, Chicago had a shot clock violation that resulted to the clock being set to 2.2 seconds, and Sacramento got an offensive rebound for a 28-25 lead at the end of the first.

Richaun Holmes threw down a dunk to open the scoring just nine seconds into the second quarter. Holmes added a pair of free throws and made a finger-roll layup to give the Kings a 34-27 lead at 10:09 of the second. Harrison Barnes hit back-to-back 3-pointers in a span of 30 seconds, and Sacramento took a 10-point lead with 8:29 left in the second. Coby White put on a scoring clinic and recorded his 1,000th career point, while Zach LaVine made a driving layup late in the second; but the Kings still led by three points, 62-59, at halftime.

The Kings opened the second half with a bang. Harrison Barnes made a driving layup to give the Kings a 64-59 lead 13 seconds into the third quarter. After Chicago went on a 10-2 run and made it a 1-point game, Sacramento took a timeout with 2:58 left in the third. There were four ties before the third came to an end and the teams were tied at 93 entering the last 12 minutes of the game.

The Bulls took an early 95-93 lead on Patrick Williams’ layup to start the fourth quarter. The Kings responded with Tyrese Haliburton’s layup and Nemanja Bjelica’s 3-pointer and led by three, 98-95, at 10:28 of the fourth.

The Kings challenged Marvin Bagley III’s shooting foul, but the replay review confirmed that the call stood and Sacramento was charged with a timeout at 10:15 of the fourth. The game remained a tight contest, but Buddy Hield nailed a 25-foot 3-pointer to put the Kings up 123-119 with 38.3 seconds left in the fourth. Tyrese Haliburton made a step-back jump shot and Nemanja Bjelica made a free throw to seal the Kings’ win.

The Kings improved to 4-4. Richaun Holmes led all scorers with 25 points.

The Bulls fell to 4-5. Coby White led all scorers with 36 points.

The Kings host the Toronto Raptors on Friday, January 8 at 7 pm PT.

Kings storm back in fourth to beat Nuggets 125-115

Photo credit: @ESPN1320

By Ana Kieu

SACRAMENTO — The Sacramento Kings returned to the hardwood for a game against the Denver Nuggets at Golden 1 Center on Tuesday evening.

The Kings stormed back in the fourth quarter to beat the Nuggets 125-115 on Tuesday. De’Aaron Fox led all scorers with 24 points, 10 assists, and 3 rebounds. Richaun Holmes added 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. Sacramento improved to 3-1, while Denver fell to 1-3.

The Kings starting lineup featured De’Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield, Harrison Barnes, Marvin Bagley III, and Richaun Holmes. Like Denver, Sacramento contributed to multiple ties and lead changes throughout the game.

Michael Porter Jr. got on the board with a 2-point shot 28 seconds into the first quarter. The Nuggets went on a 12-5 run, but the Kings began to play great defense. Buddy Hield hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 16 with 7:02 left in the first.

The Nuggets got ahead of the Kings by 2 points late in the first. Facundo Campazzo set up Isaiah Hartenstein for a layup with 12.1 seconds left in the first. The Kings trailed 34-32 at the end of the first.

Buddy Hield entered the game for De’Aaron Fox to start the second quarter. Hield was unapologetically himself. He hit a 3-pointer to give the Kings a 41-38 lead with 9:58 left in the second. But he Kings’ lead turned out to be short-lived as PJ Dozier responded with a 3-pointer of his own 15 seconds later.

In spite of all the adversity, Sacramento began to pick up speed late in the second. Marvin Bagley III hit a 3-pointer, Tyrese Haliburton added a finger roll layup, and Richaun Holmes had an alley-oop dunk on a pass from De’Aaron Fox, just to name a few.

The Kings maintained their composure and executed two standout plays in the first half. Richaun Holmes helped the Kings to a 10-point lead, 64-54, with 2:17 left in the second. Harrison Barnes hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer and gave the Kings a 12-point halftime lead, 74-62.

Richaun Holmes made a jumper on a pass from Harrison Barnes to make it 76-64 Kings at 10:33 of the third quarter. Holmes followed up with another jumper to extend the Kings’ lead to 78-64 with 9:57 left in the third.

The Nuggets hustled up the court, tied the game at 81, and took an 82-81 lead with 6:05 left in the third. Nikola Jokic hit a game-tying 2-point shot and made a go-ahead free throw. Jokic’s scoring clinic caused the Kings to trail 100-96 after three quarters of play.

The Kings bounced back in the fourth quarter. The Kings’ bench outscored Denver 35-19 late in the fourth. De’Aaron Fox got an 8-foot bank shot to put the Kings up 122-113 with 51 seconds left in the fourth. Buddy Hield sealed the win with a 3-pointer with 32.1 seconds remaining.

The Kings ring in the New Year with a game against the Houston Rockets on New Year’s Eve at 4 pm PT.

Kings drop preseason game to Warriors 113-109

Photo credit: sactownroyalty.com

By Ana Kieu

SACRAMENTO — The Sacramento Kings played their second straight preseason game against the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night at the Golden 1 Center. In case you missed it, Sacramento edged Golden State 114-113 on Tuesday night.

