Kings Blog and Q&A

I'm of the belief the true impact of Shaquille O'Neal as a Cleveland Cavalier won't be known for another six months or so.

If the Cavs are on the verge of an NBA Championship, the trade for one of the best big men of all time, was well worth it.

But the playoffs aren't next week. So we can have fun with numbers. And according to one stat, the Cavs are better off with when Anderson Varejao is on the floor.

According to plus/minus stats, the Cavs are a plus-216 with Varejao on the floor and are minus-1 with the Big Shaqalier (that's the new nickname, right?) on the floor this season.

Before I go any further, here's an explanation of +/-:

The AutoTrader.com +/- stat shows the power of teamwork. It's a way of showing the best-engineered/best combination of players on the court. The +/- stat is a statistic that looks at the point differential when players are both in and out of the game, to see how the team performs with various combinations. The +/- stat can look at a variety of combinations including the best two player, three player and even five player combinations for each game.

Am I big believer in this stat? Not yet. It's hard to be when this stat also says the Cavs best lineup this season has been without Shaq and Mo Williams. Possible? Yes. But I'm betting Williams, not Daniel Gibson, is who the Cavs will have on the floor late in games if they had to choose.

And it doesn't take stats to see the Shaq that will be in Arco isn't the same Shaq that tormented the Kings on his way to three championships with the Lakers.

He's averaging career lows in points (10.3) and rebounds (6.9). His scoring is down more than seven points a game from last season, but he's also playing a career-low 23 minutes per game.

"I think that Shaq is still a presence and a force out there," said Kings coach Paul Westphal. "He may not have as many minutes every game and night in and not out as he has at one time. But he knows how to play. And he's out there to win and he's a handful."

One thing O'Neal could do tonight is get the Kings and their thin frontline into foul trouble.

Tonight isn't the night for Jason Thompson and Spencer Hawes to pick up cheap fouls. Not that either is as strong as Shaq, but if they can't play, that leaves someone such as Kenny Thomas or Jon Brockman to deal with O'Neal.

And even in his 18th season, Shaq can abuse the Kings if someone six inches shorter than him is defending him in the paint.

From The Bee

Kings relive wild comeback victory over BullsBy Sam Amick

Kings notes: Team searches for ways to defend King JamesBy Jason Jones and Sam Amick

Front and center again, Maloofs show they careBy Ailene Voisin

From The Cleveland Plain Dealer

As Delonte's game improves, this could be a very good West trip for Cleveland CavaliersBy Brian Windhorst

TONIGHT'S GAME (By Jason Jones)

Kings (13-14) vs. Cavaliers (21-8)When: 7 p.m.

Where: Arco Arena.
TV: CSNCA.
Radio: KHTK (1140 AM).

Kings update: Falling behind by 35 points wouldn't be a good idea tonight against one of the NBA's best teams. The Kings have been good at home (10-3) and will look to feed off what should be a good crowd. Beno Udrih leads the Kings' bench players, who have been key in the team's improvement this season. Reserve Ime Udoka had a season-high 17 points in Monday's win at Chicago.

Cavaliers update: Cleveland is 1-1 on its current four-game trip that ends with the Christmas game against the Lakers. LeBron James leads the team in scoring and assists. James had 51 points in his last game against the Kings, on March 13, 2009. He also had nine assists in that game. The Cavaliers have won six in a row against the Kings.

Probable starting lineups

Kings
No. Player Pos.
13 Tyreke Evans G
18 Omri Casspi G
5 Andres Nocioni F
34 Jason Thompson F
31 Spencer Hawes C

Cavaliers
2 Mo Williams G
18 Anthony Parker G
23 LeBron James F
21 J.J. Hickson F
33 Shaquille O'Neal C

Though he prefers to operate behind the scenes, Joe and Gavin Maloof credited outside marketing guru Kevin Kaplan with providing many of the ideas for their aggressive and ongoing ticket sales campaign. The brothers have known Kaplan since their earlier years in their hometown Albuquerque, N.M., and occasionally have enlisted his services in the past. Briefly, Kaplan's approach is a grassroots effort that utilizes high tech computer research and, frankly, common sense. His strategy behind the opening night sellout prompted the Maloofs to secure his ongoing involvement. "In the beginning, we had some tough conversations," Kaplan said the other day. "Everything was laid out there. I told Joe and Gavin that we had to market as if the season as if the team was going to be 0-82." Talks are underway for an estimated 50 ticket promotions, everything from concession stand bargains, parking deals, traditional autograph and meet-and-greet sessions, to a more complicated program with local high schools. (Details not yet finalized). Whatever. The Maloofs seem more energized and less stressed than they have in years. Or as Joe Maloof said Monday, chuckling, "I haven't felt like this since we were in the Western Conference finals."

