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http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/12433749p-13290011c.html
Flat Kings topple NBA's worst team
By Martin McNeal -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Wednesday, February 23, 2005
There is the struggling the Kings have recently experienced.
Then there is the struggling of the Atlanta Hawks, who had lost 15 straight road games entering Tuesday night's post-All-Star Game matchup at Arco Arena.
However the varying degrees of struggles, they aren't likely to disappear in one outing. And the Kings continued to battle themselves before posting a 114-104 victory.
When the tally sheet shows seven losses in the past 10 games, as did Sacramento's, a victory over the Hawks or any other team that counts in the standings represents a big deal. That's before the concept is broached of a six-game, 11-day road trip through Dallas, Philadelphia, Washington, Charlotte, Orlando and Miami.
"This was a big game for us before we go on this trip after the way we finished before the All-Star Game," Kings coach Rick Adelman said.
Adelman didn't have small forward Peja Stojakovic, who missed his third straight game with a strained hamstring and likely will not play Thursday night when the season's longest road trip begins at Dallas.
On this night, Matt Barnes stepped in for Stojakovic and contributed 10 points and 10 rebounds for his first double double of the season. Barnes' rebounds tied his career high.
The other pieces of the Kings' machine moved smoothly, with Chris Webber leading all scorers with 30 points and contributing seven assists. Brad Miller had 16 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists and two blocked shots, and Mike Bibby had 23 points and six rebounds. Cuttino Mobley didn't have an assist but made 9 of 15 shots, quite often at timely occurrences, and had 20 points.
The Kings (34-20) had good shots all night against the Hawks (an NBA-worst 10-42), led by Al Harrington, who came off the injured list to score 25 points. Veteran Antoine Walker had 23 points, nine rebounds, six assists and a game-high seven turnovers, and newly crowned dunk champion Josh Smith scored a career-high 19 points, grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds and blocked a game-high four shots.
Sacramento led 33-19 after one quarter and held a double-digit lead throughout much of the first three periods. But because the Kings' defense regressed into the leaky ship it has been, Sacramento never could deliver the knockout blow. Before the Kings knew it, Harrington and Smith had led a charge that put the Hawks within 80-76 with 1:34 left in the third.
But the Kings came away with four points on the next trip down the floor. A defensive three-second technical foul against Atlanta gave Webber a free throw, and Bibby hit a three-pointer from the right corner for an 84-76 lead after Barnes and Darius Songaila (10 points, five rebounds) grabbed offensive rebounds.
The Kings' lead expanded to a game-high 100-85 margin with 8:31, but the Hawks didn't wilt. Atlanta took advantage of what Adelman said was a lack of activity at the defensive end and was within 101-96 with 5:14 remaining. Bibby, though, hit another three-pointer from the right corner on a feed from Webber. The ball hit the rim and bounced above the top of the square before settling into the net.
"That three that Bibby made bounced up and down, (with us) down five at right about (five) minutes left in the game, killed us," Walker said.
Former Kings player Mike Woodson, now coaching the Hawks, sounded like the current Kings coach has recently. "In the first half, of the points they scored, 26 of them were on layups," Woodson said. "And that just takes the heart out of your defense."
Flat Kings topple NBA's worst team
By Martin McNeal -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Wednesday, February 23, 2005
There is the struggling the Kings have recently experienced.
Then there is the struggling of the Atlanta Hawks, who had lost 15 straight road games entering Tuesday night's post-All-Star Game matchup at Arco Arena.
However the varying degrees of struggles, they aren't likely to disappear in one outing. And the Kings continued to battle themselves before posting a 114-104 victory.
When the tally sheet shows seven losses in the past 10 games, as did Sacramento's, a victory over the Hawks or any other team that counts in the standings represents a big deal. That's before the concept is broached of a six-game, 11-day road trip through Dallas, Philadelphia, Washington, Charlotte, Orlando and Miami.
"This was a big game for us before we go on this trip after the way we finished before the All-Star Game," Kings coach Rick Adelman said.
Adelman didn't have small forward Peja Stojakovic, who missed his third straight game with a strained hamstring and likely will not play Thursday night when the season's longest road trip begins at Dallas.
On this night, Matt Barnes stepped in for Stojakovic and contributed 10 points and 10 rebounds for his first double double of the season. Barnes' rebounds tied his career high.
The other pieces of the Kings' machine moved smoothly, with Chris Webber leading all scorers with 30 points and contributing seven assists. Brad Miller had 16 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists and two blocked shots, and Mike Bibby had 23 points and six rebounds. Cuttino Mobley didn't have an assist but made 9 of 15 shots, quite often at timely occurrences, and had 20 points.
The Kings (34-20) had good shots all night against the Hawks (an NBA-worst 10-42), led by Al Harrington, who came off the injured list to score 25 points. Veteran Antoine Walker had 23 points, nine rebounds, six assists and a game-high seven turnovers, and newly crowned dunk champion Josh Smith scored a career-high 19 points, grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds and blocked a game-high four shots.
Sacramento led 33-19 after one quarter and held a double-digit lead throughout much of the first three periods. But because the Kings' defense regressed into the leaky ship it has been, Sacramento never could deliver the knockout blow. Before the Kings knew it, Harrington and Smith had led a charge that put the Hawks within 80-76 with 1:34 left in the third.
But the Kings came away with four points on the next trip down the floor. A defensive three-second technical foul against Atlanta gave Webber a free throw, and Bibby hit a three-pointer from the right corner for an 84-76 lead after Barnes and Darius Songaila (10 points, five rebounds) grabbed offensive rebounds.
The Kings' lead expanded to a game-high 100-85 margin with 8:31, but the Hawks didn't wilt. Atlanta took advantage of what Adelman said was a lack of activity at the defensive end and was within 101-96 with 5:14 remaining. Bibby, though, hit another three-pointer from the right corner on a feed from Webber. The ball hit the rim and bounced above the top of the square before settling into the net.
"That three that Bibby made bounced up and down, (with us) down five at right about (five) minutes left in the game, killed us," Walker said.
Former Kings player Mike Woodson, now coaching the Hawks, sounded like the current Kings coach has recently. "In the first half, of the points they scored, 26 of them were on layups," Woodson said. "And that just takes the heart out of your defense."