The Kings’ starting lineup featured De’Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield, Harrison Barnes, Marvin Bagley III, and Richaun Holmes.

Andrew Wiggins made it rain early with three-pointers, but there was effort on both ends of the court. The game was tied at 29-29 at the end of the first quarter,

Just like the Kings, the Warriors were on the move in the second quarter. Yet, Golden State had a slight advantage. Four Warriors players contributed to a solid rebound that was thrown out to Kelly Oubre, who knew exactly what to do–and that was to tip in a shot for a noteworthy highlight. The Kings trailed by three, 65-62, at the end of the first half.

The Kings were unable to contain Steph Curry in the third quarter. Curry jump started the scoring with a two-pointer. The Kings tried to outscore the Warriors, but ended up trailing 91-82 after three quarters of play.

The Kings’ offense was a little rusty in the fourth quarter. The Kings should’ve made more shots to slow down the new-look Warriors. The Kings lost to the Warriors by a final score of 113-109.

The Kings fall to 2-2, while the Warriors improve to 2-1. Harrison Barnes led the Kings with 30 points. De’Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield combined to go 6-of-30 from the field and 3-of-16 from the three-point range.

Notes: Former Kings coach Jerry Reynolds lost a sister to COVID-19. Reynolds clings to hope as his son Jay battles Stage 4 cancer.

Kings guard Buddy Hield turned 28 on Thursday.

Sports Illustrated listed the Kings’ Harrison Barnes, Buddy Hield, and De’Aaron Fox in its rankings for Top Players of 2021.

Les Schwab and Slamson the Lion teamed up to deliver toys to Volunteers of America as part of the Les Schwab Toy Drive, You can donate a toy to any Les Schwab location by December 24th and enter to win Kings prizes. Check out lesschwab.com/toydrive for more information.

Up Next: The Kings take on the Denver Nuggets in the Pepsi Center on Wednesday, December 23 at 6 pm PT.

Knicks Stun Kings, Win 103-101

Photo credit: @KnicksNationCP

By Jeremiah Salmonson

The Sacramento Kings are flying. After taking down formidable opponents in Texas in the Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks, the Kings came home and defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder. So, the Kings were coming off a three-game win streak and facing the dysfunctional New York Knicks in Golden 1 Center on Wednesday night.

In the first quarter, the Kings did what they should have. Behind the scoring from Buddy Hield (14) and Nemanja Bjelica (6), the Kings jumped out to an early 32-20 lead over the Knicks. The Knicks leading scorer was Julius Randle, who managed to score 9 points. The Kings managed to shoot 71.4% from downtown and that played a big role in the early lead. Going into the second quarter, the Kings had a comfortable 32-20 lead.

In the second quarter, the Knicks made a little run at the Kings’ lead. Thanks to more scoring from Julius Randle, the Knicks put a dent in the Kings’ 12-point first-quarter lead. The Knicks put up 25 second quarter points to make it a 54-45. Buddy Hield continued to torch the Knicks and finished the first half with 22 points. Nemanja Bjelica followed behind Hield as the King’s second-leading scorer with 9 points. The Knicks were led by Julius Randle who was the game’s second-leading scorer with 17 first-half points. The Kings didn’t play their best first half of the year, but considering the opponent, it got the job done. In the second half, the Kings would look to put away the worst team in the NBA.

The third quarter was not the best for the Kings. Playing against the worst team in the NBA, the Kings were unable to increase their lead. In fact, their lead decreased by one point in the quarter as the Knicks outscored the Kings 27-26 in the third. Buddy Hield added 5 points to his total in the third to bring his total to 27 on the night. Julius Randal continued his hot hand in the game to give him 22 on the night. The Kings would take a 80-72 lead into the final quarter of action.

In the fourth quarter, things got a little dicey for the Kings. The Knicks, the worst team in the NBA, managed to make up the deficit coming into the quarter and tie the game at 93 with 5:15 remaining in the game. The Kings had to get back to work if they wanted to keep their win streak alive. Unfortunately for Kings fans, they weren’t able to do that. The Knicks came roaring back in the fourth to beat the Kings.

It was easily the worst loss of the season for the Kings, who should have defeated the Knicks. Julius Randal led the victorious Knicks with 24 points followed by Elfrid Payton with 16. Leading the Kings in defeat was Buddy Hield with 34 points followed by Harrison Barnes with 15. The Kings and Luke Walton will remember this loss. In a game against the worst team in the NBA the Kings couldn’t hold an 8 point lead going into the final quarter. The final in Sacramento was the Kings 101 and the Knicks 103.

Up Next: The Kings travel to San Francisco to play the Warriors on Sunday evening at 5:30 pm PST.

The Knicks stay West and play the Denver Nuggets on Sunday at 7 pm CST.

Kings Roar Back, Beat Thunder 94-93

Photo credit: @SacramentoKings

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings were back home. After over a week on the road, the Kings returned home after splitting the road trip 2-2. The two wins for the Kings on the trip came on the toughest part, the back-to-back against Dallas and Houston. The Kings were able to pull off both those wins and came home with a good feeling about rising to .500 in the coming week. The Kings started off the homestand with a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night at Golden 1 Center.

