None of the sell-out crowd which packed Sleep Train Arena on Wednesday night knew precisely what was ending. Was it simply the 2012-2013 season, which ended with a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers? Yes, but was it also the very existence of the Sacramento Kings? Possibly. We’ll find out next month when the NBA Board of Governors makes their decision on whether the Kings are sold to an investment group that intends to build a new arena and breathe life into the franchise, or whether the team is sold to a different group who intend to move the team to Seattle, Wash.; kill the franchise; and resurrect the Seattle SuperSonics. The loss itself, 112-108, was relatively easy to take. The game w

When the Memphis Grizzlies played the Sacramento Kings on Sunday afternoon, April 7, the game was meaningful, ugly, exciting and disappointing. Meaningful: Hopelessly out of the playoffs, the Kings are desperate to solidify their recently improved play. Since the All-Star break, they went from 16th to first place in scoring and from near-the-bottom 29th place to 13th place in assists. The game was even more important to Memphis, who are currently seeded fifth for the Western Conference playoffs, but are only one game out of third place. Ugly: At the half, the Kings were shooting 32 percent, had only one fewer turnovers than assists, and yet were leading the Grizzlies. Certainly, there we

It’s frustrating when - 1. A player that averages 11.6 points per game scores 25 and has 12 boards. The big scorer - Shawn Marion, a guy past his prime that rarely puts up those types of numbers anymore. 2. Your team shoots horrible from beyond the arc. The big culprit - shooting 6-for-26 from three-point land, including Isaiah Thomas' 0-for-7.  Add it up and it’s not recipe for success - you probably lose that game nine times out of ten. That’s exactly what happened on Friday evening at Sleep Train Arena when the Dallas Mavericks came to town and beat the Sacramento Kings 117-108 in a game that the home team had under control at the end of the first quarter. “I knew we had to get a

When asked at the beginning of the season who I thought should start at the point for your Sacramento Kings, I said Aaron Brooks, no questions asked. For me, starting Isaiah Thomas was not even an option. Fast forward to the present and, not only have I softened my stance against “The Pizza Guy” starting, but am finally seeing the reasons Coach Keith Smart has stuck with him since inserting him into the starting lineup in the first week of the regular season. Let’s be honest here. After watching Tyreke Evans run the show for SacTown for nearly three years, I really struggled watching ‘Reke play the small forward late last year. I got the concept, but didn’t think it was the best way to

Kings' center DeMarcus Cousins isn’t helping his reputation. The 22-year-old center was ejected from Sunday night’s game as the Kings fell 115-113 to the Milwaukee Bucks. The ejection marks a league-high fourth time the King’s big man has been sent to shower early. Cousins got into an altercation with Milwaukee Bucks forward Mike Dunleavy, resulting in him being disqualified in the third quarter for the remainder of the game. The young big man has built a reputation of being troubled and continues to hurt the Kings with technicals (12 this year) and early showers. But the fact is the Kings need the talented center, and need him to be on the court. With so many holes on the roster, the

He was supposed to be Buster the third. I mean, everyone in the family expected it to happen once they found out Tywanna was having the baby. That is, everyone but Tywanna. “She refused for me to be another Buster,” Patterson said. “The whole family wanted me to be Buster, but they lost the argument.” Patrick Patterson is the cornerstone in the trade that also brought Cole Aldrich and Toney Douglas to the Kings on February 20 of this year in exchange for Thomas Robinson, Francisco Garcia and Tyler Honeycutt. In Patterson, the Kings get a more experienced power forward that can also spread the floor with his outside shooting ability. For “P-Pat” - as he’s known - it was quite a benefi

The Sacramento Kings returned home after a five-game road trip and defeated the Charlotte Bobcats 119-83 in Sunday, March 3's matinee rout. “I thought we did a good job and did what we were supposed to do,” Kings head coach Keith Smart said of his team’s performance after the game. “We got home, played in front of our fans and played some pretty good basketball from a numbers standpoint.” The trip home marked the first time for the newly acquired Kings to take the court in front of the home crowd. Kings general manager Geoff Petrie completed a controversial trade in late February that sent Thomas Robinson, Francisco Garcia and the Kings second-round pick next year to Houston for Patrick

Kings’ point guard Isaiah Thomas is taking advantage of his increased playing time, after spending much of the season in a three-man point guard rotation. Earlier this month, Sacramento head coach Keith Smart made the decision to use primarily Thomas and Jimmer Fredette as his two point guards, fellow point guard Aaron Brooks to become an observer from the bench for the majority of the time. In fact, Brooks has tallied just 14 minutes of playing time in the last four games including three games where he did not see the floor at all. Thomas has responded by producing the same types of plays that earned him the starting job last season after he was drafted 60th overall out of the Universit

Sacramento Kings fans showed up in full force as their team defeated the Utah Jazz 120-109 for what was dubbed, “Here We Buy” night, by local grassroot campaigns attempting to keep the team in Sacramento. Kings head coach Keith Smart knew the atmosphere would be overwhelming before he even made it into the arena. “To come in this building today and see the fans and the level of appreciation while they were out in the parking lot, that was a huge key for us as myself and everyone else coming into the arena, driving in here ready for a game, saw the fans in the parking lot first,” Smart said. Fans kicked the night off with a planned tailgate in the parking lot prior to the game where fans

The Sacramento Kings remain winless since Monday when reports came out that the Sacramento Kings owners have entered a “binding agreement” with an equity group from Seattle that would send the team up to the Pacific Northwest. Ironically, the Kings fell to Seattle’s former team, the Oklahoma City Thunder 105-95 at Sleep Train Arena to extend their losing streak to three games. Players were reportedly distracted by the news on Monday as they attempted to practice, and that distraction may have carried over into the games this week. Kings forward Jason Thompson has been with the team for five seasons now and this isn’t the first time he’s dealt with possible relocation, though it is the f

