Postgame Recap: Kings vs. Thunder

OKLAHOMA CITY 108, SACRAMENTO 102

March 7, 2010 - At ARCO Arena, Kevin Durant scored 27 points and Russell Westbrook tallied 13 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Thunder to a 108-102 win over the Kings. The Thunder led, 96-88, with 5:48 left in the fourth quarter before the Kings went on an 8-2 run to trim the Thunder’s lead down to two, 98-96, with 3:53 remaining. After a Durant jumper and a Nick Collison fastbreak lay-up, the Thunder extended the lead to six with 2:59 left. Francisco Garcia buried a three-pointer with 39.5 seconds left to pull the Kings within four, 106-102, but the Thunder answered with a Nenad Krstic dunk to all but end the hopes of a Kings comeback. Oklahoma City outrebounded the Kings, 45-33, and recycled 16 offensive rebounds for 23 second-chance points. Tyreke Evans scored a team-high 24 points, reaching the 20-point plateau for the sixth time in the last seven games. Carl Landry added 20 points and a team-high-tying eight rebounds. Jason Thompson made his return to the Kings’ lineup after missing the previous five games due to two non-displaced transverse processes fractures in his lower back and finished with 11 points and a team-high-tying eight rebounds in 30 minutes off the bench. Krstic grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds. The Kings outshot the Thunder from the field, .506 to .477, but missed nine free throw attempts.

Postgame Quotes: Kings vs. Thunder

KINGS HEAD COACH PAUL WESTPHAL

“I hate to sound like a broken record but we did so many good things out there against a really good team. They’re one of the best defensive teams in the league. We shot 50.6 percent (from the field), had only 13 turnovers, addressed those problems and really defended them pretty well but we couldn’t keep them off the glass. They missed three free throws; we missed nine free throws. They beat us on the boards (45-33) and it negates so many of the good things that we did. I keep feeling this inching closer and closer to breaking through against these good teams and we’re dong so many good things but we’re not doing enough to get the win. So we’re going to take the positives and try to improve the negatives and keep heading upward. They’re where we want to be and we want to get there sooner rather than later. As long as we keep striving to improve, I think we have a really good nucleus here and we keep bouncing back.”

“That’s the goal – I mean, the goal is to keep getting better and to be a team that’s solidly in the playoffs, and then win playoff games and then win playoff series – that’s where we want to go. Everything we do is geared toward that. It’s a high mountain to climb; we’ve come quite a ways and we’re not stopping.”

“I think that we executed against one of the best defensive teams in the league. We only turned it over 13 times, we got to the line a reasonable amount of times, we shot 50 percent against them, we played well enough offensively to win this game. Defensively, we played well enough except for we didn’t control the defensive glass and that’s how they beat us at their place and that’s how they beat us again tonight. So it certainly is an area that we need to improve if we want to be at their level.”

“Francisco (Garcia) is really showing how important he can be for our team. He’s an extra ball handler, he stretches the floor with three-point shooting and he’s a clutch shooter. Defensively he can guard three positions in a pretty credible manner so it was really nice to have his contributions out there.”

“It’s nice to have Jason (Thompson) back – a lower back injury kept him out what, 10 days? That’s pretty amazing. He brings a lot of energy and got some rebounds for us. He’s certainly an integral part of what’s going on for us.”

“It gets like that some nights when teams are competing. The game means a lot for Oklahoma City in terms of their playoff seeding and even making sure they make the playoffs and it means a lot to us in terms of our progression. So you’re going to have that when teams are fighting hard.”

When asked how he will work on fatigue with the team:
“Give them some rest – I think that’s the first thing. I think that it’s been pretty evident not only in the games but in our practices that Omri (Casspi) is really winding down his battery, so we’re trying to help him recharge it a little bit, just give him some rest. We’re very, very high on Omri and I think that he’s a big part of our future. I do think that it’s going to be important for him in this offseason to pick up probably 10 pounds and maybe a little bit more and really work on his stamina. He’s never been through anything like this before and I think you can see it, that he doesn’t quite have the motor that he had earlier.”

Carl Landry

“There are no excuses. I am not making any excuses. We have got to go and get the ball. I gave up a couple of rebounds tonight as well as a couple of my teammates. We have got to do a better job of rebounding the ball. It is that simple.”

On the trash talking tonight
“There was a lot of trash talking going on, but it is just part of the game. Wherever you go, whether the Y or the playground it is just a part of basketball. I think that the referees didn’t want it to get out of hand and that is why they made some of the calls, but it is just a part of the game. I don’t think it really affected us or the other team.”

On rebounding
“We didn’t win. We just have to do a better job of rebounding the ball. They outrebounded us and I think if we had gotten a couple more boards then the outcome of the game could have been different. We just have to do a better job on that end.”

