Category: Basketball

Chuck's halftime bet on Kings backfires after Warriors' win originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Charles Barkley is going to take shots at the Warriors whenever he can, but the TNT analyst’s halftime guarantee about the Sacramento Kings on Thursday certainly aged poorly.

After Golden State’s 23-point lead midway through the second quarter at Chase Center dissolved to a 10-point advantage by the break, Barkley was willing to put money on a Sacramento comeback.

“I’m not even worried about it. Sacramento Kings, they’re going to win this game,” Barkley told his fellow “Inside the NBA” panelists. “All they’ve got to do is take care of the ball.”

When Barkley was told the Warriors at that point were 12-1 when Jimmy Butler plays, he confidently responded that wouldn’t be the case against the Kings.

“Well, they’re going to be 12-2,” Barkley said. “How about that?”

The Barkley Curse struck again tonight in San Francisco 😂 pic.twitter.com/ftIoK3GHK1

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) March 14, 2025

Barkley very quickly found out about “that,” but not before Shaquille O’Neal pulled out wads of cash and tossed them onto the desk to put money against his claim.

While Sacramento made it close, pulling within four points of Golden State in the third quarter, the Warriors ultimately roared ahead for a blowout 130-104 win. Star point guard Steph Curry became the first player in NBA history to make 4,000 career 3-pointers, and forward Draymond Green led the Warriors and tied the game-high with 23 points.

Barkley, meanwhile, added one more failed Warriors prediction to his résumé.

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When the Knicks hired longtime player agent Leon Rose as their president in March 2020, the on-court product wasn't the least bit appealing. They were in the midst of their seventh straight losing season, beset by a reputation known for instability and a constant struggle to attract star talent.

But it didn't take long for Rose to lay the foundation of a winning culture and meet the team's desperate expectations. In five years at the helm, the once-super agent has built a playoff contender, as the current Knicks are well on pace to achieve consecutive 50-win campaigns for the first time in three decades.

The Knicks believed that Rose's relationships and experience in the league would yield positive results in a front office role, and according to team owner James Dolan, their initially-shared vision is being realized.

"We're kind of there. [Karl-Anthony Towns] was sort of the last piece. I'm not expecting any significant changes," Dolan said on the latest episode of the Roommates Show podcast with Knicks stars Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart. "Now it's all up to these guys, the coach, to make it happen. I don't know. Do you think we're missing any pieces?...

"It feels like it's kind of a puzzle, where you change one piece, it changes all the other pieces. We've got to figure all that out, figure it out on the court. I think the fans, as much as they want it every day, they're on this journey with you. They do see it. I feel it. I feel the team is growing, growing, growing. I think the fans see the same thing."

While the Knicks haven't played at full strength for prolonged periods of time this season -- Brunson is the latest starter sidelined due to injury -- adversity isn't exactly impeding progress. Their record of 42-23 is best for third in the Eastern Conference, and they rank sixth in the NBA in average points, fifth in offensive rating, and third in field goal percentage.

It's no secret that Brunson is the catalyst. Entering the All-Star break, he ranked first in points, assists, and minutes among all 28-year-olds in the league this season, and in late January, he became the fastest player in Knicks history to score 5,000 points. Brunson has blossomed into a superstar in New York, and his family's ties with Rose are strong.

Now, consider the two-way impact of Towns, who has been averaging 24.2 points since joining the Knicks via trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves back in October. The veteran center is averaging a career-best double-double this season, despite nursing thumb and knee injuries for months. New York's deal for Towns also required sacrifice -- they were forced to say goodbye to veteran Julius Randle, who played a pivotal role in the franchise turnaround.

With a healthy two-headed monster of Brunson and Towns, along with reliable contributions from Hart, OG Anunobdy, and Mikal Bridges, the Knicks have a starting lineup that can instill fear in opponents and hope in fans. Of course, only time will tell if the gas left in their tank can take them on a deep playoff run this spring. But Dolan is pleased with the process and Rose's efforts.

"The hardest thing to do, particularly in the NBA, is to attract talent," Dolan said. "So who would be the best guy you could find in order to bring talent to your team? At that time, who was the No. 1 basketball agent? Leon Rose. I knew Leon. I'm going to get Leon to do this.

