var $ = jQuery.noConflict();
var gameID = '0021801178', seasonYear = '2018', statsCat = 'pts', //will default to pts, other possible categories: reb ast blk statspack, gameCode;
$(document).ready(function(){ loadrecapdata(gameID,seasonYear,statsCat);
//The 1st variable is the game ID for the specific game //the 2nd variable is the year for the feed, this is the YYYY in which the season starts. IE for the 2017-18 season the year variable needs to be 2017
});
Wrap-Up -- The 2018-19 season is winding down and the shorthanded Cavaliers look like a squad that’s ready to get home.
It’s not as if the Wine & Gold played a bad game.
They shot 54 percent from the floor, got a combined 41 points from their top two guards and outrebounded Sacramento by 16 boards. But the Kings had 16 more possessions, turned the ball over just seven times and canned 14 triples – good enough to hand the Wine & Gold their seventh straight loss and fourth straight on the five-game trip – falling, 117-104, on Thursday night at the Golden 1 Center.
The Kings never trailed but were never able to fully shake the Cavaliers, either. Before taking a 12-point lead early the fourth quarter, neither team led by double-digits in the previous three.
Playing without their two top rebounders – Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson – the Wine & Gold dominated the boards all night, getting double-doubles from their replacements, Larry Nance Jr. and Ante Zizic.
As good as the Cavaliers were in the paint, they struggled again in transition, with the fast-paced Kings taking advantage of Cleveland’s 22 turnovers to take a 21-11 edge on the break.
For the 28th time this season, Jordan Clarkson led the Wine & Gold – finishing with 22 points on 9-for-13 shooting, including 2-for-5 from beyond the arc to go with three assists and a steal.
Collin Sexton finished one field goal shy of his fifth straight 20-point game – following up with 19 points, going 8-of-14 from the floor, including 3-of-5 from deep, adding three assists and a steal of his own.
Sexton scores in double figures for the 70th time this season.
Cedi Osman also went 3-of-5 from three-point range, 7-of-11 from the field overall, adding four boards and was one of five Cavaliers with three assists apiece.
Ante Zizic got his first start since March 22 and built off a strong performance on Monday night in Phoenix – finishing with 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting, adding 10 boards, a team-high four assists and the squad’s only blocked shot.
Larry Nance Jr. grabbed double-digit boards in his fourth straight outing – leading both squads with 16 rebounds to go with 11 points and, yes, three assists.
Buddy Hield paced the Kings with 23 points, drilling five triples and tallying three of the Kings’ 12 steals. De’Aaron Fox doubled-up with 16 points and a game-best 10 assists.
Sacramento got strong performances off the bench from rookie Marvin Bagley III and sophomore Bogdan Bogdanovic, who combined for 33 points on a combined 14-of-29 shooting in the win.
Turning Point -- Unlike some of the Wine & Gold’s recent losses, there wasn’t a big burst that spelled their demise. The Cavaliers simply couldn’t get over the hump.
Instead, a pair of three-pointers by Bogdan Bogdanovic straddling the third and fourth quarters gave the Kings just enough breathing room to ice the win on Thursday night.
With seven seconds left in the third quarter, Jordan Clarkson canned a step-back jumper to get the Cavs to within six, 90-84. But Bogdanovic extended the Kings’ lead to nine with a triple at the buzzer. He drilled another to open the scoring in the fourth period, putting Sacramento up a dozen.
The Wine & Gold didn’t get closer than six the rest of the way.
By the Numbers – .778 … Ante Zizic’s field goal percentage (14-of-18) over his last three games.
Quotable – Coach Larry Drew, on what tripped up his squad on Thursday night in Sacramento …
”I thought we did a good job as far as having a game plan and a game strategy, but we did turn the ball over. That was an Achilles heel for us. We talked about it before we started the game, in this building against the number one fast break team in the league, you cannot turn the basketball over.”
Up Next -- Following Thursday night’s defeat in Sacramento, the Wine & Gold are down to their final road contest of the season – bouncing over to San Francisco for a Friday night meeting with Steph Curry and the Warriors. The Cavaliers return home to close out the campaign, welcoming the Spurs to Cleveland on Sunday afternoon before wrapping up with the Hornets on Fan Appreciation Night on Tuesday at The Q.