There were a lot of technicals were called today. So a lot of money is going to go back to the NBA. It was a tough game today, it was close. We have been playing a lot of close games since I have gotten here. We just have to keep grinding it out. We need to correct a couple correctable errors and mistakes we have been doing.”

Jason Thompson

“It is always frustrating when you lose in close games, especially when you know you have a chance to win. A few things didn’t go our way. We weren’t getting rebounds and we missed a few free throws. You know it’s kind of tough because this is a team we beat earlier in the season and had a close one there last week. They are a playoff team. We know that we can play with good teams, especially in our conference, but we fell a little short tonight.”

On recovering from injury
“I felt good out there. The doctor said up to two weeks. You never know though, I have never been injured so for me the recovery may have been fast. I feel good and it was good to get out there and get my feet wet and play with my teammates. For the most part it just felt pretty good. I felt confident and coach kept me out there.”

Tyreke Evans

On what went wrong
“We played them good. They really killed us in the rebounding. They got us on the glass and were able to get the second opportunities. That is what hurt us.”

On having a lot of minutes in second half
“I got a little bit tired. Francisco (Garcia) walked me to the foul line and I was a little bit tired and I got fouled. That is just something I am going to have to get better at next year and condition better.”

Oklahoma City Thunder Head Coach Scott Brooks

On how they won the game
“The bench came in and did a very good job. You just never know when a guy is going to go out, like Russell (Westbrook) had to have stitches. Eric (Maynor) came in and gave us very solid minutes. And Serge (Ibaka), Nick (Collison) and James (Harden) gave us solid minutes throughout the game. I thought the bench did a really good job of coming in and helping us win the game tonight. Sacramento is not an easy team to guard. They have so many offensive weapons and they put a lot of pressure on your defense.”

On Russell Westbrook returning after receiving stitches
“He’s tough. He is a tough competitor and competes every night. That wouldn’t surprise me. I knew he was coming back in. I was just surprised that it took so long. He showed toughness. Our team showed toughness to come in and win here. They have got some talented players and they are going to get better and they are young. That is a tough team to play against.”

On the solid rebounding
“I thought we were real good and active on the boards. We didn’t give up a lot of offensive rebounds which they can do. Jason (Thompson) came back tonight, and Carl (Landry) is an offensive rebounder. We did a good job of rebounding the ball.”

On his feelings going 2-1 on their road trip
“We weren’t happy the way things turned out in Denver. They are one of the best teams in basketball and we wanted to make it a very competitive game, which it wasn’t, but we played excellent two-way basketball. Tonight, we came back and really took care of business on their home court and the last game on our road trip.”

Oklahoma City Guard Russell Westbrook

On playing after his injury
“I’m good. Just got six stitches. Nothing big. I am fine. I was able to see normally, but not too much on the right side.”

On the emotion that ran high during the game
“That is good emotion. That is NBA basketball. We got a few technicals but we were able to fight through it.”

On Coach Scott Brooks
“He stays consistent with what he is preaching. He preaches defense and he is pretty consistent to that. He has done a great job of that all year this year and last.”

Oklahoma City Forward Kevin Durant

On dominating the boards
“We did a great job on the offensive glass, especially with Jason Thompson back. Carl Landry and Spencer Hawes are good as well. We got a long ways to go on that, but we are getting better and better every game.”

On if anyone has been able to stay in front of Russell Westbrook
“No. He is so quick and athletic and so strong. It’s tough. He can dribble a basketball pretty well and has a lot of dribble moves. He takes what the defense gives him. Sometimes he should take the pull-up, which is one of the best parts of his game, but he wants to take it to the basket. You can’t blame him for that.”

Open Net: Kings vs. Thunder

The Kings face the Thunder tonight at 6 p.m.

It’s Open Net time! Discuss the game here on Full Court Press before the game, during the game and after the game. Leave a comment below to begin the discussion.

JT Returns and Landry’s Impressed

For the first time since February 23, Jason Thompson practiced on Saturday and could play in Sunday’s final regular season matchup between the Kings and Oklahoma City Thunder.

“If he feels good (Sunday),” Coach Paul Westphal said. “We’ll activate him for the game.”

Since sustaining the injury, two non-displaced transverse processes fractures in his lower back, in the second quarter of the Kings-Pistons game, Thompson has been working with the training staff to get back on the court as soon as possible.

“It was good to step on the court and play with the guys and get my game back,” Thompson said. “I have been conditioning and working out and doing core stuff, but it’s just different than when you’re going through contact and just being in game shape. I felt like I was pretty good.”

Not one to happily sit out of a game or practice, it’s been hard for the second-year forward to watch from the sideline as his new teammates gel, but it’s given him an opportunity to gain some valuable insight he can use when he returns to action.

“You study the game and how guys do certain things on offense and how I can improve on defense, as well,” Thompson said. “I kind of got to learn a lot (about) what Coach’s methods (are) and other guys’ methods (are) during game situations.”

