Warriors can’t hold off late Magic surge lose 124-120

The Orlando Magic’s center Nikola Vucevic (right) is fouled by the Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry on Fri Feb 19, 2021 in Orlando (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors started the four-game road trip on a sour note Friday night as they lost to the Orlando Magic 124-120.

The Warriors, who have had six comeback wins after trailing by more than ten points, followed that script in the first half of the game. The Warriors were hoping to have their first three-game winning streak, too.

The Magic had other thoughts. When the Magic played the Warriors in San Francisco on February 11th, they were without Evan Fournier, Al-Farouq-Aminu, and Mo Bamba. All three players were in the Magic lineup Friday night.

The Warriors’ Draymond Green, who missed Wednesday night’s game, was ready to play Friday night. The Warriors’ formula for winning was making threes and playing team defense. They again had no player over six feet seven inches tall.

They knew they had to find a way to shut down the Magic’s Nikola Vucevic. Vucevic, for the season, averages 24 points and almost 12 rebounds a game. He is also a very dangerous three-point shooter.

In the first quarter, the Warriors fell behind by fifteen 30-15. The Warriors responded by going on a late 16-2 run to trail by one-point 32-31. The Magic regrouped to finish the quarter leading 37-34.

The Warriors stayed close to the Magic for most of the second period. The Warriors stayed close. They never took the lead in the period. Steph Curry made a three to trail 55-51. The Magic went on a 9-0 run to finish the first half leading 64-51.

The Magic’s big three scorers were Vucevic with 9, Fornier 22, and Terrence Ross 11. The Warriors scoring leaders were Curry with 11 and Kelly Oubre Jr. with 12. The Magic’s height advantage showed as they had 12-second chance points and 12 fast breakpoints. The Warriors had zero in each of those categories.

Things did no go well for Golden State at the start of the third quarter. Orlando increased the lead by 17, 71-54. At this point, Curry, Oubre, and Andrew Wiggins went on a 12-0 run to make it 71-66. Those three players continued the Warrior surge.

The Warriors grabbed the lead for the first time when Curry made a two-point shot to give the Warriors the lead 91-90. The Magic regained the lead 93-91. Draymond Green connected on his second three of the game to give the Warriors the lead 94-93 at the end of three-quarters of action.

The Warriors had momentum going their way to start the final quarter. The Warriors went on a 12-0 run to lead by thirteen 106-93. The Magic had yet to insert Vucevic and Fournier back into the game.

Those two, along with Terrence Ross, kept making baskets to chip away at the Warrior lead. The Magic trailed by one 112-111 with 3:24 left. The Magic pulled ahead 116-114. Terrence Ross knocked down a three to put them ahead 119-114.

The Magic made another bucket to finish a 15-2 run to lead 121-114. Curry made two threes to close within one 121-120 with 19 seconds left in the game. The Magic scored the last three points of the night to win 124-120.

Game Notes and Stats: With the loss, the Warriors are 16-14 for the year. The Magic improved to 12-18. With Evan Fournier in the Magic lineup, the team owns a 9-7 record. Without him, they are 3-11.

The Warriors had their highest-scoring quarter of the year when they put 43 points on the board. Curry had a double-double with 29 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists. Curry was 11-for-19 from the floor and made six threes in 16 tries.

Kelly Oubre had 26 points and seven rebounds. Kelly was 10-for-18 from the floor and made three threes. Andrew Wiggins had 16. Danion Lee and Mychal Mulder were the other Warrior players with double-figures. Each scored ten points. The Dubs shot 47.4% from the floor, and they knocked down 19 threes. They had 37 assists on 46 made baskets. 

Nikola Vucevic led the Magic offense with a triple-double. The big man from Serbia had 30 points, 16 boards, and ten assists. He made two threes. Evan Fournier had quite a game. He tallied 28 points, and he connected on five threes.

Terrence Ross, who scored 31 against the s onWarriors the 11th, finished the night with 24 points and four threes. The only other Orlando player in double-figures was Chuma Okeke with 11.

