Kings nail Suns in the solar plexus
Abdur-Rahim delivers late; Stojakovic scorches nets
http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/13826695p-14667474c.html
By Sam Amick
Brian Grant.
Of all people, the long-haired, role-playing Phoenix Suns forward had the ball when it mattered.
Not Steve Nash or Jim Jackson or Eddie House, all shooters who could have buried a shot and the Kings with a loss that would have marked their second straight 0-3 start and incremental worry back in Sacramento. The Kings, defending like a team starved for success on an inbound pass with less than a second remaining, wouldn't let the Phoenix Suns who mattered have the ball.
So it was Grant chucking up an errant 16-footer and the Kings surviving 118-117 Sunday night, when the winners bounded through the visitors' tunnel like schoolboys at recess and removed a gorilla much larger than the Suns' mascot from their back.
The details of the finish were fuzzy in one locker room and clear in the other, with controversy surrounding a blocking call on Suns forward Kurt Thomas that put Shareef Abdur-Rahim at the free-throw line with 13 seconds left. Thomas, who had blocked Abdur-Rahim on a soaring dunk attempt in his first try, said he didn't foul him on his second attempt.
Nonetheless, Abdur-Rahim - seeking redemption after missing two free throws a minute before - sank both, giving the Kings the lead back after they had blown a 13-point fourth-quarter advantage. Abdur-Rahim more than made up for his failures, scoring the Kings' last eight points in the final 1:16 when a scorching Peja Stojakovic had cooled. Abdur-Rahim also altered Boris Diaw's last-second layup attempt that went out of bounds.
"I'm thankful they called it, very happy they called the foul," said Abdur-Rahim, who had 23 points and 12 rebounds. "I'm thankful I made those free throws. I'm thankful we won the game. We were scrapping, trying to scrap the win out."
More than stopping the Suns, the Kings wouldn't let this soul-searching snowball get any bigger. And it began with the discovery of Stojakovic, who found himself in a way even he hadn't in his seven previous seasons. The Kings' small forward shot into a basket meant for the 20-foot basketball in front of America West Arena, scoring 23 of his 33 points in a third quarter that deserves an episode on ESPN Classic.
Stojakovic shot only 37 percent in the preseason and hit just eight of his first 27 regular-season attempts. But in the third quarter, he made 9 of 10 shots, including four three-pointers. His 23-point quarter was two shy of Mitch Richmond's Sacramento-era Kings record, set at Houston on Dec. 15, 1995.
It was an adrenaline shot to a Kings offense that entered the game last in the league and had yet to break 90 points. With Stojakovic's streak, the Kings turned a 60-55 halftime deficit into a 94-86 lead entering the fourth quarter.
"When you feel hot, you want the ball and your teammates are looking for you," Stojakovic said. "In that third quarter, both things happened. I was in a groove. That was probably the best quarter in my career as far as shooting."
The touch of Kings point guard Mike Bibby also arrived. He scored 19 points on 9-for-20 shooting, looking for his shot but also driving aggressively. Kings center Brad Miller just missed a triple double, with 17 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. The Kings shot 44.4 percent, converting 7 of 16 three-pointers.
"When they come into town and they haven't made a shot in six months, you can kind of see it coming," said Suns point guard Steve Nash, who had 18 points and 13 assists. "That's not going to last forever. ... Everyone scored for their starting five. We really didn't have an answer for them tonight."
On the scoreboard or on the boards. The Kings, who trailed by 10 points in the first half, stayed alive by way of the rebound. They had 46 to Phoenix's 36, including 20 on the offensive end.
Abdur-Rahim delivers late; Stojakovic scorches nets
http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/13826695p-14667474c.html
By Sam Amick
Brian Grant.
Of all people, the long-haired, role-playing Phoenix Suns forward had the ball when it mattered.
Not Steve Nash or Jim Jackson or Eddie House, all shooters who could have buried a shot and the Kings with a loss that would have marked their second straight 0-3 start and incremental worry back in Sacramento. The Kings, defending like a team starved for success on an inbound pass with less than a second remaining, wouldn't let the Phoenix Suns who mattered have the ball.
So it was Grant chucking up an errant 16-footer and the Kings surviving 118-117 Sunday night, when the winners bounded through the visitors' tunnel like schoolboys at recess and removed a gorilla much larger than the Suns' mascot from their back.
The details of the finish were fuzzy in one locker room and clear in the other, with controversy surrounding a blocking call on Suns forward Kurt Thomas that put Shareef Abdur-Rahim at the free-throw line with 13 seconds left. Thomas, who had blocked Abdur-Rahim on a soaring dunk attempt in his first try, said he didn't foul him on his second attempt.
Nonetheless, Abdur-Rahim - seeking redemption after missing two free throws a minute before - sank both, giving the Kings the lead back after they had blown a 13-point fourth-quarter advantage. Abdur-Rahim more than made up for his failures, scoring the Kings' last eight points in the final 1:16 when a scorching Peja Stojakovic had cooled. Abdur-Rahim also altered Boris Diaw's last-second layup attempt that went out of bounds.
"I'm thankful they called it, very happy they called the foul," said Abdur-Rahim, who had 23 points and 12 rebounds. "I'm thankful I made those free throws. I'm thankful we won the game. We were scrapping, trying to scrap the win out."
More than stopping the Suns, the Kings wouldn't let this soul-searching snowball get any bigger. And it began with the discovery of Stojakovic, who found himself in a way even he hadn't in his seven previous seasons. The Kings' small forward shot into a basket meant for the 20-foot basketball in front of America West Arena, scoring 23 of his 33 points in a third quarter that deserves an episode on ESPN Classic.
Stojakovic shot only 37 percent in the preseason and hit just eight of his first 27 regular-season attempts. But in the third quarter, he made 9 of 10 shots, including four three-pointers. His 23-point quarter was two shy of Mitch Richmond's Sacramento-era Kings record, set at Houston on Dec. 15, 1995.
It was an adrenaline shot to a Kings offense that entered the game last in the league and had yet to break 90 points. With Stojakovic's streak, the Kings turned a 60-55 halftime deficit into a 94-86 lead entering the fourth quarter.
"When you feel hot, you want the ball and your teammates are looking for you," Stojakovic said. "In that third quarter, both things happened. I was in a groove. That was probably the best quarter in my career as far as shooting."
The touch of Kings point guard Mike Bibby also arrived. He scored 19 points on 9-for-20 shooting, looking for his shot but also driving aggressively. Kings center Brad Miller just missed a triple double, with 17 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. The Kings shot 44.4 percent, converting 7 of 16 three-pointers.
"When they come into town and they haven't made a shot in six months, you can kind of see it coming," said Suns point guard Steve Nash, who had 18 points and 13 assists. "That's not going to last forever. ... Everyone scored for their starting five. We really didn't have an answer for them tonight."
On the scoreboard or on the boards. The Kings, who trailed by 10 points in the first half, stayed alive by way of the rebound. They had 46 to Phoenix's 36, including 20 on the offensive end.
