As expected, the losing has come in waves for the Sacramento Kings all season. For the New York Knicks, the unending L's have come only more recently, accentuated by the loss of their best player.
So neither will be in the cheeriest of moods when they get together Sunday night at the Golden 1 Center and play another in the end-of-season string contests.
NEW YORK (AP) George Hill scored 22 points, Zach Randolph added 21 and the Sacramento Kings completed their first back-to-back sweep of the season by beating the Brooklyn Nets 104-99 on Wednesday night.
The Kings got off to a sizzling start following their victory in Philadelphia a night earlier, then held on after Brooklyn cut a 21-point lead to two with just over a minute to play. >> Read more
Two teams with similar records, but lately headed in opposite directions, meet on Tuesday night when the New Jersey Devils host the Los Angeles Kings at the Prudential Center.
The Devils (20-19-9) are coming off a rousing 4-1 road victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday, their fourth win in the past five games. New Jersey's recent success after a dreadful 4-9-2 month of December revived the team's playoff hopes.
In contrast, the Kings (22-21-4) have lost four games in a row, including a 3-2 defeat to the Rangers in New York on Monday. The four-game losing streak is Los Angeles' longest this season following a pair of earlier three-game skids.
The Islanders look to make it three straight wins when they take on the Kings at 7 p.m. at Barclays Center.
According to STATS:
NEW YORK -- The New York Islanders and Los Angeles Kings are in pivotal portions of their schedule.
The Islanders are in the midst of playing six straight at home while the Kings are starting a five-game road trip.
The Knicks head to California to take on the Kings at 10:30 p.m. ET. on Friday night.
According to STATS...
Keith Schlosser, SNY.TV Twitter | Archive
Kristaps Porzingis didn't bounce back in the way the New York Knicks hoped he would have following a 2-of-12 shooting performance against the Minnesota Timberwolves, but he still managed to help the Knicks get a 106-98 win over the Sacramento Kings.
Porzingis shot 6-for-18 from the field and wasn't alone in his struggles, but simply couldn't get anything to fall no matter how often New York looked at him. (Granted, some overzealous foul calls against the Knicks prevented them from getting into a flow.) Despite Porzingis' off night, his teammates -- notably Derrick Rose, Carmelo Anthony and Brandon Jennings -- picked him up at different points. As Porzingis struggled, head coach Jeff Hornacek kept him on the floor, and it was easy to see why.
The Brooklyn Nets' losing streak reached seven games as the Sacramento Kings outscored them 34-18 in the third quarter of a 122-105 loss on Sunday at Barclays Center.
The Islanders look to make it two wins in a row when they take on the Kings in Los Angeles at 10 p.m. ET on Wednesday.
According to STATS...
LOS ANGELES -- The New York Islanders bring a surprising surge of momentum into a Wednesday game against the red-hot Los Angeles Kings.
New York (6-8-4) broke a four-game losing streak by winning a franchise-record, 14-round shootout and emerging with a 3-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday. The road victory was the first of the season for the Islanders, who are 1-4-1 overall away from Barclays Center during an early-season schedule heavily weighted toward home contests.
First Period
The Devils take on the Kings in Los Angeles on Saturday at 4 p.m. ET.
According to STATS...
Playing without Carmelo Anthony, the New York Knicks lost to the Sacramento Kings, 88-80, on Sunday.
Tanner Pearson's goal with 1:50 left in overtime powered the Los Angeles Kings to a 5-4 win over the New York Rangers on Friday night.
Anze Kopitar recorded a hat trick, and Marian Gaborik added a goal for Pacific Division-leading Los Angeles, which has won three of its last five.
Peter Budaj made 24 saves in his season debut start. Budaj, who spent the season with the Kings' AHL farm team in Ontario, California, last played in the NHL on May 17, 2014, when he replaced injured Montreal Canadiens starting goaltender Carey Price in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final. Budaj allowed three goals on eight shots in that one, a 7-2 Rangers win.
Like many other teams, this will be the Kings final trip to Nassau Coliseum. The Islanders and Kings have not seen one another since November, when the Islanders beat LA 2-1 in the shootout. New York has been victorious in three of their last five contests against the defending Stanley Cup Champions.
The Kings will be playing desperate hockey tonight. They enter the game on a two-game winning streak and are fighting to make the postseason out west. The Isles will need to match that as they fight for seeding in the east.
?It was definitely not the level of character and integrity this group has been showing in recent weeks,?? Fisher said. ?That was the most disappointing part. It?s not necessarily losing the game but just the way as a group, we couldn?t find a way to compete.??
None of the Knicks starters hit double figures and they trailed the Kings by as many as 44 points late in the third period. Fisher said this energy was similar to what he saw from them in practice on Monday - which isn't exactly a good thing.
Of course, Carmelo Anthony, Tim Hardaway Jr., Pablo Prigioni, and Jose Calderon are among those currently under contract for next season. Langston Galloway is owed a partial guarantee. Other options include Lance Thomas and Travis Wear.
In Wear's case, the forward turned heads following Summer League and training camp, impressing just enough, not only to sneak onto the opening night roster, but also earn his full guaranteed salary after managing to stick around past January.
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Staple Center -- Los Angeles, CA
TV: MSG Plus Radio: WRHU 88.7 FM, WRCN 103.9 FM
Need to know: Mirza Teletovic hit a 3-pointer with less than a minute remaining to give the Nets a 97-95 lead. Sergey Karasev blocked a shot by Ben McLemore as time expired to ensure the win.
The Least You Should Know
[sny-box]Paul Pierce only played 1:13, as he re-aggravated that troublesome right shoulder stinger injury and his night ended early. He made his only shot attempt.
