DeMarcus Doubles Up as Kings Defeat LA
July 13, 2010 by Andrew Nicholson · 10 Comments
DeMarcus Cousins is two-for-two.
What’s Next for the Kings?
April 21, 2010 by Andrew Nicholson · 24 Comments
From pre-Draft preparation to vacation and offseason workouts, Kings Head Coach Paul Westphal and forward Carl Landry take a timeout to give Kings fans an inside look at what’s next for coaches and players.
Petrie Sees Positives to Build On
April 21, 2010 by kingsconnect · 19 Comments
Kings President of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie joined Sports 1140 KHTK’s Grant Napear and Mike Lamb on Sportsline Tuesday night.
Kayte’s Kings Player-by-Player Breakdown
April 16, 2010 by Kayte Christensen · 18 Comments
The season is over, and now we can delve deeper into what is ahead for the Kings.
Postgame Quotes: Kings @ Lakers
April 13, 2010 by kingsconnect · Leave a Comment
Kings Coach Paul Westphal
on tonight’s game:
“Tonight was not that different from forty or fifty other games this year. We hung around, did a lot of good things and we had a couple of breakouts. We had a lot of good efforts tonight. We felt that Jason Thompson did a lot for us tonight on the boards and offensively, but he had to play the whole game so he didn’t get any vacation until the final horn.”
on the team’s performance this season:
“I am proud of our team and I told every one of them. They only won 25 games, but they really maximized their effort this year. They have heart and they respected the game. We will get better, we will absolutely get better. We will add some pieces, but the first thing we had to learn to do this year was compete and we did that. One of these days we will learn how to win.”
on rookie Tyreke Evans contribution this season:
“This season was one of the best rookie seasons any of us has had, but that is not the only measure of success. We had a great noteworthy season and the thing about Tyreke Evans is he really didn’t play for stats. He plays to win and is a very versatile ball player. He almost never had a bad game. He is a very mature professional and will only get better as he goes about this league. I think everyone will tell you what a good teammate he is and that says something about his future with the Kings.”
on recapping the season:
“Honestly I am sorry our season is over. We knew we had a climb, but this team is only just beginning. The team last year was the worst team in the league winning only 17 games, as well as the worst defensive team and the worst rebounding team. This year we are in the top half rebounders now, we are out of the bottom third in defense, we added eight more wins and some players that we can build around. By any measure there was improvement and we are optimistic that there will continue to be improvement. I am sorry it is over, I really like this team.”
Beno Udrih
on the assessment of this season:
“The whole year we’ve been playing, trying to compete at the end of the game and that’s a step forward from last year, definitely. We’ve just got to get better with closing the close games down and winning a couple ones. Hopefully we’ve learned something this year for next year and we think we can win a couple more games.”
on taking this game into the offseason:
“The Lakers, they’ve been together for awhile they know exactly how to finish games. It’s a long process for us but we want to be like… young teams that are rebuilding and trying to get to the playoffs and we’ve just got to learn.”
Carl Landry
on what the Kings have to do to improve:
“I think we just have to play together a little more. We’ve got the pieces here and we’ll add a couple of pieces with the free [agency] and the draft and we’ll be alright. We’re [one of the] youngest teams in the league… so if we just improve our basketball I.Q. I think we’ll be alright.”
on looking forward to the offseason:
“We never really got blown out. We just had a hard time finishing games, probably due to the inexperience of this team but I think this summer we’ll go back to the drawing board and correct those mistakes.”
Jason Thompson
on looking back on the positives of the season:
“We came out, especially early in the year, not a lot of people had high expectations for us and we had five-game win streaks two or three times. We started getting this city going and a lot of people started to notice us.”
on what the Kings have to look forward to this offseason:
“Just knowing that our future is bright. With the trades that we’ve had that are helping us out and… learning how to play with each other. So we’ll get some new additions in the draft, maybe some trades… and hopefully we’ll be on top.”