"[The conversaion] was short. He was ready... One of my favorite things we used to say in sales was, 'You can't fall off the floor.' At that point [hiring Rose], we were on the floor. He's been doing a great job."

New York will look to extend its win streak to three games in a must-see road matchup against the Golden State Warriors on Saturday. This time, they'll be riding momentum from Mikal Bridges, who drilled a last-second three to give the Knicks an overtime victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday.

What we learned as Kings can't stop Warriors in third straight loss originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

BOX SCORE

SAN FRANCISCO – Turns out that 29-point loss to the New York Knicks wasn’t rock bottom for the Kings. Three days after getting shellacked at home, Sacramento’s 2024-25 NBA season reached a new low in Thursday’s 130-104 loss to the Golden State Warriors.

Losing to the four-time NBA champions wasn’t the worst part, especially with center Domantas Sabonis again not able to play due to his hamstring injury.

It was the aesthetics that made it so bad.

The Kings’ season-long defensive issues were on full display in a bad way at Chase Center. Time and time again, Warriors’ shooters were given uncontested, wide-open looks. Even when Sacramento tried to D up, Golden State’s offense was too much to handle.

It wasn’t Stephen Curry doing the majority of damage. Although the NBA icon reached another mercurial plateau with his 4,000 career 3-pointer, it was the Warriors’ all-around effort that wore the Kings down.

On the positive side, DeMar DeRozan remained hot with 23 points and seven assists. Keon Ellis added 18 points off the bench while Zach LaVine scored 14. Jake LaRavia had 13 points.

DeMar grabs the tough and-1 💪

pic.twitter.com/p8yWnqBlfE

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) March 14, 2025

The Kings (33-32) don’t have much time to lick their wounds. They head to Phoenix for a key game against the Suns on Friday. Despite the loss to Golden State, Sacramento remains the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference while Phoenix is on the outer edge of the NBA play-in round.

The Kings came out against the Warriors a little sluggish on offense but seemed intent on preventing Curry from going off. That worked for a while, but the domino effect was what really hurt Sacramento.

With all that attention on Curry, the Kings were out of position when it came to defending Golden State’s other players. Draymond Green, Moses Moody and Buddy Hield made four 3-pointers apiece. Quinten Post and Gary Payton II each made three 3-pointers.

Sacramento trailed bv 23 in the first half before a late run in the second quarter to make things respectable at the break. Those good vibes went away shortly after halftime, as Golden State increased its lead in the third quarter then coasted in the fourth.

Here are the takeaways from Thursday’s game:

Where’s The Closeout?

Sacramento’s perimeter defense might as well have been on the back of a milk carton. It was missing most of the night, one of the key reasons that enabled Golden State to control the flow and rhythm of the game.

Warriors shooters repeatedly were left wide open, either from the corner or at the top of the arc, and made good on their attempts when given space to operate.

Perimeter defense has been an issue for the Kings all season and was one of former coach Mike Brown’s biggest pet peeves. If they can’t get it corrected before the NBA playoffs, it will be a short but tiring postseason for the Kings.

No Domas, No Interior

With Sabonis still sitting out with a grade 1 hamstring strain, the Kings basically had zero presence on the inside, offensively and defensively.

Sacramento, which had four shots blocked in the key within the first 10 minutes of the game, did OK early without their big man in the middle and scored nearly a dozen points in the paint before settling for contested jumpers and distance shots.

Threegan Murray 💦

pic.twitter.com/ya1aEgf84B

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) March 14, 2025

Jonas Valančiūnas continued to start at center in Sabonis’ absence and finished with five points and nine rebounds.

Sabonis’ unique ability to score from inside and outside makes him a perennial NBA All-Star contender, and those elements clearly were a sore spot against the Warriors. The good news is that Kings interim coach Doug Christie is optimistic that Sabonis would return soon.

Monk’s Off Night

Making his second consecutive start after missing a trio of games with a toe injury, Kings guard Malik Monk had a frustrating night. Although his offensive numbers were low – seven points on 3-of-13 shooting (0-for-5 from distance) Monk grabbed four boards and dished out six assists.

Monk obviously has earned a strong reputation for coming off the bench, but he has been very good as a starter for the Kings. Keeping him with the starters, despite his off night against Golden State, is a must for Christie.

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