Bay Area Buzz 11/16: Kings & Warriors Win, NaVorro Bowman, Jimmie Ward
Bay Area Topics
Kings Beat the Spurs
"You’d understand a loss to the San Antonio Spurs by the Sacramento Kings. Expect it even. After all, the Spurs are the very model of what an NBA franchise strives to be. And yet the Kings attacked the defending NBA champions with such aggression, and willed themselves to a 94-91 victory.Sure, the Spurs were on the second night of a back to back, but the Spurs rested their stars Friday night. Kawhi Leonard, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, all of them played 6 minutes or less in the fourth quarter on Friday. And watching the game, it wasn’t a matter of fatigue. It was a matter of facing DeMarcus Cousins.Boogie was limited in the first half due to two quick fouls. But the Kings, unlike what we’ve seen much of this season, held strong. Cousins played just nine minutes in the first half, yet the Kings held a halftime lead. Even when it might have normally made sense to bring Cousins back in, Michael Malone allowed the team to play. When Cousins finally came back in for the second half, he was unstoppable. Possession after possession, Boogie went straight at Duncan and found the basket. Boogie had just four points in the first half, but finished the night with a line of 25 points, 10 rebounds, and one block.There were no big comfortable leads, there were no massive meltdowns. The game came down to the wire, and you’d expect nothing less from a team like San Antonio. But in the end, the Kings played an excellent team game, and won together."
–Greg Wissinger, Sactown Royalty
Warriors Blow Out the Hornets
"The ball was moving, shots were falling, the defense was masterful and it all added up to the Warriors’ best performance this season.Six Warriors scored in double figures, led by Klay Thompson’s 21 points, in a 112-87 annihilation of the Charlotte Hornets before the 87th consecutive sellout crowd (19,596) Saturday night at Oracle Arena.The win pushed the Warriors to 7-2 for the first time since 1994-95.Thompson scored 16 of his points during a torrid nine-minute stretch of the second quarter. Stephen Curry finished with 19 points, nine assists and five rebounds. Harrison Barnes put in 17, with Marreese Speights and Andrew Bogut adding 13 apiece.The Warriors shot 55.1 percent through the first three quarters, taking a 96-68 lead that prompted coach Steve Kerr to empty his bench.The Warriors had 27 assists and only nine turnovers through three quarters and finished with 30 and 15 – the second consecutive game they were well below their average."
NaVorro Bowman
"San Francisco 49ers linebacker NaVorro Bowman will return to practice next week after getting cleared to do so this week, reports NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport.Bowman has been out since he tore the ACL and MCL in his knee near the end of the NFC Championship Game in January. When Bowman does return to practice, San Francisco must activate him within 21 days in order for him to play this season.The fifth-year pro was placed on the PUP list in July and remained there through training camp, which forced him to miss at least the first six games of the season.Though 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh said Monday that Bowman potentially could have returned as soon as Wednesday, he was reportedly still experiencing pain in his surgically repaired knee, preventing him from returning then.It was then reported Friday that Bowman might not return at all this season, though Saturday’s news seems to have ruled out that possibility."
Jimmie Ward
"The San Francisco 49ers officially have Aldon Smith back on their 53-man roster. The 49ers activated him, and made room by placing rookie first-round pick Jimmie Ward on injured reserve. Smith returned to practice this week, following the end of his 9-game suspension. The team was granted a one-week roster exemption, but if they wanted him active for Sunday’s game against the New York Giants, they had to clear out a roster spot.Ward has been dealing with an injury but the move to injured reserve is surprising. It’s unclear if his new foot injury is related to the injury he was dealing with throughout the offseason. Whatever the case, it ends his rookie season."