http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/story/13807202p-14648379c.html
By Sam Amick
Houston guard Rafer Alston was doing some casual scouting Tuesday night, watching the Kings-New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets game on television.
Like the rest of the viewing audience, he was shocked at what he saw, an overwhelming 26-point loss for a Kings team that is pegged as a playoff contender.
"I'm watching and thinking, Kings against Hornets - the Kings should get this one," Alston said before the Rockets beat the Kings 98-89 Wednesday night at the Toyota Center. "Then I see how the game's going, thinking, Wait a minute, this crowd could get into it. ... There was more energy from the Hornets. If you lose the hustle-energy game, you're in for a long night. That's what everybody was able to witness."
The Kings spent plenty of energy afterward lamenting the worst-case-scenario start to their season. Veteran forward Corliss Williamson, who couldn't provide much help in his five minutes of action, preached the short-term-memory approach, reminding his teammates what a coach told him long ago.
"You can celebrate or sulk until midnight, then you've got to move on," Williamson said.
Easier said than done.
"That one (Tuesday) night hurt," said guard Kevin Martin, who changed his socks from the night before out of superstition. "We just didn't want to start the season off that way. It was disappointing.
"We're much better than that, I assure you of that."
The aftermath - Good players go bad occasionally. But the three-part act gone awful involving Mike Bibby, Brad Miller and Bonzi Wells on Tuesday was semi-historic.
Bibby had scored in double figures in 46 consecutive games until Tuesday, when he had just eight. Wednesday, he struggled again, scoring five. Before this week, the last time Bibby had dipped into single-digit territory was Jan. 15, when he scored four points in 35 minutes against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Miller, on the other hand, has randomly disappeared in the past just as he did in Oklahoma City, where the center scored four points. Of the 52 games in which Miller played 30-plus minutes last season, he scored in single digits 11 times. Nonetheless, he finished with a career-high average of 15.6 points.
Wells, meanwhile, broke his trend by scoring just six points in nearly 28 minutes against the Hornets. Last season with Memphis, Wells reached double figures in all 21 games in which he played 27-plus minutes, averaging 17.2 points in those games.
By Sam Amick
Houston guard Rafer Alston was doing some casual scouting Tuesday night, watching the Kings-New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets game on television.
Like the rest of the viewing audience, he was shocked at what he saw, an overwhelming 26-point loss for a Kings team that is pegged as a playoff contender.
"I'm watching and thinking, Kings against Hornets - the Kings should get this one," Alston said before the Rockets beat the Kings 98-89 Wednesday night at the Toyota Center. "Then I see how the game's going, thinking, Wait a minute, this crowd could get into it. ... There was more energy from the Hornets. If you lose the hustle-energy game, you're in for a long night. That's what everybody was able to witness."
The Kings spent plenty of energy afterward lamenting the worst-case-scenario start to their season. Veteran forward Corliss Williamson, who couldn't provide much help in his five minutes of action, preached the short-term-memory approach, reminding his teammates what a coach told him long ago.
"You can celebrate or sulk until midnight, then you've got to move on," Williamson said.
Easier said than done.
"That one (Tuesday) night hurt," said guard Kevin Martin, who changed his socks from the night before out of superstition. "We just didn't want to start the season off that way. It was disappointing.
"We're much better than that, I assure you of that."
The aftermath - Good players go bad occasionally. But the three-part act gone awful involving Mike Bibby, Brad Miller and Bonzi Wells on Tuesday was semi-historic.
Bibby had scored in double figures in 46 consecutive games until Tuesday, when he had just eight. Wednesday, he struggled again, scoring five. Before this week, the last time Bibby had dipped into single-digit territory was Jan. 15, when he scored four points in 35 minutes against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Miller, on the other hand, has randomly disappeared in the past just as he did in Oklahoma City, where the center scored four points. Of the 52 games in which Miller played 30-plus minutes last season, he scored in single digits 11 times. Nonetheless, he finished with a career-high average of 15.6 points.
Wells, meanwhile, broke his trend by scoring just six points in nearly 28 minutes against the Hornets. Last season with Memphis, Wells reached double figures in all 21 games in which he played 27-plus minutes, averaging 17.2 points in those games.