Whether Thompson is able to play or not, new Kings guard Garrett Temple may make his ARCO Arena debut. Added to the team’s roster on Wednesday, number 17 has accumulated eight minutes in the past two games, but Saturday’s practice marked his first as a Kings player.

“I like to have three players who are capable of playing point guard for insurance purposes,” Westphal said. “He’s a point guard. He’s tall, too. He’s about 6-foot-5, very quick and has a reputation of being a real good defensive player, and he handles the offensive end pretty well, too.”

Heading into the team’s fourth and final contest of the season with the young and talented Thunder, Temple’s reputable defense could be challenged by Russell Westbrook, who is averaging 17.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 10.7 assists against Sacramento this season.

“Russ is a very quick guy, very athletic, long and excels at getting to the rim and getting his teammates involved when he’s in the paint,” Temple said of his possible backcourt matchup. “One of his weaknesses is his jump shot… So we’re going to try to keep him out of the paint and make him beat us with his jump shot. It’s a lot easier said than done, though.”

The last time the Kings and Thunder collided, it was a high-scoring game that showcased two teams with promising futures. Reflecting on the 113-107 loss in which Sacramento shot nearly 54 percent, rebounding disparity proved to be a difference-maker as OKC outrebounded the Kings 43-32 and turned 17 offensive boards into 23 second-chance points.

“(We) just have to rebound,” Carl Landry said. “It’s as simple as that. We have to do a better job of rebounding and keeping them off the boards.”

While the Kings improved their rebounding effort on Friday with a 45-40 advantage over the Mavericks, turnovers proved to be costly as Sacramento committed 17.

“We have to make better decisions,” Landry said. “We played together and practiced a lot today. We scrimmaged a lot. It comes along with playing with each other. Just knowing where guys are and knowing the plays and knowing where guys are going to be when the first option and the second options (are) not there… that’ll help us cut down turnovers.”

Eight games into his Kings career and feeling more comfortable by the day, Landry has notched back-to-back 20-point games while averaging 8.25 rebounds over the past four contests. The Kings power forward has also put on a clinic at the free throw line over the past seven games where he’s gone 43-of-46 (93.5 percent). While his play has been notable, it’s his teammates who’ve impressed him.

“Everybody’s good,” Landry said. “The whole team comes out here and plays hard. They’re always focused and just want to get better… Everybody can play. I’m impressed with just about everybody.”

Incessantly smiling, Landry is enjoying his new teammates and the Kings style of play, even if his shoes show a slight, red allegiance to his former team.

“They have to make the shoes and change the color and then send them all the way over here to the West Coast, so it takes awhile,” Landry, who wears shoes made by a Chinese company, said with a laugh. “It’s been almost two weeks, I think. They should be here any day now.”

See Landry and the Kings take on Kevin Durant and the Thunder at ARCO Arena on Sunday at 6 p.m.

Plus, Kings fans can rally to support Tyreke Evans for NBA Rookie of the Year (ROY) and have a chance to have their voice heard live at ARCO Arena on the KingsVision Jumbotron at the ‘Rally for RekeROY’ game on Mar. 10 (Kings-Raptors) by recording a ‘Reke for ROY testimonial on the concourse during the Kings-Thunder game.

Postgame Recap: Kings @ Mavs

DALLAS 108, SACRAMENTO 100

March 5, 2010 - At the American Airlines Center, Dirk Nowitzki scored 15 of his game-high 31 points in the fourth quarter as the Mavericks fought off the Kings, 108-100, to extend their winning streak to 10 games. With the score tied, 58-58, the Mavericks scored seven unanswered points and went on to outscore the Kings, 33-19, in the third quarter to open the fourth with a 13-point edge, 85-72. The Kings used a 13-2 run to trim a 15-point Dallas lead down to four, 95-91, with 5:34 left in the fourth quarter. Dallas responded with a 5-0 spurt, but the Kings then went on a 9-2 run capped off by Tyreke Evans’ driving lay-up to pull within two, 102-100, with 1:36 remaining. Dallas then held off the Kings the rest of the way, making all six of their free throw attempts. Carl Landry led the Kings with 21 points. Evans, who had just three points at the half, finished with 20 points. Beno Udrih also added 20 points. Spencer Hawes grabbed a team-high nine rebounds. Nowitzki also grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds to record a double-double, as did Jason Kidd (17 points, 12 assists). Sacramento held Nowitzki in check in the first half as he had just eight points, but rookie Rodrigue Beaubois tallied 16 of his career-high 22 points in the first two quarters. Dallas turned the ball over eight times and turned 17 Sacramento turnovers into 24 points. The Mavericks also outran the Kings, scoring 26 fastbreak points. The Kings outrebounded the Mavericks, 45-40.

