Tag: Rudy Gobert

Kings fall to Jazz 133-112 on Sunday night in SAC

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

Jazz final score

By Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings faced a major uphill battle on Sunday night at the Golden 1 Center. They had played their butts off in Oakland on Saturday night only to lose to the Golden State Warriors 117-116 with less than one second remaining in the game.

The team then had to travel home and get ready for a 5 PM game on Sunday against the Utah Jazz. Let’s change that to the very angry Utah Jazz.

Sacramento had played the Jazz in Salt Lake City last Wednesday and embarrassed the Utah squad in front of their home fans by handing them a 119-110 loss. You must remember that the Jazz were a playoff team last season and to be beaten at home by a bunch of upstarts like the Kings is something that is not supposed to happen in the NBA.

The Jazz entered the contest with revenge on their minds.

Back-to-back games
NBA teams hate back-to-back games because they often spell disaster for them. The games on Saturday and Sunday were the Kings fifth back-to-back set of the season. They were 4-5 in those games coming in the contest with the Jazz. They had swept one series, split two series and been swept once.

The Kings needed to win on Sunday night to prevent being swept in a back-to-back series for the second time this season. They lost to the Jazz 133-112 and have now been swept twice in a back-to-back series.

Kings could not take advantage of a break
The Kings (10-10) knew before the start of the game that Utah’s star guard Donovan Mitchell would not be in uniform on Sunday. Mitchell who averages 20.6 points per game is usually the “heart and soul” of the Jazz offense. His absence did not guarantee the Kings a win, but it should have given them an advantage to exploit. They were unable to do so.

Coach Dave Joerger even warned the media before the game that Utah had a deep bench that was very capable of making up for Mitchell not being in the lineup. He was correct.

Things started well for SAC
The Kings jumped out to a 7-0 lead but things went downhill from there. Coach Dave Joerger did not mince words about what he saw from his team.

  • The Jazz outscored the Kings in the paint 66-52
  • Utah scored 17 second Chance Points to Sacramento’s 9
  • The Kings did win the battle of fastbreak points 13-12
  • The Jazz shot 53.3% (49/52) for the game while the Kings shot 47.1% (40/85)
  • UTA out-rebounded SAC 49-36
  • The Jazz dished out 30 assists while committing 19 turnovers (23 Kings points)
  • The Kings recorded 20 assists and turned it over 17 times (23 Utah points)

De’Aaron Fox on the loss to the Jazz

  • Kings high scorer was Bogdan Bogdanovic with 20 points in his first start of the season
  • De’Aaron Fox scored 13 points while dishing out 3 assists and adding 3 steals

  • Marvin Bagley III scored 18 points and grabbed 6 rebounds
  • Harry Giles III put up 10 points, hauled in 8 rebounds and added 6 assists in just under 20 minutes of playing time

Utah Jazz leaders

Jazz Rubio

  • Ricky Rubio was the Jazz unlikely leading scorer. The point guard hardly ever shoots yet on Sunday he shot 11-for-16 from the floor and went 2-for-3 from behind the 3-point arc. He scored 27 points while distributing 5 assists and adding 7 rebounds.
  • Rudy Gobert posted a double-double with 18 points and 15 rebounds. This was his 18th double-double of the season
  • Joe Ingles was quiet for much of the game and then suddenly had 18 points

Up next

  • The Jazz (9-11) will be back in action on Monday night when they host the Pacers in Salt Lake City
  • The Kings are off until Thursday night when they will welcome Clippers to the Golden 1 Center
  • The Jazz and Kings will meet one more time this season in SLC on April 5, 2019

Kings give maximum effort on the road but come up short to Jazz 103-97

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
MASON vs Jazz
Frank Mason III takes it to the hoop vs Jazz Photo @SacramentoKings

by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings ended a nightmare five games in seven nights stretch with a “Battle Royale” versus the playoff bound Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City on Saturday night. The Kings played a very competitive game for a full 48-minutes but came up just short losing to the Jazz 103-97.

The Kings had to battle the talent of the Jazz, the fatigue of having played at Golden State on Friday night and playing at altitude – SLC sits 4226 feet above sea level. Sacramento played those five games in five different cities – only the Miami game was played in SAC. They also played in three different time zones. Even under those adverse conditions, the Kings finished this punishing part of their schedule with two wins and three loses.

