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http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/12013986p-12884378c.html
A nugget of hope
No Christie and no Webber is no problem for Kings
By Martin McNeal -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Wednesday, January 12, 2005
Kings guard Kevin Martin drives under pressure from Denver’s Andre Miller. Martin had a career-high 17 points, including 11 in the second quarter for Sacramento.
So many things were different for the Kings on Tuesday night, but the end result remained a constant.
The Kings only had nine healthy players available, but that was enough for them to record their 17th consecutive home victory over the struggling Denver Nuggets, this time a 109-100 decision.
The Nuggets have lost 11 of their last 12 games overall and haven't won at Arco Arena since Jan. 7, 1997.
But they hadn't faced a Kings squad that looked like this one. The Kings were without power forward Chris Webber, who missed his third game of the season with a sore left knee that Kings coach Rick Adelman said he didn't believe was serious.
There was also no Doug Christie, who was traded to the Orlando Magic on Monday for guard Cuttino Mobley and forward Michael Bradley, both of whom are expected to arrive in Sacramento today.
Rookie Kevin Martin was the first guard off the bench for Adelman, and Eddie House, who signed with the Kings last week, saw his first action with the squad and replaced his brother-in-law Mike Bibby to start the second quarter.
Adelman continued to use a 2-3 zone more and more depending upon the opponent and game situation. And it helped slow down Denver on a night when the short-handed Kings needed all the help they could get.
"I thought that was a terrific win with everything that's gone on and people out and having nine people," Adelman said.
The Kings were coming off a disappointing loss Saturday night in New Orleans and the shock of the Christie trade.
Maurice Evans started in Christie's spot and was one of six Kings to reach double-figure scoring. Sacramento was led by Peja Stojakovic's 27 points, but he admitted to feeling strange on the floor.
Stojakovic and Webber were the only members of the team who were here in 2000 when Christie was acquired from Toronto for Corliss Williamson.
"It was weird," Stojakovic said. "We didn't even have enough for the layup line. We could have used just two balls. I went over Doug's house (Monday night) after I found out about the trade. I didn't know what to say to him, but I wanted to encourage him.
"He's a great man and a great player, in that order. I think everybody on this team learned something from him."
Bibby and Stojakovic each wrote Christie's initials on their sneakers to pay homage to the 34-year-old guard, who played four-plus seasons for the Kings.
Bibby also affected the team's defensive plans late in the game when he suffered a right ankle sprain on a drive with 9:42 left in the fourth.
The Kings were in the process of losing a 14-point lead when he went out. Bibby returned with 7:54 remaining and the score tied at 85-85.
But Stojakovic later broke an 89-89 tie with a three-pointer with 6:24 left, and the Kings never trailed again.
Sacramento had a season-high 12 steals as it helped force 19 turnovers by the Nuggets.
"We should have beaten them," Nuggets interim coach Michael Cooper said. "It was a situation where they didn't beat us, we beat ourselves - turning the ball over, not boxing out and all the other little things."
But it was a different kind of night. Even Adelman stepped out of character at one point after a Stojakovic turnover, when a fan behind the press table yelled, "Come on, Rick, get control."
Adelman, who almost never reacts to words from the stands, turned around and asked, "You want me to go out there (on the court)?" Everything else was so different, even that might not have seemed strange.
A nugget of hope
No Christie and no Webber is no problem for Kings
By Martin McNeal -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Wednesday, January 12, 2005
Kings guard Kevin Martin drives under pressure from Denver’s Andre Miller. Martin had a career-high 17 points, including 11 in the second quarter for Sacramento.
So many things were different for the Kings on Tuesday night, but the end result remained a constant.
The Kings only had nine healthy players available, but that was enough for them to record their 17th consecutive home victory over the struggling Denver Nuggets, this time a 109-100 decision.
The Nuggets have lost 11 of their last 12 games overall and haven't won at Arco Arena since Jan. 7, 1997.
But they hadn't faced a Kings squad that looked like this one. The Kings were without power forward Chris Webber, who missed his third game of the season with a sore left knee that Kings coach Rick Adelman said he didn't believe was serious.
There was also no Doug Christie, who was traded to the Orlando Magic on Monday for guard Cuttino Mobley and forward Michael Bradley, both of whom are expected to arrive in Sacramento today.
Rookie Kevin Martin was the first guard off the bench for Adelman, and Eddie House, who signed with the Kings last week, saw his first action with the squad and replaced his brother-in-law Mike Bibby to start the second quarter.
Adelman continued to use a 2-3 zone more and more depending upon the opponent and game situation. And it helped slow down Denver on a night when the short-handed Kings needed all the help they could get.
"I thought that was a terrific win with everything that's gone on and people out and having nine people," Adelman said.
The Kings were coming off a disappointing loss Saturday night in New Orleans and the shock of the Christie trade.
Maurice Evans started in Christie's spot and was one of six Kings to reach double-figure scoring. Sacramento was led by Peja Stojakovic's 27 points, but he admitted to feeling strange on the floor.
Stojakovic and Webber were the only members of the team who were here in 2000 when Christie was acquired from Toronto for Corliss Williamson.
"It was weird," Stojakovic said. "We didn't even have enough for the layup line. We could have used just two balls. I went over Doug's house (Monday night) after I found out about the trade. I didn't know what to say to him, but I wanted to encourage him.
"He's a great man and a great player, in that order. I think everybody on this team learned something from him."
Bibby and Stojakovic each wrote Christie's initials on their sneakers to pay homage to the 34-year-old guard, who played four-plus seasons for the Kings.
Bibby also affected the team's defensive plans late in the game when he suffered a right ankle sprain on a drive with 9:42 left in the fourth.
The Kings were in the process of losing a 14-point lead when he went out. Bibby returned with 7:54 remaining and the score tied at 85-85.
But Stojakovic later broke an 89-89 tie with a three-pointer with 6:24 left, and the Kings never trailed again.
Sacramento had a season-high 12 steals as it helped force 19 turnovers by the Nuggets.
"We should have beaten them," Nuggets interim coach Michael Cooper said. "It was a situation where they didn't beat us, we beat ourselves - turning the ball over, not boxing out and all the other little things."
But it was a different kind of night. Even Adelman stepped out of character at one point after a Stojakovic turnover, when a fan behind the press table yelled, "Come on, Rick, get control."
Adelman, who almost never reacts to words from the stands, turned around and asked, "You want me to go out there (on the court)?" Everything else was so different, even that might not have seemed strange.
