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Things looking up for Kings
Their 11th consecutive victory at Arco has them back at .500
By Joe Davidson -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Saturday, March 11, 2006
It officially is a new day for the Kings.They have a new polished-up record that doesn't have the club listed as loser for the first time since people were digging through the garage for Christmas lights. They also have mounting momentum and conviction that they will barrel right into the inner playoff circle after scrambling to save face much of the winter.
The Kings pulled away from the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night 105-93 at Arco Arena with a spirited fourth-quarter showing, with Ron Artest scoring 19 of his team's 27 points. He had 30 overall.
In claiming their 11th consecutive home victory, the Kings at 31-31 became a .500 bunch - can you hear the exhale? - for the first time since they were 7-7 on Nov. 29. They also pulled to within a half-game of New Orleans for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference playoff derby.
"It's been a long haul," Kings coach Rick Adelman said. "It wasn't that long ago we were eight games under .500. It's been a journey. ... (The team) has to understand the expectations now, and that's good. That's fun. Otherwise (without expectations), it's drudgery."
Memphis, meanwhile, has had about enough of the Arco scene, having lost 16 consecutive times in the building to fall to 1-21 overall.
The Kings last lost at home Jan. 8 to Indiana 108-83, which marked the darkest day of the season, with Kings fans howling boos for lackluster and lethargic play and pleading for roster moves.
The only booing this time was when a shot by Shareef Abdur-Rahim from well beyond midcourt was ruled too late at the end of the third quarter. Replays showed it was the correct call, with the shooter confessing he knew it wasn't good. Other than that, the Kings were thrilled with the results, from outrebounding the bigger Grizzlies 49-43, including 20 offensive boards, to scoring 26 points off 18 Memphis turnovers to making 30 of 37 free throws.
The Kings are 8-0 at Arco since the arrival of Artest, who muscled inside or popped jumpers in his best offensive showing yet with the Kings. He had eight in a 15-4 run that put away the Grizzlies, and his three-point play a moment later with 3:02 left made it 101-85.
Six Kings reached double figures, with Mike Bibby scoring 19, Kenny Thomas 14 with 10 rebounds, and Abdur-Rahim and Kevin Martin scoring 13 each. Pau Gasól had 26 for Memphis, and Bobby Jackson 14 in 14 minutes before the former Kings guard pulled himself out of the game midway through the fourth with a rib injury.
Brad Miller scored 11 points on an otherwise frustrating night. He was handed a Team USA jersey by Adelman before the game and then hardly looked the part - at least shooting - in going just 4 of 16, though he did pull in nine rebounds.
Bonzi Wells managed five points on 1-of-8 shooting in facing his former team for the first time. He did have five offensive rebounds and eight total in 21 minutes before going to the bench with a cramp in his calf, saying later it wouldn't keep him out of action.
"It feels good to win," he said. "We're giving ourselves a chance."
Kings players praised Artest's will in the fourth, with Wells describing it as "amazing" and Martin taking it a but further.
"He could post up Shaq if he had to," Martin said. "He's just a big body down there. He's not down there trying to score every time. He's looking for Brad or Kenny cutting, or Mike and me standing for the three."
Grizzlies coach Mike Fratello said it was more than Artest.
"It was obvious that the difference was offensive rebounds, turnovers and free-throw attempts," he said. "Those are the stats that jump out at you. This was a frustrating loss."
Their 11th consecutive victory at Arco has them back at .500
By Joe Davidson -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Saturday, March 11, 2006
It officially is a new day for the Kings.They have a new polished-up record that doesn't have the club listed as loser for the first time since people were digging through the garage for Christmas lights. They also have mounting momentum and conviction that they will barrel right into the inner playoff circle after scrambling to save face much of the winter.
The Kings pulled away from the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night 105-93 at Arco Arena with a spirited fourth-quarter showing, with Ron Artest scoring 19 of his team's 27 points. He had 30 overall.
In claiming their 11th consecutive home victory, the Kings at 31-31 became a .500 bunch - can you hear the exhale? - for the first time since they were 7-7 on Nov. 29. They also pulled to within a half-game of New Orleans for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference playoff derby.
"It's been a long haul," Kings coach Rick Adelman said. "It wasn't that long ago we were eight games under .500. It's been a journey. ... (The team) has to understand the expectations now, and that's good. That's fun. Otherwise (without expectations), it's drudgery."
Memphis, meanwhile, has had about enough of the Arco scene, having lost 16 consecutive times in the building to fall to 1-21 overall.
The Kings last lost at home Jan. 8 to Indiana 108-83, which marked the darkest day of the season, with Kings fans howling boos for lackluster and lethargic play and pleading for roster moves.
The only booing this time was when a shot by Shareef Abdur-Rahim from well beyond midcourt was ruled too late at the end of the third quarter. Replays showed it was the correct call, with the shooter confessing he knew it wasn't good. Other than that, the Kings were thrilled with the results, from outrebounding the bigger Grizzlies 49-43, including 20 offensive boards, to scoring 26 points off 18 Memphis turnovers to making 30 of 37 free throws.
The Kings are 8-0 at Arco since the arrival of Artest, who muscled inside or popped jumpers in his best offensive showing yet with the Kings. He had eight in a 15-4 run that put away the Grizzlies, and his three-point play a moment later with 3:02 left made it 101-85.
Six Kings reached double figures, with Mike Bibby scoring 19, Kenny Thomas 14 with 10 rebounds, and Abdur-Rahim and Kevin Martin scoring 13 each. Pau Gasól had 26 for Memphis, and Bobby Jackson 14 in 14 minutes before the former Kings guard pulled himself out of the game midway through the fourth with a rib injury.
Brad Miller scored 11 points on an otherwise frustrating night. He was handed a Team USA jersey by Adelman before the game and then hardly looked the part - at least shooting - in going just 4 of 16, though he did pull in nine rebounds.
Bonzi Wells managed five points on 1-of-8 shooting in facing his former team for the first time. He did have five offensive rebounds and eight total in 21 minutes before going to the bench with a cramp in his calf, saying later it wouldn't keep him out of action.
"It feels good to win," he said. "We're giving ourselves a chance."
Kings players praised Artest's will in the fourth, with Wells describing it as "amazing" and Martin taking it a but further.
"He could post up Shaq if he had to," Martin said. "He's just a big body down there. He's not down there trying to score every time. He's looking for Brad or Kenny cutting, or Mike and me standing for the three."
Grizzlies coach Mike Fratello said it was more than Artest.
"It was obvious that the difference was offensive rebounds, turnovers and free-throw attempts," he said. "Those are the stats that jump out at you. This was a frustrating loss."
About the writer:
- The Bee's Joe Davidson can be reached at jdavidson@sacbee.com.