When you’re the Sacramento Kings (15-24) and a team like the Washington Wizards (7-29) come to town, you really should be feeling like a win is in the near future. Like now. But if you look at the Kings’ wins this season, they have compiled up just as many wins against good teams - Lakers, Warriors, Blazers, Jazz and Knicks than they have against the bottom of the league - the Torontos, Orlandos, Clevelands and the Washingtons of the world. So gauging the meaning of a single victory is hard these days. All Kings head honcho Keith Smart knows is that now is the time for W’s - wins to be chalked up onto the big board. On Wednesday evening at Sleep Train Arena the home town put out the fi

Monday night’s contest was a game that the Kings should have won. And, they did. The opening quarter was tight, until Thomas Robinson scored as the buzzer sounded. Still, the Cleveland Caveliers never led by more than four points, and the Kings never trailed after tying the score five minutes into the game. The bench played a key role, as three starters (Jason Thompson, John Salmons, and Tyreke Evans) entered the second quarter in foul trouble. From the bench, Robinson had one of his best games, shooting 60 percent, scoring 12 points and grabbing seven rebounds. Jimmer Fredette was back in a groove of efficiency, scoring 16 points in 13 minutes. Marcus Thronton hit most of his field goa

The Sacramento Kings took the court once again as their future in the state’s capital remains uncertain as prospective buyers continue to emerge. With the team’s future still uncertain, the team’s identity on the hardwood has also remained inconsistent. They fell 128-99 to the NBA Champion Miami Heat on Saturday night. The team’s frustration continues to build while the losses pile up, especially after four straight losses that include three 20-plus point losses. “It shouldn’t matter what the team is, we should have an identity on the team like every other team has,” Kings big man DeMarcus Cousins said after the game. “Our problem is we switch up how we play and we can’t play that way.

What a difference a year doesn’t make. The Boston Celtics came to Sacramento last season. In that game, the Kings started John Salmons, Jason Thompson, DeMarcus Cousins. Marcus Thornton, and Isaiah Thomas. Tyreke Evans did not play because of an injury to his left leg (ankle). As the first quarter ended, the Kings enjoyed a six-point lead.  They never faltered, winning by more than 20 points. The Boston Celtics came to Sacramento last night. In that game, the Kings started John Salmons, Jason Thompson, DeMarcus Cousins. Marcus Thornton, and Isaiah Thomas. Tyreke Evans did not play because of an injury to his left leg (knee).  As the first quarter ended, the Kings enjoyed a six-point lead

Amazing! Incredible! Unlikely? Yeah, that’s it. Unlikely. Of all the words you could use to describe the way Friday night’s Sacramento Kings game ended, unlikely probably suits it best. In a game that saw the Kings get a 27-point lead, lose that lead and then have a guy hit his first three-pointer of the season just as time ran out for the win - yeah, very unlikely. The Kings beat the visiting Knicks 106-105 on a buzzer-beating shot by James Johnson at Sleep Train Arena on Friday evening in a game that kept every fan on edge of their seats until the finals clicks on the clock ran dry. “That’s all I’m rolling on right now is confidence,” Johnson said. “As long as I can continue work

The Sacramento Kings bench came up big in the Kings 108-96 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers at Sleep Train Arena on Sunday night, Dec. 23.  With big man DeMarcus Cousins out, due to a team suspension, and guard Tyreke Evans still out with a knee injury, the bench scored 43 of the team’s points. The bench needs to have productive nights like this in order to keep winning. The team was able to use solid ball movement all night in order to find the open man, something that the team has struggled with all season. Sacramento had a season-high 31 assists on this night. “The number one thing was 31 assists, that tells the story right there,” Kings head coach Keith Smart said after the g

What happens in a basketball game when each team makes 50 percent of its field goal attempts? And, each team sinks at least half its three-point attempts (all 45 of them)? And, each team converts at least 80 percent of its free throws? And, each team’s number of assists totals more than double its turnovers? Answer: you get a score like 131-127. What happens when a team has the second-most road wins in the NBA (winning a higher percentage than the leader) and plays a road game so close to its own home that its fans sometimes drown out the locals? And, that team’s road percentage (.667) is higher than the home team’s home record (.462)? And, that team has the Western Conference Player of t

In a finally nearly filled Sleep Train Arena on Friday evening, the Sacramento Kings beat the visiting Orlando Magic 91-82 to win two games in a row for only the second time this frustrating season. DeMarcus Cousins had a big night scoring 17 points, grabbing 14 boards and had three steals, two blocks and four assists. Not a bad night for the Kings’ big man. Four other players scored in double figures including Isaiah Thomas (17), Jimmer Fredette (15), Jason Thompson (12) and Aaron Brooks (11). So far in the early going of the 2012-13 campaign, the Kings have not got the engine humming smoothly down the tracks. The early culprits were trying to find the right combo at guard, the suspens

The Sacramento Kings returned home to defeat the struggling Toronto Raptors 107-100 on Wednesday night, Dec. 5, for just their fifth win of the season. A big part of the victory was the return of Kings guard Tyreke Evans, who missed the previous two games due to a bruised left knee. Evans returned to his starting shooting guard position and got off to a slow start, but quickly found himself as a key piece of the victory as the team pulled away late. The fourth-year guard scored 10 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter, including two big three-point shots that put the Kings ahead for good. “I was just trying to get a feel for it,” Evans said of his return to the court. “When you sit out