Kings v. Warriors (at Oracle) 1.23.15

On a whim, I decided to go see the Kings take on the Warriors at Oracle tonight. It's not a long drive out to the Bay Area so I got some tickets via the NBA Ticket Exchange. Here's a picture of me as I am about to enter the parking lot. Didn't expect to pay $30 to park! Wow, that's triple the price at Sleep Train!

Oracle Arena looks like a big round tire that has fallen on its side. I always feel weird coming here - as a Kings fan, I am 'the enemy'. The interior of the arena is very squishy feeling. Unlike the open hallways of Sleep Train, Oracle is a cramped place and difficult to navigate through.

I sent out a last minute plea on Facebook to see if any of my friends would be willing to come out to this game. I was thankful that my friends Bonnie and Calvin responded in the positive. Here we are chilling in section 222. A couple of old friends from my college days ended up being at the game a few rows above us. It was great seeing them as well!

Here was my dinner at the arena. This slice of pizza was $9.50! And the bottle of Pepsi I got was $6! I couldn't believe how expensive everything was here. It makes me very thankful for the moderately high prices at the arena in Sacramento. 

This game turned out to be similar my Warriors v. Kings experience last season in Oakland. The Warriors blew out the Kings. The team started off slow and got into an 18 point deficit. We actually came back in the third to take a 2 point lead... but then Klay Thompson happened. He set an NBA record of 37 points in the 3rd quarter alone. He was perfect from the field and made 9 of 9 three pointers. He ended the game with 52 points. A historic night, but one that I didn't particularly care to see! Go Kings! They are on the road for the next string of games.

Kings v. Nets 1.21.15

I was a group leader for this game so I invited a group of my friends! They had upper level seats in section 223. I think they got a pretty decent view of the game. We were mentioning that there really isn't a bad seat in the arena.

On the court I got to chat with Chris and Jason. Chris is a scout and works with our general manager. Jason works for Kings.com and helps provide all the web content you see when you go to the main Kings website.

Katie here also works for Kings.com. We're chilling here at Kings HQ near the corner of the court. Katie was rocking some pretty awesome pants today. She easily was the best dressed person in the building today. She even beat my purple Hawaiian shirt!

Tonight was Native American night at the arena. Before the game we were treated to some Native American dancing and music. I love all of the different cultural nights that the Kings put on.

DeMarcus Cousins and the Kings were wearing NBA FIT warm-up t-shirts today as they shot around. These shirts were also available for purchase at the team store today. I'm pretty sure I remember seeing similar shirts during a game last season as well.

A kids choir sang the national anthem tonight. They were super cute... and when they struggled just a little bit the fans at the arena came in and sang along with them. It was a great sight!

The Nets are a struggling team. One of their star players is Kevin Garnett. He's been in the NBA for a very long time. It was awesome to be able to see him play. I remember collecting his basketball cards way back when I was in high school!

The Kings came out of the gate struggling. The team got into a 23 point deficit at one point. I felt that the Kings couldn't get any of their shots to fall and that the Nets were making everything they put up.

After a couple games on the bench, it was great to see Nik get some playing time. He definitely needs some more playing time. It's been suggested that he go to Reno to get some play experience, but the Kings say there are no plans for him to do that.

Here was one of my favorite parts of the Kings game. A few fans were chosen to participate in a dance-off on the court. The three fans took turns dancing to a song that was played. The winner would be determined by the loudest applause at the end. Pam, and older lady, was the ultimate winner. She beat a couple of young whipper-snappers!

The Kings Dancers performed two routines tonight... yes! This pic was one of my favorite captures of the night. I love the way Mollie's hair looks as she dances on the court. It's fab.

Though the Kings were down by such a huge deficit, the team came back and pulled it to within two points. The arena was totally with the team standing, clapping, and cheering on the Kings.

Slamson was having a lot of fun tonight at the game... and apparently getting his fill of popcorn too. He definitely ate more than a few handfuls of the stuff.

Rudy Gay had a huge 4th quarter to help the Kings get back into the game. Despite his huge effort the team came just 3 points short of getting the game into overtime. If only the Kings played with the intensity they had in the latter portion of the game at the start! I think things would have been very different.

Here's a fun image after the game. Reggie Evans is saying hi to some of his former Nets teammates. The Kings will be going on a very long road trip now. Hopefully they can get right on the road!

Kings v. Clippers 1.17.15

Tonight was Bollywood night out at Sleep Train Arena. Many of the Kings staff took the opportunity to dress in Indian style clothing. It made for a really colorful and unique look during the game.

It was great to have Sasha and her friend Kyle at the game tonight. They were both at the Heat game the day before, and Kyle was rooting for the Heat. That's cool though, he's no bandwagoner. He's been a Heat fan for a long time. I can respect that for sure. Every other day he's a Kings fan though so all good!

It was a special day for my good friend Vince as he was able to take his father to his first NBA game. Vince's dad is upward of 70 years old and a HUGE NBA fan. I was really shocked to find out he had never been to a live game. The Kings gave him a special certificate for being there tonight.

Vivek was in full cheering mode as he sat courtside tonight. Each fan at the arena was given a colorful rally towel at their seats. Seeing the wave around during the game was definitely a cool sight to behold.

