Tag: Sacramento

Watch: More NBA Summer League highlights from Blake Wesley

The former Irish star is making plays.

The San Antonio Spurs have left the California Classic Summer League behind and moved onto the Las Vegas Summer League. Their first game in Sin City was maybe the most anticipated in Summer League history with the debut of highly touted rookie Victor Wembanyama. They faced the Charlotte Hornets, who have their own talented rookie in Brandon Miller.

While everyone was focused on Wembanyama, former Notre Dame guard [autotag]Blake Wesley[/autotag] was the one filling highlight reels. First, he hit this 3-pointer from up top:

Later in the first half, he threw down a dunk with authority similarly to how he did earlier in the week in Sacramento:

In fact, Wesley outscored the latest person to get caught up in Britney Spears’ life of drama, 13-9. He also tied him with eight rebounds and picked up a couple of steals in the Spurs’ 76-68 victory. Of course, the important thing is the two of them working together to launch the next winning era in the Alamo City.

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Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

NBA Twitter reacts to Kings clinching a playoff spot: ‘No fanbase deserves this more’

Here’s how NBA Twitter reacted to the Sacramento Kings clinching a playoff spot.

The Sacramento Kings have clinched an NBA playoff spot for the first time since 2006.

Sacramento blew out the Blazers in Portland 120-80 and are now the third seed in the Western Conference with an impressive 46-30 record.

Here’s how NBA Twitter reacted to the Kings officially making the playoffs for the first time in 17 years.

Notre Dame Cornerback Isaiah Rutherford Transfers to Arizona

It can’t be easy to join a big-time college football program but barely see the field.

It can’t be easy to join a big-time college football program but barely see the field. That was the case with Notre Dame cornerback Isaiah Rutherford. At some point, he had to figure there was a program that would better utilize him. He thinks he’ll have his chance at Arizona, which is why he’s transferring there.

Rutherford, a native of Sacramento, California, did not see any game action for the Irish in 2019. This past season, he finally got to experience that as a sophomore, but only in the blowout wins over South Florida and Pittsburgh and the home finale against Syracuse. Even then, he never registered on the stats sheet.

Rutherford joins a Wildcats team whose secondary put up low numbers in 2020. Though they only played five games, they ranked near the bottom nationally in interceptions and passes defended among others. No, it’s not fair to judge them by such limited action. Still, it’s nice of the them to get reinforcements, and we wish Rutherford the best with his new opportunity.

Watch: A Day in the Life Notre Dame Quarterback Ian Book

Ever wondered what it’s like to spend a day as Notre Dame’s starting quarterback? Find out now then see what we liked best about QB1’s day.

How many people are the right age to remember the show “The Life” on ESPN?  It was on when I was in high school and the show was pretty much ten minute segment following around your favorite and some of the most interesting athletes around and just seeing what a day in their life is like.

Alright, ESPN didn’t bring the show back but Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book sort of did Monday as he had a high school buddy film what a day is like in QB-1’s life.  Watch it here:

[protected-iframe id=”731f743d109dfbd7e7767ec564b4e4d2-162776928-7793168″ info=”//www.instagram.com/embed.js” class=”instagram-media”]

A few quick thoughts:

  1.  How bad-ass would it be to wake up and have a Sports Illustrated cover with yourself on it hanging over your bed?  Not a photoshopped one but a real one.  Hat-tip for that, Ian.
  2. I’m impressed with his ability to make quality eggs.  I don’t think I made my first scrambled eggs until at least three or four years later in my life.
  3. Does anyone not have spend time on Zoom right now? Really missed the boat on that stock.
  4. Great job using the hand-sanitizer although I’m sure some would worry about the social distancing skills at the restaurant.
  5. I really want to see what one of Tommy Rees’s quarterback quizzes is like.  Nerdy but sounds awesome.

So there it is – now you know what it’s like to be the starting quarterback at Notre Dame during a national epidemic.

Tobias Harris comes up big in Sacramento

Tobias Harris comes up big in Sacramento.

SACRAMENTO — The Philadelphia 76ers have had their share of troubles away from home this season, and that hasn’t been a secret.

