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http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/11431694p-12345920c.html
They go two for two
Brad Miller leads the Kings with 26 points as they win the second game of a back-to-back set.
Alternate headline:
Welcome to Miller time!
The Kings center converts 7 of 8 from the field and has a team-high 26 points
By Martin McNeal - bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Monday, November 15, 2004
It was hard to tell which team was playing on the second night of a back-to-back.
That didn't bode well for the quality of play, which was ragged much of this Sunday evening.
However, the Kings, who were playing for the second consecutive night, hardly cared. They made the most of their opportunities and a wounded Denver team to grab a 101-89 victory before a sellout crowd of 17,317 at Arco Arena.
Sacramento (3-4) has won two straight for the first time this season and had a nice start, no matter how ugly, to its five-game homestand. Overall, the Kings have won 16 straight home games against the Nuggets, who have not won at Arco since Jan. 7, 1997. And rarely have the Nuggets come close. They've lost by an average of 15.1 points per game.
For the second straight game, the Kings had three players score 20 points or more. They were led by center Brad Miller, who scored a season-high 26 points, tied Chris Webber for game-high rebounding honors with nine and added four assists in 34 minutes.
Miller made 7 of 8 field-goal attempts, including both of his three-point tries, as well as 10 of 11 free-throw attempts. The two made three-pointers tied a career high for Miller.
"I guess Brad is going to insist we put in some plays for his three-point shot," Kings coach Rick Adelman said, as if he already doesn't have a couple of those options in his playbook.
Miller received plenty of help in the scoring department from Peja Stojakovic, who battled Denver scorer Carmelo Anthony all night. Stojakovic scored 22 points and shot well all evening. The All-Star small forward made 8 of 17 from the field, including 4 of 8 from long distance, as well as his two free-throw attempts.
Adelman says he knew Stojakovic couldn't shoot as poorly as he had before breaking out Saturday night with 23 points in the Kings' road win against Phoenix. Stojakovic made 8 of 15 three-point attempts in the two-game set this weekend.
Third on the scoring list was Mike Bibby, who had 20 points and helped get the team off to an early lead with 10 of those coming in the first quarter when Sacramento scored only 22. That was huge, considering the Kings made just 7 of 22 field-goal attempts and Denver made just 6 of 23 and scored only 15 points.
Adelman said Denver was primed to be beaten early because it didn't show its normal spunk. Certainly, the Nuggets (2-5) lacked size and athleticism because center Marcus Camby and Nene were out with strained left hamstrings. Those absences also forced Jeff Bzdelik's approach, and he often was left with smaller players guarding much bigger players.
Whether it was because of switches or just matchups, 6-foot-3 Greg Buckner was caught on the 7-foot Miller, 6-7 Bryon Russell was defending 6-10 Chris Webber, and 6-3 Andre Miller had to defend the 6-10 Stojakovic.
However, Sacramento will be one of the last teams to sympathize with a team beset by injuries, with Doug Christie and Greg Ostertag still feeling their way after rehabilitating injuries during the preseason.
Christie, however, said he did not think about the painful plantar fasciitis that bothered him last season and again this September.
"Both of those guys still have a long way to go," Adelman said. "But I think the most important thing on this homestand is gain a rhythm and flow and learn what it is we have to do to win."
Miller, as usual, has a different perspective on back-to-back sets. "I like playing the second game of back-to-backs because whatever you did wrong the night before," he said, "you have a chance to work on and improve it."
They go two for two
Brad Miller leads the Kings with 26 points as they win the second game of a back-to-back set.
Alternate headline:
Welcome to Miller time!
The Kings center converts 7 of 8 from the field and has a team-high 26 points
By Martin McNeal - bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Monday, November 15, 2004
It was hard to tell which team was playing on the second night of a back-to-back.
That didn't bode well for the quality of play, which was ragged much of this Sunday evening.
However, the Kings, who were playing for the second consecutive night, hardly cared. They made the most of their opportunities and a wounded Denver team to grab a 101-89 victory before a sellout crowd of 17,317 at Arco Arena.
Sacramento (3-4) has won two straight for the first time this season and had a nice start, no matter how ugly, to its five-game homestand. Overall, the Kings have won 16 straight home games against the Nuggets, who have not won at Arco since Jan. 7, 1997. And rarely have the Nuggets come close. They've lost by an average of 15.1 points per game.
For the second straight game, the Kings had three players score 20 points or more. They were led by center Brad Miller, who scored a season-high 26 points, tied Chris Webber for game-high rebounding honors with nine and added four assists in 34 minutes.
Miller made 7 of 8 field-goal attempts, including both of his three-point tries, as well as 10 of 11 free-throw attempts. The two made three-pointers tied a career high for Miller.
"I guess Brad is going to insist we put in some plays for his three-point shot," Kings coach Rick Adelman said, as if he already doesn't have a couple of those options in his playbook.
Miller received plenty of help in the scoring department from Peja Stojakovic, who battled Denver scorer Carmelo Anthony all night. Stojakovic scored 22 points and shot well all evening. The All-Star small forward made 8 of 17 from the field, including 4 of 8 from long distance, as well as his two free-throw attempts.
Adelman says he knew Stojakovic couldn't shoot as poorly as he had before breaking out Saturday night with 23 points in the Kings' road win against Phoenix. Stojakovic made 8 of 15 three-point attempts in the two-game set this weekend.
Third on the scoring list was Mike Bibby, who had 20 points and helped get the team off to an early lead with 10 of those coming in the first quarter when Sacramento scored only 22. That was huge, considering the Kings made just 7 of 22 field-goal attempts and Denver made just 6 of 23 and scored only 15 points.
Adelman said Denver was primed to be beaten early because it didn't show its normal spunk. Certainly, the Nuggets (2-5) lacked size and athleticism because center Marcus Camby and Nene were out with strained left hamstrings. Those absences also forced Jeff Bzdelik's approach, and he often was left with smaller players guarding much bigger players.
Whether it was because of switches or just matchups, 6-foot-3 Greg Buckner was caught on the 7-foot Miller, 6-7 Bryon Russell was defending 6-10 Chris Webber, and 6-3 Andre Miller had to defend the 6-10 Stojakovic.
However, Sacramento will be one of the last teams to sympathize with a team beset by injuries, with Doug Christie and Greg Ostertag still feeling their way after rehabilitating injuries during the preseason.
Christie, however, said he did not think about the painful plantar fasciitis that bothered him last season and again this September.
"Both of those guys still have a long way to go," Adelman said. "But I think the most important thing on this homestand is gain a rhythm and flow and learn what it is we have to do to win."
Miller, as usual, has a different perspective on back-to-back sets. "I like playing the second game of back-to-backs because whatever you did wrong the night before," he said, "you have a chance to work on and improve it."
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