The Orlando defense outrebounded the Warriors 56-52. They recorded seven steals and blocked eight Warrior shots. 

The Warriors travel to Charlotte, North Carolina, to face the Hornets Saturday night. The game will start at 4 pm.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Kings host Grizzlies on Sunday night after Fri loss to Magic

The Sacramento Kings forward Glenn Robinson III (right) takes the ball to the hoop against the Orlando Magic’s center Nikola Vucevic (9) during the first half on Fri Feb 12, 2021 at Golden One Center (AP News photo)

On the Kings podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 The Memphis Grizzlies and Sacramento Kings play tonight at Golden One Center after the Kings came off a 123-112 loss on Friday night to the Orlando Magic.

#2 The Kings who had a four game win streak but ran into the Philadelphia 76ers Tuesday night and lost 119-111 and again suffered another loss on Friday night to the Magic. They really miss Marvin Bagley and De’Aaron Fox in the line up.

#3 Against the Magic the Kings defense just couldn’t do anything with Magic center Nikola Vucevic who dominated in scoring with 42 points, nine rebounds and four assists the Kings simply couldn’t shut Vucevic down.

#4 On the Kings offensive side of the ball the top scorer Buddy Hield finished with 19 points, followed by Nemanja Bjelica who had 15 points but it wasn’t enough as the Kings were without their key player De’Aaron Fox whose been their meal ticket on offensive scoring.

#5 Jeremiah the Kings host the Memphis Grizzlies Sunday night for a one game match at Golden One Center will they get Marvin Bagley and Fox for this one?

Join Jeremiah for Kings basketball podcasts Friday mornings at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson Sat Feb 13, 2021 by Sports Radio Service | Free Listening on SoundCloud

 

Sacramento Kings game wrap: Magic put an end to their three game loss streak beat Kings 123-112

The Orlando Magic’s center Nikola Vucevic (9) led the Magic in scoring with 42 points and looking to pass the ball past Sacramento Kings center Richaun Holmes (22) at Golden One Center in Sacramento on Fri Feb 12, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

The Sacramento Kings were coming off a loss on Friday night. On Tuesday, the Kings fell to the Philadelphia 76ers. Friday the Kings were set to take on the ailing Orlando Magic at 7 PM PST in Sacramento. However, before we get into that game let’s visits what happened on Tuesday.

The game against the 76ers was very up and down. The Kings ultimately failed to produce enough offense to match the 76ers and fell 119-111.

Going into Friday nights game, the Kings were without De’Aaron Fox and Marvin Bagley who were out with injuries. With their loses the Kings picked up a loss and were defeated by the visiting Orlando Magic 123-112 at Golden One Center.

In the first half of the game against the Magic, the Kings didn’t play well. The Kings allowed 33 points in the first quarter as they also scored 33 points. In the second quarter it was much the same. The Kings defense wasn’t able to get stops as the Magic scored 31 points in the second quarter to take a 64-59 lead into half time.

In the second half, The Kings weren’t able to battle back. In the third quarter the Kings were outscored 33-28 as the lead for the Magic continued to grow. The Kings defense continued to falter as the Magic were getting easy looks.

In the fourth quarter, the Magic again outscored the Kings by a score of 26-25. You could chalk up what happened to the Kings as an off night. However, if you’re the Kings you look to right the ship before the losing streak gets out of hand.

Leading the Kings in defeat was Buddy Hield who had 19 points. The Magic were led in victory by Nikola Vucevic who had 42 points. After winning four straight the Kings now have lost two in a row.

Up Next: The King stay home to take on the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday night at 7 PM PST.

 

 

Warriors’ late rally downs the Magic 111-105

Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

SAN FRANCISCO — The Golden State Warriors returned home to face the Orlando Magic on Thursday night at the Chase Center. The Warriors were still without the services of James Wiseman and Kevon Looney. The Magic, coached by Steve Clifford, had also been hit hard by the injury jinx. Star forward Aaron Gordon suffered a high-grade ankle sprain on February 1st against the Toronto Raptors. He will be out for four to six weeks. Evan Fournier, who averages 17 points a game, was not available. Markell Fultz, averaging 14 points a game, did not dress for Thursday’s game. 

