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 fo

Unbelievable! Amazing! Jaw-dropping! Spectacular! In sports writing, superlatives are greatly overused. Heck, even The Court Jester abuses the Queen’s English occasionally! In this case, however, I think not! After being down 58-37 at the half, being outshot from the floor 60.5 percent to 31.8 perccent in the first half and only scoring 12 points in the second quarter, it looked like another lackluster Kings performance would etch another loss in the standings Thursday evening. Not so fast, my pretty! After a day of showing Coach Paul Westphal the door, elevating assistant Keith Smart to the position full-time and holding a players-only film study session before the game, the Kings ca

The Sacramento Kings fired Head Coach Paul Westphal Thursday, citing a record of 51 wins and 120 losses in a little more than two seasons, team officials said in a press release. “I want to thank Paul for all of his effort on behalf of the Kings,” said Geoff Petrie, chief of basketball operations. “Unfortunately, the overall performance level of the team has not approached what we felt was reasonable to expect. I wish him the best in his future endeavors.” Westphal will be replaced by Assistant Coach Keith Kevin Smart, but Kings officials did not say whether the appointment is permanent. “I would like to thank the Maloof family for the incredible opportunity they gave me to participate

The Sacramento Kings ended a three-game losing streak Sunday night in a 96-80 win over the New Orleans Hornets. Guard Tyreke Evans led the team with 27 points, scoring 13 points in the third quarter. Evans was also a force on the defense, and along with guard Marcus Thornton, who scored 25 points, helped the team dominate the second half of the game. Noticeably absent from the court was center DeMarcus Cousins, who had been listed as a probable starter in the game. Kings Head Coach Paul Westphal issued a release before the game in which he said Cousins was asked to stay home after he demanded to be traded. Despite his absence, the Kings dominated the Hornets. Westphal said he does not k

The Sacramento Kings suffered their second-straight loss as they fell to the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night by 108-98. Last season’s MVP Derrick Rose finished the game with 19 points, one rebound and eight assists while playing only 32 minutes due to foul trouble for much of the second half. During that time, backup point guard C.J. Watson contributed nicely with eight points, five rebounds and nine assists of his own. The Kings were once again led by their backcourt Tyreke Evans and Marcus Thornton. Evans finished with 19 points, two rebounds and two assists, while Thornton finished with 20 points, five rebounds and one assist. Kings big man DeMarcus Cousins finished with 15 points and

Following a long eight-month hiatus, the Sacramento Kings finally returned to Power Balance Pavilion and provided a sellout crowd with a 100-91 win over the rival Los Angeles Lakers. After almost seeing their team move to Anaheim last season followed by a labor disagreement that caused a delay to the start of the season, Kings fans filled the arena for the Kings “blackout” game and were rewarded with a hard-fought victory by their new-look Kings. Fans were loud and into the game before the ball was even tipped off. With the lights off, fans were instructed to activate the purple light sticks that they were given at the door, and continued cheering through much of a tribute video that fol

Twelve thousand plus in attendance for a preseason game told you that Kings head honcho Paul Westphal was right. “It’s nice to have basketball back in this building, isn’t it?,” Westphal started his post game press conference. It sure was! A good crowd for the only home preseason game this season saw the Sacramento Kings tighten up the defense in the final minutes of the game and hold on to beat the Golden State Warriors 95-91 at Power Balance Pavilion on Tuesday evening. Leading the way for the Kings was Marcus Thornton who had 21 points, seven boards and four assists and J.J. Hickson who scored 19 points and had nine rebounds. Tyreke Evans scored the first basket of the new season o

With the season fast approaching, the Sacramento Kings held their annual Media Day on Thursday, December 15 at Power Balance Pavilion. Every player had various duties on this busy day - multiple media obligations, shooting stand ups and bits for use in-game and even an open scrimmage, where fans across the valley will get their first chance at seeing this version of the new-look Kings. With the addition of J.J. Hickson (via trade from Cleveland for Omri Casspi), the signing of free agent Chuck Hayes away from Houston and acquiring John Salmons via draft day trade involving Beno Udrih plus the drafting of three rookies in Jimmer Fredette, Isaiah Thomas and Tyler Honeycutt added to the thr

Trust me, Keith Smart had options. It was just the way Kings Head Coach Paul Westphal struck him during Westphal’s visit to his Bay Area home. “Coach Paul was incredible as far as the process of trying to get me to come here,” said Smart after the first of two practices on Monday afternoon. “I mean, he came to my house and we sat in my living room for three hours talking about basketball philosophy. And he didn’t have to do that. When the decision came for them to come talk to me, I thought I would have had to come up to Sacramento. He said, ‘Hey, I’ll come visit with you.’ He came up and we sat and talked and I thought that was pretty good. This worked out perfect because it’s right dow

