Featured

Kings no match for Westbrook and OKC

Published

7 years ago

January 16, 2017

Sacramento, CA – If the Kings want to grab the eighth spot in the Western Conference standings, they’ll have to finish the first half strong. Sitting two games behind the Portland Trailblazers, Sacramento doesn’t want to dig a hole to deep.

But they did that anyway. After a rally in the fourth, the Kings couldn’t contain a “hot” Russell Westbrook who recorded his 20th triple-double of the season. Westbrook’s 36 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists helped the Thunder rout Sacramento 122-118.

“I didn’t think we had a lot of momentum,” Kings coach Dave Joerger said. “At the end of day, I can yell about referees and this and that, but we had 15 turnovers at halftime. It doesn’t have to do with anything else.”

OKC took control in the second half with 2:07 left in the third capped off by a 10-2 run to take an 88-71 lead. Sacramento responded, ending the quarter on an 8-0 run then made three to start the fourth quarter to get within six points at 91-82 on an Arron Afflalo three-point shot with 11:44 left to go.

Late in the fourth, the Kings went on 13-4 run to get within 3. DeMarcus Cousins’ three-point foul shot got the Kings within 2 at 118-116 with 18.5 seconds left. But two back-to-back fouls and a technical by Matt Barns kept the Thunder ahead. Westbrook hit a jump shot and followed with a 3-pointer to seal their win.

“Russell’s second half was phenomenal. He was really efficient scoring and passing,” said OKC head coach Billy Donovan.

Sacramento scored 39 points in the fourth quarter to close the game. The 39 points were the most the Kings have scored in the fourth quarter this season. Sacramento shot 35-40 from the charity stripe while the Thunder made 33-of-41. It is the second highest free-throw output game of the season as they made 36-of-43 vs. Portland on 12/20.

“Just picking my spots – finishing the game, figuring out how to close games even though we didn’t close the particular way we wanted to [tonight],” Westbrook said. “But I think we had the game in hand, we did a good job.”

Cousins had 31 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. He collected his 20th double-double of the season. Rudy Gay added 22 points and 10 rebounds while Darren Collison had 21 points. Despite a solid effort from the starters, Sacramento’s turnovers were costly.

The Kings committed 15 turnovers by halftime. They had 22 turnovers that led to 23 easy points for the Thunder. Sacramento has now lost 5-of-6 on the current home stand and 7 of their last 10 games overall.

“Tough night, tough game to watch,” said Joerger. “41 turnovers, 81 free throws and 31 offensive rebounds. Those are tough things to overcome and try to make a comeback at the end.”

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Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

Published

1 day ago

April 26, 2024

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Alameda County

DA Pamela Price Stands by Mom Who Lost Son to Gun Violence in Oakland

Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018.

Published

5 days ago

April 22, 2024

Oakland Post

District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones

Publisher’s note: Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018. The photo was too small for readers to see where the women were and what they were doing. Here we show Price and Jones as they complete a walk in memory of Scott. For more information and to contribute, please contact Carol Jones at 510-978-5517 at morefoundation.help@gmail.com. Courtesy photo.

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City Government

Vallejo Welcomes Interim City Manager Beverli Marshall

At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, the Vallejo City Council appointed Beverli Marshall as the interim city manager. Her tenure in the City Manager’s Office began today, Wednesday, April 10. Mayor Robert McConnell praised Marshall’s extensive background, noting her “wide breadth of experience in many areas that will assist the City and its citizens in understanding the complexity of the many issues that must be solved” in Vallejo.

Published

5 days ago

April 22, 2024

Oakland Post

Beverli Marshall began her first day with the City on April 10. ICMA image.

Special to The Post

At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, the Vallejo City Council appointed Beverli Marshall as the interim city manager. Her tenure in the City Manager’s Office began today, Wednesday, April 10.

Mayor Robert McConnell praised Marshall’s extensive background, noting her “wide breadth of experience in many areas that will assist the City and its citizens in understanding the complexity of the many issues that must be solved” in Vallejo.

Current City Manager Michael Malone, whose official departure is slated for April 18, expressed his well wishes. “I wish the City of Vallejo and Interim City Manager Marshall all the best in moving forward on the progress we’ve made to improve service to residents.” Malone expressed his hope that the staff and Council will work closely with ICM Marshall to “ensure success and prosperity for the City.”

According to the Vallejo Sun, Malone stepped into the role of interim city manager in 2021 and became permanent in 2022. Previously, Malone served as the city’s water director and decided to retire from city service e at the end of his contract which is April 18.

“I hope the excellent work of City staff will continue for years to come in Vallejo,” he said. “However, recent developments have led me to this decision to announce my retirement.”

When Malone was appointed, Vallejo was awash in scandals involving the housing division and the police department. A third of the city’s jobs went unfilled during most of his tenure, making for a rocky road for getting things done, the Vallejo Sun reported.

At last night’s council meeting, McConnell explained the selection process, highlighting the council’s confidence in achieving positive outcomes through a collaborative effort, and said this afternoon, “The Council is confident that by working closely together, positive results will be obtained.”

While the search for a permanent city manager is ongoing, an announcement is expected in the coming months.

On behalf of the City Council, Mayor McConnell extended gratitude to the staff, citizen groups, and recruitment firm.

“The Council wishes to thank the staff, the citizens’ group, and the recruitment firm for their diligent work and careful consideration for the selection of what is possibly the most important decision a Council can make on behalf of the betterment of our City,” McConnell said.

The Vallejo Sun contributed to this report.