Postgame Quotes: Kings @ Mavs

Kings Head Coach Paul Westphal

(On Tonigh’t Game)
“Well, we cut it to 2, and Tyreke [Evans] driving to the basket and he didn’t get the call. I’m not saying it was a foul, I’m saying he didn’t get the call. They did what veteran teams do – they put us away. Really the biggest difference in the game for us was we turned it over 17 times, they turned it over 8 times. And we’ve been really good at that lately and tonight we weren’t. And you give turnovers to a team like Dallas they get runs outs, get easy baskets, and that’s the one thing we couldn’t overcome tonight. I thought out of the 48 minutes we probably had 43-44 good enough minutes to think we could win that game. But those lapses, and the turnovers, we couldn’t overcome. Dallas is a very impressive, excellent team and I’m really proud of the way we played. I think that as we learn how to tighten up our offense a little bit we’ll have a lot better chance of coming out with a lot more of these wins. Anyway, tough loss for us against a great team.”

Kings Guard Beno Udrih

(What does it say about your team to make a comeback at the end of the game?)
“We’re here to get better and play hard. We’re a young team and don’t have a lot of experience. So we’re just trying to learn and get better.”

(How much fun was it in the first half as the team was playing well)
“It’s always fun, especially when you get going like that. Then they had a player too that was hot so it’s tough. They’re a good team, they have a lot of weapons, and congratulations to them.”

(What does it say about your team to hang with such a hot Mavs team that’s won 10 straight)
“We played 42 minutes of good basketball. Against a team like that you’ve got to play 48 minutes, and six minutes in a stretch they made a run and it was too big of a run. A team like that, they always know how to run when they’re ahead to stay ahead. “

Mavericks Head Coach Rick Carlisle

(On the win despite missing players.) “We found a way to win and the start wasn’t good obviously and there was some frustration, but it was all about holding it together, keeping the composure and bringing up the level of defensive energy. It was just too easy for them early. Beaubois gave us a great lift off the bench, I thought Stevenson gave us a lift. You know, Barea played well. Najera played solid. So, when you are thin like that you just have to
collectively find a way.”

(Any update on Brendan Haywood.)
“I would think he would be day-to-day. But, he had some a little stiffness this morning and then he tweaked it on the jump ball of all times. So, that wasn’t a good start.”

(On the technical situation.)
“Well, I was just thought there was contact that should have been called a foul on two or three occasions and I had an opinion on it. My opinion was noted, but when you go out on the court sometimes you get one and sometimes you get two, so I got two and that was it..”

(On the team going on a run after the ejection.)
“I was certainly glad. I don’t take credit for that. In those situations, you have to get playing better. Whether or not the coach getting thrown out contributes to that, that is up for debate. I doubt it. I think we were due to play better and finally started getting some stops and look, the guys off the
bench really helped too.”

(What is your feeling on this team.)
“When you go on a streak like this, everyone is gunning for you. Everybody wants to be the team to take you down. So, you are going to get everybody’s
best game. We’ve had some slow starts, but it is something we have been able to overcome many times. We are working on starting better, but hey, it is a 48 minute game for a reason. So, the streak is alive. We get on the plane tonight and head to Chicago and lace them up again. We just have to keep this going as long as we can.”

Mavericks guard Roddy Beaubois

(How big a win was this tonight with all the guys out with injuries?)
“It’s a big win for us and we really wanted to win this one because of Jet being out. We knew it was going to be difficult after Haywood wasn’t going to play but we did a good job and we’re happy about the win.”

(With Jet out you played a lot of two-guard tonight)
“I really tried to be aggressive with Jet being out and we needed everyone to push themselves so I really tried to be aggressive and that worked and JKidd and JJ (Barea) really set me up tonight. We played great together tonight.”

“I’m feeling more confident out there and my teammates have been talking to me and everyday I’m feeling better.”

“The fans are incredible and I really like playing here.”

Mavericks forward Eduardo Najera

“We’re getting smaller by the minute that’s what Dirk said. We’re ok as long as we follow the concepts defensively and I thought our zone is what got us going especially in the first half and that kind of solves the height problems we just need to rebound a little bit better.”

(Talk about the zone defense?)
“It definitely breaks the rhythm of the other team and we did a good job of playing zone. We have a lot of experience, we’ve played it before and it seems like we all are pretty smart defensively and we can hide some of our one on one weaknesses in our zone and it’s working so far really good for us and helped us win some games.”

“We’ve got to start playing better especially when we have the lead we stopped playing defensively and stopped running. We’ve got to get stops, get the rebound and go.”

Open Net: Kings at Mavs

The Kings face the Mavs tonight at 5:30 p.m.

It’s Open Net time! Discuss the game here on Full Court Press before the game, during the game and after the game. Leave a comment below to begin the discussion.

