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

  More photos from the game can be viewed here.

The mayor elect of Elk Grove, Gary Davis,  sent out a press statement Monday morning concerning the future of professional soccer in the Sacramento region and a meeting he held with Major League Soccer Comissioner Don Garber over the weekend.  For reasons that will become clear as the day progresses, the timing of this statement is important, and it seems to be part of a budding rivialry between Sacramento and Elk Grove when it comes to brining soccer teams to the region. Also key is that Davis says that "City of Elk Grove signed an exclusivity agreement with a potential ownership team" and that "These discussions include building a soccer specific stadium in Elk Grove and are well on the

Although not on display Friday evening at Sleep Train Arena during the Kings/Pacers matchup (Tyreke Evans sat with a bruised left knee), the recent on-court pairing of Evans and Aaron Brooks seems to have helped Sacramento get it’s offense back on track. The win totals may not be piling up but it sure is promising to see the team score more points lately. The decision by Coach Keith Smart to insert Brooks into the starting point guard role to replace Isaiah Thomas coincided with the fact that Evans jumper was finding it’s mark. Since the change, Evans is averaging 21 points, 4.8 assists and 5.4 rebounds. Brooks’ average has also increased to 10.8 per game. I caught up with Coach Smart

After beating the Los Angeles Lakers last week, Sacramento coach Keith Smart joked that he wished the Kings’ schedule were changed so that they only played upper-echelon teams. Those are the games where the Kings most consistently maintain their focus and intensity. Coach Smart did not get his wish. The schedule was not changed. Instead, the Kings played the Minnesota Timberwolves, who rode a five-game losing streak into Sleep Train Arena. It was a game that the Kings probably should have won and, indeed, they were ahead from the opening tip until 11:59 of the first quarter. The Timberwolves earned a one-point lead with .9 seconds left in the opening period and never trailed again. The fi

The Sacramento Kings, sporting the worst record in the Western Conference, battled the Los Angeles Lakers, who are the most All-Star laden team in the NBA on Wednesday evening. Had Laker point guard Steve Nash not missed the game due to injury, the Laker starting five alone would contain five All-Stars — compared to zero on the entire Kings roster. But, Kings fans had hopes for a good game. As King fan Saul said, “If we play an A game and they play a B game, we're perfectly capable of taking this game.” We played our A game. Laker Dwight Howard, arguably the best center in basketball, played twice as many minutes as foul-plagued DeMarcus Cousins, but Big Cuz equaled Howard’s point total,

Chuck Hayes, Marcus Thorton steps up as Kings beat LA Role players stepped up in the Kings win over LA on Wednesday night. Storified by Jared Goyette · Wed, Nov 21 2012 22:52:39 Take that, Lakers fans! You may silently exit the building. Happy Thanksgiving! !#kingsallday #beatlakcemo Chuck Hayes called a team meeting before the game to talk about accountability, but he lead by example Wednesday night, battling for rebounds, playing tough defense against Dwight Howard and contributing valuable points. After the game, the Kings leading scorer, Marcus Thorton, who scored 23 points, had this to say to broadcaster Grant Napear: "Game ball go to Chuck Hayes. He played awesome on both end

The Sacramento Kings reversed the disappointing tempo of their previous two games, both thorough defeats, when they played the Brooklyn Nets on the afternoon of Sunday, Nov. 18. The Kings had started erratically against the Portland Trailblazers last Tuesday, Nov. 13, and the Atlanta Hawks last Friday, Nov. 16, building up double-digit deficits by the end of the first quarter. On Sunday, however, they came within 23 seconds of finishing the first quarter with a lead. In both previous games, they played strong second quarters and were able to end the half down by only a bucket or two. On Sunday, however, it was the opponents who played a fierce second quarter and left the Kings with a dou

THE SHOT By now, unless you’ve been living in a cave somewhere in the Maldives, you know that Tyreke Evans has spent countless hours during the offseason and into the season working on his jump shot. A shot, unless explained to you, you’d think Evans would or should have in his bag of tricks. Now here’s the explanation. Let’s, for a moment, compare Evans to another primary ball-handler from his college days, Jimmer Fredette. Fredette was in an offense that had him not only as the primary ball-handler, but as its main scorer too. His money shot was from the outside - a silky, smooth jumper - from anywhere on the court! Evans didn’t have to hone his jumper, as in college no one could kee

When the Sacramento Kings met up with the Atlanta Hawks on Friday at newly crowned Sleep Train Arena (sounds good to have Arena back in the name), a couple of goals must have been in mind. First, play better than they did the week before and second, hope Tyreke’s jumper was coming into form. I guess you could say they went one-for-two as they lost to the Hawks 112-96 in a game that had the loyal fans on their feet booing in the closing moments, but on the bright side, Tyreke Evans' shot is looking better one game at a time. THE PLAY Booing at the obvious lack of effort and an insufficient amount of offensive movement at times shows the fans in attendance (only 11,814 on a Friday) still

