Kevin Martin was hoping his confidence would return Monday in his first practice since he sprained his left ankle Nov. 9 in a win over Golden State.
But on several plays during practice, the Kings' leading scorer said he was confronted with his hesitation.
"There were a couple times where I went back door, and usually, I would have dunked it, but I laid it in," said Martin, who has missed the last 12 games. "Once I get that confidence back up and feel good about my quickness out there, I'll be fine. But I'm nowhere near where I want to be, player-wise, right now."
Martin was leaning toward playing tonight against Utah but said he will wait to see how his ankle feels today.
"It felt good," Martin said. "I don't feel like myself, but beyond that, I didn't tweak it any. There is going to be soreness, but I'm going to get used to that."
What Martin doesn't want anyone getting used to is the six-game losing streak.
"That's when your pride should set in," he said. "We dug ourselves a nice little hole, and we better get playing before it's over."
Martin said he plans to rectify what he considers a major issue with the Kings, who are 2-10 without him.
"My No. 1 thing is team camaraderie – guys making plays and other guys not getting excited," he said. "If you watched how we played in the Golden State game and how pumped we were when other guys made a basket or even a jumper (they'd be) running back and giving five. We have to get back to that."
Forward John Salmons, who didn't practice Monday, also is a game-time decision tonight. He strained his left thigh in Saturday's 101-78 loss to Dallas.
Thompson territory – Rookie forward Jason Thompson said the Kings' losing ways have been hard for him to shake.
"It takes a toll on me," he said. "Guys come up and tell me it's a long season and this and that, but I just want to not have that feeling for a while. It's hard, but you have to get through it."
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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