Matt Barnes Gets "Scheduled Rest," Sacramento Kings Fall 103-100 to Visiting New York Knic
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Sacramento Calif. — In five days, the New York Knicks were able to claim two victories over the Sacramento Kings, the second contest, a gritty 103-100 win in Golden 1 Center on Friday night. The first victory was in New York where the Kings fell 106-98.
In front of 17,308 fans at G1C, Carmelo Anthony had 33 points, seven rebounds, and four assists to lead the Knicks (13-10). Kristaps Porzingis scored 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and Brandon Jennings finished with 13 points, seven assists, and five rebounds for the Knicks. Jennings started in place of Derrick Rose.
The Knicks gave up 50 points in the paint to the Kings, but made up with it by snatching 54 rebounds thanks to the effort of Anthony, Porzingis, Kyle O’Quinn and Joakim Noah. Quinn had 11 rebounds off the bench and Noah pulled down nine in 28 minutes.
“We did a nice job on the boards, I think we outrebounded the Kings by 15, which is big for us,” said Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek. “So that probably was it. We limited (DeMarcus) Cousins to (28 points)...I think he ended up with. I don’t know if I can pick out one thing. But any time you’re on the road when you win it’s great.”
DeMarcus Cousins goes for a basket against the New York Knicks at Golden 1 Center on Dec. 9, 2016. Knicks won 1003-100. Photo art by T. Ray Harvey.
Cousin had 28 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and three steals while Darren Collison had 14 points, three rebounds, three assists, and two steals for the Kings (8-14). The Kings, who made it home from a bizarre 2-3 road trip, once again, competed to the wire, but just couldn’t pull out a winning result.
“I think we played a good competitive game,” Cousins said. “We competed the whole night. But we had small mistakes and we gotta correct those or continue to lose close games.”
Both teams came out shooting hot from the field in the first quarter. The Kings were 12-for-21 from the field at 57.1 percent while the Knicks dropped 12 of 24 shots for 50 percent. The Kings led 32-30 to start the second quarter. Kings coach Dave Joerger put five players on the floor in the first quarter for the Kings.
Rudy Gay’s basket late in the second quarter put the Kings up 50-41. The Knicks responded with a 10-1 run, finished with a bucket by Anthony to knot the score up 51-51. Cousins made a basket with 8.7 left to play in the first half, but Gay fouled Anthony beyond the 3-point line.
Anthony made all three baskets from the free-throw line giving the Knicks a 54-53 halftime lead. The Knicks finished the last 5:23 with a 14-3 run to lead at the break despite the Kings scoring 26 points in the paint in the first half.
The Knicks were also 9-for-9 from the free-throw line in the first 24 minutes and outrebounded the Kings 29-19. Anthony had 23 points, five rebounds, and one assist in the first half.
Knicks General Manager Phil Jackson reportedly made a comment about Anthony monopolizing the basketball on the floor. Apparently, Anthony’s so-called “ball hogging” was effective.
Down by five points, the Kings finally retook the lead 76-73 on a three-play by Cousins with 2:15 left in the third quarter. With 2.3 seconds left on the clock, Lance Thomas made a trey to end the quarter and allow the Knicks to retake the lead, 78-77.
In the final quarter, the Knicks and Kings produced eight lead changes and four ties. The final tie was at 98-98 when Noah made the first of two shots from the charity stripe at the 2:09 mark. Noah, shooting under 50 percent at the free-throw line this year, made the second shot as well.
“For some reason, when we play teams with bigs that can’t make free throws, they make free throws against us,” said Cousins, who fouled Noah on the play. “I don’t understand it but credit them.”
The Knicks were leading 101-98 until Cousin made a bucket with 15.6 seconds on the clock. Anthony was fouled on the next trip up the court and converted both free throws. Rudy Gay missed a 25-foot shot with 3.9 seconds on the clock that would have tied the game.
Fortunately, Anthony, after he was fouled by Gay, missed two free throws, the second rebounded by Cousins. Cousins got off a direct 52-foot shot with 1.9 on the clock, but it hit the front of the rim.
