Photo by David Alvarez Photography Originally published on SacramentoPress.com on May 4, 2012 The Sacramento River Cats extended their winning streak to three with a 6-1 victory over the Colorado Springs Sky Sox at Raley Field Thursday night. Starting pitcher Bruce Billings gave the River Cats another solid outing to bring his record to 2-1 with a 3.05 ERA. He provided seven innings of work, giving up no runs on five hits and striking out six. Sacramento was able to pounce on Sky Sox starting pitcher Brandon Hynick early, giving Billings two-run support in the first inning. Outfielder Jermaine Mitchell started the inning with a triple to deep center field. Mitchell then scored on a double from Collin Cowgill to give the River Cats their first lead of the game. First baseman Chris Carter kept the rally going when he hit a double of his own to score Cowgill and extend the lead to 2-0 before the following batters failed to score Carter. Hynick found trouble again in the fifth inning, giving up two more doubles and one more run before being pulled off the mound in favor of relief pitcher Zach Simons. Simons then walked Carter and hit Brandon Moss to load the bases with one out. But the River Cats were only able to score one, with Cowgill scoring on a single from Josh Donaldson to make the score 4-0. The Sky Sox threatened to score against Billings in the sixth inning when they had two men on with two outs, but Billings was able to work out of it by getting Matt McBride to ground out to second base. Already up 4-0, Sacramento added two more insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to give them a six-run lead heading into the final frame. Colorado Springs’ only run came in the top of the ninth inning when River Cats pitcher Merkin Valdez came in to close out the game. Valdez promptly gave up a double to McBride who was brought across home plate by Brandon Wood to put the Sky Sox on the board and bring the score to 6-1. With the nearly full moon shining 4,212 fans in attendance, Valdez then struck out two batters and got a groundout to end the game. Photos by David Alvarez
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Originally published on SacramentoPress.com on May 2, 2012
Third baseman Josh Donaldson led the River Cats to a 7-1 victory against the Colorado Springs Sky Sox at Raley Field Tuesday night. Donaldson finished the game 3-4 and a walk, including a two-run double that gave the Cats the lead in the fifth inning. Donaldson finished the game with three runs batted in. Sacramento starting pitcher Graham Godfrey had another solid outing as he pitched six innings and struck out five batters while giving up six hits and one unearned run. Colorado’s only run came in the second inning when shortstop Brendan Harris reached base on an error by River Cats shortstop Adam Rosales. Harris then reached third on a hit-and-run play with right fielder Hernan Iribarren at the plate. Harris was eventually brought home on a sacrifice fly from Andrew Brown to give the Sky Sox an early 1-0 lead. Sacramento tied the game up in the third inning when center fielder Jermaine Mitchell reached first on an error but then was able to make it to home plate following a walk and another Sky Sox error. Mitchell finished the game 0-3, ending his hitting streak at nine games. Mitchell did score two of the River Cats seven runs, reaching base on an error and a walk. The River Cats threatened to extend their 3-1 lead in the sixth inning when they had the bases loaded with one out but eventually failed to do so. With the bases loaded, Sky Sox pitcher Jared Wells was able to work out of the inning, getting Rosales to fly out to the shortstop, followed by getting Mitchell to fly out to left field. But the Sky Sox couldn’t keep the River Cats from scoring for much longer. Following a single from designated hitter Chris Carter in the seventh inning, River Cats first baseman Brandon Moss hit a two-run home run to deep left-center field to extend the lead to 5-1. Moss has a team-high six home runs on the season. After hitting two hard-hit balls that were caught by the outfield, outfielder Michael Taylor was able to finally find the grass when he hit a double off the wall to continue the River Cats rally. Taylor reached third base on his sixth stolen base before continuing across home to bring the score to 5-1 when Sky Sox catcher Wilkon Castillo’s throw found the outfield. Sacramento added one more insurance run in the bottom of the eighth inning when Donaldson hit a single to score second baseman Brandon Hicks. River Cats reliever Merkin Valdez came in at the top of the ninth inning and only allowed one hit to preserve the River Cats 7-1 victory over the Sky Sox, making Sacramento 17-9 for the season. Originally published on SacramentoPress.com on April 30, 2012 The Sacramento River Cats' offense struggled on Friday night as the River Cats fell to the Tucson Padres 5-1 at Raley Field. The River Cats' only offense came in the first inning with the first River Cat that stepped up to the plate. Leadoff