Postgame Recap: Kings vs. Bobcats
January 31, 2010 by Darryl Arata ·
CHARLOTTE 103, SACRAMENTO 96
January 30, 2010 - At ARCO Arena, Gerald Wallace recorded a game-high 38 points and a team-high 11 rebounds as the Bobcats held off a late Kings rally for a 103-96 win. The Kings trailed by two, 56-54, to start the third quarter but found themselves in a 23-point hole after the Bobcats outscored them, 34-13, in the quarter for a 90-67 lead. In the fourth quarter, the Kings rallied, pulling within four, 100-96, with 35.9 seconds left. However, Raymond Felton made a lay-up with 26.6 seconds left and Wallace made one of two free throws attempts to complete the scoring. For the second straight night Kevin Martin tallied 30-plus points, leading the Kings with 31. Jason Thompson recorded a double-double with 12 points and a game-high 16 rebounds. Omri Casspi added 14 points off the bench. Tyreke Evans finished with four points, two rebounds, seven assists, two steals and a block before leaving the game late in the third quarter with a bruised left hip. Charlotte’s Nazr Mohammed also notched a double-double with 17 points and 10 boards.
Postgame Quotes: Kings vs. Bobcats
January 30, 2010 by kingsconnect ·
KINGS HEAD COACH PAUL WESTPHAL
“Well there was a lot of variation in the quality of our play tonight. Sometimes we were really solid to very good and other times we were awful. Then we turned it around and came back in the fourth quarter, which was a terrific effort. Look at Gerald Wallace – this guy was 12-of-18 from the field, 12-of-15 from the line, 11 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 steals, 38 points – a fantastic all-star performance. I told our players that this guy was a young player struggling with the Kings. They had to let him go – they didn’t want to, he was a young player with talent – but they had to let him go in the expansion draft. He just kept improving and he’s fulfilling his potential right now. As much as we want everything right now and we want to win every game we play, we need our young players to understand that sometimes in this league you have to take steps to get where Gerald Wallace is. We have guys in that room who I think can get to where Gerald Wallace is. As discouraging as a loss like this can be, we need to learn from it. And because we have the heart to keep coming back and playing hard through bad play and adversity and everything else, there’s a lot of hope from the coaching staff and there needs to be from the players. So that’s the message that I take from this game. I can see the mistakes and I can see the effort but a guy like Gerald Wallace is going where we want some of our young players to go. We want it now but unfortunately it takes a little longer – so we’ll wait ‘til Denver.”
On the fourth quarter:
“I thought Sergio (Rodriguez) came in and really picked up the tempo for us. It seemed like we were just not as athletic and too slow for them all night in a lot of positions. A big part of it was that Tyreke (Evans) had a fantastic game against them last time and tonight he was dragging around a bruised hip that he fell on last night. I thought he had a very, very good first half but he was mostly making plays for other people. He was drawing the double teams, passing the ball and didn’t have his normal explosiveness. Then when we took him out in the second half and he just couldn’t go back in. But I thought that Sergio’s speed and quickness and aggressiveness really were a huge key for us. It shows a lot about Sergio’s professionalism too because he’s been having a hard time getting in the game lately. Mainly he’s been a victim of too many players in the backcourt when Kevin (Martin) has come back but he’s been terrific in his times when the game has been out of hand. He has stayed ready and tonight he was terrific, and (he) almost brought us all the way back.”
On Kevin Martin:
“That’s not any big surprise. It’s just I always thought it was a matter of rust and timing with him because he’s healthy and he’s in the prime of his career and he can score. He’ll always score.”
On Jason Thompson:
“I thought Jason really attacked the game. He’s getting frustrated still a little bit and there are a few plays I’m sure he’s going to look back in his dreams tonight and say ‘man I wish I would have done this’ or ‘I wish I would have done that’, and that’s the nature of things. But he played 35 minutes, got 16 rebounds, had double-figure points and knocked down some shots. So I think he should feel good about his effort. If he can continue to bring what he brought tonight I think that we’ll pronounce him out of his slump.”
