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Sacramento soars into seventh spot
The Kings make life tough on Bryant and leapfrog the Lakers
By Sam Amick -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Wednesday, March 15, 2006
The same man who had just figured out Kobe Bryant couldn't manage to control his own cell phone.Ron Artest fumbled with his Blackberry as if it were a loose ball dipped in butter, the battery case falling off as the celebratory messages and voice mail kept coming in.
But the most important statement had long since been made late Tuesday night, when the Kings' 114-98 win over the Lakers put them past their Southern California rivals for seventh place in the Western Conference and made it official that this once-left-for-dead team is now the hottest in the league.
Artest scored 28 points and had five assists and three blocks in 47 minutes, but his defensive effort on Bryant held the largest impact and left the biggest impression.
Bryant, the league's leading scorer who entered averaging 35 points per game, had 30 points on 12-of-28 shooting, but nine of his points came in the last six minutes as the Kings held a double-digit lead.
While the raucous Arco Arena and a big night from point guard Mike Bibby (29 points and 5 of 9 from three-point range) fell in line with the Kings-Lakers scripts of old, Bryant said the Artest element is what has made all the difference.
"You added a player in the mix that's everything Sacramento wasn't when we played them in the playoffs," said Bryant, who was hassled by Kings shooting guard Bonzi Wells when Artest wasn't on him.
"The guy plays defense first, and now Sacramento has become much more aggressive on defense."
And regardless of how the words of Lakers coach Phil Jackson were perceived entering the game, the Kings are officially a point of concern for playoff-bound teams. Coming in, Jackson had said he wasn't worried about the Kings. He later clarified that his comment wasn't a slight, but a hope that his team would be concerned only with itself.
Nonetheless, a simplified version of Jackson's sentiment was relayed to Kings coach Rick Adelman, who was as satisfied as any with his squad's 13th consecutive win at home and not afraid to show it.
"I have no response to Phil Jackson no matter what he says,"
Adelman said. "I mean, who cares? The bottom line is, I guess you can say 'Scoreboard' tonight.
"Phil's going to have his opinion, and he can say what he wants. But who's buying into it? It's all B.S., is what it is, so why should I worry about it?"
The scoreboard read the way it did because of an all-around offense (including Brad Miller's 18 points and 11 rebounds) and another stellar night of defense, as the Kings held an opponent below 100 points for the ninth time in 12 games. The Lakers - playing their first game without injured center Chris Mihm - cooled after 14 first-quarter points from forward Lamar Odom had them up 31-24 entering the second.
For the Kings, it was the worst kind of deficit, as they had held Bryant to two first-quarter points and trailed nonetheless. But when Bryant headed to the bench for the first time to start the second quarter, Artest scored 13 points in the first four minutes, hitting three three-pointers, an 18-footer and two free throws. When Kevin Martin contributed a long jumper, the Kings' 18-2 run put them up 42-33 before the Lakers rallied to trail 54-50 at halftime.
As has become routine in this building, Artest - who is 10-0 at Arco Arena as a King - came up big at the right time, hitting a three-pointer with 8:03 remaining to put the Kings up 92-84. Then on two straight possessions, he drew an offensive foul on Bryant, then tipped Bryant's jumper in the paint. Wells followed suit, stealing the ball from Bryant and hitting the fast-break layup while being fouled by Bryant. His three-point play was part a 14-5 run, the Kings finally pulling away.
http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/v-print/story/14230421p-15053221c.html
The Kings make life tough on Bryant and leapfrog the Lakers
By Sam Amick -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Wednesday, March 15, 2006
The same man who had just figured out Kobe Bryant couldn't manage to control his own cell phone.Ron Artest fumbled with his Blackberry as if it were a loose ball dipped in butter, the battery case falling off as the celebratory messages and voice mail kept coming in.
But the most important statement had long since been made late Tuesday night, when the Kings' 114-98 win over the Lakers put them past their Southern California rivals for seventh place in the Western Conference and made it official that this once-left-for-dead team is now the hottest in the league.
Artest scored 28 points and had five assists and three blocks in 47 minutes, but his defensive effort on Bryant held the largest impact and left the biggest impression.
Bryant, the league's leading scorer who entered averaging 35 points per game, had 30 points on 12-of-28 shooting, but nine of his points came in the last six minutes as the Kings held a double-digit lead.
While the raucous Arco Arena and a big night from point guard Mike Bibby (29 points and 5 of 9 from three-point range) fell in line with the Kings-Lakers scripts of old, Bryant said the Artest element is what has made all the difference.
"You added a player in the mix that's everything Sacramento wasn't when we played them in the playoffs," said Bryant, who was hassled by Kings shooting guard Bonzi Wells when Artest wasn't on him.
"The guy plays defense first, and now Sacramento has become much more aggressive on defense."
And regardless of how the words of Lakers coach Phil Jackson were perceived entering the game, the Kings are officially a point of concern for playoff-bound teams. Coming in, Jackson had said he wasn't worried about the Kings. He later clarified that his comment wasn't a slight, but a hope that his team would be concerned only with itself.
Nonetheless, a simplified version of Jackson's sentiment was relayed to Kings coach Rick Adelman, who was as satisfied as any with his squad's 13th consecutive win at home and not afraid to show it.
"I have no response to Phil Jackson no matter what he says,"
Adelman said. "I mean, who cares? The bottom line is, I guess you can say 'Scoreboard' tonight.
"Phil's going to have his opinion, and he can say what he wants. But who's buying into it? It's all B.S., is what it is, so why should I worry about it?"
The scoreboard read the way it did because of an all-around offense (including Brad Miller's 18 points and 11 rebounds) and another stellar night of defense, as the Kings held an opponent below 100 points for the ninth time in 12 games. The Lakers - playing their first game without injured center Chris Mihm - cooled after 14 first-quarter points from forward Lamar Odom had them up 31-24 entering the second.
For the Kings, it was the worst kind of deficit, as they had held Bryant to two first-quarter points and trailed nonetheless. But when Bryant headed to the bench for the first time to start the second quarter, Artest scored 13 points in the first four minutes, hitting three three-pointers, an 18-footer and two free throws. When Kevin Martin contributed a long jumper, the Kings' 18-2 run put them up 42-33 before the Lakers rallied to trail 54-50 at halftime.
As has become routine in this building, Artest - who is 10-0 at Arco Arena as a King - came up big at the right time, hitting a three-pointer with 8:03 remaining to put the Kings up 92-84. Then on two straight possessions, he drew an offensive foul on Bryant, then tipped Bryant's jumper in the paint. Wells followed suit, stealing the ball from Bryant and hitting the fast-break layup while being fouled by Bryant. His three-point play was part a 14-5 run, the Kings finally pulling away.
http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/v-print/story/14230421p-15053221c.html
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