Sacramento Kings forward Harrison Barnes recorded an 18-point, 12-rebound double-double in Friday's victory over the Pelicans, shooting 5-for-9 from the field and 2-for-3 from downtown. He was perfect with six attempts from the line and posted two assists with one turnover in 37 minutes. Barnes has been a scoring machine early in the campaign, but he's put in plenty of work in other areas as well and now has two double-doubles to his name. He's now heading towards a revenge game, with a visit to Dallas coming up for the Kings on Sunday. Barnes has shot over 43 percent from three-point range against his former team but hasn't gotten much done offensively in the matchup, getting only 13.8 points per game. However, he's probably playing the best basketball of his career right now and should be able to enjoy a fine game.

Sacramento Kings forward Harrison Barnes finished with 24 points, seven rebounds, five three-pointers made, one assist and three turnovers on 7-for-13 shooting from field goal range in Sunday's 119-107 loss against the Warriors. Barnes recorded 20-plus points for the third consecutive game to begin the season, while shooting an efficient 50 percent from the field on 17.3 attempts per game. Barnes is also enjoying success from three-point territory in the early going as he has made 15 three-pointers through the opening three contests, making the 29-year-old forward a quality option across all fantasy formats.

While it has been just two games, Sacramento Kings small/power forward Harrison Barnes is off to a dominant start to the 2021-22 campaign. Barnes followed up his 36-point showing from the opener with a 25-point, 15-rebound performance in Friday's loss to Utah. Barnes appears to have taken his game to a new level, combining for 39 shot attempts over his first two games; in his first two and a half years with the Kings, Barnes has never averaged above 11.1 field-goal attempts per contest. Those fantasy managers who drafted Barnes for his consistency have gotten an early reward, though time will tell how sustainable the increased offensive output can be.

Sacramento Kings forward Harrison Barnes has an undetermined position as of right now. Head coach Luke Walton said Barnes could start at small forward or power forward. It sounds like the team plans to try out both scenarios during the preseason. Regardless, Barnes should have significant minutes without much competition at the forward position. He should be a fine fantasy option in most formats heading into the season.

NEW YORK (AP) — Milwaukee Bucks guard Jrue Holiday has won the Joe Dumars Trophy as the NBA player who best represents the ideals of sportsmanship on the court. Each NBA team nominated a player for the award. After a panel of league executives chose one finalist from each of the NBA’s six divisions, 343 current players confidentially cast votes to select the winner. “Just knowing that it came from the players, the guys who go through this with me and put their bodies on the line, train in the offseason, it means a lot,” Holiday said Friday. Other finalists were Miami’s Bam Adebayo, Sacramento’s Harrison Barnes, Minnesota’s Josh Okogie, Boston’s Kemba Walker and San Antonio’s Derrick White. Holiday received 130 first-place votes and 2,752 total points in the balloting. Walker, who won this award in 2017 and 2018, was second with 2,474 points. Last season, Holiday won the NBA’s Twyman-Stokes teammate of the year award. The 30-year-old Holiday averaged 17.7 points, 6.1 assists and 4.5 rebounds... [More]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Even in a year during which the NBA expanded the postseason and added a pair of play-in games, the Sacramento Kings weren’t good enough to get in. The Kings have now failed to make the playoffs for 15 consecutive seasons, tying the league's mark for futility previously set by the Los Angeles Clippers. Hailed as a hero in Sacramento when he purchased the team in 2013 and saved it from a possible move to Seattle, Kings owner Vivek Ranadive is now once again facing another long offseason with some tough questions to answer. The future of coach Luke Walton is one. How to get an underachieving roster to play better is another. Sacramento went 31-41 for a second consecutive season. That the Kings went into the final week still clinging to playoff hopes despite a pair of nine-game losing streaks was an anomaly. As was the case a year ago, injuries played a major role in Sacramento’s struggles. Point guard De’Aaron Fox missed the final 12 games while in the NBA’s health... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee Bucks guard George Hill said the importance of Wisconsin in the upcoming election caused him to fly back here this weekend to assist in a local voting drive. Hill, who lives in San Antonio, worked alongside about 50 volunteers from the Milwaukee-based organization Common Ground walking through local neighborhoods Saturday to encourage people to vote early. “This (state) could make or break the election,” Hill said. “To spend a couple of dollars to get on a flight to come back here, to get out and knock on doors and go around this city, to show them that I care for them just as much as they care for themselves, and show them that we need them, we need them, we need their voices, we need their communities to be better and things like that, it’s all worth it at the end of the day.” Hill wore a shirt with the message “VOTE” and a Bucks logo plus a mask with the message “Votes Count In the 414” as he walked through several blocks in various neighborhoods with a group... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee Bucks guard George Hill said the importance of Wisconsin in the upcoming election caused him to fly back here this weekend to assist in a local voting drive. Hill, who lives in San Antonio, worked alongside about 50 volunteers from the Milwaukee-based organization Common Ground walking through local neighborhoods Saturday to encourage people to vote early. “This (state) could make or break the election,” Hill said. “To spend a couple of dollars to get on a flight to come back here, to get out and knock on doors and go around this city, to show them that I care for them just as much as they care for themselves, and show them that we need them, we need them, we need their voices, we need their communities to be better and things like that, it’s all worth it at the end of the day.” Hill wore a shirt with the message “VOTE” and a Bucks logo plus a mask with the message “Votes Count In the 414” as he walked through several blocks in various neighborhoods with a group... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee Bucks guard George Hill said the importance of Wisconsin in the upcoming election caused him to fly back here this weekend to assist in a local voting drive. Hill, who lives in San Antonio, worked alongside about 50 volunteers from the Milwaukee-based organization Common Ground walking through local neighborhoods Saturday to remind people to vote. “This (state) could make or break the election,” Hill said. “To spend a couple of dollars to get on a flight to come back here, to get out and knock on doors and go around this city, to show them that I care for them just as much as they care for themselves, and show them that we need them, we need them, we need their voices, we need their communities to be better and things like that, it’s all worth it at the end of the day.” Hill wore a shirt with the message “VOTE” and a Bucks logo plus a mask with the message “Votes Count In the 414” as he walked through several blocks in various neighborhoods with a group that included... [More]

