Starting Line-ups
Kings
- Beno Udrih
- Tyreke Evans
- Omri Casspi
- Jason Thompson
- DeMarcus Cousins
Reserves: Jermaine Taylor, Donté Greene, Samuel Dalembert, Carl Landry, Luther Head, Darnell Jackson, Pooh Jeter.
Inactive: Francisco Garcia (sprained left calf), Hassan Whiteside.
Bobcats
- D.J. Augustin
- Stephen Jackson
- Gerald Wallace
- Boris Diaw
- Kwame Brown
Reserves: Matt Carroll, Derrick Brown, Gerald Henderson, Shaun Livingston, Nazr Muhammed, Eduardo Najera, Dominik McGuire.
First Quarter Recap
The first quarter had nothing to do with basketball. Six minutes in, the officials had already called 13 combined personal fouls in one of the most ridiculous displays of poor officiating in the history of the universe. By the five minute mark, the Bobcats’ power forward position had already been called for six personal fouls between three different players. The action eventually picked up with mostly bench players going at it for both teams. Steven Jackson led the Bobcats with eight points while Carl Landry was the lone standout for the Kings, scoring six points, mainly from the line. After an extremely long and painful 12 minutes of action, the Bobcats led by two.
Kings 19 Bobcats 21
Leaders
Kings- Landry (6) Points; Evans/Greene (3) Rebounds; Four tied (1) Assist.
Bobcats- Jackson (8) Points; Najera (4) Rebounds; none recorded (0) Assists.
Second Quarter Recap
After a miserable first quarter that saw a combined 17 personal fouls, the officials got right back to the whistle blowing in the second. Gerald Wallace turned up his game, scoring on a variety of baseline moves, including a huge dunk that livened up the crowd. Jason Thompson and Tyreke Evans started to get it going in the second, but the Bobcats pulled away, taking a 14 point lead at 47-33 with a little over three minutes left in the quarter. The Kings went on a mini-run to finish the quarter strong, but still trailed by ten at the half.
Kings 42 Bobcats 52
Leaders
Kings- Thompson/Evans (9) Points; Thompson (6) Rebounds; Jackson (3) Assists.
Bobcats- Wallace (13) Points; Four tied (4) Rebounds; Livingston (3) Assists.
Team Kings Bobcats
FG% 31.9% 50.0%
Rebounds 23 27
Assists/TO 9/3 6/7
Third Quarter Recap
The Kings slowly got a rhythm in the third, as Omri Casspi and DeMarcus Cousins joined the fray. Jason Thompson continued his strong night, making an impact off of rebounds and put backs throughout the quarter. The officials remained a big part of the game in the third, calling fouls nearly every possession down the floor. Cousins, Thompson, Evans, Najera, Diaw and Brown all had four or more fouls with more than three minutes left in the quarter as the two teams combined for 45 total fouls through three. The Kings continued to fight their way back into the game, cutting the Bobcat lead to four at 67-71 with a little over a minute left, but the visiting team answered back and took a nine point lead going into the final frame.
Kings 67 Jazz 76
Leaders
Kings- Thompson (14) Points; 3 tied (7) Rebounds; Evans/Jackson (3) Assists.
Bobcats- Jackson (17) Points; Brown (15) Rebounds; Livingston (3) Assists.
Fourth Quarter Recap
12 seconds into the fourth, the officials called a foul on Kings point guard Pooh Jeter as he was sandwiched between two defenders on a pick. The Kings made a charge and as they did, the Bobcats showed signs of cracking. With 8:20 left, the Kings cut the lead to three with a Carl Landry tip-in, but the Bobcats answered, pushing the lead back to seven. DeMarcus Cousins became the first foul-out casualty at the six minute mark, picking up his sixth foul on the offensive end. The Kings stopped scoring after the midway point of the quarter, allowing the Bobcats to open up an 89-80 lead with 2:12 left in the game. Evans cut the lead to seven on a driving lay-up by Tyreke Evans with a little under two minutes left, but Boris Diaw iced the game with a three at the 1:05 mark. The Kings strung together a couple of plays to excite the crowd, but failed to get the defensive stop or big rebound to fully recover.
Kings lose!
Kings 89 Bobcats 94
Leaders
Kings- Landry/Evans (19) Points; 3 tied (8) Rebounds; Evans (5) Assists.
Bobcats- Jackson (21) Points; Brown (18) Rebounds; Livingston (3) Assists.
Team Kings Bobcats
FG% 36.0% 45.1%
Rebounds 44 50
Assists/TO 16/9 12/16
Player of the Game: 3 guys carrying whistles. I have never witnessed a game that was so void of any content because of the way the officials called the game. No one single player stood out more than the rest except for perhaps D.J. Augustin, who somehow only played 36 minutes of action with only one foul. This game was decided not by one-sided officiating, but by officials who completely destroyed the ebb and flow of a game. The more experienced team won because they were able to keep their composure and find some kind of rhythm for short stints of the game.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
