Dex
03-09-2007, 09:12 AM
Spurs take control late, outlasting their feisty foe for their 11th win in a row.
By Sam Amick - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PST Friday, March 9, 2007
The burly fan was giving his all for the prize, in this case a T-shirt that was hurled into the Arco Arena stands Thursday night but had fallen into the player's tunnel below.
He came out of his seat during the second-half break and leaned over the railing in a valiant attempt, nearly falling to the ground far below and unable to seize his goal.
The Kings knew the feeling.
With a chance to stun a surging team and maintain momentum of their own, a late failure to execute instead left them with a 100-93 loss to San Antonio and a lingering feeling of lost opportunity afterward.
"You saw two teams lay it on the line, two teams play really hard," Kings coach Eric Musselman said. "I mean, are we happy that we lost? Absolutely not. The locker room is down. They felt like they could win. But when you talk about effort, they couldn't have played any harder."
This was, to be fair, a Spurs team that had not only won 10 games in a row coming in, but done so by placing a virtual barricade in front of the basket.
The Spurs' previous 10 victims had averaged 81.2 points per game. But the Kings scored nearly half that total in a 32-point fourth quarter that left them wanting more.
After leading 86-85 with 3:35 remaining, the Kings missed four consecutive shots and had two key turnovers by Kevin Martin and John Salmons. Meanwhile, Spurs point guard Tony Parker hit a falling, no-look circus layup with 2:26 left to put the Spurs up 89-86. After Martin hit all backboard on a three-point attempt, Tim Duncan's two free throws put San Antonio up by six and handed the Kings just their second loss in seven games.
"We let them take control in the last five and a half minutes," forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim said. "This felt like a momentum game, a turning point game. This is one of those games that could've propelled (us)."
There were nine lead changes in the final quarter, the first coming when the Kings took their first lead since the first quarter. Their 10-2 run put them up 73-72 with 9:16 left.
Martin -- who had a team-high 26 points -- finally broke free from the Spurs' grasp, going to a quick release shot from long range and burying three jumpers -- including a three-pointer -- in a minute.
Kings swingman Francisco García finished the spurt with a three-pointer of his own, sending Kings co-owner Gavin Maloof into hysterics courtside as the Spurs called a timeout. But Manu Ginobili, the ready reserve who has sparked so much of the Spurs' recent play, did it again.
Ginobili answered to put the Spurs back in front. His three with 7:58 left gave Ginobili 11 points in less than three minutes as the Spurs led 80-77. He finished with 31 points, slicing through the Kings' defense and leaving plenty of room for what-ifs in regards to a missing Ron Artest.
The Kings small forward missed his second game since being excused indefinitely by the team. While his return date remains unknown, Kings president of basketball operations Geoff Petrie is expected to meet soon with Artest's legal counsel as part of the team's goal of gathering all the facts of his case before deciding when Artest will return.
The Kings trailed 25-19 after the first quarter. Corliss Williamson, though, provided the simple remedy to the Spurs' stops, dominating the taller and skinnier Francisco Elson with incessant drives. Williamson hit his first six shots, scoring 12 of his 15 first-half points and finishing with 21 points.
Ginobili found himself with space to operate in the first half, scoring 12 points as the Spurs led 48-44 at the break.
"We made a step forward tonight, showing we can play against one of the best teams in the league," García said.
By Sam Amick - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PST Friday, March 9, 2007
The burly fan was giving his all for the prize, in this case a T-shirt that was hurled into the Arco Arena stands Thursday night but had fallen into the player's tunnel below.
He came out of his seat during the second-half break and leaned over the railing in a valiant attempt, nearly falling to the ground far below and unable to seize his goal.
The Kings knew the feeling.
With a chance to stun a surging team and maintain momentum of their own, a late failure to execute instead left them with a 100-93 loss to San Antonio and a lingering feeling of lost opportunity afterward.
"You saw two teams lay it on the line, two teams play really hard," Kings coach Eric Musselman said. "I mean, are we happy that we lost? Absolutely not. The locker room is down. They felt like they could win. But when you talk about effort, they couldn't have played any harder."
This was, to be fair, a Spurs team that had not only won 10 games in a row coming in, but done so by placing a virtual barricade in front of the basket.
The Spurs' previous 10 victims had averaged 81.2 points per game. But the Kings scored nearly half that total in a 32-point fourth quarter that left them wanting more.
After leading 86-85 with 3:35 remaining, the Kings missed four consecutive shots and had two key turnovers by Kevin Martin and John Salmons. Meanwhile, Spurs point guard Tony Parker hit a falling, no-look circus layup with 2:26 left to put the Spurs up 89-86. After Martin hit all backboard on a three-point attempt, Tim Duncan's two free throws put San Antonio up by six and handed the Kings just their second loss in seven games.
"We let them take control in the last five and a half minutes," forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim said. "This felt like a momentum game, a turning point game. This is one of those games that could've propelled (us)."
There were nine lead changes in the final quarter, the first coming when the Kings took their first lead since the first quarter. Their 10-2 run put them up 73-72 with 9:16 left.
Martin -- who had a team-high 26 points -- finally broke free from the Spurs' grasp, going to a quick release shot from long range and burying three jumpers -- including a three-pointer -- in a minute.
Kings swingman Francisco García finished the spurt with a three-pointer of his own, sending Kings co-owner Gavin Maloof into hysterics courtside as the Spurs called a timeout. But Manu Ginobili, the ready reserve who has sparked so much of the Spurs' recent play, did it again.
Ginobili answered to put the Spurs back in front. His three with 7:58 left gave Ginobili 11 points in less than three minutes as the Spurs led 80-77. He finished with 31 points, slicing through the Kings' defense and leaving plenty of room for what-ifs in regards to a missing Ron Artest.
The Kings small forward missed his second game since being excused indefinitely by the team. While his return date remains unknown, Kings president of basketball operations Geoff Petrie is expected to meet soon with Artest's legal counsel as part of the team's goal of gathering all the facts of his case before deciding when Artest will return.
The Kings trailed 25-19 after the first quarter. Corliss Williamson, though, provided the simple remedy to the Spurs' stops, dominating the taller and skinnier Francisco Elson with incessant drives. Williamson hit his first six shots, scoring 12 of his 15 first-half points and finishing with 21 points.
Ginobili found himself with space to operate in the first half, scoring 12 points as the Spurs led 48-44 at the break.
"We made a step forward tonight, showing we can play against one of the best teams in the league," García said.