http://www.sacbee.com/100/story/86884.html
Just not enough for a victory
The Spurs' Tim Duncan makes sure the Kings' rally comes up short.
By Sam Amick - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PST Sunday, December 3, 2006
Story appeared in SPORTS section, Page C1
He already had done it once.
Tim Duncan -- a.k.a. "The Big Fundamental" -- broke a cardinal basketball rule and was whistled for traveling with 1:47 left in the game Saturday night at the AT&T Center, the Kings turning his gaffe into a short Brad Miller jumper and their first second-half lead courtesy of the San Antonio forward's mistake.
Then the big man drove again, lost the ball near the free-throw line and looked primed for another turnover that would have made the reality of a Kings comeback from 17 points down seem tangible. Until he found it again. And until Duncan found Bruce Bowen again, sitting in the left corner for his sixth three-pointer that put the Spurs back on top and led to their 100-98 victory.
"I just lost it trying to drive by Brad Miller," Duncan said. "It took a bounce, and it wasn't there when I looked around. Luckily, I was able to pick it up. Those guys were lunging at the steal, and I stepped through and Bruce was wide open."
A night after the Kings were outhustled, outmanned and outcoached in their 19-point loss to Dallas, they left San Antonio without a win but with no shortage of will. Their near-upset came without small forward Ron Artest, who was expected to start until his lingering back injury flared up again hours before tipoff.
It came on the tail end of a back-to-back set, with the Spurs having had two days off to prepare and with plenty of motivation as they'd lost three of their four previous games.
But down 76-59 with 3:28 left in the third quarter, the Kings found their way back with a familiar face that had gone temporarily missing. Shooting guard Kevin Martin, coming off a combined 15 points and average of just 21.5 minutes in the last two games, scored 25 of his game-high 30 points in the second half and was back to his efficient self with 9-of-15 shooting from the field. And he did it against Bowen, who is widely known as one of the league's preeminent perimeter defenders, as the Kings used a 20-4 run spanning the third and fourth quarters to pull within a point.
Martin's game finally got going with a layup, then a fastbreak layup, followed by a Martin steal and subsequent free throws. He was on his way, joining swingman John Salmons on his consistent outing. Salmons hit 10 of 17 for a season-high 20 points. He had four rebounds and four assists.
Despite the loss -- the Kings' second in two tries against San Antonio this season -- Salmons said the comeback was not without value.
"I'm not saying this is a moral victory, but we were coming off of a back-to-back, with a good team waiting for us," he said. "I'll take a loss like that. I think it shows a lot of character, shows that guys played with a lot of pride and heart."
It was a category belonging to Bowen, who balanced his rare off-night defensively by burying the Kings with his long-range game as he hit 6 of 9 three-pointers and San Antonio hit 11 of 22 threes overall.
"That was the toughest 30 (points) I've ever had," Martin said of Bowen, who guarded him. "He's a tough defender. And he did it on the other end, too."
The Kings managed to hold Duncan to 18 points, though he had 11 rebounds and had six assists. It was an improvement from their last meeting, (35 points, 14 rebounds) in a Nov. 19 road win at Arco Arena. Despite the win, a frustrated Spurs coach Gregg Popovich made only a brief statement afterward and didn't field questions.
"Sacramento did a great job," he said. "They had to play a back to back, and they got beat to death last night. They were down as much as 28 and ended up losing by 17 or 19 and they had to come here and play us and played the game they did. I thought our performance was pathetic."
About the writer: The Bee's Sam Amick can be reached at samick@sacbee.com.
Just not enough for a victory
The Spurs' Tim Duncan makes sure the Kings' rally comes up short.
By Sam Amick - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PST Sunday, December 3, 2006
Story appeared in SPORTS section, Page C1
He already had done it once.
Tim Duncan -- a.k.a. "The Big Fundamental" -- broke a cardinal basketball rule and was whistled for traveling with 1:47 left in the game Saturday night at the AT&T Center, the Kings turning his gaffe into a short Brad Miller jumper and their first second-half lead courtesy of the San Antonio forward's mistake.
Then the big man drove again, lost the ball near the free-throw line and looked primed for another turnover that would have made the reality of a Kings comeback from 17 points down seem tangible. Until he found it again. And until Duncan found Bruce Bowen again, sitting in the left corner for his sixth three-pointer that put the Spurs back on top and led to their 100-98 victory.
"I just lost it trying to drive by Brad Miller," Duncan said. "It took a bounce, and it wasn't there when I looked around. Luckily, I was able to pick it up. Those guys were lunging at the steal, and I stepped through and Bruce was wide open."
A night after the Kings were outhustled, outmanned and outcoached in their 19-point loss to Dallas, they left San Antonio without a win but with no shortage of will. Their near-upset came without small forward Ron Artest, who was expected to start until his lingering back injury flared up again hours before tipoff.
It came on the tail end of a back-to-back set, with the Spurs having had two days off to prepare and with plenty of motivation as they'd lost three of their four previous games.
But down 76-59 with 3:28 left in the third quarter, the Kings found their way back with a familiar face that had gone temporarily missing. Shooting guard Kevin Martin, coming off a combined 15 points and average of just 21.5 minutes in the last two games, scored 25 of his game-high 30 points in the second half and was back to his efficient self with 9-of-15 shooting from the field. And he did it against Bowen, who is widely known as one of the league's preeminent perimeter defenders, as the Kings used a 20-4 run spanning the third and fourth quarters to pull within a point.
Martin's game finally got going with a layup, then a fastbreak layup, followed by a Martin steal and subsequent free throws. He was on his way, joining swingman John Salmons on his consistent outing. Salmons hit 10 of 17 for a season-high 20 points. He had four rebounds and four assists.
Despite the loss -- the Kings' second in two tries against San Antonio this season -- Salmons said the comeback was not without value.
"I'm not saying this is a moral victory, but we were coming off of a back-to-back, with a good team waiting for us," he said. "I'll take a loss like that. I think it shows a lot of character, shows that guys played with a lot of pride and heart."
It was a category belonging to Bowen, who balanced his rare off-night defensively by burying the Kings with his long-range game as he hit 6 of 9 three-pointers and San Antonio hit 11 of 22 threes overall.
"That was the toughest 30 (points) I've ever had," Martin said of Bowen, who guarded him. "He's a tough defender. And he did it on the other end, too."
The Kings managed to hold Duncan to 18 points, though he had 11 rebounds and had six assists. It was an improvement from their last meeting, (35 points, 14 rebounds) in a Nov. 19 road win at Arco Arena. Despite the win, a frustrated Spurs coach Gregg Popovich made only a brief statement afterward and didn't field questions.
"Sacramento did a great job," he said. "They had to play a back to back, and they got beat to death last night. They were down as much as 28 and ended up losing by 17 or 19 and they had to come here and play us and played the game they did. I thought our performance was pathetic."
About the writer: The Bee's Sam Amick can be reached at samick@sacbee.com.