Despite not arriving in Utah until 2 am, Sacramento showed no fatigue starting the game fast and with high energy. The team continued to play hard in the second quarter and took a 54-50 lead into the locker room at halftime. The Kings 3-point shooting helped to carrying them in the first half as they 8-of-11 (72.7-percent) from behind the arc in the opening 24-minutes. Buddy Hield came off the bench to lead the scoring for Sacramento with 10 points while Rudy Gobert was the top scorer for the Jazz with 13.

The Kings have battled third-quarter let downs all season long but managed to avoid that problem in this game. They did fall behind by 10 points in the period but rebounded late in the quarter and trailed the Jazz by just one – 80 to 79 – after three quarters.

In the final period, the score seesawed back and forth with neither team able to take control of the game. The game was tied at 94-all with 40-seconds remaining. Joe Ingles hit two free throws to give Utah the lead then Ricky Rubio hit two from the charity stripe to give the Jazz a four-point lead 24-seconds to go.

The Kings had to foul to stop the clock and keep the game close. They fouled Gobert who converted two free throws to make it six-point game. Garrett Temple hit a 3-pointer to bring the Kings back within three-points then they had to foul Ingles again. Ingles hit the first free throw but missed the second. Gobert grabbed the rebound slammed the ball home to give the Jazz a 103-97 lead which would be the final score.

Top Performances

Kings

Utah Kings starting 5
Kings starting five vs Utah Photo @SacramentoKings
  • Buddy Hield came off the bench to be the leading scorer for his team with 23-points. “Buddy Buckets” shot 9-for-15 for the game and hit 5-of-8 3-point attempts. Hield also led his team with six assists.
  • Bogdan Bogdanovic posted 12 points but had a tough night shooting. He hit just 5-of-17 shots overall and was 2-for-3 from long-range.
  • Fox scored 11-points, grabbed four rebounds, made four steals and handed out two assists but also struggled from the field hitting just 4-of-13 attempts.
  • Garrett Temple had a good game coming off the bench to score 11-points. He shot 4-for-7 and was a perfect 3-for-3 from downtown.
  • Other Sac contributors: Cauley-Stein 9-points, Koufos and Mason III 8 each, Labissiere 7, Sampson 6, Jackson 2.

Jazz

Utah vs Kings 3-17
Photo @utahjazz
  • Rookie of the year candidate Donovan Mitchell was the high-scorer for the game with 28-points. Mitchell shot 11-for-21 from the field but was an awful 1-for-8 from 3-point land. He hit 5-of-6 from the free throw line.
  • Rudy Gobert recorded a double-double scoring 22 points and hauling in 13 rebounds.
  • Ricky Rubio was expected to miss the game after being injured in the Suns game on Thursday, but he did make the start. The point guard scored 14-points, recorded nine rebounds and dished out five dimes.
  • Joe Ingles posted 14 points, seven rebounds and a game-high nine assists.

By the Numbers

Sacramento (23-48)

  • The Kings bench outscored the Utah reserves 56-15. Dave Joerger would like to have that kind of bench production every game.
  • SAC was hot from behind the arc as they hit 14-of-21 (66.7-percent) from 3-point range versus the Jazz.
  • The team shot an acceptable 43-percent (37-for-86) for the game.
  • The Kings recorded 33 rebounds versus 48 for the Jazz.
  • Sacramento scored 20 points off 16 Utah turnovers.
  • SAC dished out 23 assists versus 14 turnovers.
  • The Kings went to the free throw line just 14 times while Utah went to the stripe 38 times.

Utah (40-30)

  • Second chance points may have been the key to the Jazz win Saturday night. Utah scored eight second chance points to just three for the Kings.
  • Success at the free throw line was also a major contributing factor in Jazz win. They converted 31-of-38 opportunities from line. Sacramento went 9-for-14 shooting free throws.
  • UTA dominated the battle in the paint outscoring SAC 46-30 down low.
  • Utah shot 44.6-percent (33-for-74) for the contest.
  • They did not have a great not from downtown hitting just 6-of-24 (25-percent) from 3-point range.

 Up Next

Kings

SAC opens a six-game homestand with the Detroit Pistons on Monday night at the Golden 1 Center. The Pistons made a big trade for Blake Griffin to make a drive for the playoffs in the Eastern Conference but are now six games out of contention for the eighth and final postseason spot.

Jazz

UTA will stay in Salt Lake City and prepare for the “tanking” Atlanta Hawks who will come to town on Tuesday night. The Hawks occupy last place in the NBA East. Atlanta will continue their road trip on Thursday night in Sacramento.

