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Webber helps Kings win 4th in a row
He erupts for 31 points, igniting a fourth-quarter run to turn back Memphis.
By Sam Amick -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Saturday, November 20, 2004
The plane carrying the Memphis Grizzlies was diverted on Wednesday night, bound for Sacramento but landing in San Francisco because of fog as thick as Pau Gasol's accent.
Two days later, the Grizzlies were still stuck in it. And the Kings were flying high.
On Air C-Webb.
Webber scored 31 points with the style of his younger days Friday night at Arco Arena, coming up with every jumper, every dunk and every pass the Kings needed to grab a 107-105 victory.
It was their fourth straight win overall and 13th straight against the Grizzlies, halting Memphis' winning streak at three.
"He did a lot of things tonight, that dunk, making moves off the dribble; he's just feeling so much better," Kings coach Rick Adelman said. "He's just got to get more of these nights where he's feeling that comfort level."
And if he does, hello Pacific Division championship.
The dunk of which Adelman speaks came with 4:34 left in the fourth quarter, the Kings having turned a 16-point, first-half lead into a fourth-quarter deficit. Webber leaped like he hasn't in, perhaps, years, soaring through the lane off a Peja Stojakovic pass to pull the Kings within 97-96 with no signs of a bad knee in sight.
"He can do that every night," Kings guard Bobby Jackson said.
Doug Christie nailed a basket to complete a 7-0 run, and Webber - who had just nine points at halftime - eventually drilled a 19-footer that locked up the win. Memphis had five fourth-quarter turnovers to help the Kings' cause. Webber had 13 fourth-quarter points, hitting 14 of 24 overall with 12 rebounds and seven assists.
Four other Kings scored in double figures: Peja Stojakovic had 17, Christie a season-high 16, Mike Bibby 18 and Bobby Jackson 10.
The disappearance of Stojakovic in the mid-portion of the game paralleled the fading Kings as he failed to score for an 18-minute stretch. Still, with 2:40 remaining, his three-pointer broke an 0-for-7 streak and put the Kings up 103-98.
Christie, who continues to battle plascar fasciitis, played a season-high 42 minutes and had a season-high nine assists. Again the Kings gave full-access passes in the paint, being outrebounded 45-31.
Memphis' bench accounted for 57 points, with Stromile Swift scoring a team-high 23. It was a toss-up which of two displays was more spectacular: the half-court shot a fan sunk to win a car or the dunking clinic put on by Swift.
He had four of the same thunderous variety, slicing through the lane repeatedly as the Kings watched in amazement down low.
Gasol struggled in scoring 17 points, and he shot under 50 percent (5 for 13) for the first time this season. Gasol was 2 for 8 in the second half, scoring just one fourth-quarter point.
The Kings had their heads in the clouds to start the second half, offsetting their overwhelming start and trailing for the first time midway through the third quarter.
They jumped out to a 14-2 lead, hitting six of their first eight shots while Memphis started 1 for 7.
The Kings never let the Grizzlies roll like their last three opponents had, as Memphis had downed Golden State, Seattle and Portland by an average of 23.6 points. But they didn't put them away, either. "That was a terrific win," Adelman said. "We learned a lot of things in this game tonight. It's the type of game we have to build on."
Webber helps Kings win 4th in a row
He erupts for 31 points, igniting a fourth-quarter run to turn back Memphis.
By Sam Amick -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Saturday, November 20, 2004
The plane carrying the Memphis Grizzlies was diverted on Wednesday night, bound for Sacramento but landing in San Francisco because of fog as thick as Pau Gasol's accent.
Two days later, the Grizzlies were still stuck in it. And the Kings were flying high.
On Air C-Webb.
Webber scored 31 points with the style of his younger days Friday night at Arco Arena, coming up with every jumper, every dunk and every pass the Kings needed to grab a 107-105 victory.
It was their fourth straight win overall and 13th straight against the Grizzlies, halting Memphis' winning streak at three.
"He did a lot of things tonight, that dunk, making moves off the dribble; he's just feeling so much better," Kings coach Rick Adelman said. "He's just got to get more of these nights where he's feeling that comfort level."
And if he does, hello Pacific Division championship.
The dunk of which Adelman speaks came with 4:34 left in the fourth quarter, the Kings having turned a 16-point, first-half lead into a fourth-quarter deficit. Webber leaped like he hasn't in, perhaps, years, soaring through the lane off a Peja Stojakovic pass to pull the Kings within 97-96 with no signs of a bad knee in sight.
"He can do that every night," Kings guard Bobby Jackson said.
Doug Christie nailed a basket to complete a 7-0 run, and Webber - who had just nine points at halftime - eventually drilled a 19-footer that locked up the win. Memphis had five fourth-quarter turnovers to help the Kings' cause. Webber had 13 fourth-quarter points, hitting 14 of 24 overall with 12 rebounds and seven assists.
Four other Kings scored in double figures: Peja Stojakovic had 17, Christie a season-high 16, Mike Bibby 18 and Bobby Jackson 10.
The disappearance of Stojakovic in the mid-portion of the game paralleled the fading Kings as he failed to score for an 18-minute stretch. Still, with 2:40 remaining, his three-pointer broke an 0-for-7 streak and put the Kings up 103-98.
Christie, who continues to battle plascar fasciitis, played a season-high 42 minutes and had a season-high nine assists. Again the Kings gave full-access passes in the paint, being outrebounded 45-31.
Memphis' bench accounted for 57 points, with Stromile Swift scoring a team-high 23. It was a toss-up which of two displays was more spectacular: the half-court shot a fan sunk to win a car or the dunking clinic put on by Swift.
He had four of the same thunderous variety, slicing through the lane repeatedly as the Kings watched in amazement down low.
Gasol struggled in scoring 17 points, and he shot under 50 percent (5 for 13) for the first time this season. Gasol was 2 for 8 in the second half, scoring just one fourth-quarter point.
The Kings had their heads in the clouds to start the second half, offsetting their overwhelming start and trailing for the first time midway through the third quarter.
They jumped out to a 14-2 lead, hitting six of their first eight shots while Memphis started 1 for 7.
The Kings never let the Grizzlies roll like their last three opponents had, as Memphis had downed Golden State, Seattle and Portland by an average of 23.6 points. But they didn't put them away, either. "That was a terrific win," Adelman said. "We learned a lot of things in this game tonight. It's the type of game we have to build on."