batter Jermaine Mitchell, took a 0-1 pitch and launched it over the right field wall for his first homerun of the season, and 50th of his career. This brought the score to a 1-1 tie as Padres catcher Yasmani Grandal had hit a home run of his own with two out in the top of the first. River Cats pitcher Travis Banwart gave up another run in the third inning when Padres third baseman Everth Cabrera stole third base with two outs and was brought home by left fielder James Darnell to put the Padres up 2-1 after three innings. Sacramento failed to get any hits with runners in scoring position, going 0-for-7. After giving up the home run to Mitchell, Padres pitcher Josh Greer was outstanding, giving up no more runs and just six hits overall during his six innings pitched. The Padres bullpen then came in and further shut down the River Cats’ offense, combining to allow no more baserunners in the final three innings of the game. Only up by two runs heading into the final inning, the Padres were able to add on two insurance runs with little effort. After another single, Cabrera stole both second and third base to give him four stolen bases for the game and on third with two outs. River Cats catcher Derek Norris only caught eight runners stealing in 17 attempts coming into Friday night’s game. Following his two stolen bases, Cabrera scored on a throwing error by River Cats third baseman Stephen Parker, which also advanced Grandal to third base after drawing a walk to get on first base. River Cats pitcher Merkin Valdez then threw back-to-back wild pitches with the first wild pitch scoring Grandal and bringing the River Cats deficit to 5-1. Padres pitcher Brad Brach came in to close the game out. He recorded three straight fly outs for a clean ninth inning and finished the game with a 5-1 victory for the Padres. Sacramento first baseman Brandon Moss continued his team’s season-high hit streak with a single in the first inning. Moss’ hit steak now rests at 11 games. His personal best was a 13- game streak recorded in 2005 while playing for Double-A Portland. Originally published on SacramentoPress.com on April 27, 2012 The Sacramento Kings defeated their Pacific Division rival the Los Angeles Lakers 113-96 at Power Balance Pavilion Thursday night in the final game of the season. With the win, the Kings finished 22-44 for the season. The Kings were 16-17 at home and only 6-27 on the road, a number they will have to increase if they want to succeed in the NBA. Prior to the start of the game, Kings star DeMarcus Cousins came to center court and thanked the fans for being a great sixth man all year long, which brought a loud applause from the 16,281 in attendance. Though the Lakers sat all of their starters in anticipation for the beginning of the postseason on Saturday, the Kings began the game strong and gained the lead early and never looked back. “I thought they played well,” Kings coach Keith Smart said after the game. “They came out and put on a nice show for our fans, and it’s a good way to close out on our season and transition into our next season, the summer workouts.” Cousins led all scorers in the first quarter with nine points, also hauling in nine rebounds as the Kings took a 35-24 lead after one quarter. Cousins’ nine rebounds in the first tied the Kings season high for rebounds in a quarter. Though the game was meaningless in terms of standings, both Lakers fans and Kings fans cheered as they watched their teams perform. No play drew a louder reaction than the monster dunk provided by Terrence Williams late in the first half. The Kings big guys in the middle proved to be too much for the Lakers’ interior defense as they continuously ripped them apart. Jason Thompson finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Cousins finished with 23 points and grabbed every loose ball in sight, resulting in 19 rebounds. Overall, the Kings scored 66 points in the paint. The Kings were able to build their lead to as many as 24 points, which proved too much for the depleted Lakers squad, with the Kings coasting in the second half to the 113-96 victory. Lakers coach Mike Brown decided to leave his starters on the bench in order to give them some rest before their postseason opener against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday. Kobe Bryant needed 38 points to win the scoring title instead of Oklahoma City Thunder Kevin Durant, but he instead watched from the bench all game. While the Lakers look ahead to their series with the Nuggets, the young Kings team looks ahead to an offseason to learn and become better. “It’s all about this offseason now and working as hard as we can to get back and be better next year,” guard Jimmer Fredette said. Rookie Isaiah Thomas believes that Smart is the right guy to turn the team into a better cohesive unit on the floor. Smart took over as interim head coach shortly after the beginning of the season, replacing Paul Westphal, before the front office decided to keep Smart around as head coach next year as well. “I think with this summer and having a full season to really prepare and get us better as a group, I think the sky’s the limit for him,” Thomas said. “He’s a great coach. He’s really in on detail, percentage wise, on offense, defense, he’s going to have us ready. Especially come training camp, you got to be ready and be in shape. I believe in him just like he believes in us.” Thompson, who is a free agent in this offseason, believes there are upsides to this team, the youngest in the NBA. “You can definitely see some bright spots,” he said. “Most of our wins were against quality teams. We played to the level of competition.” Originally published on SacramentoPress.com on April 18, 2012
