http://www.sacbee.com/351/story/136321.html
Artest's back, but Kings fail big test
Nuggets' Arco hex ends; chance to rise is wasted
By Sam Amick - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PDT Monday, March 12, 2007
The Denver Nuggets entered Arco Arena looking for breathing room Sunday afternoon.
There was the matter of distancing themselves from a 20-game losing streak in Sacramento, and the more immediate objective of holding onto a slipping playoff spot in the Western Conference.
They found space aplenty in the paint, where the hosts readily allowed layups, putback attempts and all the rebounds the Nuggets could gather during the Kings' 113-101 loss. They had even more room on the perimeter, where reserve Linas Kleiza had four three-pointers on his own and looked the part of Allen Iverson in scoring a career-high 24 points.
There was, ultimately, the desired ending for Denver, which maintained its seventh-place standing and kept the Kings from finally moving into playoff position after the Clippers lost at home to Detroit.
The Kings had sought distance of their own this week, separating themselves from Ron Artest after his arrest last Monday and bringing him back after a two-game absence.
And although his return was welcomed by the fans who cheered him at a gathering of season-ticket holders Saturday night and again at introductions before tipoff a day later, the cheers for him and every other King would only wane as time passed.
Artest allowed 29 points to Carmelo Anthony after dominating him on Feb. 3, when the All-Star had 20 points on 7-for-25 shooting in the Kings' win. This time, though, Artest was the one struggling. He had 17 points on 5-for-15 shooting, although he grabbed four steals and eight rebounds.
"I felt great, you know," Artest said. "A couple shots went in and out. My defense was OK. I got some steals.
"I felt good ... I definitely wanted to get out there, because I just liked the chemistry that we had and wanted to keep that going."
It was gone before long. In front of a national television audience, the Kings lost an early 27-17 lead after a rare combination of Mike Bibby and Kenny Thomas (they scored 17 of the first 27 points) was more than sufficient. But just as it looked as if the eighth spot could be theirs, the Nuggets took over as they seldom have since acquiring Iverson in December.
Kleiza started the surge on his own, compiling a one-man 8-0 run to finish the first quarter as the Kings led 29-27. It started a nearly 14-minute span in which the Nuggets outscored the Kings 39-12.
The Kings missed 14 of 17 shots in the span, with Kevin Martin misfiring. Marcus Camby was just getting started down low en route to 52 points in the paint for the Nuggets.
Denver led 56-39 just before halftime, with the Kings showing none of the cohesion and confidence that marked their recent success. Their offense lacked the fast pace of before, as they had just six fast-break points against the league's most up-tempo team.
The Kings came within five points in the third quarter but trailed by double digits throughout the fourth.
"If you look at the game as a whole -- take that 12-minute segment out in the second quarter, and we played well," Kings coach Eric Musselman said. "But the second quarter was too much to overcome."
This was the first time the Kings had faced Anthony and Iverson together, and the duo finally stuck to the script so many had in mind when the stars were aligned. Iverson not only held Martin to 1-for-8 shooting for seven points until midway through the fourth quarter, he was the catalyst for the second-quarter push.
He recovered from early foul trouble and a questionable technical foul in the first quarter to bury a 16-footer early in the second. The next time down, he lost his defender in shimmy-shake fashion and found Nene in the paint for an open layup, but Iverson wasn't done yet. He drew the Kings in with penetration the next time, then connected with a wide-open Kleiza on the right wing for a three and a 38-33 lead.
Iverson finished with 24 points and seven assists.
"It's been a long time since they've beat us here, and a game like this we've got to win," said Bibby, who had 34 points on 12-for-20 shooting. "It's coming down to the end, and we've got to win all these games."
About the writer: The Bee's Sam Amick can be reached at samick@sacbee.com.
Artest's back, but Kings fail big test
Nuggets' Arco hex ends; chance to rise is wasted
By Sam Amick - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PDT Monday, March 12, 2007
The Denver Nuggets entered Arco Arena looking for breathing room Sunday afternoon.
There was the matter of distancing themselves from a 20-game losing streak in Sacramento, and the more immediate objective of holding onto a slipping playoff spot in the Western Conference.
They found space aplenty in the paint, where the hosts readily allowed layups, putback attempts and all the rebounds the Nuggets could gather during the Kings' 113-101 loss. They had even more room on the perimeter, where reserve Linas Kleiza had four three-pointers on his own and looked the part of Allen Iverson in scoring a career-high 24 points.
There was, ultimately, the desired ending for Denver, which maintained its seventh-place standing and kept the Kings from finally moving into playoff position after the Clippers lost at home to Detroit.
The Kings had sought distance of their own this week, separating themselves from Ron Artest after his arrest last Monday and bringing him back after a two-game absence.
And although his return was welcomed by the fans who cheered him at a gathering of season-ticket holders Saturday night and again at introductions before tipoff a day later, the cheers for him and every other King would only wane as time passed.
Artest allowed 29 points to Carmelo Anthony after dominating him on Feb. 3, when the All-Star had 20 points on 7-for-25 shooting in the Kings' win. This time, though, Artest was the one struggling. He had 17 points on 5-for-15 shooting, although he grabbed four steals and eight rebounds.
"I felt great, you know," Artest said. "A couple shots went in and out. My defense was OK. I got some steals.
"I felt good ... I definitely wanted to get out there, because I just liked the chemistry that we had and wanted to keep that going."
It was gone before long. In front of a national television audience, the Kings lost an early 27-17 lead after a rare combination of Mike Bibby and Kenny Thomas (they scored 17 of the first 27 points) was more than sufficient. But just as it looked as if the eighth spot could be theirs, the Nuggets took over as they seldom have since acquiring Iverson in December.
Kleiza started the surge on his own, compiling a one-man 8-0 run to finish the first quarter as the Kings led 29-27. It started a nearly 14-minute span in which the Nuggets outscored the Kings 39-12.
The Kings missed 14 of 17 shots in the span, with Kevin Martin misfiring. Marcus Camby was just getting started down low en route to 52 points in the paint for the Nuggets.
Denver led 56-39 just before halftime, with the Kings showing none of the cohesion and confidence that marked their recent success. Their offense lacked the fast pace of before, as they had just six fast-break points against the league's most up-tempo team.
The Kings came within five points in the third quarter but trailed by double digits throughout the fourth.
"If you look at the game as a whole -- take that 12-minute segment out in the second quarter, and we played well," Kings coach Eric Musselman said. "But the second quarter was too much to overcome."
This was the first time the Kings had faced Anthony and Iverson together, and the duo finally stuck to the script so many had in mind when the stars were aligned. Iverson not only held Martin to 1-for-8 shooting for seven points until midway through the fourth quarter, he was the catalyst for the second-quarter push.
He recovered from early foul trouble and a questionable technical foul in the first quarter to bury a 16-footer early in the second. The next time down, he lost his defender in shimmy-shake fashion and found Nene in the paint for an open layup, but Iverson wasn't done yet. He drew the Kings in with penetration the next time, then connected with a wide-open Kleiza on the right wing for a three and a 38-33 lead.
Iverson finished with 24 points and seven assists.
"It's been a long time since they've beat us here, and a game like this we've got to win," said Bibby, who had 34 points on 12-for-20 shooting. "It's coming down to the end, and we've got to win all these games."
About the writer: The Bee's Sam Amick can be reached at samick@sacbee.com.