Postgame Recap: Kings vs. Rockets

SACRAMENTO 84, HOUSTON 81

March 3, 2010 - At the Toyota Center, Carl Landry recorded a game-high-tying 22 points and 10 rebounds against his former team in leading the Kings to an 84-81 win over the Rockets. The Kings won despite shooting just 32 percent from the field (32-100 FG), marking the first time that the Kings accomplished that feat since the Cincinnati Royals defeated Philadelphia, 95-93, on November 3, 1963, with a .318 field goal percentage. Sacramento held a seven-point advantage, 82-75, with 3:11 left in the fourth quarter, but the Rockets scored six unanswered points as Aaron Brooks made one of two free throws to pull Houston within one, 82-81, with six seconds remaining. Landry was fouled and made both free throws to give the Kings an 84-81 lead with four seconds left, giving the Rockets one last chance. Brooks had a good look at a three-pointer but missed with 1.9 seconds left. Tyreke Evans struggled from the field, shooting just 4-of-22, finishing with nine points, only the fourth time this season he has been held under 10 points. Former King Kevin Martin also had trouble finding his shot, making just three of his 13 field goal attempts in tallying 14 points. Beno Udrih tallied 13 points and Spencer Hawes grabbed a team-high-tying 10 rebounds. Brooks tallied a game-high-tying 22 points and Luis Scola recorded a double-double with 19 points and a game-high 18 boards. In the fourth quarter, the Kings limited the Rockets to 28.6 percent shooting from the field. The Kings’ 61 field goal attempts in the first half established a new Sacramento-era record. Sacramento turned the ball over nine times - in three of the last four games the Kings have turned the ball over 10 times or less.

Postgame Quotes: Kings vs. Rockets

KINGS COACH PAUL WESTPHAL

(on the win)
“It was very gratifying. We shot 100 field goal attempts, and to get a road win with our offense struggling to get baskets was big. Basketball is a funny game. It’s all part of our learning process. We knew when we left Brooks wide open we’d win. (ha-ha). Carl’s (Landry) free throws at the end were fantastic. Aaron brooks misses a wide open 3-pointer and not by our design but we will take it.”

(on Landry’s play)
“You can see why everyone in Houston loves him because the way he plays the game. He wants the ball in his hands at the end of the game. He came through big.”

(on Battier’s defense of Tyreke Evans)
“Battier was fantastic and did a super job defensively against Evans. He had his way with Tyreke and now will be see how he will adjust next time we play.”

CARL LANDRY

(on getting to play against Chuck Hayes)
“Chuck had a long night, didn’t he? He tried to get me with his spin move but it didn’t work. I was just telling him things on the court. We talked a little trash but that was all.”

(on his return to Houston)
“I just wanted to win. I got fouled and made it to the line and when I hit my free throws, it felt great. It was a sigh of relief. I had fun here and Houston is a wonderful place with great fans. It was real fun playing against all my brothers on the other side. Coach (Westphal) talked to me before the game and said I didn’t have to be too aggressive, just play my game.”

(on the key to the game)
“We played defense and that was the key to the game.”

(on Battier defending Evans)
“Shane is a great defender and he knew all of Tyreke’s moves before he even made them.”

SPENCER HAWES

(on winning and shooting 32%)
“It’s as big a surprise as it gets. When you are not shooting well you have to buckle down and bring something else to the table. We brought it defensively and that was the key to the victory.”

FRANCISCO GARCIA

(on the key to the game)
“Defense did it for us. It’s tough to win on the road without good defense. Our defense is picking up and we have to keep rolling. The last four games we have played well.”

(on playing against Kevin Martin)
“It was weird playing defense on Kevin but it was also kinda fun. I knew coming in I was going to be playing against my friend. But we are both professionals.”

ROCKETS COACH RICK ADELMAN

(On the game)
“Just not happy with the way we played. They beat us to every loose ball. They killed us on the boards, between our turnovers and their (Kings) offensive boards, that’s 41 and a half of their points. Those are effort plays. I don’t know if we thought we were going to come out here and blow a team out just because we won a game the other night. If you hold the team to 32 percent at home and they get twenty three more shots than you do and every phase didn’t work. You have to have the ball, we just didn’t do it. They crushed us on the boards.”

(On the loss)
“There wasn’t anything, that’s what we talked about at every timeout and half time. There wasn’t hard cuts. We’re trying to attack one on one and we settled for jumpers early in the game, just jumper after jumper. We didn’t make them move at all. It’s just very disappointing. I don’t know if we…we have a young group and I think that because they won a game they think they will win the next one. It doesn’t work that way in this league. I don’t care who you are playing, you’ve got to go out and make it happen and I give Sacramento credit. We didn’t do enough during the course of the game and then it became a three point game. There are just so many little things you can point to but there’s no reason they should have beat us that badly on the boards, there’s just no reason.”

KEVIN MARTIN

(On the loss)
“We wanted that one. It just didn’t happen for us tonight. I thought we played good defense but we just didn’t get in to any type of rhythm tonight. They (Sacramento) were doing a great job on the offensive boards. There was just no flow or anything tonight. You hold a team to 32 percent you would bet any amount of money that you would win but not tonight.”

