http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/14176106p-15003364c.html
Suns take the Kings to school
Point guard Steve Nash saves the day as a furious Sacramento comeback falls short in Phoenix.
By Sam Amick -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Saturday, February 11, 2006
PHOENIX - In a game that forward Ron Artest deemed a test to gauge the Kings' potential against a playoff-caliber opponent, they spent three quarters in the wrong classroom.
The sign on the door belonged to the Phoenix Suns, who jumped out early as only they can and entered the fourth quarter with a 17-point lead Friday night at US Airways Center.
By the time the bell rang, the Kings awoke from their nap in time to make it interesting, scribbling and scrambling their way back in with a 26-8 fourth-quarter run that erased most of the Suns' edge as they led 104-102 with 2:49 left.
But Steve Nash - the teacher's pet otherwise known as MVP - scored six of the Suns' final eight points as Phoenix closed on an 8-2 run to hold on 112-104.
"We didn't pass the test, but we studied," Artest said. "We'll pass it the next time."
Trouble is, final exams aren't too far off. Every loss is significant for the Kings, who have four teams between them and the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. And for the first time since joining the Kings, Artest looked fallible at precisely the wrong time.
Artest had three misses and a turnover after the Kings came within two points. He finished with 28 points, three steals and six assists. But he hit just 11 of 25 shots, including 1 of 5 three-pointers. Moral victories being long since meaningless, coach Rick Adelman was nonetheless proud.
"We played hard down the stretch to make it a two-point game," Adelman said. "Those other (Suns) were getting rattled, and Nash came back in and hit a big shot. He controlled the offensive end."
Imagine that. In the point-guard battle, Nash was the better man than Bibby, scoring 24 points and handing out 13 assists while Bibby scored just seven points on 2-of-9 shooting and had three assists. He didn't play the entire fourth quarter, as Adelman used Artest, Kevin Martin, Francisco García, Kenny Thomas, and Shareef Abdur-Rahim to bring the Kings back. Bibby's struggles were an unfortunate development for the Kings, who have won 15 of the 18 games in which he outscores Nash in head-to-head matchups.
It wasn't, however, Bibby's exclusive experience. In the last 10 games, Nash has accelerated his push for a second straight Maurice Podoloff Trophy. In that stretch, he has outscored his counterparts 209-87 and dished out 78 assists to their 41.
This wasn't the same Nash who came disguised as human Jan. 17, when the Kings handed the Suns a 29-point loss at Arco Arena that was the worst of their season - with 19 points to spare for the second-worst. Nash had just seven points and eight assists in that game.
"We had it down to two, and then Nash hit that jumper from about the free-throw line and it was a dagger," Martin said. "If (Nash) wasn't the type of player he is, he wouldn't have made that shot and we would've had another chance."
Martin, who had averaged 15 first-half points in the last five games, had just seven of his 18 before halftime, as the Kings saw a 12-point deficit after one quarter grow to 15 at the break.
The Kings' defensive surge came to a temporary halt, no surprise considering the foe. While they had allowed 100-plus points just once in their previous seven games and allowed 91 points or less five times, among those opponents, only Toronto and Denver boasted offenses ranked in the league's top 10. The Suns, meanwhile, entered as the league leaders, averaging 106.7 points per game. They were the first team since Artest's arrival to shoot 50-plus percent against the Kings, finishing at 51.3.
The Kings have lost eight of their last nine road games.
"We just didn't have enough," Adelman said. "We're so close, but we've got to win on the road. We just haven't been able to get over the hump."
About the writer: The Bee's Sam Amick can be reached at (916) 326-5582 or samick@sacbee.com.
Suns take the Kings to school
Point guard Steve Nash saves the day as a furious Sacramento comeback falls short in Phoenix.
By Sam Amick -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Saturday, February 11, 2006
PHOENIX - In a game that forward Ron Artest deemed a test to gauge the Kings' potential against a playoff-caliber opponent, they spent three quarters in the wrong classroom.
The sign on the door belonged to the Phoenix Suns, who jumped out early as only they can and entered the fourth quarter with a 17-point lead Friday night at US Airways Center.
By the time the bell rang, the Kings awoke from their nap in time to make it interesting, scribbling and scrambling their way back in with a 26-8 fourth-quarter run that erased most of the Suns' edge as they led 104-102 with 2:49 left.
But Steve Nash - the teacher's pet otherwise known as MVP - scored six of the Suns' final eight points as Phoenix closed on an 8-2 run to hold on 112-104.
"We didn't pass the test, but we studied," Artest said. "We'll pass it the next time."
Trouble is, final exams aren't too far off. Every loss is significant for the Kings, who have four teams between them and the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. And for the first time since joining the Kings, Artest looked fallible at precisely the wrong time.
Artest had three misses and a turnover after the Kings came within two points. He finished with 28 points, three steals and six assists. But he hit just 11 of 25 shots, including 1 of 5 three-pointers. Moral victories being long since meaningless, coach Rick Adelman was nonetheless proud.
"We played hard down the stretch to make it a two-point game," Adelman said. "Those other (Suns) were getting rattled, and Nash came back in and hit a big shot. He controlled the offensive end."
Imagine that. In the point-guard battle, Nash was the better man than Bibby, scoring 24 points and handing out 13 assists while Bibby scored just seven points on 2-of-9 shooting and had three assists. He didn't play the entire fourth quarter, as Adelman used Artest, Kevin Martin, Francisco García, Kenny Thomas, and Shareef Abdur-Rahim to bring the Kings back. Bibby's struggles were an unfortunate development for the Kings, who have won 15 of the 18 games in which he outscores Nash in head-to-head matchups.
It wasn't, however, Bibby's exclusive experience. In the last 10 games, Nash has accelerated his push for a second straight Maurice Podoloff Trophy. In that stretch, he has outscored his counterparts 209-87 and dished out 78 assists to their 41.
This wasn't the same Nash who came disguised as human Jan. 17, when the Kings handed the Suns a 29-point loss at Arco Arena that was the worst of their season - with 19 points to spare for the second-worst. Nash had just seven points and eight assists in that game.
"We had it down to two, and then Nash hit that jumper from about the free-throw line and it was a dagger," Martin said. "If (Nash) wasn't the type of player he is, he wouldn't have made that shot and we would've had another chance."
Martin, who had averaged 15 first-half points in the last five games, had just seven of his 18 before halftime, as the Kings saw a 12-point deficit after one quarter grow to 15 at the break.
The Kings' defensive surge came to a temporary halt, no surprise considering the foe. While they had allowed 100-plus points just once in their previous seven games and allowed 91 points or less five times, among those opponents, only Toronto and Denver boasted offenses ranked in the league's top 10. The Suns, meanwhile, entered as the league leaders, averaging 106.7 points per game. They were the first team since Artest's arrival to shoot 50-plus percent against the Kings, finishing at 51.3.
The Kings have lost eight of their last nine road games.
"We just didn't have enough," Adelman said. "We're so close, but we've got to win on the road. We just haven't been able to get over the hump."
About the writer: The Bee's Sam Amick can be reached at (916) 326-5582 or samick@sacbee.com.