A win would tie the Nets' season-high of seven consecutive home wins, and they're looking to earn a season-split with the Kings, after Brooklyn lost in Sacramento 107-86 back on November 13. However, the Nets are a different team today than they were in that previous matchup, and a recent trade with these Kings is a factor in that.
In that blowout loss in Sacramento early in the season, Marcus Thornton scored a game-high 24 points off the bench for the Kings. The young shooting guard has had a roller-coaster season of highs and lows, leading to a trade to the Nets a few weeks ago. In his short time in Brooklyn, the Nets have seen him catch fire and go ice cold.
New Jersey Devils at Washington Capitals - 7:00 pm
Verizon Center - Washington, D.C.
TV:?MSG ?Radio:?WFAN 101.9 fm, 660 am
New Jersey Devils at New York Rangers - 7:30 pm
Madison Square Garden - New York, New York
TV (Devils Broadcast):?MSG+ ?Radio:?WFAN 101.9 fm, 660 am
New Jersey Devils at San Jose Sharks - 10:30 pm
"The Shark Tank" at the SAP Center - San Jose, California
TV:?MSG+ ?Radio:?WFAN 101.9 fm, 660 am
New Jersey Devils at Los Angeles Kings - 10:30 pm
Staples Center - Los Angeles, California
TV:?MSG+ ?Radio:?WFAN 101.9 fm, 660 am
New Jersey Devils vs Los Angeles Kings, 7 pm
Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey
TV:?MSG+ ?Radio:?WFAN 101.9 fm, 660 am
Just hours away from the New Jersey Devils playing the Los Angeles Kings in the Prudential Center, mixed feelings are abound.
The Kings and Devils squared off in the 2012 Stanley Cup Finals, with the Kings winning the series and the Stanley Cup 4-2.? As a fan, it?s hard to still not be disappointed with the outcome.
On April 24...
2003- Martin Brodeur records a playoff shutout, and Jamie Langenbrunner registers a goal and an assist in New Jersey's win over the Tampa Bay Lighting in game one of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
With the trade deadline set for 3 p.m. ET on Wednesday, April 3, considering this post your one-stop shopping for all trades, deals and machinations. We'll update all league-wide deals (with the exception of minor-league trades) here and keep you guys updated with every deal. Let's start off with a couple of fun ones from the Lonestar State.
First, there was this:
The Skinny: Each Nets? starter scored two of the team?s first 10 points, with Brooklyn showing great ball movement. The Kings kept it close, led by three three-pointers and 13 first quarter points by John Salmons. The Nets set a new season-high with 36 points on 71 percent shooting in the first quarter and led by five after one.
The Nets? second unit looked like the ?Bench Mob? of old to start the second quarter, as Brooklyn opened a 16-point lead. As part of a 15-2 Nets? run, Mirza Teletovic scored 10 points in his first five minutes of action, including hitting two three-pointers and blocking a shot. MarShon Brooks added eight points in the quarter. The Nets closed out the first half with an 18-point lead and set another new season-high with 65 points at the break. They also set a new high mark by shooting 67.5 percent from the field, which is the highest shooting percentage of any Eastern Conference team in a first half this season.
This is the second game of a four-game stretch against teams under .500. However, last night against the Wizards, the Nets needed double overtime to come away with the victory.
The Nets beat the Kings in Sacramento, 99-90, earlier this season.
The Skinny: The Kings began the game by flooding the paint for points, with a few acrobatic shots from point guard Aaron Brooks. Sacramento went on a 10-0 run to take an early lead. Brook Lopez scored six of the Nets? first eight points, but it took him seven shots to get there. Brooklyn only managed eight points in the game?s first eight minutes but gained a one-point lead on a 13-4 run to close out the quarter, as Deron Williams consistently found Andray Blatche in the paint. Williams had six assists in the first but hurt his elbow after hitting the deck on a pass under the basket.
Blatche scored 12 straight Nets? points spanning the first two quarters. Both teams picked up the offensive pace in the second quarter and began trading buckets. C.J. Watson hit three three-pointers in the first half, and Blatche hit his first nine shots from the field, which helped the Nets establish a 12-point lead at the break. Williams returned late in the second quarter and appeared fine after icing the elbow. The Nets? starters completely took over the game as the first half concluded.
Now for the record I would like to start off by saying that is NOT fact in any sort of way. This is a look at other teams that Parise would fit well with along with providing a valuable return for the Devils if they are to deal away Parise.
So far this season Parise has not been lighting the lamp as much as we all had hoped. He has just 6 goals and 5 assists in 19 games with a -5 rating while playing on the top line with Henrique and Kovalchuk. Despite the numbers he has been playing very well defensively which maybe just as important as scoring considering the Devils' defense.
Oh boy. This certainly should not come as a surprise to anybody since the day Zach Parise only resigned to a 1 year contract this summer. But The Fourth Period has reported that the Devils have been in talks to deal Zach Parise to Los Angeles for goaltender Jonathan Bernier and for either Dustin Brown, Jack Johnson or Dustin Penner. This would be a huge blockbuster deal for both clubs.
Personally I would like to see this deal happen because if the Devils could get Bernier and Brown for Parise and someone else, it would instantly make the Devils a bigger threat on offense along with providing youth in net. Bernier would be a great replacement for Brodeur. Also there is a huge chance that if the Devils don't resign Parise to a long term deal during the season that he may not resign this summer. So if the Devils can profit off the the loss of Parise they should definitely make this deal happen.
Scoring Summary:First Period- None
Second Period- Dainius Zubrus (1) and Patrik Elias (4) and Dainius Zubrus (2)
Scoring Summary:First Period- Simon Gagne (1) and?Patrik Elias (1)
Second Period- None