The post-game locker room was somber. Players sat, staring into the distance. Asking them questions felt as awkward and inappropriate as hitting on women at a funeral. Keith Smart, the normally ebullient coach of the Kings, gave a moribund press conference. Perhaps for the first time, he did not even open with a statement. Instead, the coach took the podium, looked dejectedly at the assembled reporters, and mumbled simply, “You got some questions?” This was a game that might have been won. The Portland Trailblazers came to Power Balance Arena with the same 2 - 5 record as the Kings, but carried a four game losing streak. Their defense ranked near the bottom of the league, rarely holding

Photos by Ron Nabity Sacramento's James Johnson blocks a shot attempt by Portland's Nicolas Batum in the first period. Thomas Robinson watches his layup bounce on the rim. Sacramento's Jimmer Fredette tips a rebound in the first period against the Portland Trailblazers. Marcus Thornton collects a loose ball at the Trailblazers' end of the court. Thomas Robinson (right) and Jason Thompson sprint across court after Robinson scored in the second period. Portland's J.J. Hickson drives against the Kings' Thomas Robinson in the second period. Chuck Hayes directs his team during play against the Portland Trailblazers on Tuesday evening. Marcus Thornton drives the hoop during the third per

Second-year guard Jimmer Fredette is making the most of the limited playing time that he’s getting due to a deep Sacramento Kings bench. Fredette has seen his minutes cut down with the acquisition of point guard Aaron Brooks, who is now backing up Isaiah Thomas, a position Fredette assisted with last season. Fredette has appeared in three of the Kings five games, averaging just 8.3 minutes per game after averaging 18.6 minutes per game last season. Head coach Keith Smart understands the challenge ahead of him in trying to keep the guys pleased with their playing time. “It’s going to be a hard group to make sure everyone gets an equal time, and it’s not going to happen,” Smart said. “We’

Photos by Ron Nabity Photography:  Colten Bilbrey from Beitzel Elementary School gives it his all while singing the National Anthem. Sacramento's James Johnson attempts to block a shot by Pistons' Tayshaun Prince in the first period. Detroit's Jason Maxiell slams one home during the first period.  Isaiah Thomas lays one up past Detroit's Andre Drummond.  Chuck Hayes protects the ball during the first half of Wednesday's game. Fans enjoy the action.  Wednesday's game was not as well-attended as Monday's home opener.  Kings' Marcus Thornton fights for a rebound in the closing minutes of the first half. Tyreke Evans works his way around a Detroit player to make the layup. Kings and

If you’re like most people, the end of the campaign season is a welcome start to a new season; one known by skiers and snowboarders simply as winter.  With last year's dismal winter, there's surely to be a lot of pent up demand. And as always, just before the resorts open around Lake Tahoe, there are numerous local events held in Sacramento to get the masses both geared out and hyped up for the promise of powder and play in the mountains.  At each event listed below, you can get free lift tickets, "Tahoe swag," and or more.  Tonight's event includes too much swag, aka, free stuff, to list as well as a very unique musical duo.  Then it's Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday - if one were

Fans of the Sacramento Kings remained loyal to their team and sold out the “blackout” home opener victory Monday night despite the growing uncertainty that has surrounded the franchise in recent years. The energetic home crowd helped the Kings defeat the Golden State Warriors 94-92 in the final seconds for their first victory of the season after going 0-3 on their season-opening road trip. Optimism still remains amongst the team and its fans even after their rough beginning to the season. “I would like to see them make the playoffs, it would be a long shot but I would like to see them be close to .500, I’d be happy with that,” said Rob Horton, a Kings fan of 25 years. “That would at lea

The Sacramento Kings won their first home game of the season on Monday night against the Golden State Warriors. With a 16-point run in the third quarter, the Kings managed to hang on as the Warriors fought back in the fourth, finishing at a close 94-92. Post game press conference via Cowbell Kingdom: Sacramento Press community contributor and photographer Ron Nabity (see his work at nabityphotos.com) was there to capture the night and sent us these shots:  Opening ceremony included glow sticks for everyone. Golden State's Harrison Barnes takes a shot in the first minutes of the game. DeMarcus Cousins moves into rebound position during a free throw in the first period. Rapper Futu

A downtown holiday tradition kicks off Friday as the Sacramento Downtown Plaza Ice Rink opens for its 21st year with free skating and skate rentals from 2 - 10 p.m. “Our crew has been really hustling all month over at Seventh and K streets to set up our outdoor rink,” said Annie Stuckert, senior events manager for the Downtown Sacramento Partnership. “Last week’s winter storm really put us all in the mood for these fun holiday activities, and we’re excited to kick off the season.” Last year, the ice rink set a record with more than 30,000 visitors – a 20 percent increase over the previous year. Tuesdays this year will be devoted to family skate nights, and there will be theme nights eve

Thomas Robinson has had his first YouTube moment in a Kings jersey, and better yet, it came at the expense of the Los Angeles Lakers. The Sacramento Kings rookie power forward had what the Bleacher Report referred to as a "nasty" putback dunk over Dwight Howard, who debuted for the Lakers in their 99-92 preseason loss to the Kings.  For an analysis of the game and the latest on Coach Keith Smart's roster moves, go to Cowbell Kingdom.