The AP reports: Shaquille O’Neal tied a season high with 29 points and had 13 rebounds and six assists Friday night to help the short-handed Phoenix Suns beat the Sacramento Kings 97-95 in overtime Friday night. Amare Stoudemire was the star in overtime for the Suns… Stoudemire, who finished with 12 points, was quiet through much of the game and failed to score in the second half… Grant Hill had 22 points and had nine rebounds for the Suns, while Raj Bell had 14 points and Boris Diaw added nine. Beno Udrih had 21 points and Miller had 20 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists for the Kings, who fell behind midway through the second quarter and never led again. Salmons scored 21 points and Hawes added 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Category: Sacramento Kings Blog
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Nov 11: Pistons 100, Kings 92
The AP reports: Allen Iverson had 30 points and nine assists to win for the first time with his new team, leading the Detroit Pistons to a 100-92 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night. Tayshaun Prince added 26 points and 11 rebounds for the Pistons, who had lost their first two games since acquiring Iverson from Denver last week for All-Star point guard Chauncey Billups, key reserve Antonio McDyess and Cheikh Samb… Spencer Hawes scored 19 points and Udrih added 18 for the Kings, who had won the first three games on their four-game homestand after starting the season 0-4 on the road.
Kevin Martin out 7-10 days
Sacramento Kings’ guard Kevin Martin suffered a sprained left ankle in last night’s 115-98 win over the Golden State Warriors at ARCO Arena. An MRI taken today at the UC Davis Medical Center confirmed the sprain. He is expected to be out of action for approximately seven to 10 days.
Nov 9: Kings 115, Warriors 98
The AP reports: Coming back from a winless trip to start the season, the Kings used Kevin Martin’s 27 points to win their third straight game Sunday night, pulling away in the second half to defeat the struggling Golden State Warriors 115-98… John Salmons added 16 points for Sacramento, which is in a stretch where they play six of seven home games. Spencer Hawes had 14 points and 11 rebounds, while rookie Bobby Brown added a career-high 13… Andris Biedrins had 16 points, 18 rebounds and five blocks for the Warriors, who have dropped two straight and three of four. Stephen Jackson had 15 points and six assists, Kelenna Azubuike had 12, Anthony Randolph scored 11, while both CJ Watson and Brandan Wright added 10.
John Salmons nickname: Get Right
The Sacramento Bee (Martin McNeal) reports: Kings forward John Salmons earns the nickname “Get Right” for many reasons. As unique as his game is, he is solid offensively and defensively. As much as he holds the ball, he contributes when given minutes. However, Salmons gets this nickname because when he has the rock in his hands, he’s going to get right. It takes a certain ability to go where you want to go even when the defender knows where you want to go. Salmons uses his shake-and-bake fake to get right. He uses his jab step to get right. His head-and-shoulders pump fake is designed to get his defender off-balance. The defender backs up, and Salmons can take his jump shot. Or he can use the off-balance defender however he wishes to, yes, get right.
Nov 7: Kings 121, Wolves 109
The AP reports: Kevin Martin decided to play and scored 26 points, and the Kings welcomed back starting center Brad Miller and never trailed in a 121-109 victory Friday night. Martin said he told Kings coach Reggie Theus he wouldn’t be playing following the morning shootaround. Still, Martin proved as difficult to stop as normal, shooting 9-of-23 from the field, 6-of-7 from the free throw line and adding five rebounds… John Salmons scored 23 points for the Kings, Beno Udrih had 15 and Spencer Hawes 13. Mikki Moore had 12 points and Miller contributed 11 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and two blocks… So did Kevin Love, who had 20 points and eight rebounds for the Timberwolves in his first NBA start, yet couldn’t stop the Timberwolves from dropping their fourth straight game… Mike Miller scored 16 points, Sebastian Telfair had 15 and seven assists, while Al Jefferson had 14 points and nine rebounds.
Beno Udrih struggling
The Sacramento Bee reports: Beno Udrih continues to struggle, which leads me to relate tidbits from a conversation I had recently wiith an NBA scout. The scout – who shall remain nameless, for obvious reasons – asked if the Kings’ point guard was hurt. He thought something was wrong. My take on Beno is this: he missed most of training camp with a strained hip and is playing his way into shape. He seems a half-step slow. His timing is off. And his confidence appears to be shaken. He had two excellent drives in the second half, though, so maybe that will give him a boost.
Nov 5: Kings 100, Grizzlies 95
The AP reports: Kevin Martin scored 33 points and John Salmons had 21 points and nine rebounds in the Sacramento Kings’ first victory of the season, 100-95 over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night in the NBA’s final home opener. Spencer Hawes had 13 points before fouling out for Sacramento, which opened the season by losing at every stop on a difficult four-game trip… O.J. Mayo scored 28 points and hit six 3-pointers for the Grizzlies, who opened a four-game West Coast trip with the best performance of the No. 3 overall draft pick’s short NBA career… Rudy Gay had 18 points for Memphis, and Kyle Lowry added 14 points and seven assists.
Nov 3: Sixers 125, Kings 91
The AP reports: Kareem Rush and Donyell Marshall have to hope the way they almost flawlessly buried all those open looks earns them a second look at a bigger role in the rotation. Thaddeus Young scored 18 points, Lou Williams had 17 and the 76ers led by as many as 40 points in a 125-91 rout of the winless Sacramento Kings on Monday night… Marshall and Rush went a combined 6-for-7 from 3-point range and each played their season-high in minutes, even though most of their playing time came when the game was put away… Willie Green scored 16 points and Elton Brand had 15 for the Sixers, who were up 20 points at halftime and were able to stretch the lead in the second half instead of blowing it like they did Saturday at Atlanta… Jason Thompson scored 17 points and Spencer Hawes had 15 for the Kings (0-4), who can’t wait to head home after a dreary season-opening road trip.
Nov 1: Magic 121, Kings 103
The AP reports: Dwight Howard led the way for Orlando with 29 points and 14 rebounds, but he had plenty of help. Rashard Lewis scored 26 points, Hedo Turkoglu had 21 and Mickael Pietrus added 20 as the Magic shot 55 percent from the field in their best offensive game of the season… Sacramento, which has lost three straight games to start the season for the second year in a row, did have one thing to celebrate. Kevin Martin, who was just 7-of-29 from the field in the first two games, broke out of the slump with 31 points on 11-of-20 shooting. Martin drilled three 3-pointers, almost single-handedly keeping his team close for the first three quarters. Hawes contributed 14 points, and John Salmons and Thompson added 12 apiece for Sacramento.