http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/14235257p-15056597c.html
Kings grind out this one
Mike Bibby scores 24 points, and Bonzi Wells has 23 in his first start since Feb. 3.
By Sam Amick -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Sunday, March 26, 2006
SALT LAKE CITY - Among the varied emotions in the Kings' locker room lately, optimism has not been the reigning force.
As they lost three of four games and fell back into the danger zone of the playoff race, there was plenty of hopefulness to go around, but it seemed the rose-colored glasses that they wore in the early days of the Ron Artest era were gone.
So it is, for the Kings' sake, a good sign that Brad Miller had the positive-spin approach to the Kings' 91-89 win over Utah on Saturday night.
"That's how playoff games tend to be - a little bit ugly and a grind-it-out type atmosphere," Miller said. "That's what it's going to be."
Because getting there, Miller implied, is a given.
Amid the unsightliness of a 21-turnover and 20-for-36 free-throw performance by the Jazz, of a 2-for-12 shooting night for Artest and a blown 13-point first-quarter Kings lead, Miller and his mates walked away from the Delta Center breathing easier about their eighth-place position in the Western Conference.
There remains a cushion beneath their precious spot, with the Jazz now three games behind in 10th place and struggling New Orleans in between. Still far from being awarded a playoff berth, the Kings had a lengthy list of thank yous nonetheless.
With shooting guard Kevin Martin sitting out with a thigh bruise, Bonzi Wells started for the first time since the Kings gave one away in this building on Feb. 3. There was no repeat of the 0-for-20 fourth-quarter nightmare, just a 7-for-17 effort in the fourth with no shot bigger than Wells' last. His three-pointer from the right side with 1:37 left put the Kings up 88-85, with Wells capping a 23-point, eight-rebound, five-steal night.
That the Kings held the lead was also thanks to Mehmet Okur, the Jazz center who lost the ball in the lane with 51 seconds left. Bibby picked it up on the run, and Okur caught up just in time to goaltend Brad Miller's layup and put the Kings up 90-87.
Jazz forward Carlos Boozer, who was otherwise marvelous with 19 points and 16 rebounds, missed Utah's final two free throws with 38 seconds left.
Finally, Bibby - playing with a right shin so sore he wore protective legging - hit 1 of 2 free throws with a second left for the winning margin, and Matt Harpring misfired on an 18-footer at the buzzer.
"I think we deserved it," said Bibby, who had a game-high 24 points on 6-of-15 shooting with eight assists and four steals. "We played hard."
Whether they deserved it could be argued. Nor does it matter.
The Jazz - which wasted the second career triple double for Andrei Kirilenko (15 points, 14 rebounds, career-high 10 blocks) - has six of its final 13 games at home. It is 17-18 at home and 15-19 on the road, and only six of its games come against teams with winning records. The Kings - who will face seven winning teams - play six of their final 12 home games at home, where they are 23-11. After breaking a three-game road losing streak, they are 12-23 on the road.
"It's a huge win for us," Kings coach Rick Adelman said. "Any road win we can get right now is really huge for us."
For the first time since the Artest reunion in Indianapolis on March 17, the Kings led after the first quarter. They were up on the Jazz by 13 points just nine minutes in, when Utah hit three of its first 16 shots and Bibby was on his way to scoring 14 first-quarter points. But the Jazz started the second quarter on an 18-8 run, tying the score 37-37. The Kings' 47-46 lead at halftime was pure charity, as the Jazz already had missed 12 free throws.
"It's unexplainable tonight," Jazz point guard Deron Williams said. "Sixteen missed free throws. Two-point ballgame. It's frustrating, but that's what happened tonight."
No matter how you look at it.
About the writer: The Bee's Sam Amick can be reached at (916) 326-5582 or samick@sacbee.com.
Kings grind out this one
Mike Bibby scores 24 points, and Bonzi Wells has 23 in his first start since Feb. 3.
By Sam Amick -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Sunday, March 26, 2006
SALT LAKE CITY - Among the varied emotions in the Kings' locker room lately, optimism has not been the reigning force.
As they lost three of four games and fell back into the danger zone of the playoff race, there was plenty of hopefulness to go around, but it seemed the rose-colored glasses that they wore in the early days of the Ron Artest era were gone.
So it is, for the Kings' sake, a good sign that Brad Miller had the positive-spin approach to the Kings' 91-89 win over Utah on Saturday night.
"That's how playoff games tend to be - a little bit ugly and a grind-it-out type atmosphere," Miller said. "That's what it's going to be."
Because getting there, Miller implied, is a given.
Amid the unsightliness of a 21-turnover and 20-for-36 free-throw performance by the Jazz, of a 2-for-12 shooting night for Artest and a blown 13-point first-quarter Kings lead, Miller and his mates walked away from the Delta Center breathing easier about their eighth-place position in the Western Conference.
There remains a cushion beneath their precious spot, with the Jazz now three games behind in 10th place and struggling New Orleans in between. Still far from being awarded a playoff berth, the Kings had a lengthy list of thank yous nonetheless.
With shooting guard Kevin Martin sitting out with a thigh bruise, Bonzi Wells started for the first time since the Kings gave one away in this building on Feb. 3. There was no repeat of the 0-for-20 fourth-quarter nightmare, just a 7-for-17 effort in the fourth with no shot bigger than Wells' last. His three-pointer from the right side with 1:37 left put the Kings up 88-85, with Wells capping a 23-point, eight-rebound, five-steal night.
That the Kings held the lead was also thanks to Mehmet Okur, the Jazz center who lost the ball in the lane with 51 seconds left. Bibby picked it up on the run, and Okur caught up just in time to goaltend Brad Miller's layup and put the Kings up 90-87.
Jazz forward Carlos Boozer, who was otherwise marvelous with 19 points and 16 rebounds, missed Utah's final two free throws with 38 seconds left.
Finally, Bibby - playing with a right shin so sore he wore protective legging - hit 1 of 2 free throws with a second left for the winning margin, and Matt Harpring misfired on an 18-footer at the buzzer.
"I think we deserved it," said Bibby, who had a game-high 24 points on 6-of-15 shooting with eight assists and four steals. "We played hard."
Whether they deserved it could be argued. Nor does it matter.
The Jazz - which wasted the second career triple double for Andrei Kirilenko (15 points, 14 rebounds, career-high 10 blocks) - has six of its final 13 games at home. It is 17-18 at home and 15-19 on the road, and only six of its games come against teams with winning records. The Kings - who will face seven winning teams - play six of their final 12 home games at home, where they are 23-11. After breaking a three-game road losing streak, they are 12-23 on the road.
"It's a huge win for us," Kings coach Rick Adelman said. "Any road win we can get right now is really huge for us."
For the first time since the Artest reunion in Indianapolis on March 17, the Kings led after the first quarter. They were up on the Jazz by 13 points just nine minutes in, when Utah hit three of its first 16 shots and Bibby was on his way to scoring 14 first-quarter points. But the Jazz started the second quarter on an 18-8 run, tying the score 37-37. The Kings' 47-46 lead at halftime was pure charity, as the Jazz already had missed 12 free throws.
"It's unexplainable tonight," Jazz point guard Deron Williams said. "Sixteen missed free throws. Two-point ballgame. It's frustrating, but that's what happened tonight."
No matter how you look at it.
About the writer: The Bee's Sam Amick can be reached at (916) 326-5582 or samick@sacbee.com.