Lakers’ Coach Phil Jackson
on tonight’s game:
“Got that game competitive after getting a little 13 point lead at the end of the third quarter. Had to kind of dig in a little bit at the end of the game to sustain that victory. Good game by Pau Gasol and Shannon. They led us in the scoring tonight and we had some help off the bench.”
on Sasha Vujacic:
“He’s an offensive rebounding machine. That’s what he is now.”
on Jordan Farmar’s injury:
“He’ll dress tomorrow. He’s played 81 games this year. I want him to dress and be on the active roster for tomorrow’s game.”
on the fallout of Jordan Farmar leaving tonight’s game early:
“I wanted to have short minutes for Derek. He ended up playing less than 20 but extended Shannon’s minutes and obviously Sasha’s minutes and had Lamar have to come out and play that guard role.”
on the impact of Luke Walton:
“He helps. I don’t know if he’s going to be able to sustain the effort in the playoffs and that’s why I have to look at him a little bit and get him some game activity. Offensively he does things that create a little offensive rhythm for us and offensive opportunities.”
on Sasha Vujacic’s solid performance tonight:
“It’s got to make him feel much better about his game. He knows he’s got an opportunity to play some minutes and have some opportunities.”
Shannon Brown
on jumpstarting the bench with the tone he set as a starter:
“It’s different starting. When you start, you get to set the tone. Then guys get to play off of what you start off with. We got the ball moving today and then everybody got good looks.”
on tomorrow’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers:
“We definitely got to win this game tomorrow. We have to get better every day. We’re waiting for Andrew [Bynum] to get back and for Kobe [Bryant] to get back so we can get our first couple practices in together as a full unit again.”
Sasha Vujacic
on tonight’s game:
“We played great as a team. We played good defense. From my personal view, in the last few games, I’ve been getting more and more minutes and when that happens, you get a feel for the game which is good.”
on most important thing about playing Oklahoma City in the first round of the playoffs:
“It depends when we play them. They have one player that is individually good, on and off, and now they play great as a team. The coaching staff did a great job and they execute. So we have to take that away from them and we’ll see how they can handle the pressure of the situation.”
on his overall performance this season:
“You just have to stay consistent. This season was from my personal point of view, ups and downs. What is done, is done. It’s behind us. We’re looking to the present and to the future. My focus now is how can I help our team…and how can we win as a team.”
Lamar Odom
on tonight’s game:
“I look at it, honestly, like we’re practicing against the other team. You want to run all the sets and do everything the right way. We want to play almost how we play in practice. It’s just a practice in front of 20,000 people.”
Luke Walton
on playing in tonight’s game:
“It felt great. It was a lot of fun out there, playing again and being out there and not having pain. To be out there and move and stuff was a lot of fun.”
Postgame Recap: Kings vs. Rockets
April 13, 2010 by Darryl Arata · Leave a Comment
HOUSTON 117, SACRAMENTO 107
April 12, 2010 - At ARCO Arena, Kevin Martin made his first visit back to Sacramento since the trade and led all scorers with 39 points in leading the Rockets to a 117-107 win over the Kings. Tyreke Evans tallied a team-high 24 points, with his two free throws with 6:46 left in the fourth quarter securing a 20-point, five-rebound, five-assist season average to join only Oscar Robertson, Michael Jordan, and LeBron James as the only players to average those numbers in their rookie season. The Kings jumped out to an early 40-28 lead after the first quarter, but the Rockets overtook the Kings, 80-79, on Trevor Ariza’s three-pointer with 2:35 left in the third quarter. With the score tied, 99-99, the Rockets took control of the game by outscoring the Kings, 14-4, for a 113-103 lead with 3:03 remaining in the fourth quarter. Carl Landry tallied 19 points and Jason Thompson grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds. Ariza finished with 29 points. Chuck Hayes and Jared Jeffries each grabbed a team-high seven rebounds. Sacramento converted 14 Houston turnovers into 28 points.
Postgame Recap: Kings vs. Mavs
April 10, 2010 by Darryl Arata · Leave a Comment
DALLAS 126, SACRAMENTO 108
April 10, 2010 - At ARCO Arena, Dirk Nowitzki led all scorers with 39 points and Jason Kidd recorded his second triple-double of the season (and his 105th of his career) with 11 points, a game-high 10 rebounds, and 13 assists in lifting the Mavericks past the Kings, 126-108. Dallas led throughout the game with its largest lead of 25 points, late in the third quarter. Nowitzki almost single-handedly outscored the Kings in the third quarter, tallying 13 straight points to close out the quarter and accounted for 22 of the Mavericks’ 35 points (Kings had 26). Carl Landry led the Kings with 30 points, one shy of his career high. Tyreke Evans tallied 27 points, a team-high eight rebounds, and six assists. Jason Terry added 25 points off the bench for the Mavericks, who swept the regular season series against the Kings, 4-0. Nowitzki made all 13 of his free throw attempts to extend his consecutive made free throw streak to 68. The Kings outrebounded the Mavericks, 41-36, but were outshot, .471 to .532. Dallas made 13-of-21 from beyond the three-point arc.
