Following a long eight-month hiatus, the Sacramento Kings finally returned to Power Balance Pavilion and provided a sellout crowd with a 100-91 win over the rival Los Angeles Lakers. After almost seeing their team move to Anaheim last season followed by a labor disagreement that caused a delay to the start of the season, Kings fans filled the arena for the Kings “blackout” game and were rewarded with a hard-fought victory by their new-look Kings. Fans were loud and into the game before the ball was even tipped off. With the lights off, fans were instructed to activate the purple light sticks that they were given at the door, and continued cheering through much of a tribute video that fol

NBA Commissioner David Stern issued the following statement, "Kobe Bryant's comment during the Spurs game was offensive and inexcusable. While I'm fully aware that basketball is an emotional game, such a distasteful term should never be tolerated. Accordingly, I have fined Kobe $100,000. Kobe and everyone associated with the NBA know that insensitive or derogatory comments are not acceptable and have no place in our game or society."   I attended the Lakers / Kings game and asked fans if they thought $100,00 fine is enough.   Check out my video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNsUPnU3kjU   Order of appearance: Phil Jackson - Lakers Coach Carmichael Dave - Radio Sports Persona

Apparently the once-heated rivalry between the Los Angeles Lakers (5-0) and the Sacramento Kings (3-2) still has more than a flicker. The two teams squared off on Wednesday night at Arco Arena in Sacramento in the first of their four contests during the 2010-2011 season. The defending champion Lakers entered the contest undefeated through their first four games while the Kings boasted a 3-1 record that has included two second-half comeback wins. The Kings were unable to muster a third come-from-behind win this time around, losing 112- 100 to a Los Angeles team led by Kobe Bryant’s 30 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds for his 17th career triple-double. Bryant, a Kings enemy of old from

After a historic season averaging 20.1 points, 5.3 rebounds 5.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game, Sacramento Kings guard Tyreke Evans will be named the 2009-10 NBA Rookie of the Year (ROY). The 20-year-old Chester, Pa. native became the first Kings player to win a postseason award since Bobby Jackson won the Sixth Man of the Year award in 2003 and the fifth rookie in franchise history to win the ROY award. Maurice Stokes of the Rochester Royals, Oscar Robertson and Jerry Lucas of the Cincinnati Royals and Phil Ford of the Kansas City Kings were the first four. Evans is the first of to win the award in the Sacramento era. He also became the fourth rookie to average 20 points, five rebound

Kings rookie guard Tyreke Evans was playing the best basketball of his rookie season, but his it took a bad turn during last Friday's game against the Milwaukee Bucks. Late in the fourth quarter, Evans was hit by Ersan Ilyasova while he was swinging his elbows. As a result, Evans sustained a slight concussion, a bruised jaw and two cracked teeth. A fractured jaw was feared to be the diagnosis, and it would have been a horrible end to his spectacular first season in the NBA. He'll miss at least a week, which includes games against the Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, New Jersey Nets and possibly the Boston Celtics. In the last two games played until his injury, Evans chalked up 2

There were undeniable truths when watching the Kings lose 106-99 Tuesday night to the Los Angeles Lakers at Arco Arena before a sellout crowd of 17,361. In many ways, the defending champions were everything the Kings could hope to become. As a unit, the long, athletic Lakers knew where to go on the court, when and how to get there and what to do when presented opportunities. Following a win the night before in Oakland against the Golden State Warriors, Kobe Bryant opened the game against the Kings super-aggressively with 12 first-quarter field-goal attempts. He helped set the tone, scoring a team-high 30 points, and the rest of his team followed. The natural matchup of Bryant vs. Kings

With four games played in March, Sacramento Kings rookie guard Tyreke Evans is still producing, despite his team losing three of the last four games to playoff-bound teams. Evans put up 17.5 points, 4.75 rebounds, 5.75 assists and 1.75 steals per game since March 2. He had had a team-high 27 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals against the Oklahoma City Thunder, a team that has the sixth-best record in the Western Conference.  The Thunder's defense tightened up late in the game, securing a 113-107 home win over the Kings. Oklahoma City's top two players, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, combined for 69 points. The next night, the Kings were in Houston to play the Rocket

Before the NBA season started, many experts predicted the Sacramento Kings would be near the bottom of the league after finishing with a 17-65 record last season. This prediction came before star guard Kevin Martin and last season's top bench scorer Francisco García went down with wrist injuries. Many also criticized the pick of rookie guard Tyreke Evans, citing that he was not the point guard that the Kings needed in a point guard-heavy draft. The Kings were bashed for hiring Paul Westphal as head coach, many critics saying that he hasn't coached an NBA game since 2000, when he coached the Seattle SuperSonics (now the Oklahoma City Thunder). It was supposed to be the perfect recipe for

The Kings, as far as NBA teams go, are infants. Every day is a new experience. Each game is an opportunity to learn.  Handling success, even on a moderate level, can be as important or moreso than dealing with defeat. Common sense suggests there's no better place of NBA learning than against the world champion Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center. That's where the Kings will spend New Year's night before returning to Arco Arena Saturday to face the Dallas Mavericks. Both opponents are far more experienced than the Kings. The Kings (14-17) know how they must play to be successful: approaching every play as if it's the last. Sacramento will not be able to rely on a talent advantage for

Inside an electrifying ARCO Arena reminiscent of 2002, the Sacramento Kings (13-16) battled the Los Angeles Lakers (24-15) in a thrilling double overtime game. The arena was standing-room only for the Dec. 26 game. Lakers fans decked in purple and gold peppered the crowd of 17,345 that night. After a long and hard fight, the Kings faltered in the end to the defending NBA champions, losing 112-103. It was an emotional loss for fans and the players and Kings Head Coach Paul Westphal wore the team's emotions on his face. "We wanted that game so bad," Westphal said somberly. "(The Kings) did everything but get the last rebound with four tenths of a second." In the last seconds of the firs

The Kings have learned a couple of things this week while going against the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers. Unfortunately, figuring out how to defeat one of those NBA elite squads was not one of them. A victory was not in the lesson plan. Saturday, the Kings searched for the killer instinct, but could not get the job done against the Lakers. They lost 112-103, this time in double overtime before a wild sellout crowd of 17,345 at Arco Arena. There were nearly as many Lakers fans as Kings fans. The packed and animosity-filled arena was good for Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, who scored a game-high 38 points. "To be honest," he said, "it had been kind of boring in here for the past

Rookie guard Tyreke Evans has taken the star-starved Kings kingdom by storm. However, folks must calm down with the hype and allow the 20-year old to first experience his job environment and then learn. In fact, it's the vision of what a matured Evans could become that should provide Kings fans the most excitement. Kings scouting director Scotty Stirling says Evans reminds him of Miami all-star guard Dwayne Wade. "He's ahead of the curve," Stirling said of Evans, who is averaging 20.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, five assists and 1.5 steals. "And the excitement about him is what's beyond the curve." Already he is being anointed as a potential all-star in this February’s All-Star Game in Dalla