Cavs, Lakers could be sellouts

By late Tuesday afternoon, Kings officials were projecting a near-sellout for tonight's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers and a standing room only crowd for Saturday's meeting with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Is it the money?

Now this is interesting: Joe Maloof is not only chippy when Sacramento's eventual economic recovery, but he becomes downright giddy when discussing the recent sale of the liquor distributorship in New Mexico - the very foundation of the family empire. Besides virtually eliminating their debt, he said, it has enabled the company to prioritize. It's all about the Kings and the Palms these days, with other ventures in the mix, but not nearly as important.

Game story

'Kings historic rally stuns Bulls,' By Sam Amick

Game notes

'Brockman back in a big way,' By Sam Amick

CHICAGO - You know you thought this thing was over, too.

But you got the privilege of thinking that in your mind's eye, or saying it to your wife on the couch or your buddy at the bar. I, on the other hand, wrote it for all to see during the third-quarter recap of tonight's in-game blog.

'I'm sure the Kings' plane has already been fired up. They, however, have completely stalled out.'

One 35-point comeback later, I'm eating dark purple crow.

For what it's worth, I do remember hesitating in the slightest bit before hitting the 'Publish' button on that sentiment. But there was a game story to write and so I just went with it. I had the lede all picked out, something about how Andres Nocioni may have sat on the bench all night biting his nails but this was far from a nail-biter.

Safe to say there was some re-writing to do. Gavin Maloof, meanwhile, will surely be reliving this game in his head for some time to come.

The Kings co-owner made the flight to Chicago and I caught up with him as he was walking on air through the United Center tunnels. I've got to run and pack and we'll certainly cover this more tomorrow, but take note of one priceless thing in this video: watch for Vinny Del Negro.

The Bulls coach walks by en route to his postgame press conference and does his best to keep his frustrated face out of the shot.

- Sam Amick

I just returned from vacation, and just my luck, there's no time to ease back into the 5-to-midnight shifts. Still catching my breath. The Kings left the entire league gasping with their remarkable, astonishing, outrageous, memorable, historical - pick your own adjective - comeback against the Chicago Bulls. I watched the second half while jogging on the treadmill and became so engrossed in the closing minutes that I almost fell off the machine. Seriously. I started covering the league in 1981 (Clippers, Lakers, Hawks), and can recall only one other time where I was shocked by the comeback. I can't recall the final score or the deficit at the moment, but it was a Hawks' homecourt victory over Richie Adubato's Orlando Magic sometime in the early 1990s.

Hitting the late-night show

This has been quite the few days for the Kings and the national television audience. A few days after making their 2009-10 national television debut against the Washington Wizards, the Kings were featured heavily in ESPN's highlights after their dramatic victory over the Milwaukee Bucks in the Tyreke Evans-Brandon Jennings matchup, then closed out their road trip with Monday's comeback win that led off the cable network's late-night highlights. It appears that the Kings have arrived -- or more accurately, re-arrived on the national scene. How long has it been????

Well, he called it ... sort of

In a conversation I had earlier today with Joe Maloof about the organization's vigorous marketing efforts, the Kings co-owner gushed about his three rookies, and couldn't stop talking about his appreciation for Jon Brockman's grit. Little did we know. "The last few years, we didn't have a team people could identify with," he said. "We didn't have the Doug Christies and Bobby Jacksons. Now we have Tyreke Evans, Omri Casspi and Jon Brockman - I love Brockman's toughness - and we have a coach the players have total confidence in." After last night, the oldest and most emotional of the Maloof siblings probably added Ime Udoka to that list.

A few more thoughts about "the game"