Kings lose to Jazz 110-109 in OT: watch the 2:20 game wrap

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Kings lost to the Utah Jazz on Sunday night 110-109 in OT with literally 1-tenth of a second left on the clock. It took a replay decision in New Jersey to decide the final outcome of the game. It was exciting, frustrating and exhausting all at the same time.

You can watch the final 1.6-seconds of the overtime period in these highlight clips from the Utah Jazz of Rudy Gobert (sorry you will have endure a 15-commercial) by just clicking on the link. Gobert – who has been a Kings killer – posted a double-double recording 16 points and 24 rebounds (6 OR) in addition to scoring the game winning bucket.

Gobert on the final game-winning basket

“I was rolling because I thought he was going to pull up into the shot and I didn’t know if I had time to get the rebound or not. When I saw the ball of on the side, I just tipped it in.”

Kings head coach Dave Joerger’s analysis

“This was a playoff game for us. We played with playoff intensity.”

Kings have no time to rest

The Kings headed to the airport after the game and flew to Denver where they will play the Nuggets on Monday night. Sacramento is three games behind Denver who is in the eighth and final playoff slot in the Western Conference.

The game tips off at 6 p.m. West Coast time.

Kings suffer 4th quarter collapse and lose to the Jazz 104-84

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

by Charlie O. Mallonee

Sacramento Kings v Utah Jazz
Casspi to the hoop in Utah photo:NBAE

The Sacramento Kings forgot to play by the old adage of “it’s not how you start the game but how you finish the game that counts”. Sacramento started the game in Utah on Saturday night with an 11-0 run. The Kings finished the game scoring just eight points in the fourth quarter versus the Jazz and lost their second consecutive contest 104-84.

Yes, it was the second game of a back-to-back set on the road for Sacramento. Every NBA fan knows that means the deck is stacked against your team in second game of a back-to-back set on the road, but the deck is also stacked against a home team that is without three of its regular starters due to injuries. That is exactly what the Jazz had to deal with on Saturday night. Three of their regular starters are missing due to injury, and they could easily use that as an excuse anytime to explain away a loss. Instead, they played hard and won their 15th game of the season.

The Kings played hard for 36 minutes

Sacramento trailed the Jazz by just two points after three quarters of play were in the book on Saturday night. It appeared that it was anybody’s game as the teams headed into the final 12 minutes of play.

The Kings did not show up on either end of the floor. On offense, Sacramento shot just 13.6-percent (3-for-22) from floor with one 3-point basket in seven attempts. They went just 1-for-4 from the free throw line. The Kings used 12 players in the fourth period and only four scored points for the team.

On defense, the Kings allowed the Jazz to score 26 points in the final quarter while shooting 50-percent (10-for-20) from the floor. Utah hit 4-of-9 from beyond the 3-point line. Trey Lyles led the Jazz with eight points in the fourth quarter and Gordon Hayward added seven points as well.

The Jazz dominated the fourth quarter of the game as they sent the Kings home with their 15th loss of the year.

Sacramento Kings v Utah Jazz
Cauley-Stein slams it home photo: NBAE

Utah dominated the numbers in this game

The Jazz topped the Kings in all of the important numbers as a team on Saturday night. Utah shot 48.1-percent (37-for-77) from the floor while Sacramento shot just 37.8-percent for the game. This was the second straight game that Kings shot under 40-percent for the game. You cannot win in the NBA shooting under 40-percent.

Utah hit 13-of-29 shots from beyond the 3-point arc (44.8-percent). A NBA team cannot allow their opponents to shoot above 40-percent from 3-point land and expect to win. The defense has to put a body on those shooters and put pressure on that offense to stop taking those long range shots if they are going to win the game.

The Jazz shot 94.4-percent (17-for-18) from the free throw line. Teams are not going to shoot that well from the stripe on most nights in “the Association”. The biggest problem for Sacramento was the fact they only went to the free throw line 13 times in the entire game. This is a team that usually dominates the paint. To have only 13 opportunities from the charity stripe in a game is totally unacceptable for the Kings.

For the second game in a row, the Kings were dominated on the boards. The Jazz outrebounded the Kings 54-34. Utah pulled down 44 defensive rebounds to Sacramento’s 22 defensive boards. The Knicks also outrebounded the Kings in their win on Friday night.

utah-utah
Jazz dominates Kings in Utah photo: NBAE

Gobert had a monster game for the Jazz

Rudy Gobert has been tasked with being the leader of his team on the floor with the other three starters missing in action. Saturday night, Gobert recorded a double-double in the game. He posted 17 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. He also had six – yes you are reading correctly – six blocked shots in the game. Gobert is becoming a force to be dealt with in the NBA.

