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Kings late-game struggles lead to 104-97 loss to Magic

2012-01-09T23:09:19Z

The Sacramento Kings failed to close the game as they fell to the Orlando Magic 104-97 on Sunday at Power Balance Pavilion.

The Kings were unable to capitalize on Magic big man Dwight Howard’s foul trouble. Howard started the game but was forced to leave the game at the 10:20 mark in the first quarter after two quick fouls on Kings big man DeMarcus Cousins.

Howard didn’t return until midway through the second but was quickly forced to leave the game once again as he was called for a bump foul on Cousins for his third foul of the night.

Howard only played 20 minutes all game and was held scoreless until he made a layup and made a free throw after the foul at 6:35 remaining in the game for his first points of the game. Howard also didn’t have his first rebound until there was 8:00 remaining in the game.

With Howard out, Cousins was able to make his mark on the court and give the Kings a 21-19 lead after the first quarter. Cousins finished 10 points, five rebounds and one block after the first quarter.

Cousins also found himself in foul trouble, getting called for his third foul with 1:42 remaining in the first half.

Kings fans also had a fright as they saw star point guard Tyreke Evans go to the floor in pain after coming down on his ankle. He was helped into the locker room with just under a minute remaining in the first half. Evans returned to start for the Kings in the second half and led the Kings in scoring with 28 points, eight assists and three assists.

Down 47-49, the Kings were still in the game even with guard Marcus Thornton not recording any points yet. Thornton didn’t make his first basket until the 10:35 mark in the third quarter. Thornton then hit the team’s first three of the night with 6:13 remaining in the third quarter, bringing the Magic’s lead to 65-61.

Thornton finished with 10 points in the third quarter, helping maintain just a two-point deficit as the Magic led 81-79 after three quarters of play.

Sacramento tied the game at 87-87 with 5:39 left in the game, but struggled defensively down the stretch, being outscored 17-10 the remainder of the game to lose 104-97.

“Late in the game we reverted to some bad basketball,” new Kings head coach Keith Smart said. “We stood on one side of the floor, and you can’t do that against good teams like this.”

Cousins also observed problems with how the Kings played late in the game and recognizes that they have some work to do but have already made progress during this young season.

“We have to get better at late-game situations, and keep our composure, and make some more moves,” Cousins said. “We are making a lot of strides. Just from the Knicks game to now, we are a whole different team. We just got to continue to work, and it’ll turn around.”

Kings rookie Jimmer Fredette finished with only two points, one rebound and one assist in 14 minutes of play.

Guard Jason Richardson led the Magic with 22 points, with Sacramento native Ryan Anderson contributing 19 points of his own. Anderson attended Oak Ridge High School in El Dorado Hills, Calif. before going to the University of California, Berkeley.

Like Evans, Thornton also went down with an injury early in the fourth quarter but later returned down the stretch.

“That’s the uniqueness of this team,” Smart said. “Guys are hurt, and they want to play. These guys have a heart and a desire to make this franchise better. I commend those guys for being hurt and wanting to come back in and play.”

The Kings now head on the road for eight of their next nine games, including five consecutive games starting on Tuesday against the Philadelphia 76ers. The Kings are 0-3 on the road this season.

“Getting our first win on the road, getting that monkey off our back — we just got to just come back with positive plan and just get it done,” forward Jason Thompson said. “Just take it one game at a time. It’s going to be a long road trip.”

Photos by David Alvarez

Kings put up a good fight, Magic prevails

2011-03-11T01:59:10Z

It was a close game for the Sacramento Kings ~~Thursday~~ Wednesday night, but they came up short in the end, losing to the Orlando Magic, 102-106 at the Power Balance Pavilion.

The Kings shot 64 percent and led 33-29 at the end of the first quarter. Marcus Thornton led the Kings with 11 points and 4 rebounds, while Dwight Howard led the Magic with 10 points and 5 rebounds.

Early in the second quarter, DeMarcus Cousins made several jump shots and two free throws.

With seven tenths of a second left in the quarter, Jason Richardson made a three-point shot, bringing the Magic up to 56, with the Kings still leading at 59.

In the third quarter, the Kings made eight free throws. The Magic and the Kings both rallied at the end with 24.4 seconds left, with Howard making a slam dunk, Samuel Dalembert making a layup on an assist by Thornton, and Gilbert Arenas ending the quarter with a three-point shot.

The Kings had a small lead for most of the game, but in the final three minutes the Magic pulled ahead.

With 14.1 seconds left, the Kings were down 102-105 but gained possession of the ball and called a timeout.

A missed three-point shot attempt by Cousins within the last seconds of the game gave the Magic the edge to win.

It was the fourth straight loss for the Kings, bringing their record to 15-46.

Cousins (29 points, 2 assists) was the highest scorer of the night.

Cousins almost didn’t play due to an injury from practice the day before, according to Head Coach Paul Westphal. “I thought he played a fantastic game,” Westphal said.

Westphal said afterward in a press conference that the game came down to lack of focus on a couple of key plays. The Kings had a total of 21 turnovers.