The Sacramento River Cats (10-3) were able to extend their winning streak to four as they defeated the Tacoma Rainiers (4-8) 5-1 at Raley Field Tuesday night. Right fielder Michael Taylor continued his strong start to the season, recording two doubles and a walk on four at-bats. Taylor entered the game batting .413 with one home run and 11 runs batted in. Taylor's .413 batting average heading into Tuesday night's game was ranked seventh in the Pacific Coast League. “I feel good at the plate,” he said. “I feel comfortable with everything I’ve worked on in the offseason coming into this season, and I’ve stuck to that plan and process, and right now things are going well. I’m swinging the bat, and the balls are finding the grass, so as long as I keep doing that, things will be alright” Taylor’s offensive outburst has not gone unnoticed and is welcomed by the River Cats pitching staff, who appreciates run support. “He’s seeing the ball well, and I think other teams are noticing that,” starting pitcher Bruce Billings said. “When he comes up to the plate, he’s not someone to mess with. He definitely puts a big bat in the lineup, and it’s definitely nice to have on your side.” Right-handed pitcher Billings got his first start for the River Cats on his first day in the locker room after being called up by AA Midland. Billings was part of the Oakland Athletics trade that sent longtime second baseman Mark Ellis to the Colorado Rockies and allowed former River Cat Jemile Weeks to make his major league debut. Manager Darren Bush was pleased with Billings' work on the mound, tossing 67 pitches in 3.0 innings of work, allowing one run on four hits and one walk while recording four strikeouts. Billings was unable to record the win though, as the score was still 1-1 when he was relieved. “He did a good job,” Bush said. “He came in, attacked hitters. He went at them and did exactly what we wanted them to do. He got some foul balls and things that drew the pitch count up a little bit, but it’s what we wanted.” Tacoma’s only damage came in the first inning when their designated hitter Mike Carp reached first and then stole second before Vinnie Catricala drove him in to give them the 1-0 lead after one inning. Catricala is a Sacramento native and former Jesuit High School Marauder baseball player. But that was the only run the Rainiers would score. Billings and the rest of the River Cats pitching staff were outstanding, allowing only one run on nine hits. “We’ve got a lot of guys that throw real hard,” Taylor said after the game. “Our bullpen is fantastic. Everyone pretty much runs it up there 94 mph-plus. We have some veterans who have had some success at this level, guys with a lot of experience and guys who know how to pitch at this level.” Sacramento first got on the scoreboard in the second inning with shortstop Adam Rosales hitting a single to bring Taylor across home plate following his first double of the day. The River Cats gained the lead in the third inning and didn’t relinquish it from there on. Rainiers starting pitcher Mauricio Robles gave up a single and then walked two consecutive batters to load the bases with one out. But the River Cats would only capitalize for one run when Brandon Moss hit a sacrifice fly to score Jermaine Mitchell, followed by catcher Derek Norris flying out on the infield. The only other scoring for the River Cats came in the bottom as the eighth as they earned three more insurance runs. Moss began the rally with a single but then was advanced to third base on a double by Norris, with only one out. Rosales hit a double of his own before scoring when Rainiers right fielder Chih-Hsien Chiang dropped a routine fly ball that would have ended the inning. Sacramento prevented any chance of a Rainiers comeback as they preserved the lead to earn a 5-1 win, giving the River Cats a 10-3 record early in the season. “We are just playing good baseball,” Bush said. “We have good pitching and timely hitting. So far it’s working out.” Originally published on SacramentoPress.com on April 9, 2012