(On the Kings’ defense)
“It’s something that you just have to look at the tape but you can’t really pinpoint one thing tonight. They (Sacramento) played a great game tonight so you’ve got to give them credit.”

AARON BROOKS

(On the last shots)
“Yeah (getting the shot that he wanted). It was a good play. It was just all my shots today were a little short or to the right or to the left, just a little off. Everybody was pretty much off but I think we got killed on offensive rebounds and that’s where the game was won. They (Sacramento) had a lot of second chance points and second chance points off of our turnovers and that’s where the game was at.”

(On the missed free throws)
“You go in with the mindset to make the shot and when you don’t make it you are surprised and that’s what happened. So, I don’t know, I guess I have to practice a little bit more.”

SHANE BATTIER

(On the Kings second chance points)
“It’s deflating basketball to play. We did our job defensively and I haven’t seen too many games in this league where a road team can shoot 30 percent and still win the game but they had twenty three more shots than we did and that’s a tough number to overcome.”

(On what went wrong)
“I thought the sense of urgency on the offensive end. We were getting stops early. There was a period where we were playing a team, especially a team that played the night before, where you’ve got to show them you mean business and to show them that if they want to win this game, they’re going to have to spend a lot of energy. We didn’t show them that and we gave them hope that maybe they can steal one on the road tonight and once you give a team hope it’s almost impossible to take it back. You’re in a dog fight and we were never able to break their spirit and that comes from playing with energy and with a sense of purpose and urgency.”

LUIS SCOLA

(On the loss)
“We made a few of the same mistakes we have been doing the whole year. We started a little bit badly in the game. They (Sacramento) got ahead and we tried to fight back. We made a lot of mistakes, we made a lot of mistakes and they made us pay.”

(On the free throws)
“We wouldn’t be anywhere without Aaron Brooks. He was our leading scoring for the game. We lost the game on the last possession and if we would have won the game it would have been on the last possession. So, it was just one of the many mistakes we made in the whole game.”

Share Your Thoughts on Kings Bright Future

Before the Sacramento-Boston game on Feb. 16, Kings co-owners Joe and Gavin Maloof announced the team’s Season Ticket Holder Package for the 2010-11 season and cemented their family’s commitment to Sacramento and building the team toward the Playoffs and beyond.

It was an exciting prelude to the Kings staunch defensive effort against the veteran-led and All-Star loaded Celtics.

Thanks to tremendous fan feedback, the new STH package has enhanced value, featuring reduced pricing for 99 percent of seats in the lower bowl, a 15-percent savings for lower bowl Season Ticket Holders while upper bowl Season Ticket Holders maintain a 10-percent savings over individual game buyers, free parking for nearly half (20) of the team’s regular season home games for those who renew or buy by April 23, exclusive STH VIP concession stand lines and more.

It’s been more than two weeks since the 2010-11 Season Ticket Holder package was unveiled, and we’d like to hear from you.

What do you think about the new STH prices? Do the announced prices give you incentive to become a part of the Kings, as Gavin says, “lifeblood?”

If you’re already a STH, why should fellow Kings fans become Season Ticket Holders?

What has impressed you about the Maloof’s unwavering commitment to this city and community?

What pieces would you like to see added to the young foundation Kings President of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie has in place on this team?

Now that they’ve had a handful of games and practices to gel, how do you like the direction of the new-look Kings?

Thank you for supporting the team, and we’re eager to learn from your feedback.

SDKT Blog: High School Rallies Bring Back Memories

Hello, Kings fans!

I can’t believe it’s already March. I guess the saying, “Time flies when you’re having fun,” is true!

Nothing beats performing for Kings fans at ARCO Arena, however, when we aren’t at games or practices, we spend a great deal of quality time in the community. Over the past several months, the Sacramento Kings Dance Team has had the honor of going to many events in the Sacramento region, which keep us extremely busy.

Recently, many of us on the SKDT along with many of the Kings players, have been attending various high school rallies throughout the Sacramento area. The appearances are part of the Kings Size High School Challenge.

This past week, Carly, Ari and I attended Oak Ridge High School’s rally. With such an enthusiastic crowd, it gave us such a rush and it was so much fun to perform for them. It was especially entertaining for me to perform there because it’s one of the gyms I used to cheer at during high school… Oh, the memories!

This past weekend, Katie, Althea, Jeannie and I had the pleasure of attending the Make-A-Wish Foundation’s poker tournament fundraiser. The event was held at Morton’s The Steakhouse in Sacramento. There were so many thoughtful and giving individuals and businesses involved with the charity. We were treated so kindly and had such a great time interacting with those who participated. It was so rewarding to hear about the wonderful things Make-A-Wish does for so many! The stories we heard about the children they’ve helped touched our hearts. We were thankful to attend the wonderful event and more than happy to give our part, hoping to make a difference.

Our appearances range from touching to exciting, but they are all fun to be involved in. Community events like the Make-A-Wish Foundation appearance on Saturday make being a member of the SKDT very fulfilling.

