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.

Kings v. Nuggets 1.9.15

Tonight I was able to take my co-worker Nicole to the game! She had previously gone with Aman, my other co-worker, but this was the first time we could sit together and chat. Nicole definitely works hard as a kindergarten teacher. It was great to catch up and see how she was doing with her class.

Fans in attendance got to have a poster of Carl Landry. Comcast definitely makes quite a few of these signs... and for different teams as well. I have some posters very similar to these from the San Jose Sharks.

Because I was a group leader, I received two complimentary tickets. These seats were located in section 101Q - not bad! We got a chance to get a more forward view of the action. For player photos, I think sitting on the sides is better because you see more of their fronts, but for purely watching, these were great.

Because I had the complimentary seats my season ticket holder partner Dave got to take his lovely wife Jensine to the game! I got the chance to go by our section and say hi to them.

The last game was looked as a turning point for the positive. The Kings had a great victory against the Thunder, and they were looking to get another tonight against the Nuggets.

The Kings and the Nuggets played very closely in the first half. Neither team could really pull ahead of the other. It was a very exciting first half of basketball!

In the second half of the game everything changed. The Kings began missing many of their shots while the Nuggets seemed to make everything. A small Kings lead at halftime turned into a practical blowout for Denver. It was a stunning and disappointing turnaround.

The SKD were on hand to keep the energy levels up. They only had one performance tonight. I'm not sure what's up with these one-performance games, but they need to get back to two sets for each game... and fast!

The SKD did keep themselves busy by doing a lot of fan give-aways tonight. The Sacramento fans love it when they have the chance to get hooked up with something from the dancers! The next game is on Sunday against the Cavs. I hope to see you there!

Kings v. Thunder 1.7.15

It's the first game of the new year at Sleep Train Arena, and also the first game for a while since the Kings have been on a road trip. It was a great feeling to be back in the arena. Though it really hasn't been that long, it felt like a long time has passed. So great to be here with the Kings family!

Tonight most of my shots came from my season ticket holders seat in section 122. I shot from this vantage point all season last year, so getting images from the seat felt natural. I remember getting a lot of flag images like this one above last year.

Tonight I went to the game with Arnold, a new season ticket holder in our group. He's a cool guy and knows his basketball. He recently came to California from New York and was actually part of a Knicks season ticket holder group there!

This is my favorite food item to get at the arena. The pretzel bun chicken sandwich is delicious - and it's a part of the Farm-to-Fork items. Yes, it's a bit more than the standard food item at the concession stands, but it's just so good!

The Kings struggled quite a bit on their recent road trip, and tonight they had to face a very good Thunder team with both their superstars back. I think most fans expected the Thunder to have this game in hand.

But from the start of the game the Kings came out with great intensity. It was a very passionate effort by the Kings. It also helped that the Thunder couldn't make anything in the first quarter. They had a stunning shooting percentage of 9% at one point.

The Kings worked hard all night. Our big man Boogie gave it his all in this game. Not all his shots fell for him, but on the defensive end he really was a force. There was one point in the game when he drew three charges in a row.

The Kings fans went home happy tonight as the Kings easily defeated the Thunder. It was not an outcome that we thought would happen... but I'm sure glad we won! Next game we'll see the Nuggets in the house!