http://www.nba.com/games/20040131/SACSEA/recap.html
Sacramento 110, Seattle 103
Kings Sweat Out Win in Seattle
SEATTLE (Ticker) -- When Mike Bibby and Vlade Divac run the pick-and-roll,
opponents have to pick their poison.
Divac turned sharp passes from Bibby into two-handed dunks on consecutive
possessions, lifting the Sacramento Kings to a 110-103 victory over the
Seattle SuperSonics that completed a successful road trip.
In the finale of a six-game trip, the King squandered a 16-point second
-half lead and found themselves in a 100-100 tie after Rashard Lewis
drilled a three-pointer with 3:05 to play.
Bibby dribbled left as he rubbed off a pick from Divac, then zipped a
pass between defenders that Divac caught in stride and hammered home.
"Coach (Rick Adelman) drew up a couple of plays at the end of the game
that really made the game," said Divac, who scored 13 points. "Mike threw
great passes."
After Lewis made a lane jumper, the duo again worked one of basketball's
basic plays to perfection. This time, Divac set a pick above the foul
line and rolled down the lane before taking Bibby's pass and dunking to
give Sacramento the lead for good at 104-102 with 1:42 left.
"Coach just tried it one time and it worked, so we tried to keep going to
it," said Bibby, who had five assists.
"We made some great plays down the stretch," Adelman said. "Mike made some
great decisions and Vlade got those big dunks."
Ray Allen, an 86 percent foul shooter, could only split a pair from the
line. On Seattle's next possession, he missed a three-pointer and Vitaly
Potapenko missed a running hook before Peja Stojakovic rebounded and made
two free throws with 11 seconds to go.
The Kings survived another missed three-pointer by Allen, who made just
5-of-21 shots. They completed a 4-2 road trip to strengthen their hold on
first place in the Pacific Division.
"This trip was good," Divac said. "We really grew as a team from the first
half of the season. Defensively, we talk now and we help each other. Down
the stretch, a couple of stops have really made these games."
"To finish this six-game trip with three wins like this is great," Adelman
added. "The guys really turned it around. They really had an attitude the
last three games." Stojakovic scored 29 points and Brad Miller added 28
and matched his career-high 17 rebounds for the Kings, who have won three
in a row.
In losing their third straight game, the SuperSonics wasted the greatest
game of Antonio Daniels' career. The sixth-year guard had 30 points on
9-of-15 shooting and handed out 11 assists.
"Ray and Rashard (Lewis) drew a lot of double-teams, which enabled myself
to be aggressive and make things happen, whether that meant shooting the
basketball or getting somebody else the basketball when they were open,"
Daniels said.
The Kings held a 57-41 lead early in the third quarter and an 86-75
advantage with less than 11 minutes to go before Daniels had a runner and
banked in a three-pointer in an 11-0 spurt that gave the Sonics a 90-89
lead with 6:21 left.
"We got too casual and we got too relaxed," Adelman said. "They jumped all
over us." Stojakovic scored seven points in 72 seconds to give Sacramento
a 96-93 lead. Lewis, who scored 17 points, made a jumper before his three
-pointer tied it for the last time.