Sergio Rodriguez
On coming back to get the game close
“It was hard, but I am happy for myself. I am obviously not happy about the loss, but we have to try to not have those downs in the game and keep working hard. We have to work hard like we were doing and how we do at times in the games. We just have to keep it up the whole game.”
On being in the tough situation coming back from the deficit
“Anytime that we have to come back from being down by at least 20 is hard, but when the opportunity comes, everyone has to be ready. The people on the bench or the people who are not playing that many minutes have to prove that they can play. That is all, but I would be happier if I played and the team wins.”
Tyreke Evans
On his bruised hip
“It happened yesterday in the game, I was limping and when I woke up then morning it was sore. I thought I would be able to go today, but I shouldn’t have played a lot. I couldn’t go at 100 percent.”
“I knew that I couldn’t really move out there like I wanted to and get the looks I wanted. I was just trying to find people, whichever way I could. I just wanted to get out there and try to get a win, which is why I went out there and played. Hopefully I will get treatment tomorrow and try to play in Denver, but I am not going to rush it. If I step onto the floor I want to go at it 100 percent. I am going to ice it and put heat on it that is all you can really do. I am going to try to get back as soon as possible.”
Jason Thompson
On getting advice and support from others
“I have been getting a lot of advice from a lot of people. You can only consume so much because you don’t want to think about what everyone is saying. It is good that I get a lot of support. I am just taking one day at a time. The game isn’t as easy as it was earlier on. That is just what happens in the league and guys get better in each game and guys are experienced. I can’t put that much pressure on myself, with this being my second year. I definitely want to be a focal point for the team, but I have to go through the process first.”
On his stretch of play lately
“It is something that I have to learn and I have to first experience that, but I have only been in the league about a year and a half. I think it is better to go through it now than in year four or five. Hopefully this is something that I can learn from and laugh at later on.”
On what they need to work on
“I think as a team, in our last five or six games we weren’t really getting stops and running. I think once we get the rebound and run and get those fastbreak points then things will get easier.”
Charlotte Bobcats Head Coach Larry Brown
Tonight’s game…
“It’s almost a replay of the last time played them. We probably played as well as we ever have in the third quarter but we didn’t finish. Give them credit - (Sergio) Rodriguez was just phenomenal, Jason Thompson was phenomenal. They had a chance to win. I remember watching them play the Bulls at Chicago. They came back from the dead and won. It’s kind of disappointing how we finished but we got another road win on this trip.”
Gerald Wallace’s performance…
“He was phenomenal. He’s been phenomenal. He made two blocks at the end when they were rallying, just incredible plays. He’s played great all year but in the last month he’s just taken it to a new level. I guess these last couple of games validated the other people voting for him.”
Third quarter turnaround…
“We rebounded. We defended. We got out and ran. We passed the ball. We did everything that they did in the fourth quarter. It looked exactly like two different teams. In the fourth quarter they rebounded, they defended, they passed the ball, they got out on the break. We did none of that. We got into the halfcourt and had trouble scoring. I think the same thing holds true, we got it going in the third quarter off of our defense, giving them one shot and causing some turnovers.”
Sacramento Kings…
“I love what Paul’s done with this team. They have some many young kids with so much energy. They don’t ever give up.”
Gerald Wallace, Charlotte Bobcats’ Forward
Third quarter turnaround…
“We got attacking. We got going. We were able to put pressure on them. Got in the open court and attacked the rim. Our defense picked up.”
Being selected as an All-Star Reserve…
“I think it’s a great thing not just for me but for the coaches and the organization. Finally we have someone that will go down to All-Star Weekend and represent our team, our organization, our fans and the city of Charlotte.”
Back-to-back wins on the road…
“We’re doing a whole lot better now. I think we were struggling in the first part of the season. I think now coming into 2010, we’re doing a pretty good job of controlling the game and finishing games. Tonight I think we were better off still attacking and pushing the ball rather than walking the ball. I don’t think we’re good walking the ball up as a halfcourt team.
