Hello, December. The Kings have been waiting for you.
Slowed by injuries and inconsistent play, the Kings finished November's painful schedule with a 5-12 record, the team's worst for that month since it went 5-11 in 1997-98.
"It's going to turn around," said point guard Beno Udrih, who along with his teammates enjoyed a rare day off Sunday. "I believe so. We just have to keep working harder."
What has Udrih certain better days are ahead is the fact that the Kings will be afforded more practice days in December. Those were scarce during November, as the team played 17 games in 29 days, tying three other NBA teams for the most contests last month. The Kings' schedule included four sets of back-to-backs with no more than one day of rest between each game, a scheduling anomaly the team only shared with the Utah Jazz.
The Kings will play 13 games in 29 days during December, including eight at home beginning Tuesday against the Jazz.
"It will be nice to get these guys some rest," Kings coach Reggie Theus said. "I told them unless they absolutely have to have treatment (Sunday), stay home."
The Kings are scheduled to practice today with leading scorer Kevin Martin likely to participate for the first time since missing the past 12 games with a sprained left ankle.
"Once we get a couple team practices, not shootarounds, but team practices so we can go up and down the court, we can get a feel for each other," Udrih said. "(This) month we will have that opportunity and we are definitely going to get better. We have to."
There's also a pressing need to improve on their home record, which stands at 3-6 this season. The Kings have lost six consecutive home games, also the most since the 1997-98 season.
The franchise record for consecutive home losses is eight.
"It's tough," Theus said. "This used to be one of the toughest places in the league to play. The way things are right now, it's not a tough place to play. We're all trying to get back to that place."
Salmons day-to-day – John Salmons can't pinpoint when he strained his left thigh, but he said it happened sometime in the third quarter of Saturday's 101-78 loss to the Dallas Mavericks.
"Throughout the third quarter, it just kept getting worse and worse," said Salmons, who left the game with 33.2 seconds remaining in the quarter and did not return. "When I came out of the game, I spoke to the trainer and decided to shut it down."
The injury comes at a time when the Kings looked to regaining their health. Francisco García (right calf strain) is back after missing the first 17 games of the season, and Martin is close to returning.
Now, Salmons' status is in question.
"Depends on how I feel," he said. "I had the same injury right before training camp. So, I'm not sure, but we will see. It's going to be day-to-day."
Salmons had averaged 25.5 points in the four games heading into Saturday's contest, where he scored 10 points off 5-for-13 shooting in 30 minutes. For the season, Salmons is averaging 19.2 points as the only Kings player to start in all 19 games.
Call The Bee's Melody Gutierrez, (916) 326-5521. To get breaking news alerts and game scores sent to your phone, text KINGS to 72737.
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