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Kings put a big hurt on Lakers
Sacramento, led by Kenny Thomas, revs up its offense and punishes Los Angeles inside.
By Martin McNeal -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Monday, April 11, 2005
Kenny Thomas beams after scoring two of his career-high 32 points.
Right before our eyes, the Kings are becoming an offensive powerhouse, and Sunday afternoon, the Los Angeles Lakers felt their wrath.
This isn't the WWE, but the Kings laid a 124-105 smackdown on the limping Lakers before a joyous sellout crowd at Arco Arena and a regional television audience.
Kings forward Kenny Thomas might have felt he had been in the ring Friday night, when he was elbowed in the right eye against Portland and played only five minutes. But he bounced back strongly Sunday, scoring a career-high 32 points on 10-for-14 shooting from the floor and 12-for-13 accuracy from the free-throw line. Thomas also grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds as the Kings pounded the Lakers on the backboards 62-32.
Coach Rick Adelman liked Thomas' performance so much that he kidded that the versatile forward might need another belt to the eye.
Thomas, Darius Songaila (11) and Brian Skinner (10) grabbed double-digit rebounds against the Lakers, who were without their leading rebounders, Lamar Odom (strained left shoulder) and Chris Mihm (sprained right ankle).
"That was crazy. Sixty-two to (thirty-two)," Thomas said. "I don't think I've ever seen that before."
That's only because Thomas hasn't been in Sacramento that long. Such rebounding deficits wouldn't have been tremendously uncommon in seasons past, except that the Kings would have been on the short end.
Clearly, with the Lakers having lost 14 of their past 16 games, slugging along with a 34-43 record and playing without their two best big men, these are different times.
Instead of Vlade Divac agitating Shaquille O'Neal with his unique defensive skills, the former Kings center is toiling for the Lakers, and O'Neal is a Most Valuable Player candidate in Miami. Sunday, Divac received a standing ovation after entering the game with 2:57 left in the first quarter.
Divac has acknowledged this could be his final season and wondered whether Sunday's game was his last at Arco.
"I was thinking about that on the ride to the arena," said Divac, comfortably standing in the Kings' locker room after the game. "I was thinking that I had to score."
Divac scored eight points and grabbed three rebounds in 18 minutes. He has played just 102 minutes in 12 games this season because of a herniated disc that required back surgery in January.
Divac talked about being in the Sacramento locker room and knowing only Peja Stojakovic and Mike Bibby from the crew with which he laughed and cried. Of course, there were others, but the point was made.
This is a different Kings team that has dealt with trades and injuries and still averaged 118.6 points in its last five games, four of them victories.
Seven Kings scored in double figures: starters Thomas, Bibby (24), Cuttino Mobley (13) and Stojakovic (12) and reserves Eddie House (11), Songaila (10) and Kevin Martin (10).
Adelman said his revamped team is beginning to adjust to the nuances of the offense.
"We've been putting things in during practices and shootaround," he said, "and we're doing things out of (timeouts) so that we can become more familiar with them."
The Kings looked really familiar at the offensive end in the third quarter, when they outscored the Lakers 43-35 and led 99-81 entering the fourth. At that point, the Kings were well on their way to establishing a season-high advantage of 29-10 in second-chance points.
When the Kings shoot 51 percent from the field and rule by 19 in second-chance points, it's all good for them. And, on this day, all bad for the Lakers.
http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/12709005p-13561388c.html
Sacramento, led by Kenny Thomas, revs up its offense and punishes Los Angeles inside.
By Martin McNeal -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Monday, April 11, 2005
Kenny Thomas beams after scoring two of his career-high 32 points.
Right before our eyes, the Kings are becoming an offensive powerhouse, and Sunday afternoon, the Los Angeles Lakers felt their wrath.
This isn't the WWE, but the Kings laid a 124-105 smackdown on the limping Lakers before a joyous sellout crowd at Arco Arena and a regional television audience.
Kings forward Kenny Thomas might have felt he had been in the ring Friday night, when he was elbowed in the right eye against Portland and played only five minutes. But he bounced back strongly Sunday, scoring a career-high 32 points on 10-for-14 shooting from the floor and 12-for-13 accuracy from the free-throw line. Thomas also grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds as the Kings pounded the Lakers on the backboards 62-32.
Coach Rick Adelman liked Thomas' performance so much that he kidded that the versatile forward might need another belt to the eye.
Thomas, Darius Songaila (11) and Brian Skinner (10) grabbed double-digit rebounds against the Lakers, who were without their leading rebounders, Lamar Odom (strained left shoulder) and Chris Mihm (sprained right ankle).
"That was crazy. Sixty-two to (thirty-two)," Thomas said. "I don't think I've ever seen that before."
That's only because Thomas hasn't been in Sacramento that long. Such rebounding deficits wouldn't have been tremendously uncommon in seasons past, except that the Kings would have been on the short end.
Clearly, with the Lakers having lost 14 of their past 16 games, slugging along with a 34-43 record and playing without their two best big men, these are different times.
Instead of Vlade Divac agitating Shaquille O'Neal with his unique defensive skills, the former Kings center is toiling for the Lakers, and O'Neal is a Most Valuable Player candidate in Miami. Sunday, Divac received a standing ovation after entering the game with 2:57 left in the first quarter.
Divac has acknowledged this could be his final season and wondered whether Sunday's game was his last at Arco.
"I was thinking about that on the ride to the arena," said Divac, comfortably standing in the Kings' locker room after the game. "I was thinking that I had to score."
Divac scored eight points and grabbed three rebounds in 18 minutes. He has played just 102 minutes in 12 games this season because of a herniated disc that required back surgery in January.
Divac talked about being in the Sacramento locker room and knowing only Peja Stojakovic and Mike Bibby from the crew with which he laughed and cried. Of course, there were others, but the point was made.
This is a different Kings team that has dealt with trades and injuries and still averaged 118.6 points in its last five games, four of them victories.
Seven Kings scored in double figures: starters Thomas, Bibby (24), Cuttino Mobley (13) and Stojakovic (12) and reserves Eddie House (11), Songaila (10) and Kevin Martin (10).
Adelman said his revamped team is beginning to adjust to the nuances of the offense.
"We've been putting things in during practices and shootaround," he said, "and we're doing things out of (timeouts) so that we can become more familiar with them."
The Kings looked really familiar at the offensive end in the third quarter, when they outscored the Lakers 43-35 and led 99-81 entering the fourth. At that point, the Kings were well on their way to establishing a season-high advantage of 29-10 in second-chance points.
When the Kings shoot 51 percent from the field and rule by 19 in second-chance points, it's all good for them. And, on this day, all bad for the Lakers.
http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/12709005p-13561388c.html
. You can tell he's luvin every minute of it here at SacTown!!!