Stephen Jackson, Charlotte Bobcats’ Guard
Team’s performance…
“We’re playing better basketball as a team. We’re defending well. I think the good thing about it is we are starting to trust each other.”
Being a veteran on the team…
“I think my veteran experience is helping. Knowing how to playing in big games and taking big shots and taking some of the pressure off of Gerald and Raymond (Felton). Also Flip (Murray) has been coming in and hitting shots. We are just growing unbelievably as a team especially how we’ve been playing at home and now it’s been carrying over on the road.”
Open Net: Kings vs. Bobcats
January 30, 2010 by Carly Montoya ·
The Kings face the Bobcats tonight at 7 p.m. at ARCO Arena.
Postgame Recap: Kings @ Jazz
January 29, 2010 by Darryl Arata ·
UTAH 101, SACRAMENTO 94
January 29, 2010 - At EnergySolutions Arena, the Jazz, without Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer, withstood a combined 58 points from Kevin Martin and Tyreke Evans thanks to a career-high 32 points and game-high 14 rebounds from Paul Millsap for a 101-94 victory. Williams was away attending a funeral and Boozer was sidelined with a strained right calf. The Kings fought back from an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Jazz, 9-2, to trail, 78-74, with 8:14 remaining. Sacramento remained in striking distance and trailed by six, 93-87, with 2:15 left. However, the Jazz kept the Kings at bay, overcoming a poor free throw shooting night. Utah shot 27-of-40 from the line, but made six of eight free throw attempts in the final 1:43. Martin, who totaled 15 points in his previous three games, finished with a game-high 33 points, 15 of which came in the fourth quarter. Evans tallied 25 points with no other Kings player scoring in double-figures. Spencer Hawes grabbed a team-high nine rebounds. Andrei Kirilenko contributed 18 points for Utah and Sundiata Gaines and C.J. Miles each tallied 12 points off the bench.
Postgame Quotes: Kings @ Jazz
January 29, 2010 by kingsconnect ·
Head Coach - Paul Westphal
On what went wrong in the third quarter
“I’m sort of speechless myself. For pretty much the whole night we were not able to control Millsap.
When we broke down offensively and kind of came to a stand still they just kept scoring and they got the lead and we were never able to fight back into the game.”
On Paul Millsap
“He got whatever shot he wanted and he got the rebound whenever he seemed to feel like it. You can’t just let a guy run all over you like he did. He dominated us and it was a great performance by him.”
On Andrei Kirilenko
“He’s very active, he’s long and a real smart player. We did a terrible job on him in the first half and then we put [Andres] Nocioni on him and he did an excellent job but it seemed like whenever we needed to get a stop, we might get the stop but we couldn’t get the rebound. Every time we needed to execute on the offensive end we didn’t get good shots.”
Kevin Martin
On his slow start
“I felt good. The main thing was me staying aggressive no matter how I started. I’ve had games like that before and I’ve bounced back so I just tried to keep that mentality and go from there.”
On Utah’s play
“It seems like they turn it up mid-season every year. That shows a lot with their veteran leadership with guys like Boozer and Kirilenko. They seem to always find a way to win under a great coach and they just seem to know what to do (it) this time of year.”
On Kirilenko’s game
“He is a guy that is always active on both ends of the court. You have to always be aware of him on offense when you’re driving. He’s a guy that always keeps the ball alive and gets extra possessions for his team, which is what he did for them in the first half tonight.”
Tyreke Evans
On the momentum of the game
“It all started when C.J. Miles got a dunk. He just turned it up. He played great. It was a great performance by him.”
On the offense
“I’m going to bring it every night. He (Kevin Martin) just has to be the same way. I know the type of player he is. In practice he shows it. He’s been aggressive. He missed a couple of plays, didn’t get the call but came right back down and took the shot. That’s what he needs to do just to be confident.”
On the play of Millsap
“He was tough. I knew he was a great player, but he showed it tonight. He can be a starter anywhere on anybody’s team. He went out there and played well. He was unbelievable. He put on a great performance. He was a key on the win tonight. He pretty much looked like Boozer…probably a little better. He was playing together, passing, getting and ones and he did it all game. He was there to win tonight. He did a good job.”