The Warriors knew that they could not take the Magic lightly. While the Warriors fans might not be familiar with the Magic roster, they came to play. It appeared the Warriors were going to breeze to an easy win. They won the first quarter 29-19. Steph Curry dazzled the Magic as he connected on four threes. The Warriors attempted 18 threes, the most attempts in one quarter in franchise history.

The Magic players had other thoughts. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr inserted his second unit to start the second quarter. The Magic went on an 18-6 run to take the lead 37-35. They held the Warriors scoreless for over four minutes. The Magic defense held the Warriors to two baskets in 12 tries. Curry returned with about six minutes left in the first half. Curry kept the Dubs close as he connected on two threes to make it a one-point deficit 48-47. The Magic responded by scoring the last seven points of the period to lead 55-47. They thoroughly outplayed the Dubs as the Magic outscored them 36-18 to erase the Warriors’ 10-point advantage and finish with an eight-point lead.

Steve Kerr knew that the Warriors had to get off to a good start in the third quarter. They could not continue to play the way they did in the second period. Andrew Wiggins and Kelly Oubre knocked down a three. Steph added another three and a two-point bucket to take the Warriors on an 11-0 run to tie the game at 58. It was nip and tuck the rest of the way in the third quarter. The Magic, behind Nikola Vucevic, James Ennis, and Terrence Ross, kept Orlando either in the lead or just a couple of points behind the Warriors. Curry paced the Warriors with 15 points in the third period. Draymond Green made a couple of crucial buckets to keep the Warriors in the game. With the game tied at 80, Steph made a deep two, and Draymond came through with a bucket to put the Warriors ahead 84-80 at the end of the third quarter. 

Things did not go well for the Warriors at the beginning of the fourth quarter. With the second unit on the floor, the Magic went on an 11-0 run to lead 91-86. Kerr inserted Curry and Green back into the game with slightly more than eight minutes left to play. The Warriors shut down the Magic offense for four minutes and 26 seconds. The Warriors went on a 16-0 run to lead 102-91. Curry made two threes, and Andrew Wiggins and Juan Toscano-Anderson helped out with buckets. The Warriors increased the lead to thirteen 107-94 with 1:56 left. The Magic would not go away. They continued to fight. The Magic got closer 109-105, but Curry put the game out of reach with two free throws. The Warriors won 111-105.

Game Notes and Stats: With the win, the Warriors are 14-12 for the season. The Magic’s record is 9-17.

Warrior highlights: Steph Curry tallied 40 points. He made 10 threes in 19 tries. He was 14-for-26 from the floor. He had eight rebounds and five assists. Draymond Green finished the night with eight points, six rebounds, and 11 assists. It was the fourth straight game that Green recorded 10 or more assists. Andrew Wiggins had another outstanding game. Wiggins had 21 points, seven boards, three assists, and he made two threes. Kelly Oubre, Jr. played well on both ends of the court. Oubre had a double-double with 17 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists. He connected on three threes. Mychal Mulder, coming off the bench, made three threes to finish with 11. The rest of the Warrior bench scored just five points.

As a team, the Warriors shot 46.6% from the floor and made 20 threes in 50 tries. 

The Magic’s leading scorer was Nikola Vucevic with 25 points. The big man from Serbia pulled down 13 boards, had five assists, and made three threes. Dwayne Bacon had 20, James Ennis had a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Terrence Ross, coming off the bench, kicked in with 20 for Orlando.