Four Jazz players scored in double figures

Gordon Hayward was the high-scorer in the game with 26 points for Utah. Hayward hit three 3-point baskets and was a perfect 5-for-5 from the free throw line.

Trey Lyles added 14 points off the bench for the Jazz. Joe Ingles put up 11 points in his 38-minutes of playing time, and Gobert posted his 17 points.

Kings scoring numbers

Rudy Gay led the scoring attack for the Kings on Saturday night. He put up 20 points shooting 7-for-15 from the floor and going 3-for-4 from 3-point range. That is one of his best shooting performances in some time for the Kings.

Point guard Darren Collison added 17 points shooting 50-percent from the field and hitting 3-of-5 from 3-point land.

DeMarcus Cousins posted a double-double putting up 16 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. He also had a tough night shooting going just 7-for-22 from the floor. He was just 1-for-6 from 3-point range.

Omri  Casspi continues to make the most of every minute of playing time he given. In this game, Casspi played 27-minutes and scored 12 points. He hit 5-of-9 shots from the floor and was 2-for-3 from long distance. Casspi also had two assists and two steals.

Sacramento Kings v Utah Jazz
Collison pushes the ball in Utah photo: NBAE

Up next on the schedule

The Kings have Sunday off and then return to action on Monday hosting the Los Angeles Lakers at the Golden 1 Center. The Kings lost to the Lakers in November 101-91 in Sacramento. The last thing Sacramento wants to do is to be swept by the Lakers on their home court.

The Jazz are off until Wednesday night when they will host the Oklahoma City Thunder in Salt Lake City.

Curry, Warriors silence Jazz

Published on by jhawkes51Leave a comment

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

OAKLAND — Stephen Curry scored 11 of his game-high 24 points in the second quarter and Leandro Barbosa finished with a season-high 19 points helping Golden State pickup its 56th win of the season with a 106-91 win over the Utah Jazz Saturday night after disposing the New Orleans Pelicans at home Friday night.

The Warriors take the season series from Utah, 3-1.

Curry had his jump shot going, finishing with 8-of-18 from the floor (3-of-6 on 3s) to go along with three assists and three steals in 32 minutes of action. The Warriors’ league MVP candidate was struggling with his shot, shooting just 35 percent from the floor in five previous five games.

Barbosa, who has been huge for Golden State this season, played 28 minutes off the bench.

Draymond Green scored 15 points (11-of-13 from the free throw line), while Harrison Barnes chipped in with 12 points, and Andre Iguodala finished with 13 points off the bench for Golden State, who dominated Utah on fast break points, 25-6.

Justin Holiday, who has started the last three games in the place of All-Star shooting guard Klay Thompson, finished with just seven points.

“L.B. has been magnificent this season,” said Warriors head coach Steve Kerr. “His defense has been tremendous for us, he’s a worker, a wonderful teammate.”

“We’re a deep team,” said Curry. “It goes to show you what our record (56-13) is. Everyone is playing great and contributing to the team’s success.”

Andrew Bogut was aggressive in the paint tonight scoring eight of Golden State’s game high 46 points in the paints (Utah finished with 36 points in the paint), and played great defense against Jazz promising young center Rudy Gobert. Gobert finished with just five points and nine rebounds in 34 minutes.

“Bogut played a great game tonight,” Kerr said of Bogut, who finished with eight of Golden State’s 37 rebounds. “He was a rock in the paint for us, and that is what I’m looking from him every night.”

Derrick Favors finished with 21 points and 11 rebounds, and Trey Burke scored 20 points (5-of-11 on 3s) for the Jazz, who drop to 31-35 on the season.

Before Golden State dropped 106 points tonight, Utah didn’t allow 100 points in 12 consecutive games. Opponents were averaging just 86 points per game during that span.

Utah was 12-3 since the All-Star break, which was tops in the league.

Golden State continues to pile up wins at Oracle, improving to an NBA-best 33-2 in front of arguably the best homecourt advantage in all of basketball and are beating teams by an average of 15 points per game at home.

When holding teams to under 100 points, Golden State are a staggering 37-0.

With just three more wins, Golden State can tie the 1975-76 Warriors team for the most wins in franchise history with 59. The Warriors’ magic number to clinch the Pacific Division is down to two games.

The Warriors can finish their six-game homestand Monday 6-0 (and extend its current five-game winning streak) with a win over the visiting Washington Wizards.

Golden State will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the organization’s last championship that night, which was won against Wizards (formally the Bullets).