All the momentum the Sacramento Kings had when the NBA season shut down in March disappeared when they arrived in the bubble.The disappointing performance in Florida has left the Kings on the outside of the playoffs for the 14th straight season. That's the longest active drought in the NBA and led to change in the front office with Vlade Divac stepping down as general manager.“I feel like you’re always trying to play your best basketball late into March and April and I thought we were on our way to doing that,” first-year coach Luke Walton said. “So that part of it, I thought it was a success. We hit a bunch of lows this year too. Some came from injuries, some came from the way we were playing and that, we don’t want to see.”Those lows were evident in the bubble when the Kings lost five of their first six games to get eliminated from postseason contention. The team was hampered by Harrison Barnes, Buddy Hield, Jabari Parker and Alex Len all positive for COVID-19 and missing practice time... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Luke Walton was trying to find the right words to motivate his players to finish the season strong.The Sacramento Kings had been eliminated from playoff contention, which was nothing new for the team with the NBA’s longest streak of missing the postseason.Yet, even players who’d spent their whole careers with the organization had never heard the type of speech their coach made this week. This wasn’t the normal talk of playing for pride, of trying to make an impression for next season. “He said something like, ‘We don’t know when the basketball is going to come back after this time,’” guard Bogdan Bogdanovic said. The 22 teams who qualified for the NBA’s restart will be down to 16 by the end of the weekend, when the playoff bracket is set. The other six clubs exit World Disney World the same way as tourists who normally pack the place.Their fun is over. Now it’s back to the real world, and the real world in 2020 is an unsettling place. “The unknown, none of... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee Bucks guard Eric Bledsoe has tested positive for COVID-19, but has said he doesn't have any symptoms associated with the coronavirus. Bledsoe hasn't been with the team since they reported to Orlando last week, the Journal Sentinel reported.The Bucks began a second training camp early this month but shut it down after someone from the organization tested positive for the coronovirus. They didn't name the person at the time.Bledsoe is among other NBA players to announce positive COVID-19 tests since teams started reporting to the bubble at Disney’s Wide World of Sports complex last week, including Houston Rockets guard Russell Westbrook, Sacramento Kings forward Harrison Barnes and Indiana’s Malcolm Brogdon.Bledsoe is averaging 15.4 points 4.6 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game this season.All 22 NBA teams invited to conclude the season will play eight games before the postseason begins.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Harrison Barnes of the Sacramento Kings became the latest NBA player to reveal that he has the coronavirus, making the announcement Tuesday and saying he has hopes to join his team for the league’s restart later this summer.Barnes is the only player who has started all 64 of the Kings’ games this season. To extend that streak, he’ll need to be cleared and arrive at Walt Disney World before Sacramento’s season resumes with the first of its eight seeding games on July 31 against San Antonio.“Prior to the team leaving last week, I tested positive for Covid-19,” Barnes wrote on social media. “I’ve been primarily asymptomatic and am doing well. I’m quarantined and am abiding by the safety protocol until I’m cleared for action. I hope to join my team in Orlando when it is safe to do so! Stay safe out there.”Barnes is averaging 14.7 points this season for the Kings.The league said Monday that 19 players tested positive during in-market testing after July 1, those... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Harrison Barnes of the Sacramento Kings became the latest NBA player to reveal that he has coronavirus, making the announcement Tuesday and saying he has hopes to join his team at the league’s restart later this summer.Barnes is the only player who has started all 64 of the Kings’ games this season. To extend that streak, he’ll need to be cleared and arrive at Walt Disney World before Sacramento’s season resumes with the first of its eight seeding games on July 31 against San Antonio.“Prior to the team leaving last week, I tested positive for Covid-19,” Barnes wrote on social media. “I’ve been primarily asymptomatic and am doing well. I’m quarantined and am abiding by the safety protocol until I’m cleared for action. I hope to join my team in Orlando when it is safe to do so! Stay safe out there.”Barnes is averaging 14.7 points this season for the Kings.The league said Monday that 19 players tested positive during in-market testing after July 1, those tests... [More]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Sacramento Kings first-year coach Luke Walton says he is focused on his team and not worried about a lawsuit accusing him of sexual assault.Walton spoke publicly Friday at Kings media day for the first time since a former sportscaster filed a civil suit against him in April accusing him of the assault."I'm here to do my job and focus on the Kings," Walton said. "The rest will take care of itself."Walton was hired by the Kings in April, soon after being fired following three seasons as coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. He was sued shortly after being hired by Kelli Tennant, a former host on Spectrum SportsNet LA, who accused him of sexually assaulting her in a hotel room in 2014 when he was an assistant with the Golden State Warriors and harassing her after that during his tenure with the Lakers.The Kings and the NBA investigated the charges but took no action against Walton when "investigators determined that there was not a sufficient basis to support the allegations."... [More]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Sacramento Kings first-year coach Luke Walton says he is focused on his team and not worried about a lawsuit accusing him of sexual assault.Walton spoke publicly Friday at Kings media day for the first time since being a former sportscaster filed a civil suit against him in April accusing him of the assault."I'm here to do my job and focus on the Kings," Walton said. "The rest will take care of itself."Walton was hired by the Kings in April, soon after being fired following three seasons as coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. He was sued shortly after being hired by Kelli Tennant, a former host on Spectrum SportsNet LA, who accused him of sexually assaulting her in a hotel room in 2014 when he was an assistant with the Golden State Warriors and harassing her after that during his tenure with the Lakers.The Kings and the NBA investigated the charges but took action against Walton when "investigators determined that there was not a sufficient basis to support the allegations."... [More]