The Sacramento Kings dropped their fourth straight game as they fell to the Houston Rockets 104-87 at Power Balance Pavilion Sunday night. Sacramento came out with little energy, and it showed as the Rockets jumped to a quick 10-2 lead and never trailed the rest of the game. “We just didn’t have a lot of energy tonight, and that’s something we’ve got to work on,” Kings guard Jimmer Fredette said. “We’ve got to continue to get better at that and come bring it every single night so we are disappointed with ourselves.” After scoring at least 99 points in their previous 12 games, the Kings have been held to under 85 points in their last three games. Coach Keith Smart attributes this to the team not being at full strength right now with injuries to Marcus Thornton (calf), John Salmons (hip) and Francisco Garcia (concussion). “I just think our team is not our team right now,” he said. “We are patching it up right now. We have guys that are normally rotation guys trying to come in and play frontline teams.” But Kings veteran Chuck Hayes doesn’t believe the Kings should have any excuses this late in the season. “Everybody should know each other’s sweet shot and their sweet spot where they want the ball and their most effective and so on and so forth,” he said. “We are still playing like it’s the beginning of the season. We are still trying to find ourselves, and we should have that figured out by now.” With all the injuries, the Kings have failed to be the running team that Smart wants them to be, only scoring 12 fast-break points on Sunday. “We haven’t run any more the last couple of games,” he said. “We are not getting up and down the floor, and we are not making the easy plays. We are trying to force something.” Instead, it was the Rockets who continued to beat the Kings in transition as they took a 58-43 lead heading into halftime. Smart then turned to his second unit in an attempt to get some more energy. The Kings bench was able to bring the deficit to just eight points when newly acquired Terrence Williams hit a jump shot to make the score 73-65. But that was as close as the team would come, as the Rockets once again pulled away when Fredette missed a transition three and the Rockets capitalized with a lob to Rockets big man Samuel Dalembert. From there the Kings were unable to stop the Rockets offense as they ran away with the game and captured the 104-87 win. Williams, who was originally signed to a 10-day contract and then for the rest of the season, continued to be a bright spot for the Kings. Williams scored a season-high 21 points, eight rebounds and six assists. But he said going against his former team didn’t give him any added motivation. “I really didn’t care,” he said. “It just so happened I scored whatever I scored and rebounded. I’m beyond payback with the Rockets. I don’t care for them. I wish I wished them well in the playoffs, but I really don’t. I have no thoughts for them. It’s all about Sacramento, and we need to grow as a young team.” Even with Williams’ strong game, he sees room for improvement, especially in the turnover category, as he had five turnovers Sunday night. “I can’t speak for everyone else, but you’re trying to do too much in one play,” Williams said. “You’re trying to get a point, a rebound and an assist on the same play. So sometimes you over dribble, turn the ball over. I definitely take blame for that. You just learn and move on.” Williams’ teammates appreciate what he has brought to the team, including his ability to drive and get the ball to an open shooter. “He does a good job finding everybody no matter whoever it is out there,” Fredette said. “He’s a good player and can pass the ball well and looks to throw it to you. He’s done a great job with that and he’s a great addition to the team.” Sacramento hopes to get back to winning as they head out on a three-game road trip starting in Dallas against the Mavericks on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. Originally published on SacramentoPress.com on April 4, 2012
The Sacramento Kings were unable to achieve back-to-back wins as they fell to Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns for the third time this season Tuesday night at Power Balance Pavilion. DeMarcus Cousins did all he could, leading all scorers with a career-high 41 points en route to the 109-100 loss. Cousins also hauled in 12 rebounds and shot 16-25 from the field. “He had a career night taking advantage of their interior,” Kings coach Keith Smart said. “We had him posting up in different areas on the floor, so he had both baseline- and middle-drive. Then they started doubling, and that’s something that’s going to happen to him as he grows as a pro.” But not even Cousins’ monster game could overcome Nash’s collected control of the game. As he has done so many times throughout his 15-year career, Nash orchestrated the Suns offense nearly flawlessly and took over the game late when the Kings threatened to steal the victory. “I believe tonight it was five against one,” Cousins said. “It was all five of us trying to guard Steve Nash. All the credit to Steve. He’s an incredible player, and he knows how to run his team — definitely a professional, and one of the best points (guards) to play this game. He’s a tough matchup, for anybody.” Nash put on a clinic when running his pick-and-roll offense, finishing with 18 points, six rebounds, a game-high 