Up Next: The Warriors welcome the Brooklyn Nets to the Chase Center Saturday night. Former Warrior Kevin Durant will face his former mates for the first time at the Chase Center. Durant and the Nets beat the Warriors in the first game of the 2020-2021 season in Brooklyn. The Warriors will be looking to even the score. The game will start at 5:30 pm.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Tony Renteria: Fox, Barnes, Hield, some of the keys to the Kings offense

Philadelphia 76er guard Ben Simmons (right) tests out the defensive skills of the Sacramento Kings guard Buddy Hield (left) in the first half at Golden One Center in Sacramento on Tue Feb 9, 2021 (AP News photo)

Sacramento Kings podcast with Tony R:

#1 After winning four straight games the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night cooled off a bit when the Philadelphia 76ers came calling to Golden One Center and shut down the Kings offense in the fourth quarter to score only 20 points and the Sixers picked up a five point win 119-111.

#2 The 76ers Joel Embiid led the way with 25 points, 17 rebounds and six assists the Kings just couldn’t do anything with him on Tuesday night.

#3 The 76ers also got scoring help from Tobias Harris and Seth curry both with 22 points. Four 76ers finishing in double figures to off set the Kings on Tuesday night.

#4 Tony the Kings despite the loss on Tuesday had some offensive help with five scorers in double figures that included with De’Aaron Fox 34 points and Buddy Hield with 21 points two of the key players during the Kings four game win steak.

#5 The Orlando Magic come to Sacramento on Friday night. The Magic have been struggling of late 9-16 and have won only one game in their last six tries they lost to the Portland Trail Blazers in their last game Tuesday night 106-97. The Kings had a four game win streak going until they lost Tuesday night to the 76ers. How do you see this match up on Friday night at Golden One?

Join Tony Renteria for the Sacramento Kings podcasts every other Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sacramento Kings podcast with Tony Renteria Thu Feb 11, 2021 by Sports Radio Service | Free Listening on SoundCloud

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: Warriors split series with Spurs: Host Magic Thursday

Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry (30) takes the ball past the San Antonio Spurs Keldon Johnson (3) on Tue Feb 9, 2021 in San Antonio (AP News photo)

On the Warrior podcast with David:

#1 The Warriors who lost to the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night when Draymond Green took a shot with less than a second left in the fourth quarter didn’t go in when the plan called for him to pass the ball but on Tuesday night the Warriors got plenty of offense to beat the Spurs 114-91 at Chase Center in San Francisco.

#2 One of the keys to the win on Tuesday night for the Warriors was they were able to apply good defense on the Spurs in the fourth quarter as San Antonio was able to score only 21 points.

#3 The Warriors host the Orlando Magic on Thursday night. The Magic are struggling they’ve won only one game in their last six tries. They lost on Tuesday night to the Portland Trailblazers 106-97. Meanwhile the Warriors have won four of their last eight games coming into Thursday night’s contest.

Join Dave for the Warriors podcasts each Wednesday morning at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor Wed Feb 10, 2021 by Sports Radio Service | Free Listening on SoundCloud

Hield scores season-best 29, Kings beat Magic 121-107 for solid road win

Photo credit: @NBA

By Jeremiah Salmonson

The Sacramento Kings’ last two games had been postponed, but not on Wednesday night. The Kings defeated the Orlando Magic 121-107 at Golden 1 Center.

The Kings’ last game before Wednesday was against the New York Knicks last Friday at home. The Kings managed to take down the Knicks 103-94 to snap their four-game losing streak. The next two scheduled games were supposed to be played against the Memphis Grizzlies. 

However, due to COVID-19 protocols, the two games were postponed on Sunday and Monday. The Kings were not the source of the delay, but nonetheless, I’m sure they appreciated the extra time off. The Kings were set to be back in action on Wednesday taking on the Orlando Magic at the Amway Center.

In the first half, the Kings played well. The Kings outscored the Magic 32-23 getting back into the swing of things. In the second quarter, it was more for the same from the Kings. They managed to outscore the Magic 33-27 and build a 65-50 lead going into halftime. What was important for the Kings was to finish off the Magic. It has become a theme with this team the last few years to not finish off opponents.

In the second half, the Kings would look to do just that. The Kings started off strong. They outscored the Magic 31-27 in the third and looked poised to seal the deal and win their second game in a row. In the fourth quarter, they didn’t play as well, but still held onto the lead and managed to win the game. The Magic out scored the Kings 30-25 in the last quarter, but the Kings still managed to win the game 121-107.

