Hot Kings shoot past Hornets
Sixth-man Jackson provides lift as Sacramento fights off N.O.
Thursday, December 02, 2004 By Benjamin Hochman
It's true the Sacramento Kings don't have a deep bench. But when their sixth man steps onto the court with smoke wafting off his shooting hand, it really doesn't even matter if the seven through 12 players are the Backstreet Boys.
In 27 minutes of play, Bobby Jackson torched New Orleans (1-13) in Sacramento's 94-81 victory. The guard scored 19 points on 6-of-9 shooting in addition to five rebounds and three assists. But it was his timing that was most painful to the 12,133 in attendance at New Orleans Arena.
With the Hornets up 23-21 entering the second quarter, Jackson put the finishing touches on a deflating 19-0 run. He scored the final seven of the run, including two 3-pointers. He finished the quarter with 11 points. So did the Hornets.
Then in the fourth quarter, New Orleans cut the Kings' lead to 74-76 with 9:29 left the first single-digit Sacramento lead since 8:45 remained in the second quarter. But guess who was looming around the perimeter for Sacramento? Jackson sank consecutive 3-pointers, and Peja Stojakovic hit a 3-pointer with the assist from Jackson -- and Sacramento (10-5), up 16, was on its way to its second road victory in two nights.
"Bobby Jackson would be a starter for most teams in this league," said Hornets coach Byron Scott, whose team is 0-7 at home. "He's a guy I truly believe is the heart and soul of that team. . . . He's a pit bull out there. Tonight, he threw some daggers, especially when we were making a run."
The Hornets, back home after a 1-4 road trip, looked out of sync for much of the game, scoring in spurts and defending on occasion. Without injured All-Stars Baron Davis and Jamaal Magloire, they shot 38.5 percent. The Kings shot 48.6 percent.
"We're not hitting, they were hitting, that's kind of a bad combination," said Hornets reserve guard Junior Harrington, who scored 15 points in 24 minutes. "It's tough to come back from that."
Guard David Wesley led New Orleans with 18 points; backcourt mate Darrell Armstrong scored four, while shooting 2-for-12 from the field. Although the Hornets outrebounded the Kings 45-42, and had 21 offensive rebounds to Sacramento's 11, they couldn't make a 3-pointer and couldn't get to the free-throw line.
The Hornets were 1-for-13 from beyond the arc giving them 14 in the past six games, while opponents have made 39. And though the Kings made 20 of 23 free-throw attempts, the Hornets went to the line only seven times, making six.
"We settled for a lot of jump shots and didn't get anything going to the hole," Hornets forward/center P.J. Brown said. "A couple of times we had guys who did go to the hole and could have went to the line, but referees, when you're in a position that we're in, and our record is what it is, you're not going to get a lot of respect from them. . . . You've got to force the referee to make a call, because they're not going to give you the benefit of the doubt."
Before the game, Scott said he knew the secret to the Kings' success effective passing and sharp shooting. But once the game began, the Hornets had little success thwarting the Kings' offense. Big men Brad Miller and Chris Webber consistently drained jumpers, combining for 36 points on 16-for-23 shooting. And when it comes to jump-shooting, few in the league are as potent as Stojakovic. Ironically, he struggled to get consistent, shooting 6-for-15 from the field, 3-for-10 for 3-pointers, but he made clutch shots, scoring 13 of his 20 in the second half.
But it was the Kings' second quarter, compliments of Jackson, which buried New Orleans 24 minutes before it was official. Sacramento shot a blistering 61.1, percent the Hornets shot 22.7 and it wasn't until 5:16 was left in the second when Wesley made the Hornets' first shot of that quarter. New Orleans would make only four more shots before the Kings went to the locker room up 48-34.
The final play of the half was the epitome of the Hornets frustration. Brown grabbed an offensive rebound and got the ball to Armstrong. The guard drove to the hoop and missed a layup, but Brown got good position and grabbed the basketball off the rim with one hand. But his slam-dunk attempt rattled in and out.