12 assists and only one turnover. “In the pick and roll, he’s probably the best, along with Chris Paul, I think, in the NBA,” Kings forward Tyreke Evans said of Nash. “He dribbles the ball so much, then the guy cuts and he finds the open guys. He’s done it for years.” The Kings started slow, falling behind by as many as 17 in the second quarter and trailing 59-51 at halftime. Sacramento then came out and played solid defense in the third quarter to hold the Suns to only 20 points in the quarter, while the Kings offense connected to score 27. Newly acquired King Terrence Williams hit a jumper at the end of the quarter to bring the deficit to just one point at 79-78 heading into the fourth quarter. Sacramento regained the lead on the first possession of the fourth quarter when forward Travis Outlaw hit two free throws to give the Kings an 80-79 lead. Sacramento's first and only other lead occured when they held a 10-9 lead early in the first quarter. But then the veterans on the Suns took over. Veteran guard Michael Redd got the hot hand and scored six quick points to keep the Suns ahead, followed by Nash returning to the game to close out the Suns victory. With the Kings deficit down to just four points with a little over five minutes remaining, Nash took advantage of two Kings mistakes, allowing him to hit a three followed by a running jump shot to extend the Suns lead 99-90. The lead proved to be too much for the Kings. “Just a breakdown at the end,” Cousins said in the locker room. “We kind of broke down, took some steps back tonight. We just got to make plays down the stretch and finish the game strong. Once again, it’s the last couple of minutes that’s killing us, and it results in a loss.” Despite the loss, Smart saw improvement in his team, the youngest in the NBA, and approved of their resilience. “I thought our guys did a really good job,” he said. “I thought we played and managed to get ourselves back into the game from a 17-point deficit. They could have rolled over, but they did a good job and held their composure and chipped away at the score.” The Kings struggled from the free-throw line, which once again contributed to their demise. Sacramento shot just 21-of-32 (65.6 percent) from the foul line, whereas the Suns shot 24-28 (85.7 percent). “We have got to make our free throws,” Smart said. “In a close game, you have to knock those free throws down. We did a good job getting into the bonus (fouls), getting us to the line, but we just have to make those foul shots.” Evans finished with only eight points, six rebounds and four assists. Kings point guard Isaiah Thomas added 25 points, three rebounds and seven assists to his outstanding rookie season. The Suns were led by center Marcin Gortat, who finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out late in the game. The Kings will look to get back into the win column as they take on Chris Paul and the Los Angeles Clippers at home on Thursday at 7 p.m. Originally published on SacramentoPress.com on March 15, 2012
The Sacramento Kings ran out of gas as they fell to the Detroit Pistons 124-112 Wednesday night at Power Balance Pavilion. The Kings suffered another loss on the court, losing guard Tyreke Evans to an ankle sprain. Evans came down awkwardly on his ankle after making a layup late in the game. X-rays came up negative and Evans is listed day-to-day. Following two losses in a row, struggling on both sides of the floor, the Kings came out with an intensity that allowed them to jump out to a big lead against the Pistons. Forward Jason Thompson played great for the Kings, scoring 21 points on 10-of-12 shooting and grabbing 15 rebounds off the glass. “Jason is the perfect guy for what we are doing,” coach Keith Smart said after the game. “He just goes out and works, and that’s what a power forward needs to do. Just go out and work and get your points by rebounding and running the floor, and that’s what he’s doing.” Evans opened up the game aggressively, scoring six points in the first three minutes. His effort translated to points and a quick-paced game filled with high energy from the rest of the Kings. Unlike the previous two losses, Sacramento was moving the ball well, finishing with nine assists in the first quarter and leading 32-25. Tuesday night, the Kings finished with just 11 assists total against the Warriors. Sacramento continued its strong execution in the second quarter, building their lead up to 16 points at one point. But following a 9-0 run by the Pistons, Sacramento only had a 48-41 lead with a little over four minutes before halftime. Detroit finished those four minutes strong, bringing the Kings lead to just one heading into the locker room. Much like Tuesday night, the game got out of hand in the third quarter, with the Pistons able to score however they wished on the offensive side of the floor. The porous Kings defense gave up 40 points to Detroit in the third quarter alone. Kings rookie guard Isaiah Thomas may have not been in the league too long but he knows that it's difficult to win games