The Kings Dancers always put on special routines when it's Bollywood night. The dancers performed twice and each time their dance routines were amazing.

I love Bollywood nights! They seem to be extra special, and the energy that everyone puts out seems to be at a higher level. 

Oh yes, there was also a basketball game that happened tonight! The Kings were very depleted as big Cuz and Carl Landry were both out. Rudy Gay didn't even make it back from a funeral until the first quarter had already started. We did, however, have Quincy Miller in the line-up. He was recalled from Reno to help out the Kings.

The Kings played very well again in the first half of the game. They were neck-in-neck with the Clippers. We had adversity, but the Clippers had just about all their weapons in play, so I was proud to see the Kings hang tough.

Though Boogie didn't play he was still a big part of the team giving them support from the bench. It was great seeing him encourage his teammates and get in the game mentally.

The second half of play doomed the Kings once again and they were beat by a superior Clippers team. The Kings put up a valiant effort and I have to commend them, but it must be frustrating to pick up all these losses recently. Just gotta hang in there!

Kings v. Heat 1.16.15

I arrived very early to the arena on Friday to cover a very special event. Ben McLemore was to be the recipient of the NBA's Community Assist Award. This special award is given to players who have done extraordinary things for their community. Ben is the first Kings player in over 10 years to receive this award - Chris Webber was the last King to get it.

NBA legend Bob Lanier was on hand to give the award to Ben. Lanier has been with NBA Cares for a while and flew in just for this special occasion. Here is James Ham getting in a few questions to Lanier before he presents the award.

Although Ben's award was given to him in a surprise ceremony before the game, the official presentation was done at halftime. Ben took center court and was given the Community Assist Award in front of all the hometown fans. It was definitely a special day for Ben.

Arnold was able to take his wife to this Kings game! This was the first time I had met her, and I think they make a great couple. It was awesome to see the both of them at this game together.

It's always great taking photos during the national anthem. The players and the fans are always so respectful of the song and of our country. I love this part of the pre-game.

The Kings had a very strong start to the game. It's always good to see our big guys do the job. When the Kings are clicking, the team works so well.

Unfortunately, something happens at halftime and the team always comes out flat. The Kings had a very disappointing third quarter and let the game slip away from them there. We've got to find a way to bring it during the second half. I'm baffled as to why the Kings struggle so much at this point of every game!

Kings v. Mavs 1.13.15

A little pre-game fun with Scott Fresh before the game. Here we are on the court getting a selfie pic. Scott's super friendly... say hi to him when you come out to the game!

I was walking up the stairs between sections 121 and 122 and saw this young Kings fan with a homemade sign - I just had to get her photo. It's awesome to see Kings pride from their young fans.

This photo was taken right before Scott introduced the high-five line. In-game cameraman Dave is with him. If you come out to the games at the arena, you'll see both of them running around all over the place doing video spots.

Rondo was traded to Dallas just recently, and here's Rudy and DeMarcus catching up with him during the pre-game warm-ups. 

The anthem is an important part of every NBA game, and I always love capturing images during it. This was one of my favorite shots from tonight.

Rudy Gay started the game off very well. He was playing a good game but headed off to the locker room during the first half. Unfortunately, he wouldn't return and is currently day-to-day.

Carl Landry stepped up his game. He's been doing a great job for the Kings coming of the bench as of late. Last year he was out for much of the season with an injury - I'm glad to see him coming back strong this year.

DeMarcus was in beast mode as usual. He has been playing unbelievably this season, and it is amazing to see him play the game. Sacramento fans have been rallying to get him into the All-Star Game. He really deserves to be there.

Slamson was definitely having fun on the court this evening. But then again... he is always having fun. Tonight he included the security guards in his antics. I'm sure that was greatly appreciated by them.

It really looked the Kings were going to get the W in this game, but the Mavs ended up pushing the game to overtime and winning. The Kings played very hard, though, and their effort did not go unnoticed. The team is slowly getting there!

Kings v. Cavs 1.11.15

It's a big deal when LeBron James comes to town. He's one of the NBA's biggest stars... unfortunately, he didn't play in the game. He's been on reserve for a while now. I got a glimpse of him getting some work in before the game. James still drew quite a large crowd of spectators.

Often there are a lot of pleasantries exchanged before the game. Players definitely have friends on other teams, and before the game is a great chance to say hi!

Tonight's anthem singer asked me through Instagram if I could get a few shots of him during his performance. I was more than happy to oblige him. I hope he enjoyed the pics I took!

Even though the Cavs were without LeBron, they still had some stars to contend with. Here's Darren Collison facing off against Kyrie Irving. Kevin Love, acquired at the beginning of the season, also played tonight.

Though the Cavs had some stars in the game, they couldn't match our big guy Boogie. DeMarcus had another outstanding game as he dominated in points and rebounds.

The Kings really took it to the Cavs tonight and got a pretty easy victory. It was nice to get this one after the other night's disappointing loss to the Nuggets.

To keep everyone happy, the Kings Dancers passed out free Pizza Guys pizzas to lucky fans at the game. Who doesn't want a free pizza?!?!?!?

It was all smiles at the end of this one. And everyone who came out went home with a coupon for two free tacos from Jack-in-the-Box! Sweet.