Short-handed Kings beat playoff-contending Golden State

The Kings' house was about to be rented out again.

Arco Arena, as it were, was enduring another humbling moment. Nearly every seat was full only because so many Golden State fans made the drive east, and Kings co-owner Gavin Maloof looked pained as the booming chants of "Go Warriors!" erupted even louder than those of Lakers fans who had taken over a few weeks back.

But midway through the fourth quarter Tuesday night, the home-court edge was implemented when local staffers drowned out the visiting fans with music and plenty of yelling on the microphone. The Kings followed suit, silencing the Warriors 122-105 while making all sorts of statements themselves.

Among the many messages? The Kings, apparently, retain some level of pride in this growing Northern California rivalry, winning for the first time in three meetings this season and just the sixth time in the last 18 faceoffs. They also showed plenty of interest in playing the role of spoiler down the stretch, winning without point guard Beno Udrih (lower back strain), rookie center Spencer Hawes (left midfoot strain) and forward Kenny Thomas (sore right knee) against a team desperate for a victory to retain its eighth-place position in the Western Conference.

And Anthony Johnson sent the loudest message, showing quite emphatically that he still has skills and plenty of veteran savvy. The 11-year veteran stepped in for Udrih and directed the Kings to a season-best 58 percent shooting night. He contributed 13 points and 13 assists and aided the productive outing of shooting guard Kevin Martin (34 points on 13-for-22 shooting).

Johnson had five first-quarter assists and converted three alley-oops to Martin in the first half, which ended with the Kings ahead 61-57.

Then came the surge. An 11-4 run to open the third quarter sent the Kings on their way, as they led by as many as 21 points in the period.

"Just to remind everybody, (Johnson) has been in two (Eastern Conference) championships back-to-back (in Indiana)," said Kings small forward Ron Artest, who played with Johnson with the Pacers and had 26 points Tuesday. "A.J.'s a hell of a player."

Coach Reggie Theus said Johnson's ability to blend in immediately was the ultimate veteran move.

"He's a veteran," Theus said. "He has been around a long time and was in the (Eastern) finals. He played in a playoff game and scored 40 points … one time. This isn't a guy who can't play ball."

The Warriors – who will face the Kings once more this season – shot just 40.9 percent from the field and hit just 5 of 27 three-pointers, with small forward Stephen Jackson the worst offender. Jackson hit just 3 of 15 shots and missed all four of his three-pointers, which was nothing compared to the shot he took when it was over.

With 33 seconds remaining and the Kings up 122-103, Theus called a timeout to insert Quincy Douby and Francisco García. The move infuriated Jackson, who didn't leave the floor for some time while voicing his displeasure with his old teammate, Johnson, and later to reporters.

"That's not right," he said. "I take it as disrespectful. It's good to still want to make your team win, but you're not playing for nothing. … My biggest worry is to get into these playoffs and make them come watch us if they want to … . That's not respecting the guys you work with, and I think he should apologize for it."

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• Read Sam Amick's Kings blog at www.sacbee.com/blogs.