in the NBA while giving up so many points in one quarter. "That third quarter opened it up, they had 40 points in that third quarter," Thomas said. "You're not going to win a game if you give up 40 points in a quarter." The Pistons show 75 percent from the field and knocked down five three-pointers in the third quarter. Pistons guard Rodney Stuckey made four of those and finished 4-of-6 from three-point range and with a game-high 35 points and six assists. In all, Detroit’s offense was hitting on all cylinders. “These guys came out and played well, shot well, turned the corner,” Smart said of the Pistons offense. “They come off real fast, they force you to over-help and they don’t waste much time to shoot the shots that they shot.” With the game already out of hand, the Kings were unable to mount a comeback, eventually falling by a final score of 124-112. The 124 points given up to the Pistons were by far the most points Detroit has scored this season, as they were averaging just 89 points per game. As bad as the loss was, Smart saw improvement in his team. “I thought we made a step,” Smart said. “As bad as it is, there were a lot of things we did that were OK in this game.” The players know it was a winnable game but remain optimistic that they will continue to grow together and get this team going in the right direction. “This is one of the games we should have had,” Kings forward Thompson said. “We should have had one last night and should have had one tonight, but just gotta look at this and look at the film and get better.” Originally published on SacramentoPress.com on March 14, 2012
The Sacramento Kings lacked the energy necessary to win the game once again, as they fell to their Northern California rival Golden State Warriors 115-89 Tuesday night at Power Balance Pavilion. The Kings were unable to capitalize on the Warriors’ forced improvisation with their rotation following a trade made just before the game. The Warriors decided to make a splash before the trade deadline by swapping out guard Monta Ellis, former first-overall pick Kwame Brown and second-year forward Ekpe Udoh in a five-player trade. In return from the Milwaukee Bucks: the injured Andrew Bogut and a disgruntled Stephen Jackson. Ellis was the Warriors’ leading scorer this season with 21.9 points and 6.0 assists per game. s coach Mark Jackson to insert rookie guard Klay Thompson into the starting lineup, alongside veteran Nate Robinson, who was playing for the injured Stephen Curry. Golden State’s new rotation took advantage of the increased minutes on the floor by executing well on the offensive side of the floor while shooting 12-24 from the three-point line as well as 48 percent from the field. Meanwhile, the Kings appeared as if they took the Warriors’ new rotation lightly, as they never seemed to have the energy needed for the game. “Things that were taking place with their team, that’s all the whole chatter was in the locker room, and things just got crossed up from there. We weren’t the same team,” Kings coach Keith Smart said. “Somewhere in there, the mindset wasn’t there.” Veteran big man Chuck Hayes saw the lack of effort and knows that you can’t win without the energy. “Obviously we was more in tune to what they had going on in their locker room than we did ours,” Hayes said. “We deserved it. We deserved to get our butts kicked.” The trade talk didn’t seem to affect Kings guard Tyreke Evans, who started off strong with eight points on 4-of-6 shooting to lead the Kings in the first quarter, but the Kings still trailed. DeMarcus Cousins struggled much of the first quarter and didn’t score until almost eight minutes into the game with an emphatic slam dunk. From there, Cousins began to carry the Kings on his back in the second quarter. With the rest of the team struggling for the most part, Cousins made his next three field goal attempts, including a dunk over Warriors forward Dominic McGuire after a quick spin move around David Lee. Cousins also made 5-of-6 free throws in the second quarter, scoring 10 of the team’s 25 points in the second. Cousins finished with a team-high 19 points and 12 rebounds. Even with Cousins’ strong play in the second quarter, the Kings still found themselves down 49-54 heading into halftime. The Warriors were able to increase that lead, dominating the third quarter. Every time the Kings were able to cut into the lead, the Warriors made a run of their own. Kings rookie Isaiah Thomas brought the deficit to just four at 73-77, but Warriors guard Brandon Rush extended it back to 11 with two three-point shots late in the third quarter. From there, the Warriors pulled away from the Kings with a 7-0 run to start the fourth quarter, causing Kings players to all but quit for the night. Golden State outscored the Kings 31-16 in the final quarter for their 115-89 rout on a night they saw two of their key pieces traded away. The young Kings squad seems to have a recurring problem of providing the energy needed to beat big teams but coming out flat against others, a problem Smart acknowledges. “They got to grow up from that,” Smart said after the game. “They’re grown men when we play highlight teams, but for whatever reason, they can’t understand that these teams are just as important as highlight teams.” But it’s not just Smart who recognizes the problem. “We have to approach every game the same way,” Thomas said in the locker room. “Whether it’s the worst team in the NBA or the best team in the NBA, we have to approach it the same way. We have to succeed as a team and fail as a team.” Originally published on SacramentoPress.com on Jan. 19, 2012