The Sixers are in the midst of a California road trip that saw them lose to both the Clippers and Lakers at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid were injured and did not make the trip and things got worse for Philadelphia, which had won only nine games away from home when they packed their bags and headed for the West Coast, when former University of Tennessee player Josh Richardson sustained a concussion against the Clippers.

But Thursday night, the Sixers got a game-high 28 points from Tobias Harris, another former Vol, in a 125-108 victory against the Kings at the Golden 1 Center.

Philadelphia plays at Golden State Saturday at 8:30 p.m. and the Warriors have just welcomed back Stephen Curry, who has missed a good portion of the season with a broken hand.

Marquese Chriss logs another impressive game in chase for Warriors’ future starting center spot

Marquese Chriss registered a double-double against the Sacramento Kings in only 25 minutes.

Even with a healthy Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, the Golden State Warriors are still missing a true starting center. However, the arrival of Marquese Chriss might fill that opening.

The 2019-20 season has been filled with ups and downs for Chriss. He was signed during training camp and later waived midway through the season when the team needed to open a roster spot for Damion Lee.

The Washington Husky product was later brought back to Golden State on a two-way contract and is now on his way to being the Warriors’ starting center of the future.

The former lottery pick was held out against the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday with a calf injury, but was able to suit up against his hometown team.

The Sacramento native tallied 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the field while grabbing 10 rebounds. Against the Sacramento Kings, Chriss logged his second game scoring over 20 points with Golden State. Chriss recorded his fifth double-double of the season in only 25 minutes against the Kings.

After the Warriors 112-94 loss to their Northern California rival, Steve Kerr praised the performance of Chriss against the Kings.

Via Golden State Warriors Soundcloud:

I thought Marquese was great again. He’s strung together a really good couple of months here for us. He’s playing with a lot of energy and confidence; he was great again tonight.

Golden State trading Willie Cauley-Stein to the Dallas Mavericks prior to the NBA trade deadline opened an opportunity for Chriss, and he’s taken advantage. Since the trade, Chriss has started 11 games and is averaging 14.5 points and 6.8 rebounds per contest.

The 22-year-old center’s number could rise once Curry returns from injury. The former two-time Most Valuable Player has a knack for pulling defenders his way, opening up space underneath for the athletic ability of Chriss to shine.

If Curry can return by his target date of March 1, the new center-point guard duo will have 22 games to build chemistry into the offseason. How the two play in the final stretch of games will play a role in the candidacy for Chriss to win the Warriors starting center spot next season.

Willie Cauley-Stein excited for Sacramento homecoming with Warriors

After spending the first four years of his NBA career with the Kings, Willie Cauley-Stein is making his return to Sacramento for the first time with Golden State Warriors.

Injuries to Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, plus the departure of Kevin Durant, have forced the Golden State Warriors into a transition season. Along the way, the former championship team has added a bevy of new faces to reset their roster.

One of the new arrivals to Golden State is fifth-year center, Willie Cauley-Stein. Prior to joining the Warriors, the former Kentucky Wildcat spent his first four seasons up California’s highway I-80 from San Francisco, in Sacramento.

Cauley-Stein scored tallied 14 points, six steals, five rebounds and two assists in Golden State’s first 2019-20 matchup with Sacramento, but that was at Chase Center in San Francisco. Now, the for Kings center will make his return back to Sacramento as a visitor for the first time in his career.

At the Warriors’ pregame shootaround, Cauley-Stein told reporters he’s excited to be back in the state capital. Still, it’s definitely weird being on the other sideline in the place where his career started, he says.

It’s going to be cool coming back — playing in the spot that I grew up in pretty much — it’s weird being on this side of it though, I’ll be honest — I’m excited, it’s going to be fun.

The Kansas native said it could be a mixed reaction when he’s introduced in Sacramento’s Golden 1 Center, but overall he’s expecting much love from the city that supported him throughout his career.

Probably both, probably be love and hate, that’s how it goes when you leave an organization, but shoot — a lot of love, man. I feel like either way it’s a lot of love; I had a lot of support out here, a lot of people that believed in me off the court — it’s going to be cool.

Cauley-Stein said he still follows the Kings when he’s not playing and is happy to see them do well, just as long as it’s not against his new team, the Golden State Warriors.

Golden State’s 26-year-old center has missed the last two games with an illness but is feeling better just in time to return to the city that drafted him sixth overall in 2015.