The AP reports: The last time the Grizzlies won in Sacramento, the franchise was in Canada and current Kings assistant coach Shareef Abdur-Rahim was in his second NBA season. Marc Gasol scored 27 points and Memphis won in Sacramento for the first time in 11 years, defeating the Kings 113-95 on Friday night. Rudy Gay had 23 points and nine rebounds and Mike Conley had 20 points and six rebounds for the Grizzlies, who snapped a 20-game losing streak at Arco Arena. “I’ve heard it (the losing streak) said a couple of times, but that wasn’t our motivation,” said Conley, who added five assists and two steals. “This was a game everyone looked forward to playing. They beat us the last time (in Memphis) with only eight players. That was a slap in the face to us.”
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NBA rule change on too many players on court
The NBA Board of Governors voted to approve a playing rules change in regards to “too many players on the court”, which will take effect beginning Friday, March 27.
Under the playing rules change, when a “too many players on the court” violation is called, a technical foul will be assessed against the offending team and the non-offending team will have the option of either accepting or nullifying the game action that occurred during the violation.
Option 1 — Accept Game Action
The non-offending team can opt to ACCEPT all play that occurred during the violation, including any points scored, with no adjustment of the game clock.
Option 2 — Nullify Game Action
The non-offending team can opt to NULLIFY all play that occurred during the violation, other than any acts of unsportsmanlike conduct or flagrant fouls or any points scored from free throws as a result of such actions.
Under this option, following the technical foul, the game clock would be reset to the time when the ball was put into play with too many players on the court and, depending on how the ball was originally put into play, play would resume in accordance with the following:
1) If the original play commenced with a throw-in, then the ball would be returned to the original throw-in spot and play commenced with a throw-in.
2) If the original play commenced with a missed free-throw attempt where the ball remained in play, then play would be commenced with a jump ball held at center court between any two players who were on the floor at the time play was suspended due to the violation.
3) If the original play commenced with a jump ball, then play would be commenced with a jump ball held at the original jump-ball spot between the same two players who participated in the original jump ball.
Sixers’ Igoudala scores 27 in win over Kings
The AP reports: Andre Iguodala made his first 10 shots and scored 27 points, and the Philadelphia 76ers never trailed in beating the Sacramento Kings 112-100 Sunday night to end a two-game skid. Thaddeus Young scored 22 points for the 76ers, who shot nearly 60 percent and never let their lead fall below double digits after taking a 17-5 lead midway through the first quarter. Louis Williams scored 18 points, Marreese Speights had 15 points and Willie Green added 10 for Philadelphia. Francisco Garcia made six 3-pointers and scored 24 points for the Kings, who outscored the 76ers 26-17 in the fourth quarter but couldn’t get closer than 11. Spencer Hawes had 17 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists to narrowly miss first career triple double. Kevin Martin scored 16 and Jason Thompson had 12 points and 13 rebounds.
Wallace, Bobcats beat short-handed Kings 104-88
The AP reports: Gerald Wallace returned with a slight limp for the second half and finished with 25 points and 12 rebounds, willing the Bobcats to a much-needed 104-88 win over the short-handed Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night… Emeka Okafor added 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Bobcats, who pulled away in the fourth quarter and had much better injury luck than the NBA-worst Kings, who dropped to 0-28 against the Eastern Conference… Sacramento played without top scorer Kevin Martin (illness) and Andres Nocioni (quadriceps), then lost Rashad McCants (ankle) late in the fourth quarter after he scored 30 points.
Hawks streak at 6 after 119-97 win over Kings
The AP reports: Al Horford had 23 points and 12 rebounds, and Josh Smith finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds in the Atlanta’s sixth straight victory, 119-97 over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night… Kevin Martin scored 31 for Sacramento, which fell to 0-27 against teams from the East and extended its losing streak to four. The Kings have dropped four straight and 13 of 14 away from California, where they are 4-30 this season… Joe Johnson finished with 20 points for the Hawks, ending his four-game stretch of 30 or more after missing his first eight attempts from the field and finishing 8-for-21.