“We’re not going to take the steps we want to take to the next level until we can do a better job … we’ve got to get better ball handling,” Westphal said. “It’s tough, but we played an excellent game.”

Despite the possibility of the Kings relocating, fans were supportive and cheered loudly for their players.

Fans Kevin Fippin and Curtis Corona acknowledged the growth the Kings are making.

“Kings played pretty good considering they played Orlando,” Fippin said.

“It’s good to see the Kings play good teams and get so close,” Corona said.

On Friday, the Kings will be away to battle the San Antonio Spurs at 5:30 p.m. The next home game will be Monday at 7 p.m. vs. the Golden State Warriors.

Photos by

Darren Hall Photography.net

Editorial Note: A correction has been made to this story after it was published. The incorrect information has been struck out and the correct information has been added.

Tyreke Tuesdays: Late-game heroics highlight Evans' week

2010-03-02T06:54:49Z

Finishing out the month of February, rookie guard Tyreke Evans led the new-look Sacramento Kings to two straight wins against the Utah Jazz and the Los Angeles Clippers.

He averaged 24.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 7.7 assists and 1.3 steals, leading the team to a 2-1 record for the week.

Although he scored 28 points and 13 assists with only two turnovers, the Kings were embarrassed by the Detroit Pistons at home, losing 101-89.

Although the Kings were down by as many as 30 points late in the third quarter, Evans scored 12 points in the fourth quarter to cut into the lead.

The team found out that it lost starting big man Jason Thompson to a back injury until mid-March.

The Kings took an entirely new identity when the Jazz came into town. Beno Udrih was inserted into the lineup, replacing Donté Greene. He and Evans would form a backcourt tandem in a highly competitive game.

Evans posted 24 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in an uplifting win against an elite team, beating the Jazz 103-99. He had a spectacular crossover dribble near the end of the game against all-star guard Deron Williams to seal the game.

Udrih worked well beside Evans, scoring 25 points and dishing four assists.

Two nights later, the Kings looked to even the season series against a Clippers team that had beat eight days earlier. Evans scored 22 points and notched five rebounds in the game, but he scored two crucial baskets to help the Kings stop the Clippers' rally, winning by a score of 97-92.

For the month of February, Evans has averaged 20.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, seven assists and 1.4 steals per game. It is his best statistical month of his rookie season, despite the Kings winning only four games last month.

Evans also disproved any belief that he can't be a point guard in the NBA. His feat of seven assists per game was ranked No. 12 in the month of February, beating out the Orlando Magic's Jameer Nelson and the Denver Nuggets' Chauncey Billups. Both players have been all-star point guards.

Now, Evans will face the Oklahoma City Thunder's Russell Westbrook, Houston Rockets' Kevin Martin and Dallas Mavericks' new addition Caron Butler, on the upcoming road trip. The team will face the Thunder again when it returns home.

Each team is jockeying for position in the western conference playoff race.

Kings host the Magic

2010-01-12T05:20:15Z

At the very least, Kings President Geoff Petrie can see what the rest of us see.

His squad needs help defending its basket.

So when the New Orleans Hornets made their desire to discard salary a league-wide reality, it was time for Petrie to make a move for fourth-year forward-center Hilton Armstrong.

Sacramento took a flyer on Armstrong by sacrificing just a 2016 second-round draft choice. They also received cash in the deal.

Armstrong, 25, a 6-foot-11 post player out of the University of Connecticut, does what the Kings don't - defend. He is a shot-blocker and changer. Should he bring those qualities to the Kings, coach Paul Westphal will have another option in the frontcourt. Petrie said it was unlikely Armstrong would be available Tuesday when the Kings host the Orlando Magic at Arco Arena.

"He'll probably be here (Tuesday)," Petrie said of Armstrong. "But because of some things we need to get done with the league office, he probably won't be available."

The Kings begin a season-long, six-game road trip Friday in Philadelphia and that could be Armstrong's first opportunity to suit up for a game.

Starting center Spencer Hawes should hear footsteps and competition for playing time.
Monday afternoon, Petrie wouldn't acknowledge that motivating Hawes played a role in the trade. He didn't deny it, either.

"Whatever it takes," he said with a laugh.

Petrie said the Kings didn't take a major chance in acquiring Armstrong.

"Last year, (Armstrong) played some solid minutes when (New Orleans center Emeka) Okafor was injured," he said. "We didn't have to put a whole lot into getting him. I think Hilton has a lot of upside so we'll see.

"He's athletic and he'll give us more length up front. His stats won't wow you, but perhaps a change of scenery, a new environment and a new opportunity may help him."

Armstrong didn't get much of an opportunity this season with New Orleans. He averaged 13.3 minutes, 2.8 points and 3.4 rebounds in 18 games for the Hornets. Armstrong, the 12th pick overall of the 2006 NBA Draft, only averaged 2.8 field-goal attempts.

One might think a big man playing with point guard par excellence, Chris Paul, would be the recipient of layup and dunk opportunities. However, Armstrong does not have great hands. However, he did make 56 percent of his field-goal attempts during the 2008-09 season in which he played in 70 games and started 29.