http://www.sacbee.com/351/story/124032.html
Kings collapse, suffer third consecutive loss
By Scott Howard-Cooper - Bee Staff Writer
Last Updated 6:17 am PST Thursday, February 15, 2007
Red. Everywhere the Kings looked, there was red.
The opponents, the New Orleans Hornets, normally a teal kind of crowd, switched uniform colors Wednesday on Valentine's Day and prompted the visitors to go with the home whites of Arco Arena.
The Kings also wore the tinting of embarrassment, coordinated only in color in a 110-93 blowout loss at the Ford Center and stumbling into the All-Star break with three consecutive losses.
Beet red, beat red. Same thing.
"Man," forward Corliss Williamson said in exasperation. "You definitely don't want to go into the break with a loss like this."
Like this St. Valentine's Day Massacre.
"It's tough to lose the other two," Williamson said of the defeats to Seattle and Houston. "But the way we lost tonight, it's almost devastating."
Almost because the Kings were playing for the fourth time in five nights in four cities, even though they didn't reach for that excuse, and because the Hornets have been playing at a level that belies their 25-28 record.
That merely gets Sacramento away from devastating, though.
It's the part about getting away from the continuing problem that isn't so easy. As much as being outscored 59-46 in the decisive second and third quarters, the Kings were shown up by an opponent with every reason to have less cohesion and instead had more energy.
"We've all got to look in the mirror and keep ourselves accountable," swingman John Salmons said.
The Hornets also were on the second night of a back-to-back, having lost Tuesday at Memphis, but like the Kings had done well lately in finding traction to build momentum entering the All-Star break. In New Orleans' case, it is winning nine of the last 12 overall and 10 of 11 at home.
There had been all the Hornets' injuries -- Peja Stojakovic, Chris Paul, Bobby Jackson and David West -- and there had been the recovery, in the locker room and in the standings. All but Stojakovic have returned, and suddenly the Western Conference has its most unlikely playoff contender with the roster that has been beaten up like none other in the league.
Wednesday was another one of those encouraging moments. The Hornets needed only until the midpoint to take control, using an 18-0 run from late in the second quarter to early in the third, until the Kings had been shut out for 4:49 and the outcome was in hand.
Getting an early start on what was scheduled to be a five-day hiatus for All-Star weekend, but suddenly turned into more like 5 1/2, the Kings got blown out in the third quarter and trailed 85-68 entering the fourth. They were shooting 37.9 percent at the time and allowing 58.6 percent, bound for 40.3 and 57.7, respectively.
The momentum from the five-game winning streak, stopped only three nights earlier, was gone in a two-game trip that began with wasting a nine-point lead with 4:30 left in regulation at Houston and then really turned bad.
"We know road games are hard," coach Eric Musselman said. "Yeah, the five-game momentum is over."
Not that nearly everything went wrong for the Kings, but one player drew a technical while kneeling at the scorer's table, and the coach received one during halftime. Shareef Abdur-Rahim was apparently hit by David Guthrie for excessive complaining about being told he arrived too late to check in, and Musselman was sitting on the bench moments before the start of the third quarter when Guthrie nailed him. Musselman sprang to his feet in disbelief, but he couldn't change that result, either.
About the writer: The Bee's Scott Howard-Cooper can be reached at showard-cooper@sacbee.com.
Kings collapse, suffer third consecutive loss
By Scott Howard-Cooper - Bee Staff Writer
Last Updated 6:17 am PST Thursday, February 15, 2007
Red. Everywhere the Kings looked, there was red.
The opponents, the New Orleans Hornets, normally a teal kind of crowd, switched uniform colors Wednesday on Valentine's Day and prompted the visitors to go with the home whites of Arco Arena.
The Kings also wore the tinting of embarrassment, coordinated only in color in a 110-93 blowout loss at the Ford Center and stumbling into the All-Star break with three consecutive losses.
Beet red, beat red. Same thing.
"Man," forward Corliss Williamson said in exasperation. "You definitely don't want to go into the break with a loss like this."
Like this St. Valentine's Day Massacre.
"It's tough to lose the other two," Williamson said of the defeats to Seattle and Houston. "But the way we lost tonight, it's almost devastating."
Almost because the Kings were playing for the fourth time in five nights in four cities, even though they didn't reach for that excuse, and because the Hornets have been playing at a level that belies their 25-28 record.
That merely gets Sacramento away from devastating, though.
It's the part about getting away from the continuing problem that isn't so easy. As much as being outscored 59-46 in the decisive second and third quarters, the Kings were shown up by an opponent with every reason to have less cohesion and instead had more energy.
"We've all got to look in the mirror and keep ourselves accountable," swingman John Salmons said.
The Hornets also were on the second night of a back-to-back, having lost Tuesday at Memphis, but like the Kings had done well lately in finding traction to build momentum entering the All-Star break. In New Orleans' case, it is winning nine of the last 12 overall and 10 of 11 at home.
There had been all the Hornets' injuries -- Peja Stojakovic, Chris Paul, Bobby Jackson and David West -- and there had been the recovery, in the locker room and in the standings. All but Stojakovic have returned, and suddenly the Western Conference has its most unlikely playoff contender with the roster that has been beaten up like none other in the league.
Wednesday was another one of those encouraging moments. The Hornets needed only until the midpoint to take control, using an 18-0 run from late in the second quarter to early in the third, until the Kings had been shut out for 4:49 and the outcome was in hand.
Getting an early start on what was scheduled to be a five-day hiatus for All-Star weekend, but suddenly turned into more like 5 1/2, the Kings got blown out in the third quarter and trailed 85-68 entering the fourth. They were shooting 37.9 percent at the time and allowing 58.6 percent, bound for 40.3 and 57.7, respectively.
The momentum from the five-game winning streak, stopped only three nights earlier, was gone in a two-game trip that began with wasting a nine-point lead with 4:30 left in regulation at Houston and then really turned bad.
"We know road games are hard," coach Eric Musselman said. "Yeah, the five-game momentum is over."
Not that nearly everything went wrong for the Kings, but one player drew a technical while kneeling at the scorer's table, and the coach received one during halftime. Shareef Abdur-Rahim was apparently hit by David Guthrie for excessive complaining about being told he arrived too late to check in, and Musselman was sitting on the bench moments before the start of the third quarter when Guthrie nailed him. Musselman sprang to his feet in disbelief, but he couldn't change that result, either.
About the writer: The Bee's Scott Howard-Cooper can be reached at showard-cooper@sacbee.com.