Wizards keep Kings in NBA cellar with 106-104 win
The AP reports: “We didn’t do things right,” said Wizards forward Antawn Jamison, who scored 30 points. “But the most important thing is that we got a win, and I’ll take an ugly win over a pretty loss.” … Andray Blatche added 16 points, and Darius Songaila 15 for the Wizards. Washington played without Caron Butler, who has a tight left hamstring and will have an MRI exam Monday. Kevin Martin scored 24 points, and Spencer Hawes had 20 to lead the Kings, who were missing Bobby Jackson (broken left cheekbone) but welcomed back Beno Udrih (out six games with a sprained right foot).
LeBron’s 51 points give Cavs the Central title
The AP reports: LeBron James’ triple-double streak is over, though so is Cleveland’s division title drought. James scored 51 points, including six in overtime, and the Cavaliers clinched the Central Division title Friday night with a 126-123 victory over the Sacramento Kings. Although James failed to extend his triple-double streak to four games, he was clearly the difference, scoring a combined 22 points in the fourth quarter and overtime. He added nine assists while falling five points short of his career high… Anderson Varejao had 18 points and 12 rebounds for Cleveland, which secured its first division title since 1976 and just the second in franchise history… Kevin Martin scored 34 points for the Kings, who fell to 0-25 against the Eastern Conference. Bobby Jackson and Jason Thompson both had 19 points and Will Solomon scored 18.
Donte Greene and Bobby Jackson pranks
The Sacramento Bee (Sam Amick) reports: In a season-long series of punishments for rookies failing to execute their locker room duties, Donte Greene’s car recently was filled with popcorn, and Bobby Jackson was believed to be the culprit. Against his better judgment or NBA credo, Greene retaliated Thursday by dousing the outside of Jackson’s white Mercedes with a mixture of dog food, soy sauce and condiments that sent a stench emanating from the car and sent Jackson into a locker room rant not likely to go unresolved.
UPDATE (March 14): The Sacramento Bee reports: The Kings rookie small forward exacted revenge on Bobby Jackson on Thursday, retaliating for a recent popcorn prank on his car by dousing the veteran’s Mercedes with a variety of condiments and dog food after practice. Yet the hijinx that was intended to be in fun wound up reflecting poorly on Greene and sparking little laughter within the organization. Not long after it happened, Jackson’s angered opinion could be clearly heard at the team’s practice facility. And while Greene may not have come to his senses in time to avoid the subsequent fallout, he said he eventually realized the error of his ways. “Let’s just say this,” Greene said with a straight face before Friday’s game when asked if there was any resolution to the matter. “I did a lot of apologizing today.”
Sacramento Kings lowering ticket prices
The Sacramento Bee (Melody Gutierrez) reports: As a response to the bad economy, the Kings will announce season-ticket price reductions today that will cut the cost of some plans by as much as 44 percent for the 2009-10 season. One-third of all tickets in Arco Arena will be $25.50 or less, and the franchise will continue to offer 1,000 tickets at $10 for next season. The move mirrors what most NBA teams have done in recent weeks to reach out to fans struggling to pay their mortgages and retain their jobs… The price cuts will save season-ticket holders an average of $594 and as much as $1,562 for one ticket plan compared to 2008-09 prices. The savings of up to 44 percent will be on a portion of tickets previously priced at $40.50, which will now cost $22.50. The rest of the tickets previously priced at $40.50 will be $36.50, depending on their location.
Thunder beat Kings for 5th win in 6 games
The AP reports: Jeff Green and Russell Westbrook each scored 24 points, and the Thunder made it a nice homecoming for their popular interim coach, holding on for a 99-98 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night. Oklahoma City, which started the season 2-24, won for the fifth time in six games… Thabo Sefolosha had 17 points for the Thunder and Nenad Krstic added nine points and 15 rebounds. Spencer Hawes tied a career high with 20 points and added 10 rebounds and five assists for the Kings, who had 22 turnovers. Francisco Garcia made four 3-pointers and scored 18, Andres Nocioni had 16 points and seven rebounds, and Rashad McCants added 13 points. Kevin Martin, the Kings’ leading scorer, was on the bench in the game’s final 15 minutes and scored 12 points.