“That was definitely a good basketball game,” said Joerger. “A couple of things came back and bit us. We gave up eight points at the end of the first (half). In a close game, those things add up.”
DAVE JOERGER SITS MATT BARNES, BUT NOT FOR DISCIPLINARY REASONS
Matt Barnes suited up for the game at G1C but did not play. Graham Rayman of the The New York Daily News reported that there could be “enough to charge” Barnes for allegedly assaulting a woman at a New York nightclub early Dec. 6.
Barnes and Cousin are under investigation for the fight that happened after the Kings 106-98 loss to the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Rayman also wrote that Jasmine Besiso, 26, and her boyfriend Myrone Powell, 35, filed a federal lawsuit against Barnes and Cousins on Dec. 8. Besiso says Barnes choked her and Powell received two black eyes.
Sacramento Kings coach Dave Joerger told the media before the team played the New York Knicks that 36-year-old Barnes has been “playing a lot of minutes” and warranted rest. Joerger’s reasoning, sans the police investigation, was that he was trying to sit Barnes during the Kings last five-game road trip.
“He’s not a spring chicken and I’ve been playing him a lot of minutes,” Joerger said. “I was going to give him the New York game off last weekend. But as a coach or a player it’s a special place to play at the Garden. So I was going to give him the Dallas game off. I am going to do that periodically once a week or every three or four games. But then we got to Dallas, and at that point, it would look like a discipline issue. So I played him that night.”
Joerger couldn’t provide any answers when he was asked about his knowledge of the investigation involving his players. A video did surface, showing Barnes and Cousins outside of the nightclub after the alleged incident.
“It’s scheduled rest and what I am going to do going forward,” Joerger said. “I have no idea of what’s going on (with the investigation) and I cannot comment on that stuff.”
Barnes was present on near the Kings’ bench in street clothes during the game, but offered no comments. He did shake hands with fans at the end game before he exited the building.
BRANDON JENNINGS SAYS NO TO G1C
New York Knicks point guard Brandon Jennings was unfazed with Golden 1 Center when his team played the Sacramento Kings there on Dec. 9, 2016. Photo art by T. Ray Harvey.
During his NBA career, New York Knicks point guard always find a way to say something interesting, yet unflattering, about Sacramento. Whether he has a statement about the place being a cow town, the cow smell, or just his disdain for the city, Jennings has something to say about Sacramento and it’s never good.
He basically had some parting shots about Golden 1 Center, the new facility that just opened up this season. G1C is getting rave reviews, but not in Jennings eyes or ears. During a timeout during the Knicks-Kings’ game, he surely wasn’t digging the cowbell song the Kings like to play during the fourth quarter.
This is what he had to say, sternly, when asked about G1C.
“I play every night in (Madison Square) Garden with 20,000 people. I am not impressed with nothing.”
A few years ago when he played for the Milwaukee Bucks, Jennings posted on twitter, “We must be getting close to Sacramento. I can smell the cows.”
PRESS INFORMATION:
Due to a sore lower back, Derrick Rose did not play against the Sacramento Kings but New York Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek said the point guard may be available Dec. 11 when the the team take on the Los Angeles Lakers on the road. Rose is averaging 16.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.8 assists in nearly 32 minutes per contest for the Knicks.
The NBA announced that it denied the Toronto Raptors’ protest of their 102-99 loss to the Kings on Nov. 20. The Raptors asserted that the game officials incorrectly called for an instant replay review of whether Terrence Ross released a 3-point shot prior to expiration. The league found that calling for an instant review in this case was consistent with the playing rules because the game officials determined that there was a clock malfunction on the play.
The Kings will play on the road against the Utah Jazz on the second game of a back-to-back. Jazz forward Gordon Hayward missed the Dec. 8 game due his fourth finger in his left hand. Hayward missed the first six games of the season.
By T. Ray Harvey | PA Public Information Officer and Photographic Artist