Jazz Head Coach - Jerry Sloan
On the game
“A lot of people played pretty well tonight. Paul Millsap, Andrei (Kirilenko), I thought C.J. Miles gave us a nice lift off the bench. Everyone was focused on getting this win and wasn’t worry about their individual games.”
On Millsap as a starter
“He did that last year for us. He stepped up and played hard tonight. He needs more minutes. That’s where we struggle sometimes.”
On the play of rookie Sundiata Gaines
“He had five assists and 12 points and did a good job of trying to get us into our offense. He played under control most of the time and I thought he did a pretty good job defensively getting up under guys and getting some steals. He got right up in guys’ faces and came up with three steals in the game.”
Andrei Kirilenko
On the game
“I expect D-Will to shave a little bit…D-Will, we’re waiting for you! I am very happy with our game. We had a good game and a good win, but we still need him [Williams], we still need those two guys.”
On the game Sundiata Gaines played
“If you take a look back at the D-League, he was playing the major role on the team. He knows how to play, and he knows how to play with confidence. I’m not surprised that he is bringing it. There is nothing to lose for him. He is coming in from the lower league and playing great. ”
On Paul Millsap’s game
“We all knew Paul was capable to play this kind of game, and this was one of them. He got all of the confidence he needed in the third and fourth quarter, so we just delivered it to him. He was really playing great.”
Paul Millsap
On making his first start this season
“I knew what to expect coming into the game. Two of our leading players are out. That means other guys need to step up. I just wanted to be aggressive, come out and help get my teammates involved and win the game.”
On team effort
“One thing I know is guys that come off the bench that get an opportunity to play, they are going to come in and do the best they can. That is all we can ask from them. It was a good team effort tonight. We got five wins in a row for Deron.”
On his playing time
“I knew I would play somewhere around there (43:19). My main thing was to not get in foul trouble, not come out and get two easy fouls and go to the bench.”
On next week’s games
“We got a good team to grind. These past few weeks, that is what we have been doing. We’ve been grinding, getting wins. As long as we continue to play as a team, play as a collective, everybody comes off the bench and does their job, we are going to win games.” A long time since we’ve really played well on the road especially against a good San Antonio Spurs team. They’ve got great guys on their team, a great coach and for us to go down there and play like we did and get a win was big for us.”
Sundiata Gaines
On the game
“Coach left me in (in the 4th Quarter) and the good thing about it was that I got some experience playing down the stretch in close games. I’ve always got to be ready, and when I go in the game, I want to give the team some energy. Tonight I got an opportunity to play, and I went in and made the best of it.”
What does this say about the depth of this team?
“We are an all-around team. Usually every game we have a high number of assists because we share the ball. With D-Will and Booz being out, guys like Paul and AK stepped up tonight.”
Open Net: Kings vs. Jazz
January 29, 2010 by Carly Montoya ·
The Kings face the Jazz tonight at 7 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.
Defensive Minded Kings Return to Utah
January 28, 2010 by Andrew Nicholson ·
Sacramento’s victory over Golden State on Tuesday gave the Kings 179-178 lead in the all-time series and boosted the team’s record against the Western Conference to 13-9 at ARCO Arena.
Kayte Puts Young Kings Play In Perspective
January 28, 2010 by Kayte Christensen ·
Let’s be honest, being a professional athlete is a pretty amazing and enviable job to a lot of people. Read more
A Sign of the Kings Potential
January 27, 2010 by Andrew Nicholson ·
Thanks to the outstanding play and contribution rookies Tyreke Evans and Omri Casspi have made to the team to begin their NBA careers, the Sacramento Kings will be represented at NBA All-Star Weekend in Dallas Feb.12-14, as participants in the 2010 T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam.
SKDT Has More Excitement in Store
January 27, 2010 by Candace ·
I feel so alive embarking on such an adventurous new year! So much has happened since the last time I blogged, I’m happy to catch up with Kings fans again.
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