CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Kings certainly needed a win, but their coach wasn't exactly gloating about their 114-88 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats on Sunday night at Time Warner Cable Arena.
Smart knows Bobcats coach Paul Silas and his son, Stephen, a staff assistant.
"This is a tough win, one of the worst wins," Smart said. "I'm close with those guys over there, the Silases. Stephen worked with me for five years (as a coach for Golden State) and his dad was a big influence … ."
If the Bobcats don't win again this season, they'll finish 7-59 and on a 23-game losing streak.
That would give the Bobcats a .106 winning percentage, worst in league history. The record (.110) is held by the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers who finished 9-73.
The Bobcats don't have a lot of talent and were without four injured players.
"You know they are struggling as a unit over there," Smart said.
Paul Silas said the losses are taking a toll on his team, but he said his players are giving their best.
"When you're asking guys to put out all of the time and they're playing minutes that they haven't played before, it wears on you," Silas said.
Almost there – Jason Thompson finished three assists short of the Kings' first triple double this season.
Thompson had 14 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. The assists were a career high.
Thompson knew he was close to the rare feat.
"I had a couple chances to flirt with it, but I just fell a little short," Thompson said. "But I'm glad I still got a double double and still got the 'W', of course."
The last triple double by a Kings player was by Beno Udrih (18 points, 10 rebounds, 15 assists) on March 28, 2010, in a 97-90 loss at Cleveland.
Injury update – Marcus Thornton (left quad contusion) is still listed as day-to-day after missing his second consecutive game.
The Kings improved to 2-11 without Thornton this season.
John Salmons (sore right hip) is not with the team on this trip. He's missed the past 14 games.
Despite a sprained right ankle that has kept him out of the past five games, Hassan Whiteside (from nearby Gastonia, N.C.) made the trip.
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