Postgame Quotes: Kings vs. Mavs
April 10, 2010 by kingsconnect · 3 Comments
KINGS HEAD COACH PAUL WESTPHAL
“Well we had a nice crowd out there supporting us tonight and they got to watch Dirk Nowitzki show what he can do. He showed why he’s one of the greatest players ever to play this game. It looked like the basket was like three times the size of a normal basket whenever he shot the ball tonight. On top of that, they had their other players shooting the ball extremely well – 13 for 21 (three-point shots). You want teams to shoot more three-point shots as opposed to getting inside when you’re a smaller team like we are but when they shoot 62 percent on threes it’s hard to mount much of a comeback. It seemed like it was a great offensive performance by a veteran team who’s tuning up for the playoffs. If they shoot the ball like that, they can win any time they play. So it was a tough night for us trying to stop them – we couldn’t do it – and that was pretty much the name of the game tonight. We’re thrilled that our fans are still supporting us. We’re looking forward to our last home game – Fan Appreciation Night – we hope that that’s a sellout. We want to finish this season strong. I’m sorry it’s coming to an end, I really am. I love coaching these guys. I see better days ahead as we add to the mix that we have and we’re staying positive despite setbacks. Like I said, I give the Mavericks and Dirk all the credit in the world. That’s a team that’s playing their best basketball at the most important time of the year. They steamrolled us tonight after they got Portland last night. We did hold Dirk to 39 – he had 40 last night.”
“Well we turned it over too much in the first half – we can only blame ourselves for that. They played good defense and you can’t turn the ball over 11 times against a team like that. We were chasing them because they were so efficient offensively. We needed for them to hit a lull and whenever we thought they might hit a lull they just threw it to Dirk. So it was the first half that did us in with our ball handling. We did play pretty well – we played solid but we couldn’t stop them. When a team shoots 62 percent on threes, it’s gonna be a long night.”
On Carl Landry:
“I’ll tell you the truth, nothing surprises me about his scoring ability. Carl’s one of the top scoring forwards in the league. Per minute played he’s showed what he can do this year and he’s getting more minutes so he gets more points. He’s a high-percentage shooter, he’s versatile and the more we learn to throw him the ball and get him more shots, the more points he’ll score. He’s always going to be an efficient scorer.”
On Jason Kidd:
“It’s beautiful to watch him play. He fills up the stat sheet but he doesn’t play for stats. He just plays for making the right play every time and he gets them in the right situations. He knows who the shooters are and where they like the ball and he’s a genius at doing that. To have as much energy and conditioning as he has at this time of the year, at this stage of his career, is extremely remarkable. He’s in the perfect situation for him – he’s got enough big guys to protect the basket, he’s got shooters all around him and he’s got Dirk. It’s going to be an interesting playoff run. I think the Mavericks are poised to really do some damage.”
Carl Landry
On Dirk in the third quarter
“He did a good job of running, transitioning and getting to the open spot. They were already up about 15 points, they are a veteran team and they just want to stick a dagger in you. Every time he had a good look at the hoop he shot it. He kept sticking those daggers into us and nailing those shots.”
On Dirk’s overall performance
“We just let him have easy shots. We were not contesting any of the shots. In the third quarter there was a man by him, but just in transition. Anytime a team gets up and gets on a run and starts to gain momentum that is when you take those big shots. That is when you take quick shots and try to make big plays and that is what they did tonight. That is what we have to learn. Dirk just kept throwing daggers at us. Unfortunately we just lost tonight.”
On his performance
“The game isn’t over until the horn sounds. I continue to just play. I just wanted to continue to play hard, score, play a little offense, a little defense. I just wanted to do whatever I could to find my open teammates.”