The long-awaited, lockout-shortened Kings’ season is finally underway as training camp has opened in Natomas at Sacramento’s training facility in the Power Balance Pavilion parking lot. Here are some observations from the second and third day of the two-week training camp. State of the Kings Address Each training camp, Geoff Petrie, the Kings’ President of Basketball Operations, addresses the media to discuss the offseason and his early training camp observations. This year was a lot different for Petrie as he and the staff are having to cram over a months worth of moves, discussions and preparation for the upcoming season in a two-week period. Here are Petrie’s comments regarding vari

Here's some images from the big Kings rally in Cesar Chavez Park Tuesday night: Read about the Here We Rally HERE

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson will represent the Kings at the National Basketball Association draft lottery next week, team owners and the mayor announced at a Tuesday rally. Johnson and developers representing the ICON-Taylor arena team will meet in Las Vegas Wednesday with George Maloof, whose family controls a majority share of the team, to discuss the arena project. The Maloof family owns the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. On stage at a Kings rally in Cesar Chavez Plaza, Gavin and Joe Maloof asked the former NBA All-Star player to step up for them next Tuesday at the draft lottery at the NBA Entertainment studio in Secaucus, N.J. "I accept! I accept! I accept!" Johnson yelled in

I wish someone could tell me why it came to this. Out of all the places to move to, it ends up being where our arch rival dwells. To leave a fan base that has given unconditional support for a team that hasn't been great for much of the time since they've graced us with their presence says a lot. Speaking of “saying a lot,” many diehard Kings fans have begged and pleaded for the Maloofs to reconsider their stance with the franchise. I remember writing about them making an idiotic move like this in my last piece, but I never thought it would happen so soon. Ever since writing the first part of this article (which can be read here), I have committed myself to following the business side of

The Sacramento Kings fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder by a final score of 120-112 on Monday night at Power Balance Pavilion. With the Maloofs' decision on a possible move to Anaheim looming, the Kings came out and played hard for the 15,683 fans that came to show support for their team. Throughout the game, fans could be heard ringing their cowbells while chanting, “SA-CRA-MEN-TO!” and “No L.A., here we stay!” Kings head coach Paul Westphal had positive things to say. “I thought that was a great atmosphere and there was a lot of great NBA basketball out there.” The Kings jumped off to an 8-2 lead in the first couple of minutes of the game, but the Oklahoma City Thunder would come back

DeMarcus Cousins sat in front of his locker space exhausted, the effects of a long first season etched in his face and his left shoulder donned in black tape as if held on by Super Glue. At least he wasn’t bleeding this time. After putting up 17 points, collecting nine rebounds, dealing out six assists and setting a personal high with five steals, it’s understandable why - nearing the end of his rookie campaign - Cousins could barely find the energy to speak to reporters after the game. “Even though we are not having a great season and everyone knows we are not going to the playoffs, the fan support is unbelievable,” said a soft-spoken Cousins. “They stick with us through thick and thin

In a rematch of a game in Denver just two days prior, the Kings were hoping that their newfound cohesiveness would be on full display in trying to get one back from the visiting team. No such luck as the Denver Nuggets pulled away in the second half and never looked back in their defeat of the Kings 99-90 in Sacramento on Friday evening. Make no mistake about it. This was a physical contest. The Nuggets are known for playing that rough, in-your-face, stripping the ball type of irritating defense that tends to get on the opposing players nerves. It was just after halfway through the first quarter when the Denver center Nene (12 points, 12 boards) pushed Tyreke Evan hard to the ground.  Ev

When looking at the Cavaliers roster, it’s hard to find a bunch of names that roll off the tongue as if you’ve heard of them many times before. On the other hand, just to make it to an NBA roster means you have special skills and should never be taken lightly. In this case, I don’t think a team that has the second worst record in the Association - the Kings - would or could afford to take any team for granted. They didn’t, but still came up a little short. In a battle of teams with the two worst records in the NBA, the Cleveland Cavaliers outlasted the Sacramento Kings, 97-93, in a game the Kings should have won. From the outset, the Kings cranked up the defensive pressure by constantly

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 t

The Kings weren’t able to ground the Rockets Monday as Houston routed Sacramento 123-101 at the Power Balance Pavilion. Sacramento got off to a decent start to the game, having a slight 30-29 lead to end the first quarter. The Kings then started to lose their lead during the second quarter, but the third was Sacramento’s worst, as they gave up 30 points and only answered with 16. Power Balance Pavilion was not close to being filled, but the fans who were there showed as much support as they could for their Sacramento Kings despite the team’s struggles. Forward DeMarcus Cousins scored 20 points and went 10 for 20 in field goals, tying the game-high with Houston forward Chase Budinger, wh

The Sacramento Kings fell to the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night by a final score of 107-102 in what is now called Power Balance Pavilion. The Kings looked to win their second game in a row and also win the first game under the arena's new name. On Tuesday, the arena formally changed its name to Power Balance Pavilion after being ARCO Arena since its inaugural game on Nov. 8, 1988. The Kings started where they finished Monday night, playing solid basketball and shooting 55 percent from the field, but they found themselves down to the Trail Blazers 30-29 after the first quarter. Newly acquired King Marcus Thornton again came into the game and provided a spark for the Kings off