DALLAS (AP) — Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis are the Euro stars of the future for the Dallas Mavericks now that Dirk Nowitzki has retired after a record 21 seasons with the same franchise.The rookie sensation from Slovenia and the 7-foot-3 Latvian didn't get to play together in the two months after Dallas acquired Porzingis in a blockbuster trade with the New York Knicks.The decision to push the recovery past the one-year mark on Porzingis' knee injury was essentially an admission by the Mavericks that their focus was on 2019-20.And now that an emotional two-day send-off for the NBA's most decorated European player is over, Dallas can concentrate on ending a playoff drought that covered Nowitzki's final three seasons — the longest of the big German's career.The Mavericks didn't win a playoff series in eight seasons with Nowitzki after he led them to their only championship."I cannot tell you what to expect," said Doncic, the overwhelming favorite for rookie of the year despite the second... [More]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Sacramento's best season in 13 years wasn't enough to save coach Dave Joerger's job.General manager Vlade Divac fired Joerger on Thursday after he helped develop the young Kings into playoff contenders before ultimately falling short in the franchise's 13th straight losing season."I think he did a great job to make that step," Divac said. "But moving forward, I just felt like we had to go a different direction. It's been three years and we made some progress. This year was a good season but I think we could do more, especially after All-Star break."Divac said he had been contemplating the decision to change coaches for a while and ultimately made it after the team stumbled to the finish with a 9-16 record after the All-Star break. The poor stretch run left Sacramento with a 39-43 record, nine games out of a playoff spot after being tied for the eighth spot in the West heading into the final game before the break.The Kings had their most wins since having a 44-38... [More]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The Sacramento Kings fired coach Dave Joerger on Thursday after three losing seasons.Joerger had a 98-148 record since joining the Kings, but also helped the team reach its best record in 13 seasons this year with 39 wins. But it wasn't enough to earn him a fourth season in hopes of ending the NBA's longest active playoff drought. Sacramento last made the playoffs in 2006 in coach Rick Adelman's final season."After evaluating the season, I determined that we need to move in a different direction in order to take us to the next level," general manager Vlade Divac said. "On behalf of the entire Kings organization, I want to thank Dave for his contributions to our team and I wish him all the best."Divac made the move official just hours after he was given an extension through the 2022-23 season by owner Vivek Ranadivé. Divac took over as GM before the 2015-16 season and helped bring in some of the key pieces that have led to the improvement this year, including guards... [More]

DALLAS (AP) — The Mavericks have waived Zach Randolph two days after acquiring the forward while sending Harrison Barnes to Sacramento in a trade designed to give Dallas salary-cap relief.Randolph and young forward Justin Jackson were sent to the Mavericks in a deal that came together while Barnes was playing for Dallas in a 99-93 win over Charlotte on Wednesday. Jackson was active for Friday night's game against Milwaukee.The 37-year-old Randolph never played for the Kings in his second season with them. He was a frequent Dallas foe during his eight seasons with Memphis. A day after the trade, Mavericks president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson said he didn't expect Randolph to play for the club.Randolph has averaged 16.6 points and 9.1 rebounds in 17 seasons with five teams.By trading Barnes, the Mavericks put themselves in position to acquire another front-line player to go with rookie sensation Luka Doncic and 2018 All-Star Kristaps Porzingis.Dallas traded for Porzingis last week in a seven-player deal with New York that starters Dennis Smith Jr., Wesley Matthews and center DeAndre Jordan to the Knicks. Porzingis won't play this season as he continues to recover from a knee injury sustained last February.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports