Morphgizmo
01-24-2005, 08:43 AM
Kings take a beating from Spurs (http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/12126178p-12997010c.html)
The loss is Sacramento's worst at home since December 1995.
By Martin McNeal -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Monday, January 24, 2005
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The Kings had better hope the pundits are right and the San Antonio Spurs are the NBA's best team.
If there are any better clubs, a disappointing and embarrassing Sunday night just grew worse.
One must go back a little more than nine years to the last time the Kings received a home beating worse than the 103-73 whipping delivered by the Spurs. A shocked crowd of 17,317 at least could go home early without fear of missing anything.
Sacramento (27-12) had its six-game winning streak crash like the blizzard into the East Coast - cold, hard and with maximum force.
Meanwhile, San Antonio (34-9) posted its fourth victory in a row and sixth in the past seven games. Tim Duncan led the way with 23 points and 13 rebounds in 32 minutes. The Spurs also received 16 points and eight rebounds from former Kings backup Tony Massenburg, who had scored only 61 points this season.
The last time Sacramento absorbed a home beatdown as extreme as this was Dec. 12, 1995, when the Houston Rockets romped 133-93.
Kings coach Rick Adelman had talked for two days about how important it was to play intelligently on offense against the Spurs. Now the Kings have to get their act together before hosting the New Jersey Nets on Tuesday.
"It was if we'd never heard it before," Adelman said. "We talked about how strong they are on the strong side of the floor and how if you're going to have success, you have to attack the weak side. But we didn't move the ball, and we didn't move. It was one pass and a shot. It was one dribble and a shot. It's one thing if you're shooting well, but if you're not, that's going to kill you.
"They are going to challenge shots. You're going to have to work a little harder to get good shots against a team like this. But we did not play like a team that trusted each other. And I can't remember anytime since I've been here we had eight assists and 17 turnovers."
Both teams had injury issues. The Spurs were without starting center Rasho Nesterovic (sprained left ankle) and backup forward Robert Horry (right knee injury). The Kings, already missing Bobby Jackson after left wrist surgery, lost Chris Webber for the second half after he sprained his right ankle early in the second quarter.
Webber returned in the quarter after having his ankle re-taped, but he could hardly move and was on the training table at the end of halftime. He played 13 minutes, scored six points and had no rebounds or assists.
Even if the Spurs are not the league's best team, the Kings still looked like a bunch of strangers hooking up at the park for the first time.
Entering the game, the Kings led the league in assists by averaging 25. But their total of eight established a Sacramento-era low. The previous low was nine, set against the Utah Jazz on Dec. 3, 1988, during a 107-73 rout.
The Kings also recorded season lows in points, three-pointers made (one) and steals (four) against a team they might face in the playoffs.
"We've got to go back to the drawing board," Cuttino Mobley said after his first loss in a Sacramento uniform. "Come back (today), look at the film and see what they did right and we didn't do right. We play these guys again Thursday."
Said Peja Stojakovic, who scored just eight points and failed to reach double figures for the second time in three games, "It was a really bad loss. The Spurs are a great team. They are smart, and they know how to take advantage of your weaknesses."
On this night, the Spurs' hardest job was selecting which of those weaknesses to exploit.
The loss is Sacramento's worst at home since December 1995.
By Martin McNeal -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Monday, January 24, 2005
Get the latest news in sacbee.com's Kings Alert newsletter. Sign up here.
The Kings had better hope the pundits are right and the San Antonio Spurs are the NBA's best team.
If there are any better clubs, a disappointing and embarrassing Sunday night just grew worse.
One must go back a little more than nine years to the last time the Kings received a home beating worse than the 103-73 whipping delivered by the Spurs. A shocked crowd of 17,317 at least could go home early without fear of missing anything.
Sacramento (27-12) had its six-game winning streak crash like the blizzard into the East Coast - cold, hard and with maximum force.
Meanwhile, San Antonio (34-9) posted its fourth victory in a row and sixth in the past seven games. Tim Duncan led the way with 23 points and 13 rebounds in 32 minutes. The Spurs also received 16 points and eight rebounds from former Kings backup Tony Massenburg, who had scored only 61 points this season.
The last time Sacramento absorbed a home beatdown as extreme as this was Dec. 12, 1995, when the Houston Rockets romped 133-93.
Kings coach Rick Adelman had talked for two days about how important it was to play intelligently on offense against the Spurs. Now the Kings have to get their act together before hosting the New Jersey Nets on Tuesday.
"It was if we'd never heard it before," Adelman said. "We talked about how strong they are on the strong side of the floor and how if you're going to have success, you have to attack the weak side. But we didn't move the ball, and we didn't move. It was one pass and a shot. It was one dribble and a shot. It's one thing if you're shooting well, but if you're not, that's going to kill you.
"They are going to challenge shots. You're going to have to work a little harder to get good shots against a team like this. But we did not play like a team that trusted each other. And I can't remember anytime since I've been here we had eight assists and 17 turnovers."
Both teams had injury issues. The Spurs were without starting center Rasho Nesterovic (sprained left ankle) and backup forward Robert Horry (right knee injury). The Kings, already missing Bobby Jackson after left wrist surgery, lost Chris Webber for the second half after he sprained his right ankle early in the second quarter.
Webber returned in the quarter after having his ankle re-taped, but he could hardly move and was on the training table at the end of halftime. He played 13 minutes, scored six points and had no rebounds or assists.
Even if the Spurs are not the league's best team, the Kings still looked like a bunch of strangers hooking up at the park for the first time.
Entering the game, the Kings led the league in assists by averaging 25. But their total of eight established a Sacramento-era low. The previous low was nine, set against the Utah Jazz on Dec. 3, 1988, during a 107-73 rout.
The Kings also recorded season lows in points, three-pointers made (one) and steals (four) against a team they might face in the playoffs.
"We've got to go back to the drawing board," Cuttino Mobley said after his first loss in a Sacramento uniform. "Come back (today), look at the film and see what they did right and we didn't do right. We play these guys again Thursday."
Said Peja Stojakovic, who scored just eight points and failed to reach double figures for the second time in three games, "It was a really bad loss. The Spurs are a great team. They are smart, and they know how to take advantage of your weaknesses."
On this night, the Spurs' hardest job was selecting which of those weaknesses to exploit.