Sacramento snaps its losing skid in overtime thriller
The Sacramento Kings stunned the Golden State Warriors 109-106 in overtime on Saturday to snap a 13-game skid against their league-leading Western Conference rivals.
Kings forward DeMarcus Cousins scored six of his 32 points in overtime and also contributed 12 rebounds and nine assists.
Matt Barnes produced a double-double of 11 points and 14 rebounds as Sacramento handed the Warriors their eighth defeat of the season against 43 victories.
Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 35 points and nine assists.
He made eight three-pointers, but in the dying seconds of overtime missed two contested layups that could have given the Warriors the lead.
After Darren Collison’s two free throws with 2.5 seconds left gave the Kings a 109-106 lead, the Warriors had one more chance.
Draymond Green, wide open for a three-pointer at the top of the arc, bounced one off the rim.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr wasn’t around to see it. He erupted in anger in the third quarter when Green was handed a technical on the heels of a personal foul call against teammate Kevon Looney.
Kerr stormed toward midcourt, where assistant coach Mike Brown held him back, but he was thrown out of the game.
The episode ratcheted up the intensity, but the Warriors couldn’t find their usual offensive flow.
All-Star Kevin Durant endured a difficult shooting night, connecting on just two of 10 from the floor and finishing with only 10 points.
Klay Thompson scored 26 and Green, who left the game briefly with a right knee contusion, finished with 16 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
“We got what we deserved, before I was tossed and after,” Kerr said.
“It was one of the worst games we’ve played all season. We had no purpose, the ball didn’t move. I didn’t even recognize our team out there tonight. Maybe we were due for one.”
LeBron’s milestone
LeBron James scored 32 points and handed out 10 assists to lead reigning champions the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 111-104 victory over the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
James, 32, took his career total points to 28,020, becoming the youngest player to score 28,000.
James connected on 12 of 20
With the Feb 23 trade deadline looming, it seems Carmelo Anthony isn’t the only member of the New York Knicks looking over his shoulder.
Point guard Derrick Rose told ESPN’s Ian Begley on Friday that he isn’t certain he’ll survive a purge if Knicks president Phil Jackson opts for a total housecleaning over pursuing a playoff berth this season.
The Knicks are currently 1 1/2 games out of the No 8 spot in the Eastern Conference.
“I’m on a one-year deal so I can’t talk that much about it. The rebuild could be me going, too. I don’t know,” Rose said.
“My job is to focus whenever I’m on the court, just try to win games, try to be positive, try to get better. Like I said from the beginning, I’m chasing something. I’m trying to get back to myself and I’m trying to play consistent games.”
Rose, a free agent this summer, acknowledged he has thought about the possibility that he could be traded. He knows that players in the final year of contracts are attractive trade chips.
However, the 28-year-old said he hasn’t had conversations with management or his agent, B.J. Armstrong, about any potential deals.
“It’s something that hasn’t been out there. It is a thought, like (I’m on) a one-year deal,” Rose said. “It is a business. Just got to wait and see.”
shots and directed the offense with teammate Kyrie Irving sidelined by a sore quadriceps.
Stand-in DeAndre Liggins scored five points without any assists, while Kay Felder added four points and three assists.
“It’s hard (playing without Irving), but guys have to step up,” James said. “Kyrie is more than just a playmaker or a scorer. He is one of our leaders.
“D Ligs (Liggins) and Kay (Felder) did as good as they could do,” James added. “They made some mistakes, but as veterans we have to pick them up.”
Pop on top
It was a milestone night for San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich as well.
Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker scored 18 points each, combining to make 13 of 14 of their shots from the floor in a 121-97 victory over the Denver Nuggets that put Popovich atop the list of coaching wins with one club.
Popovich, in his 21st season at the San Antonio helm, notched his 1,128th win, moving past former Utah coach Jerry Sloan.
Legendary Boston Celtics coach Red Auerbach is third with 795.
“Growing up, Jerry Sloan was one of the big names, watching the (NBA) Finals and stuff like that,” Parker said.
“To have Pop up there, he’s going to keep it going. It looks like he’s not getting tired. He’s not stopping anytime soon.”
Parker and Ginobili are displaying some impressive longevity themselves.
Popovich wasn’t surprised at the energy provided off the bench by 39-year-old Ginobili.
“You can’t make someone that’s competitive non-competitive,” Popovich said. “You can’t extract that juice from them.”