In the first quarter, the Kings were looking to get off to a good start against a team they should have a good chance beating on paper. The Kings didn’t shoot as well as they would have hoped in the first at just 40% from the floor. However, that was better than the showing the Thunder put on shooting only 30% in the first from the floor. Leading the Kings was Nemanja Bjelica with 7 points, followed by Trevor Ariza with 5 points. For the Thunder, Steven Adams led with 5 points. Going into the second quarter, the Kings led the Thunder 23-18.

In the second quarter, things would unravel a bit for the Kings. Thanks to poor shooting and the Thunder knocking down shots, the Kings would give up the lead going into halftime. The Kings were only able to manage 15 points in the second as opposed to the Thunder’s 29. Dennis Schroder finished the first half as the game’s leading scorer with 15 points. Continuing to lead the Kings in scoring, despite not adding a basket in the second, was Nemanja Bjelica with 7 points. Buddy Hield got on the board, scoring 5 in the second quarter. Overall, the Kings shot 35.65% from the field in the first half compared to the Thunder’s 41.5% clip.

In the second half, the Kings looked to come out with the energy they lacked in the first half. Unfortunately, the Kings were lackluster on offense. Taking a 9-point deficit into halftime, the Kings had only let that deficit grow to a 64-50 Thunder lead with five minutes remaining in the third. The Thunder had been shooting extraordinarily well at a 40% clip from downtown. The rest of the way in the third it would get much better for the Kings. They finished the third down by two points 71-69. Buddy Hield finished the third with 15 points and Marvin Bagley had 11 points.

In the fourth quarter, the Thunder would retake the lead early. They retook a 10-point lead 83-73 at the 7:49 point in the game. From there, it would be all Kings as they came roaring back to tie the game with 1:00 remaining in the game. Bogdan Bogdanovic would foul the Thunder and they made both their free throws. The Kings took a timeout with the ball with 30 seconds left down 93-91. Bogdan Bogdanovic was able to get open and knock down a three to set up the last possession for the Thunder with 13.4 seconds left in the game. The Thunder got the ball to Chris Paul, who was defended by Richaun Holmes. Paul tried to hit a pullup jumper but missed it and the game ended. The Kings came away victorious 94-93.

What’s Next?
The Kings stay home to host the New York Knicks on Friday at 7 PM PST.

The Thunder continues the West Coast trip against the Denver Nuggets on Saturday at 6 PM PST.

Kings come back to beat Denver 100-97 in OT

Photo credit: @SacramentoKings

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO — Saturday marked the return home for the Sacramento Kings after a long road trip. The trip took the Kings through the cities of New York, Washington D.C., Boston, and Philadelphia. It was a tough trip for the Kings who went 1-3 beating the Washington Wizards. The Kings were looking to continue their climb back to .500 against a formidable opponent in the Denver Nuggets on Saturday afternoon. The tip-off was set for 2 PM PST.

In the first quarter, the Kings struggled early. No one on the Kings could seem to hit a shot and Denver began knocking down their’s after struggling in the opening minutes as well. With 2:00 minutes remaining in the first quarter, the Kings were already down 27-13. The rest of the quarter the Kings were able to put up a few more points to cut the deficit to 27-17 going into the second quarter.

In the second quarter, Yogi Ferrell ran the point, the Kings offense seemed to show life in the early minutes for the second. In the opening 2 minutes of time, the Kings managed to cut the lead to 5 points. However, the Nuggets starting piling on again after that. The Nuggets would put up a total of 57 first-half points compared to the Kings’ 40. This obviously wasn’t what Luke Walton and Co. planned for the first half. The King’s fans let out a subtle chorus of boos as the team headed into the locker room. Garry Harris led all scorers in the first half putting up 20 points. The leading scorer for the Kings was Harrison Barnes, who had 8 points for the Kings. If the Kings hoped to come back they needed to shoot better. Specifically, be better from long range.

In the third quarter, the Kings played better than they had all game. That’s not to say there wasn’t room for improvement. The Kings outscored the Nuggets 27-18, which was a marked improvement on both ends of the floor. Led by Harrison Barnes (12 points in the 3rd), the Kings managed to cut the deficit 67-75. The Kings would need to make a big ground in the fourth quarter to have a chance.

In the fourth quarter, the Kings still struggled to hit open shots. Namely, Buddy Hield really struggled. Buddy had a considerable number of open shots that he was unable to knockdown. Regardless of the shooting struggles, the Kings managed to hang tough. With 3:20 left in the game, the score was 87-80 and the Kings had a chance to execute. The Kings managed to do just that. The Kings were able to come back and tie the game with a Buddy Hield layup with 22.9 seconds left. The Kings then got the defense stop with a Rashaan Holmes block and it sent the Kings to overtime. In overtime, the Kings and Nuggets would battle and trade baskets. The game would come down to the final 14 seconds with the score 98 to 97 Kings up. Buddy Hield would be fouled on the inbound and make both his free throws. From there, the Kings got a stop and would go on to win 100-97.

The Kings stay home to host the Chicago Bulls on Monday at 7 PM PST.