Ron Artest sat courtside, Beno Udrih worked out on an elliptical machine and Brad Miller received treatment on his swollen right elbow. The rest of the Kings ran the court during two five-minute scrimmages Thursday at the end of practice as coach Reggie Theus pondered his lineup for tonight's game in San Antonio.
"The guys are a little banged up," Theus said.
Artest joined Udrih and Miller on the questionable list while dealing with elbow stiffness.
Spencer Hawes, who missed Tuesday's 122-105 win over Golden State with a left midfoot sprain, appeared much improved, dunking several times in practice.
"It felt good today, it didn't hurt or anything like that," Hawes said.
The rookie center said he recognized that the Kings' injury list looked worrisome and was happy to report he hadn't had any pain in his foot in a few days.
Miller received treatment for bursitis (joint area inflammation) in his right elbow Thursday. He said he planned to wait until this morning's shootaround at the AT&T Center to see if he can play. Udrih, who has a lower back strain, spent his first three seasons with the Spurs and is making his first return to San Antonio since leaving.
Mikki makes adjustment – With the team building toward the future, Mikki Moore has certainly laid a few of his own building blocks.
His shot has improved, with him making 39 of 55 attempts in the past seven games while averaging 13.9 points. The fact Moore has been accurate is no real surprise. He led the league in field-goal percentage last season and leads the Kings this season, shooting 56.6 percent. But the mid-range jumper that was a key part of his game during the 2006-07 season in New Jersey has re-emerged recently, with Moore hitting from all over the floor while remaining a dynamic finisher around the rim.
Some of Moore's progress may be tied to a recent film session between Theus and Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie, the coach said. In 13 games prior to the recent improved stretch, Moore had scored in single digits 12 times.
"I was watching tape of him with Geoff about a week or two ago," Theus said. "We were talking about spacing and particularly talking about … how Mikki does a great job of setting (screens) but how he needs to widen out and space the floor out afterward. I made a tape up, showed it to Mikki. It just so happened that's about the time he started knocking down shots."
Artest a defensive beast – For all the acclaim Artest received for an improved offensive game in the past few seasons, his defense remains the most potent part of his arsenal.
Artest has 20 steals in the past five games – against the Lakers (four steals), Portland (six), Phoenix (five), Toronto (four) and Golden State (pme). He is fourth in the league in steals per game (2.25), trailing New Orleans' Chris Paul, the Warriors' Baron Davis and Washington's Caron Butler.
"He has an absolutely lethal left hand," Theus said of Artest. "I've never seen a guy manipulate his body so that he can jab at you with his left hand. He's like a southpaw."
Read Sam Amick's Kings blog at www.sacbee. com/blogs.