On the Mavericks
“They are a veteran team. They have been together for a long time and the starting five has been together for a very long time. Erick Dampier, Jason Kidd, Jason Terry and Dirk Nowitzki have been together for some years. They are veteran players who know how to play the game. We are still young and trying to find ways to understand the game. They are getting ready for the playoffs so they just came out here and played well. Unfortunately, we came up short.”
On the season coming to an end
“I love basketball. I never want the season to come to an end. I wish that we could go to the playoffs like I did the last two years in Houston, but at the same time I can look at it as a positive. I have more time to become a better player for next year and help this ballclub get to where we need to go.”
Omri Casspi
On Dirk in the third quarter
“You just can’t stop the guy. He is very impressive. We tried to make adjustments and tried to trap him, but when they kicked it out to him and he has such a high percentage shooting it is tough.”
On the Mavericks going into the playoffs
They are vey dangerous, when they shoot like that. They can beat anyone anywhere. It will be interesting to see them in the playoffs and I wish them all the best.”
On his play tonight
“I was just happy to be out there on the court. I had some good opportunities and I kept rolling and got into a groove. I am just happy and I had a good game. I am going to continue to learn and finish the season out strong.”
Dallas Mavericks Rick Carlisle
On how tonight differs from the win last night
“Different kind of game, different kind of team. It is the same kind of formula for success: tough, hardnosed defense and rebounding and being efficient on offense. It is a solid win for us. We need them all.”
On getting ready for the playoffs
“We are taking some steps. We are not there, yet. Over the next five or six days, we have to keep working toward that. Each game has critical meaning in terms of the seeding. Our guys are focused in on what we need to do. We did some good things tonight.”
On their improved play and Dirk Nowitzki in particular
“Our execution has been good. He (Nowitzki) has been recognizing situations when he should drive the ball and find open spaces. We had 27 assists tonight which means we were really moving the ball and he had a lot to do with that. If he’s open, there is a good chance he is going to make the shot. He is that kind of a scorer and that kind of big shooter. It was not just him.”
On the play of Jason Kidd
“(Jason) Kidd had a triple-double, which was phenomenal, in 31 minutes. He came out with such great urgency to begin the game. He came out and ‘bang, bang’ hit two jump shots to start the game and that set the tone for us.”
Dallas Mavericks Forward Dirk Nowitzki
On the strong team game
“I think we set the tone early on. Kidd was pushing the ball for us. We were getting some stops and got an early lead. We carried it on through there. They made a couple runs and a few pushes at us, but we made some timely shots when we needed them and got some stops. It was definitely a good outing for us. Now we are going to try and get the second seed if we can.”
On how he is playing lately
“Just being aggressive if I’m open. Shoot the ball or put it on the floor and get to the foul line. That always helps. And just working with the guys. We have a lot of guys that can score. Caron (Butler) has been playing well. If our guys are shooting the ball the way we were tonight, it makes everything a lot easier. It was definitely a good game.”
Dunk-Off Highlights Kings Practice Finale
April 9, 2010 by Andrew Nicholson · 8 Comments
Smiling as always, forward Carl Landry addressed the media before Read more
Postgame Recap: Kings vs. Clippers
April 9, 2010 by Darryl Arata · Leave a Comment
SACRAMENTO 116, LA CLIPPERS 94
April 8, 2010 - At ARCO Arena, Tyreke Evans scored a game-high 28 points and Jason Thompson recorded a double-double with 22 points and a game-high 15 rebounds help the Kings end an eight-game losing streak with a 116-94 win over the Clippers. Sacramento led by 16 points, 63-47, to begin the third quarter, but the Clippers cut the lead in half to trail by eight, 84-76, at the end of the quarter. The Kings used a 16-2 run to open the fourth quarter for a 22-point lead, 100-78, with 7:45 left in the game. In the fourth quarter, Sacramento outscored (32 to 18) and outshot (.650 to .400) the Clippers. Evans also recorded six rebounds, seven assists, and two steals. Carl Landry also recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. The Clippers were led by Chris Kaman’s 23 points and DeAndre Jordan’s 10 rebounds off the bench. Eric Gordon added 21 points and Baron Davis notched a double-double with 11 points and 10 assists. Los Angeles dropped their seventh straight contest. The Kings outrebounded the Clippers, 47 to 32, and turned the ball over just nine times. Sacramento also matched a season-high with 50 field goals made.
Recent Comments