The Kings fell to the Magic on Sunday afternoon 104 to 97. The game was close throughout with Dwight Howard in foul trouble the entire game. The Magic were poised down the stretch and the game was put out of reach when Northern California native, Ryan Anderson hit a 3 with 90 second remaining that put the [...]
The Kings overcame a very rough second quarter with a gritty defensive effort in the 2nd half and won 103 to 100. The Kings trailed by 21 at the start of the second half, but continually cut in to the lead until overtaking the bucks with less than a minute remaining. Demarcus Cousin, Tyreke Evans [...]
Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news: Keith Smart has agreed to a two-year coaching deal with the Kings, source tells Y! Sports. Agreement guaranteed through the 2012-’13 season. I like the move. Smart overachieved with less talent in Golden State last year and this contract gets rid of any sort of “lame duck” status.
Paul Westphal was fired by the Kings today. Here’s the official press release: SACRAMENTO, CALIF., Jan. 5, 2012 – The Sacramento Kings today relieved Paul Westphal of his head coaching duties, according to President of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie. Current Kings’ assistant coach Keith Smart will serve as head coach in tonight’s game versus the Milwaukee [...]
The Kings fell to the Magic on Sunday afternoon 104 to 97. The game was close throughout with Dwight Howard in foul trouble the entire game. The Magic were poised down the stretch and the game was put out of reach when Northern California native, Ryan Anderson hit a 3 with 90 second remaining that put the Magic up by 8. Tyreke Evans lead the Kings with 28 points and 8 assists.
Demarcus Cousins, John Salmons and the Kings couldn't hold on for a win against the Magic.
The Kings overcame a very rough second quarter with a gritty defensive effort in the 2nd half and won 103 to 100. The Kings trailed by 21 at the start of the second half, but continually cut in to the lead until overtaking the bucks with less than a minute remaining. Demarcus Cousin, Tyreke Evans and Marcus Thornton all had big games. Demarcus has 19 point, 15 rebounds and 2 steals before fouling out in the 4th. Tyreke looked like a superstar with 26 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists. Marcus Thornton overcame a cold first half to finish with a team high 27 points.
The Keith Smart era is now 1-0. The Kings were tenacious on the boards and finished with 55 rebounds. John Salmons finished with 13 points. Chuck Hayes was lost in the 2nd quarter to a dislocated shoulder. No further information is available on the injury at this time. The Kings have 2 days off before they face the Magic on Sunday.
Keith Smart started his Kings coaching career with a victory.
Paul Westphal was fired by the Kings today. Here’s the official press release:
SACRAMENTO, CALIF., Jan. 5, 2012 – The Sacramento Kings today relieved Paul Westphal of his head coaching duties, according to President of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie. Current Kings’ assistant coach Keith Smart will serve as head coach in tonight’s game versus the Milwaukee Bucks.
“I want to thank Paul for all of his effort on behalf of the Kings,” said Petrie. “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.”
In two-plus seasons as head coach of the Kings, Westphal amassed a record of 51-120.
“I would like to thank the Maloof family for the incredible opportunity they gave me to participate in the attempt to bring the Sacramento Kings back to prominence,” said Westphal. “While the job is far from finished, I am proud of the strides we were able to make.
“Geoff Petrie and his staff have been nothing but honest and supportive throughout my time here. They are first class in every way and I wish them nothing but success. My hope is to see the fans of the Kings and the city of Sacramento rewarded with many years of great basketball.
“Finally, I want to thank my loyal staff and players for their efforts in attempting to climb out of the hole we shared. Nothing comes easy in the NBA and I know they will not rest in their efforts to rebuild this team.”
The Kings lost again tonight. This time they fell to the Nuggets in Denver 83 to 110. I’d tell you about the game, but I turned it off in the second quarter. From the box score, it looks like Demarcus Cousins had a nice scoring game with 26 points in 25 minutes.
Chalk up another blowout to the Kings totals for the season. This one wasn’t close at the start or the finish. The Kings did manage to erase a 17 point lead and were down by only 2 at the half, but the start of the second half was utterly atrocious and it went downhill from there as Westphal cleared the bench for the 4th. The Kings play again tonight in Denver.
Multiple sources have confirmed that Demarcus Cousin will be travelling with the team on their two game road trip. There is no confirmation that he’ll play at this time.
Demarcus Cousins was banished from the game by coach Westphal, and the Kings responded without him by beating the New Orleans Hornets 96 to 80 on New Years Day.
Westphal had this to say before the game, “When a player continually, aggressively, lets it be known that he is unwilling/unable to embrace traveling in the same direction as his team, it cannot be ignored indefinitely.” This apparently stemmed from a trade demand from Demarcus following last night’s embarrassing loss to the Knicks.
Here’s the official press release from coach Westphal:
Whenever a new season begins, in any sport, there is great hope that everything will progress in only a steady, upward direction. As we all know, it seldom happens like that in this life!
As coaches, we can only ask that our players do everything they can to improve themselves as individuals and teammates. If they do this with all their hearts, we live with the results.
Everything that happens on a team does not become known to the public. This is how it should be. However, when a player continually, aggressively, lets it be known that he is unwilling/unable to embrace traveling in the same direction as his team, it cannot be ignored indefinitely.
DeMarcus Cousins has demanded to be traded. In the best interest of our team as we go forward, he has been directed by me, with the support of management, to stay home from the New Orleans game tonight.
Here’s a video of Westphal addressing the media, courtesy of http://www.cowbellkingdom.com/:
Back to the game… Tyreke Evans looked the part of a superstar in the second half with several impressive drives in to the paint the resulted in baskets for himself and a couple assists. Marcus Thornton was also quite impressive. Together Marcus and Reke totalled 52 points. This was easily the best ball movement for the Kings of the early season although the assist total was only 16. The Kings also shook their early season free throw shooting woes going 18 of 21 from the line.
The lack of Demarcus Cousins wasn't a problem for the Kings on Sunday night.
The Kings lost tonight to a very solid Bulls team. The Kings started slowly and were down 15 in the first half, but they made a number of runs and closed within 1 point with 5 minutes left in the 3rd quarter. They could never get over the hump though. Marcus Thornton led this Kings in scoring with 20. Jimmer Fredette had a nice game off the bench with 14 points in 24 minutes. Demarcus Cousins had a horrible shooting night, yet finished with 15 points and 12 boards. The Kings will face the Knicks on Saturday.
Tyreke and the Kings couldn't overcome the Bulls defense.
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