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http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/12631763p-13485608c.html
Kings collapse in Denver
Due to a lack of defense and intensity, Sacramento has a second half to forget.
By Martin McNeal -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Sunday, March 27, 2005
DENVER - The Kings just fell into line with the rest of the Denver Nuggets' opponents the past few weeks.
Sacramento was beaten down in the second half Saturday night and quietly left the Pepsi Center with a 113-99 loss.
In becoming the Nuggets' 14th victim in 15 games since the All-Star break, the Kings also fueled Denver's playoff push, which could swallow up Sacramento's spot in the Western Conference standings.
The Kings (43-28) fell into sixth place in the West, percentage points behind Houston (42-27). The Nuggets (38-30) sit in eighth place but are charging toward Memphis (39-29), Sacramento and Houston instead of keeping an eye on ninth-place Minnesota (36-34).
Denver never looked back in the second half Saturday, outscoring Sacramento 64-43. The Kings hit only 13 of 37 second-half shots (35.1 percent), including 1 of 8 from three-point range.
"They just outworked us in the second half," coach Rick Adelman said after the Kings fell to 17-18 on the road. "Really, we played hard and well for about 16 minutes of the game ... the last few minutes of the first quarter and the second quarter.
"Other than that, we did everything we talked about not letting them do. We were impatient offensively. We let them run out on us and allowed them to beat us to balls and opportunities."
Defensively, the game started in embarrassing fashion for the Kings, improved in the second quarter and returned to an ugly state in the second half.
Of Denver's 12 first-quarter baskets, 11 came on either layups or dunks. Still, Sacramento trailed only 29-28 entering the second quarter, when it jumped ahead.
Peja Stojakovic scored 10 of team-high 24 points in the second quarter, and the Kings received solid contributions from Darius Songaila, Greg Ostertag and Eddie House off the bench in taking a 56-49 halftime lead.
But the game turned in the third quarter and kept turning in the fourth, largely because of a Denver injury and a Sacramento nemesis.
Kenyon Martin had been troubled by a chest contusion the past few days and was ineffective in his 18 minutes Saturday. In the third quarter, he took a blow while defending Stojakovic and asked out of the game.
That turned out to be bad news for the Kings, because Eduardo Najera replaced Martin and immediately sparked the Nuggets.
As he has in the past against the Kings, Najera stood out because of his willingness to scrap and hustle. In the second half, he supplied 14 points and seven rebounds. He finished with 16 points, tying his season high, and grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds in 22 minutes.
"He was killing us in the third quarter or whenever it was," Kings forward Kenny Thomas said of Najera, whom Denver acquired from Golden State on Feb. 24. "He just comes in and does the dirty work. We didn't keep him off the boards."
The Kings didn't keep the rest of the Nuggets off the boards, either. Denver outrebounded Sacramento 25-11 in the second half despite Martin's subpar play and the absence of leading rebounder Marcus Camby (sprained right ankle).
Najera said he thought the Nuggets played with minimum intensity in the first half. "Because of that," Najera said, "I wanted to come in and give us a boost. I usually do it defensively, but (Saturday night) I contributed a lot on the offensive end."
Kings collapse in Denver
Due to a lack of defense and intensity, Sacramento has a second half to forget.
By Martin McNeal -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Sunday, March 27, 2005
DENVER - The Kings just fell into line with the rest of the Denver Nuggets' opponents the past few weeks.
Sacramento was beaten down in the second half Saturday night and quietly left the Pepsi Center with a 113-99 loss.
In becoming the Nuggets' 14th victim in 15 games since the All-Star break, the Kings also fueled Denver's playoff push, which could swallow up Sacramento's spot in the Western Conference standings.
The Kings (43-28) fell into sixth place in the West, percentage points behind Houston (42-27). The Nuggets (38-30) sit in eighth place but are charging toward Memphis (39-29), Sacramento and Houston instead of keeping an eye on ninth-place Minnesota (36-34).
Denver never looked back in the second half Saturday, outscoring Sacramento 64-43. The Kings hit only 13 of 37 second-half shots (35.1 percent), including 1 of 8 from three-point range.
"They just outworked us in the second half," coach Rick Adelman said after the Kings fell to 17-18 on the road. "Really, we played hard and well for about 16 minutes of the game ... the last few minutes of the first quarter and the second quarter.
"Other than that, we did everything we talked about not letting them do. We were impatient offensively. We let them run out on us and allowed them to beat us to balls and opportunities."
Defensively, the game started in embarrassing fashion for the Kings, improved in the second quarter and returned to an ugly state in the second half.
Of Denver's 12 first-quarter baskets, 11 came on either layups or dunks. Still, Sacramento trailed only 29-28 entering the second quarter, when it jumped ahead.
Peja Stojakovic scored 10 of team-high 24 points in the second quarter, and the Kings received solid contributions from Darius Songaila, Greg Ostertag and Eddie House off the bench in taking a 56-49 halftime lead.
But the game turned in the third quarter and kept turning in the fourth, largely because of a Denver injury and a Sacramento nemesis.
Kenyon Martin had been troubled by a chest contusion the past few days and was ineffective in his 18 minutes Saturday. In the third quarter, he took a blow while defending Stojakovic and asked out of the game.
That turned out to be bad news for the Kings, because Eduardo Najera replaced Martin and immediately sparked the Nuggets.
As he has in the past against the Kings, Najera stood out because of his willingness to scrap and hustle. In the second half, he supplied 14 points and seven rebounds. He finished with 16 points, tying his season high, and grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds in 22 minutes.
"He was killing us in the third quarter or whenever it was," Kings forward Kenny Thomas said of Najera, whom Denver acquired from Golden State on Feb. 24. "He just comes in and does the dirty work. We didn't keep him off the boards."
The Kings didn't keep the rest of the Nuggets off the boards, either. Denver outrebounded Sacramento 25-11 in the second half despite Martin's subpar play and the absence of leading rebounder Marcus Camby (sprained right ankle).
Najera said he thought the Nuggets played with minimum intensity in the first half. "Because of that," Najera said, "I wanted to come in and give us a boost. I usually do it defensively, but (Saturday night) I contributed a lot on the offensive end."