This season is getting better and better by the day. I’m so fortunate to be a part of this amazing dance team with so many wonderful women. I would love to keep writing, but it’s Wednesday, and I have to start my drive to ARCO for our practice. Before I go, I would like to send warm birthday wishes to our SKDT March birthdays – Candace and Sasha — and for fans who follow the SKDT on Twitter, you probably heard, it’s my birth month, too!

See you all on the court!

Open Net: Kings at Rockets

The Kings take on the the Rockets tonight at 5:30 p.m.

It’s Open Net time! Discuss the game here on Full Court Press before the game, during the game and after the game. Leave a comment below to begin the discussion.

Postgame Recap: Kings vs. Thunder

OKLAHOMA CITY 113, SACRAMENTO 107

March 2, 2010 - At the Ford Center, the Kings had no answer for Kevin Durant who had game-highs of 39 points and 10 rebounds and Russell Westbrook who added 30 points and 13 assists as the Thunder outlasted the Kings, 113-107. Francisco Garcia’s three-pointer with 4:50 left in the fourth quarter capped off a Kings’ 10-3 spurt to pull them within two, 100-98. Durant then made a driving lay-up as the Thunder answered each Kings score as Sacramento could not get closer than three points the rest of the way. Carl Landry’s dunk with 34.1 seconds left cut the Thunder lead to 111-107. Durant was fouled and sealed the win with two free throws, finishing a perfect 12-of-12 from the line. Tyreke Evans led the Kings with 27 points and Landry contributed 17 points and a team-high seven rebounds. Beno Udrih and Francisco Garcia each tallied 13 points. The Kings outshot the Thunder from the field, .539 to .500, but were outrebounded, 32-43. The Thunder crashed the offensive glass, converting 17 offensive boards into 23 second-chance points.

Postgame Recap: Kings vs. Thunder

KINGS HEAD COACH PAUL WESTPHAL:

On tonight’s game:
“To tell you the truth, I would have enjoyed the game a lot if I would have bought a ticket to watch it. It is hard to enjoy it when you lose the game. There was some phenomenal young talent on display tonight. I thought Tyreke (Evans) and (Russell) Westbrook going at each other, not always guarding each other, but still, the way they were getting things done for their team. I thought (Kevin) Durant was as good as advertised. He was as good as he has been all year. He is an amazing young talent. Those three guys playing at the top of their games, it was high-level basketball.”

“I thought our defense wasn’t great in the first half, but they got 67 points and they were banking shots in at the buzzer and shooting the ball like crazy. In the second half, our defense was able to make them miss but we couldn’t keep them off the glass. To me, we came in against a top-level playoff team in their gym, in a game they really wanted, and we played a great game. We played good enough to win, but we couldn’t keep them off the glass. We lost, but we are going to take positives that we can from this. We have to improve our defensive rebounding in order to get wins like this. It was another step in the right direction. It wasn’t satisfying because we didn’t get the ‘W’.”

On the Oklahoma City Thunder:
“They can win a playoff series, I can tell you that. If you can win one, you can win more. They are a very well put together team. I am not sure that anybody is going to look forward to playing them in the first round.”

KINGS GUARD TYREKE EVANS:

On the loss:
“It was a tough game. They are a pretty good team and they are young. They get out and run the floor well. It was a tough loss for us. We played well but down the stretch rebounding hurt us.”

“It’s tough when you play against an all-star like Kevin Durant. He is a tremendous scorer. Every time we felt like we got into the game he hit a big shot.”

On the matchup between he and Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook:
“We are two good players who play the same. We both like to drive to the basket and get a lot of fouls called. He is quick and it was a good matchup and I like playing against him.”

KINGS FORWARD SEAN MAY:

On what they can take away from the loss:
“What we take away from this game is it is not about the game itself, but where this franchise is headed. They (Oklahoma City) are young just like us. They have a young core just like we do. The thing we take away is they have made leaps and bounds in a short amount of time. That is what we have to take away, is that this organization can do the same thing.”

THUNDER HEAD COACH SCOTT BROOKS:

On tonight’s win:
“Every win is a good win. It’s not the style of game we would like to play. They shot too high of a field goal percentage. They got too many points in the paint and Tyreke Evans had a way with us with 17 free throws (attempts). But we got the win. We took care of business at home and three wins at home is a good home stand.”

On Sacramento’s offense:
“They’re good. They have a lot of interesting match-ups. Tyreke is one of the best guards in basketball, regardless if he’s a rookie or not and they were making some shots. Francisco (Garcia) came in and was on fire. He made shots. I was with him for a year, and that’s what he does. Having the two point guards in the game gives them a nice little floor game where they have two guys that can make game winning plays for other teammates. But early on transition wasn’t good. Our close-outs weren’t good but we managed to get enough stops when we needed it.”