* While noting the the late-game contributions from Evans, Udoka, Beno Udrih and Jason Thompson, Brockman turned the game. He seemingly got his hands on every loose ball, dove to the floor and deflected balls, provided a physical interior presence against rebounding machine Joakim Noah and the penetrating forays of Derrick Rose, grabbed rebounds or tapped the ball to a teammate, repeatedly affording the Kings second shots.
* Udrih's poise and playmaking were superb down the stretch. He penetrated and found Udoka open in the right corner for those crucial three's, grabbed the late rebound and dribbled out of traffic, then converted the clinching free throws.
* Love the way Paul Westphal uses his roster. The Kings have one star - Evans - until Kevin Martin returns, but Westphal recognized early that he has depth, and a young, feisty roster. One night it's Casspi or Donte Green, the next it's Udoka, Brockman, Thompson or Sergio Garcia. The Kings first-year coach stays with the players who produce ...
* Evans might be even better than Geoff Petrie (and longtime Evans' proponent Jerry Reynolds) expected. Already, the rookie is special, clearly the leading Rookie of the Year candidate. He defends. He rebounds. He competes. He has a knack for making the big shot even though he's an erratic shooter, and as he demonstrated yet again against the Bucks and the Bulls, he breaks down defenders and gets to the basket. Again, beaucoup kudos to Petrie. Evans' potential is unlimited. His stature will grow immensely when he improves in two areas: Perimeter shooting and decision-making. As Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant eventually learned - and as the precocious LeBron James understood at a much earlier age - they can their shot at any time. But winning is all about timing and teamwork. The great players keep their teammates involved, and then take over in the end. Evans continues to miss wide-open teammates on the wings, especially on the break, too often persists in driving into two-three defenders. Make the easy play. Hit the open man. Still thinking the Kings eventually need a premier point guard to distribute, enhance ball movement and free up Evans to do what he does best -- score.

FOURTH QUARTER (Kings 102, Bulls 98)

So that whole line below about about the Kings firing up their plane? It's still true. They need to get out of this city faster than a Tyreke Evans dribble drive.

The Kings pulled off a remarkable comeback from 35 points down, with Evans doing it all late in what was simply an incredible finish. No way I'm missing a second of this postgame scene, so click here for the breakdown. One last thought: Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro may want to catch a seat on the Kings' plane with the way this crowd wants his head.

THIRD QUARTER (Bulls 88, Kings 69)

More of the same. I'll spare you the details beyond a few lighthearted ones. Sergio Rodriguez blocked Brad Miller, which was kind of funny. Jon Brockman looked like a flying boxing Tasmanian Devil on one block attempt (and foul) on Taj Gibson, which was kind of fun to watch. Otherwise, I'm sure the Kings' plane has already been fired up. They, however, have completely stalled out.

HALFTIME (Bulls 67, Kings 43)

Not much has changed here at the United Center, except that Derrick Rose picked up where Luol Deng led off and has 19 points at halftime.

He posterized Donte' Greene on a dunk after a Brad Miller right wing special of a pass. Deng has 20 to lead all scorers, and the Bulls are shooting 60.9 percent. The Kings have 13 turnovers and are shooting 40.5 percent.

Not surprisingly, Kings coach Pau Westphal has used 11 players in an attempt to get something going. Nothing doing outside of Beno Udrih, though (he has 14 points). One of them is Jon Brockman who has returned from his lower back strain to play three minutes after missing the last two games.

FIRST QUARTER (Bulls 38, Kings 19)

So I asked Kings coach Paul Westphal about his team's loss at Minneapolis on Friday, inquiring as to whether he remained puzzled at how his team had laid an egg after competing so consistently for so long.

"With a team this young, I'm more surprised that hasn't happened more often," he said with a smile.

Well it's happening again tonight at the United Center, where the Kings are down 19 and have allowed Chicago to hit 17 of 24 shots (70.8 percent). It's not all Andres Nocioni's fault, but the Kings small forward is struggling badly in his first return to Chicago since being traded in February. He is 1 of 5 from the field and has let Luol Deng hit 7 of 8 shots for 14 points.

The Kings have hit just 7 of 17 shots and have seven turnovers. - Sam Amick

CHICAGO - Not to bore anyone from the media perspective for a moment, but today's game is yet another indicator that this team is eons more interesting than they were last season.

Unless the 2008-09 Kings were playing Houston (meaning a Ron Artest reunion) or Utah (Reggie Theus meets his old coach in Jerry Sloan) or a handful of other NBA cities, there just weren't many intriguing storylines. Yet tonight's game at the United Center will round out a road trip in which there were no lack of such tales to tell.

And after Saturday's point guard battle royale between Rookie of the Year candidates Tyreke Evans and Brandon Jennings in Milwaukee, it will be just as interesting to see how Evans does against the reigning Rookie of the Year in Derrick Rose.

Yet no one will be as curious as John Calipari, the Kentucky coach who had both point guards at the University of Memphis in the last two seasons (both were one-and-done players). I caught up with Calipari on Sunday night for an Evans feature I've been putting together, and he made at least 72 comparisons between the two players in the course of a half-hour conversation.