Sixth-man Jackson provides lift as Sacramento fights off N.O.
Thursday, December 02, 2004 By Benjamin Hochman
It's true the Sacramento Kings don't have a deep bench. But when their sixth man steps onto the court with smoke wafting off his shooting hand, it really doesn't even matter if the seven through 12 players are the Backstreet Boys.
In 27 minutes of play, Bobby Jackson torched New Orleans (1-13) in Sacramento's 94-81 victory. The guard scored 19 points on 6-of-9 shooting in addition to five rebounds and three assists. But it was his timing that was most painful to the 12,133 in attendance at New Orleans Arena.
With the Hornets up 23-21 entering the second quarter, Jackson put the finishing touches on a deflating 19-0 run. He scored the final seven of the run, including two 3-pointers. He finished the quarter with 11 points. So did the Hornets.
Then in the fourth quarter, New Orleans cut the Kings' lead to 74-76 with 9:29 left the first single-digit Sacramento lead since 8:45 remained in the second quarter. But guess who was looming around the perimeter for Sacramento? Jackson sank consecutive 3-pointers, and Peja Stojakovic hit a 3-pointer with the assist from Jackson -- and Sacramento (10-5), up 16, was on its way to its second road victory in two nights.
"Bobby Jackson would be a starter for most teams in this league," said Hornets coach Byron Scott, whose team is 0-7 at home. "He's a guy I truly believe is the heart and soul of that team. . . . He's a pit bull out there. Tonight, he threw some daggers, especially when we were making a run."
The Hornets, back home after a 1-4 road trip, looked out of sync for much of the game, scoring in spurts and defending on occasion. Without injured All-Stars Baron Davis and Jamaal Magloire, they shot 38.5 percent. The Kings shot 48.6 percent.
"We're not hitting, they were hitting, that's kind of a bad combination," said Hornets reserve guard Junior Harrington, who scored 15 points in 24 minutes. "It's tough to come back from that."
Guard David Wesley led New Orleans with 18 points; backcourt mate Darrell Armstrong scored four, while shooting 2-for-12 from the field. Although the Hornets outrebounded the Kings 45-42, and had 21 offensive rebounds to Sacramento's 11, they couldn't make a 3-pointer and couldn't get to the free-throw line.
The Hornets were 1-for-13 from beyond the arc giving them 14 in the past six games, while opponents have made 39. And though the Kings made 20 of 23 free-throw attempts, the Hornets went to the line only seven times, making six.
"We settled for a lot of jump shots and didn't get anything going to the hole," Hornets forward/center P.J. Brown said. "A couple of times we had guys who did go to the hole and could have went to the line, but referees, when you're in a position that we're in, and our record is what it is, you're not going to get a lot of respect from them. . . . You've got to force the referee to make a call, because they're not going to give you the benefit of the doubt."
Before the game, Scott said he knew the secret to the Kings' success effective passing and sharp shooting. But once the game began, the Hornets had little success thwarting the Kings' offense. Big men Brad Miller and Chris Webber consistently drained jumpers, combining for 36 points on 16-for-23 shooting. And when it comes to jump-shooting, few in the league are as potent as Stojakovic. Ironically, he struggled to get consistent, shooting 6-for-15 from the field, 3-for-10 for 3-pointers, but he made clutch shots, scoring 13 of his 20 in the second half.
But it was the Kings' second quarter, compliments of Jackson, which buried New Orleans 24 minutes before it was official. Sacramento shot a blistering 61.1, percent the Hornets shot 22.7 and it wasn't until 5:16 was left in the second when Wesley made the Hornets' first shot of that quarter. New Orleans would make only four more shots before the Kings went to the locker room up 48-34.
The final play of the half was the epitome of the Hornets frustration. Brown grabbed an offensive rebound and got the ball to Armstrong. The guard drove to the hoop and missed a layup, but Brown got good position and grabbed the basketball off the rim with one hand. But his slam-dunk attempt rattled in and out.