The Kings returned home after a tough five-game road trip to beat the Indiana Pacers 92-88 in a hard-fought battle at Power Balance Pavilion Wednesday night. “I don’t know how, but somehow this group found a way,” Kings head coach Keith Smart said. “I don’t know how we did it, but this group has some resilience. They fought, they found a lineup that got us back into the game, and they closed it out. And that’s what I’m trying to get us to become: a team on any given night.” On their eventful road trip, the Kings went 1-4 while earning their first road win, along with setting a new franchise record with only 23 points of the first half in a 99-60 rout by the Dallas Mavericks. Sacramento came into Wednesday night with a 5-9 record, much due to their problem of making shots on the floor, and the league-worst shooting percentage at just 39.6 percent. Despite their shooting woes continuing and only shooting 30.1 percent from the field against the Pacers, the Kings found a way to come back from a 14-point deficit going into the fourth quarter and come out with the victory. Much of the win can be attributed to the zone defense that Smart turned to in the fourth, smothering the Pacers and only allowing eight points to be scored in the entire quarter. “Our staff did a good job this morning in our meeting and saw that we could possibly play a zone,” Smart said after the game. “We were able to pull it out and get in the zone. The zone kind of kept them from posting our guys up, and it kept them from penetrating. It kept them on the perimeter. That’s what turned the game around.” After trailing 80-66 after three quarters, the Kings eventually took an 88-87 lead when forward Francisco Garcia made two free throws with a little over two minutes remaining in the game. Up by three at 90-87 with 5.6 seconds left to play, Smart decided to intentionally foul Pacers forward Danny Granger. Granger was called for a free throw violation while trying to intentionally miss the second attempt to get the ball back after making the first. Garcia then made two free throws to seal the four-point victory for the Kings, ending their three-game losing streak. Garcia and the rest of the Kings bench played a huge role in the victory, outscoring the Pacers bench 39-20. Garcia led the bench with 16 points, including 10 in the final quarter while rookie point guard Isaiah Thomas once again provided a spark while playing 20 minutes off the bench. “They respect me. That’s the first and foremost,” Thomas said. “They respect me on and off the court. They know what I can bring, and I can’t let them down when I get in and get significant minutes.” Kings big man DeMarcus Cousins recognizes the play of Thomas and understands the spark he provides the team every time he enters the game. “Isaiah has been big for us all season,” Cousins said. “The more he plays, the more big plays he provides us.” Thomas finished with eight points, one rebound, one assist and two steals. Five of Thomas’ eight points came in the fourth quarter. Smart made a change in the starting roster, giving fourth-year forward Jason Thompson the nod instead of J.J. Hickson and was rewarded with Thompson’s hustle that provided nine points, nine rebounds and one assist in the first half. Thompson was only able to add one rebound to his numbers in the second half due to limited minutes. “I’ve been very pleased with him,” Smart said of Thompson. “I’ve given him certain dynamic rules to follow, and he has been very, very good with what he’s doing, very patient. He’s being decisive. If he doesn’t have a move, he gets rid of the basketball and gets into the next play.” Cousins once again dominated the boards, finishing with 13 points, 19 rebounds and two assists. En route to tying his career-high 19 rebounds, Cousins set a new franchise record for most offensive rebounds in a half with 10 hauled in during the first half. “Once I’m zoned in, I’m going after everything,” Cousins said. “I’m not out there counting. I’m just trying to get everything that comes my way.” In total, the Kings hauled in 30 offensive rebounds to go along with their 23 defensive rebounds. The Kings also made it to the free throw line 41 times but only made 68 percent from the line. The Kings head back on the road for a three-game road trip starting with the San Antonio Spurs on Friday. The team will return home to take on the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday. |
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