Sacramento 107, New York 99
Kings Contain Knicks, Win Third Straight
http://www.nba.com/games/20040224/NYKSAC/recap.html
SACRAMENTO, Calif., Feb. 24 (Ticker) -- While Sacramento Kings center
Vlade Divac was in the middle of a comeback, New York Knicks center
Dikembe Mutombo was in the middle of a lineup shakeup.
Divac sparked a fourth-quarter surge with his passing and shooting as
the Kings continued their homecourt dominance with a 107-99 victory over
the Knicks, their seventh win in eight games.
Divac had 14 points, seven rebounds and nine assists. In the final period,
he was the focal point of the offense, setting up teammates Mike Bibby and
Peja Stojakovic for open jumpers.
"That is all I can do," the 36-year-old Divac said. "I can't run, I can't
jump, that is all I can do -- get the ball and pass it. It is fun. Lots of
credit for the guys, they know how to play without the ball, they make great
cuts and they make the shots. It is easy to pass to those types of players."
"What Vlade has done since the All-Star Game has been incredible," Kings
coach Rick Adelman said. "People don't really understand what he's meant
to us."
Mutombo was not on the floor down the stretch. The veteran 7-2 shot blocker
was not on the floor at the opening tip, either, as Knicks coach Lenny Wilkens
started Nazr Mohammed, who is quicker and more agile.
A four-time Defensive Player of the Year, Mutombo is not happy about his
changing role with the team. He was scoreless in 13 minutes, while Mohammed
had 15 points and eight rebounds in his first start since being acquired nine
days ago.
Mutombo did not want to talk about the lineup change after the game, but
Stephon Marbury offered an opinion.
"It's just a little bit different with Nazr in," he said. "He is a little
bit more athletic, as far as getting up the court. He sets picks, he can get
out. Deke is more of a shot blocker. When you have a guy like Vlade, who is
playing out more on the perimeter, you need a switch-up. I think the switch-up
was good."
Bibby scored 28 points and Stojakovic added 27. They combined for 21 points
in the fourth quarter, when the Kings pulled away for their seventh straight
home win against the Knicks.
"Vlade is a key for us," said Stojakovic, who made 4-of-8 3-pointers. "Every
time it goes through him, we get the good shots, either a layup or we line
up a three. It's better spacing on the offensive end when we go through him."
"Stojakovic and Bibby, they were making some tough shots," Marbury said.
Rookie Darius Songaila had 17 points and a season-high 13 rebounds for
Sacramento, which has won 29 straight home games against Eastern Conference
foes and improved to 25-4 at ARCO Arena, the best mark in the NBA.
Tim Thomas scored a season-high 33 points and Marbury added 15 and nine
assists for the Knicks, who began a four-game road trip with their third
straight loss.
"We played very well for three quarters," Wilkens said. "We had some
opportunities (toward the end). We missed some shots, and that always hurts
you."
Thomas scored 14 points in the third quarter, when New York used a 16-4 run
to open a 74-66 lead. But Doug Christie and Stojakovic made 3-pointers in a
12-4 surge that closed the quarter and pulled Sacramento into a 78-78 tie.
"It was just a matter of me getting comfortable, learning the system, being
around the guys," said Thomas, acquired in the same deal that landed Mohammed.
"The last couple of practices have really helped."
The run continued in the fourth quarter. Divac made two free throws for an
85-80 advantage. Marbury had a three-point play, but the Kings rattled off
11 straight points -- five by Stojakovic and four by Bibby.
After the Knicks closed to 96-87 with 4:12 to play, Divac found Bibby for a
3-pointer and Christie for a jumper before scoring himself for a 103-89 lead
with 2:40 left.
"He's a great point man because he knows how to pass the ball and he can shoot
the ball extremely well," Marbury said.
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Sacbee
Kings hold off Knicks 107-99
http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/
8329421p-9259565c.html
Mike Bibby scored 28 points and rookie Darius Songaila had career highs of
17 points and 13 rebounds in the Kings' seventh victory in eight games, 107-
99 over the New York Knicks on Tuesday night.
Peja Stojakovic scored 27 points and Vlade Divac had 14 points, nine assists
and seven rebounds in the Kings' 29th straight home victory over Eastern
Conference teams, extending their NBA record for home wins against a
conference.
Sacramento improved the NBA's best record to 41-14 despite playing without
All-Star Brad Miller, Chris Webber and Bobby Jackson. Bibby and Songaila
picked up the slack in the Kings' seventh straight home win over the Knicks.
With spotty defense and almost no inside game, the Kings still held off an
excellent effort from Tim Thomas and the Knicks at the start of their four-
game road trip.
Thomas scored a season-high 33 points -- four more than he scored in his
first three games combined after the Feb. 15 trade that brought him to the
Knicks from Milwaukee. He made six straight shots in the second half, but
he began to miss and later fouled out during Sacramento's decisive 21-7 run
in the fourth quarter.
Stephon Marbury had 15 points on 6-of-20 shooting and nine assists for New
York, which lost for the fifth time in six games following a 9-3 start under
coach Lenny Wilkens.
The Kings dressed just 10 players. Miller and top reserve Jackson are injured
, while Webber served the fifth game of his eight-game suspension. Songaila
had another strong game as a starter, battling New York's bigger frontcourt
for nearly every rebound.
Nazr Mohammed had a season-high 15 points for New York, which hasn't won in
Sacramento since Feb. 20, 1997.
Bibby made seven of his first nine shots, scoring 16 points in the first half
as the Kings kept it close. Thomas has been a profoundly streaky shooter his
entire career, but he nearly shot the Knicks to an unlikely victory while
scoring 20 points in the second half.
Thomas struggled in the Knicks' loss to Cleveland on Sunday, prompting New
York fans to chant the name of Keith Van Horn, traded to Milwaukee for Thomas
. New York's lack of consistent outside shooting has hurt recently, but Thomas
showed he could be the answer.
Notes: Miller and Knicks G Allan Houston both went through aggressive pregame
workouts, but neither was ready to return from injury. Miller missed his
fifth game since spraining his right foot in the All-Star game, while Houston
missed his ninth straight game with a knee injury. ... Jackson isn't allowed
to work out until next week at the earliest. The Kings don't want him to
aggravate his abdominal injury by coming back too soon. "It's tough, because
I usually spend a lot of time in the gym every week," Jackson said. "I hate
it like this." ... Shandon Anderson made a half-court shot with 5.2 seconds
left in the first half -- but it didn't count, since play was stopped.
-- By Greg Beacham, AP Sports Writer
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The Inside Dish
http://www.nba.com/kings/news/The_Inside_Dishvs_New_York-100874-58.html
Quote:
"I'm a little disappointed in Vlade tonight, he only had nine assists
tonight. I don’t know what happened." -Rick Adelman
Stat:
29 consecutive wins: Sacramento Kings versus the Eastern Conference
(a Western Conference record)
--
Songaila did a great job, too :)
--
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