THUNDER FORWARD KEVIN DURANT:

On Russell Westbrook:
“Russell has done a great job of getting everyone involved. We’re staring to get stops and early transition points, easy baskets and getting to the free throw line. Russell has been the key to getting everyone involved and we just follow his lead. Stats don’t lie. Numbers don’t lie. He got 13 assists tonight and he’s been enormous in the past month. He’s been playing very well and everybody’s been getting involved.”

On the Thunder’s outlook:
“Continue to be ourselves, come to work everyday, come to practice and shoot-around and stay focused. If we continue to bring it everyday in our offense end we’ll continue this.”

THUNDER GUARD RUSSELL WESTBROOK:

On tonight’s win:
“We just came out and tried to be aggressive and I tried to find a way to help my team win. Our offense has been good throughout the year but we want our defense to lead to our offense; that’s big for us. I’ll take a win however we can take it. We played good tonight and did a good job scoring the ball but I think we did a better job defending.”

Mayor Johnson Leads Rally For ‘Reke

It’s hard to believe, but Tyreke Evans is still just a rookie.

The dynamic point guard’s first-year NBA story took another exciting turn on Tuesday, as the Mayor of Sacramento, Kevin Johnson, held a press conference to officially endorse the Kings young leader for Rookie of the Year.

“Sacramento strives to be a world-class city, and Tyreke Evans is proving to be a world-class player,” Johnson, standing in front of a multi-story ‘Rally for ‘RekeROY Night’ banner and flanked by prominent local leaders, Slamson and members of the Sacramento Kings Dance Team, said. “He has my official endorsement for the NBA Rookie of the Year award. I encourage all Sacramentans to show the nation how we support Tyreke by attending ‘Rally for RekeROY Night’ at ARCO Arena on March 10.”

In honor of Evans’ incredible play in his first season in Northern California, the Mayor along with other prominent local politicians, leaders and members of the Kings 100, came together to voice bi-partisan support and spread the excitement about #RekeROY (the hashtag used to reference Evans on Twitter) and the young Kings team.

“I think it’s very important for Sacramentans to support the Sacramento Kings organization,” Johnson continued. “Look, if he’s going to get Rookie of the Year, ultimately, it comes down to what he’s doing on the court. He’s already done that. However, when the writers and voters look at what’s happening in Sacramento, (and) they can see we’re excited and the elected officials are coming together and we packed the house on March 10 in support of Tyreke Evans, all that has some sort of influence on the people who are going to vote. Us coming out and supporting him is going to send a message around this League that the city of Sacramento has rekindled the spirit and the excitement of Sacramento Kings basketball, and a lot of it has to do with the rookie who’s leading the Kings organization, Tyreke Evans.”

Along with being mentioned regularly this season among three of the greatest players to ever play the game – Oscar Robertson, Michael Jordan and LeBron James – which is incredible in its own right, the soft-spoken yet powerful point guard has been praised by those ranging from Kings fans to All-Stars (James, Dwyane Wade, Steve Nash) to the President of the United States, Barack Obama.

As sport so often does, support for Evans and the team breaks down political barriers and unites people across the region.

“The Kings give a lot of pride, a lot of entertainment and a lot of satisfaction, not just to the city of Sacramento, but the city of Citrus Heights, city of Folsom, Roseville, El Dorado Hills, my home community of Fair Oaks,” Republican Assemblyman of the Fifth Assembly District Roger Niello said. “And Tyreke Evans, this year, has just been a thrilling part of that and there could be nothing better that could happen to this whole region of Sacramento than for Tyreke to be Rookie of the Year — RekeROY!”

Along with his official allegiance to Evans’ run for ROY, Johnson shared he is, as appointed by the NBA, a mentor for the Kings rookie. The former All-Star explained he serves as an advisor to Evans giving him advice on leadership and sharing opinion on matters on-and-off the court.

“On the court, there’s not a lot I can teach him,” Johnson said humbly. “This guy can do things I could never do playing in the NBA. He’s doing things you can’t teach other players to do. His instincts, the nuances of the game, his IQ are very high.”

When asked if he’d recommend a future career in politics to the Kings rookie, Johnson said his advice would be a simple amendment to a well-known adage.

“When I played basketball, one of the things we used to say is, the best offense is a good defense,” Johnson said smiling. “In politics, it’s actually reversed. The best defense is a good offense, so that’s what I would tell Tyreke Evans.”

Join Mayor Johnson and fellow Sacramentans by showing your support for Tyreke Evans’ run for Rookie of the Year. Buy tickets now for ‘Rally for RekeROY Night’ to see the Kings take on the Toronto Raptors on March 10 at 7 p.m. at ARCO Arena.

Open Net: Kings at Thunder

The Kings take on the the Thunder tonight at 5 p.m.

It’s Open Net time! Discuss the game here on Full Court Press before the game, during the game and after the game. Leave a comment below to begin the discussion.

« Previous Page — Next Page »