Leading the way for the Kings (7-10) in victory was Buddy Hield, who had 29 points.

In contrast, the Magic (8-11) were led by Nikola Vucevic, who had 26 points. The Kings are now on a two-game winning streak and look to carry that momentum into their next contest. 

Up Next: The Kings will travel to Toronto and take on the Raptors on Friday night at 4:30 PM PST. 

Sacramento Kings podcast with Tony Renteria: Kings coming off win against Knicks face Magic in Orlando tonight

The Sacramento Kings Glen Robinson III (left) fouls the New York Knicks Julius Randall (right) in the first quarter of Fri Jan 22, 2021’s game at Golden One Center in Sacramento (AP News photo)

On the Kings podcast with Tony R:

#1 Tony, the Kings (6-10) got a big win in their last game against the New York Knicks 103-94 after losing four straight games. How much of a morale booster is that for them starting out on the road trip tonight?

#2 The Knicks are not a slouch team by any means. They came into Sacramento last Friday with a four-game win streak, but the Kings wanted it more.

#3 The Kings Friday got offensive help from De’Aaron Fox, who led with 22 points and Harrison Barnes with 21.

#4 There’s been criticism regarding Kings head coach Luke Walton being one of the worse coaches in the NBA and that Walton has simply been out-coached this year. Is Walton’s job on shaky ground?

#5 The Kings had their game against the Memphis Grizzlies (7-6) postponed last Saturday due to the Grizzlies have COVID-19 protocol issues. The Kings are in Orlando tonight against the Magic. The Magic has lost eight of their last ten games and won in their last game defeating the Charlotte Hornets 117-108. How do you see the two teams tonight?

Join Tony for the Kings podcasts every other Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sacramento Kings podcast with Tony Renteria Wed Jan 27, 2021 by Sports Radio Service | Free Listening on SoundCloud

Kings-Grizzlies game postponed due to Coronavirus protocols

The Sacramento Kings and Memphis Grizzlies game was announced postpone on Friday as the two clubs were scheduled to meet Sun Jan 24, 2021 at the empty Fed Ex Arena in Memphis (pinterest.com file photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

The Sacramento Kings have had many different turns to this season so far. Ups and downs have been common this year. The Kings last game was a glimmer of hope.

The Kings took on the New York Knicks on Friday night and were able to snap a five game losing streak as they defeated the Knicks 103-94. For the Kings is was important because they were able to hold a team below 100 points. The Kings defense has been atrocious and it will be the key going forward if they want any chance at making the playoffs.

The Kings will have to wait until Wednesday night for the next chance to take the court. Due to issues surrounding the Memphis Grizzlies and COVID 19 protocols the next two games for the Kings have been postponed. No make up dates have been set yet.

On Wednesday, the Kings will travel to Orlando to take on the Magic at 4 PM PST.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Kings big surprise with win over Knicks; Now face struggling Magic in Orlando Wed

The Orlando Magic’s guard Evan Fournier (left) tries to defend the Indiana Pacers Malcolm Brogdon (right) during Fri Jan 22, 2021’s game in Indianapolis. The Magic will host the Sacramento Kings on Wed Jan 27, 2021 in Orlando (AP News photo)

On the Kings podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 Jeremiah after four long games the Kings snap their long four game win streak beating the New York Knicks on Friday night 103-94.

#2 Just from the team morale standpoint what does this do for the Kings in getting a win over a Knicks team who came in with a four game win streak in their own right.

#3 In the third quarter the Kings held the Knicks to just 18 points which was major in holding the lead how much does that speak to their defense on Friday night.

#4 It was all hands on deck for the Kings six players finished in double figures and the Kings got scoring help from D’Aaron Fox 22 points and Harrison Barnes 21 in the Kings nine point win.

#5 Next up for the Kings they head to Orlando for a Wed Jan 27th tip off with the Magic (7-9). The Magic who have lost seven of their last eight games host the Kings who have just snapped their four game losing streak on Friday night how do you see this match up?

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