Calipari will have to watch on his DVR unfortunately, as the Wildcats (and his third consecutive sensational point guard in John Wall) have a date with destiny to deal with. Should Calipari's team beat Drexel and improve to 12-0, it will be the 2000th win in the storied program's history.

His former players couldn't have crafted a more fitting intro to this matchup, as Evans had a game-high 24 points and game-winning layup against the Bucks while Rose had a career-high 32 points in an overtime home win over Atlanta on Saturday. Calipari, more than anyone, had seen these one-man shows at work before.

"Neither of them need ball screens to score," Calipari said by phone. "The value of players like them is that coaches want players who can get baskets on their own. (Opposing) coaches can stop plays (with defensive schemes), but coaches have a hard time stopping guys who score on their own."

Calipari had just spoken to Evans before we connected, and said he couldn't help but chide him about the latest development in his game.

"I said, 'Why didn't you tell me you could post up like that?" Calipari said. "When I posted you up, you couldn't score."

Kidding aside, Calipari couldn't be happier for Evans' early success.

"Wow, is he good?" he exclaimed. "He's come a long way."

* One final note on Evans. He continues to deal with the effects of right tendinitis, as evidenced by trainer Pete Youngman rubbing a Ben-Gay type lotion underneath his brace before the game on Saturday. He wore a brace throughout the game .

Also, Jon Brockman (lower back strain) and Sean May (strained right hamstring) are day-to-day and questionable, respectively. And in case anyone thought the Evans-Rose matchup was the only storyline in this one, you have another visit with former Kings Brad Miller and John Salmons and Andres Nocioni's first visit to Chicago since he was traded to Sacramento in February.

From The Bee

'Casspi earns starting role, spread in Sports Illustrated,' By Sam Amick

From Sunday's paper

'Evans wins battle of the rookies, and game on last shot,' By Sam Amick

'Jennings slow to be Bucks point man,' By Sam Amick

NBA Page: 'Wolves content to wait for Rubio,' By Sam Amick

From the Chicago Tribune

'Thomas can give quick boost to D,' By K.C. Johnson

'Kings at Bulls preview,' By K.C. Johnson

From the Arlington Heights Daily Herald

'Thomas' return a great chance for both sides to make things right,' By Mike McGraw

'Plenty of ex-Bulls could help team right now,' By Mike McGraw

'Salmons remains confident despite drop in production,' By Mike McGraw

TONIGHT'S GAME (By Sam Amick)

KINGS (12-14) AT CHICAGO (10-15)

When: 5 p.m.
Where: United Center, Chicago, Ill.
TV: CSNCA.
Radio: KHTK (1140 AM).

Kings update: The United Center is one of the few places in the league in which the Kings have had decent success, as they are 11-12 in the Sacramento era in the house that MJ built. And while they broke their eight-game road losing streak at Milwaukee on Saturday night, they could another road win in the worst way considering the Cleveland and Lakers are up next.

Bulls update: Chicago downed Atlanta 101-98 in overtime on Saturday at the United Center, giving the Bulls their third win in five games after a four-game losing streak. Coach Vinny Del Negro's job is reportedly on the line, and the Kings' start a stretch of games that will surely be considered must-wins for him as Chicago then faces New York, New Orleans, Indiana and Detroit.

Probable starters

KINGS

No. Player Pos.
13 Tyreke Evans PG
18 Omri Casspi SG
5 Andres Nocioni SF
34 Jason Thompson PF
31 Spencer Hawes C

BULLS

No. Player Pos.
1 Derrick Rose PG
15 John Salmons SG
9 Luol Deng SF
52 Brad Miller PF
13 Joakim Noah C

MILWAUKEE - Tyreke Evans deserves the credit.

He won the battle of the rookies against Milwaukee's Brandon Jennings, coming up huge with a game-winner for which I had the perfect angle while sitting on the opposite baseline. Bucks center Andrew Bogut bit so hard on his jab step hard that he almost wound up in the front row, and that simply didn't come through on the video highlights. It was a gorgeous, memorable, one-of-a-kind move on Evans' part that gave the Kings the win in a place where the home team had yet to lose to a team with a losing record (the Bucks are 9-5 at home).

But it also did one thing from a coverage standpoint: it took some of the spotlight off of Jason Thompson. And that's just not fair.

Thompson scored nine of his 22 point in the fourth quarter, and he continues to carry what one could argue is the heaviest load of any frontcourt player in the league. Considering coach Paul Westphal used his 10th starting lineup on Saturday night, Thompson never really knows who he'll be playing next to come tipoff time. But he has been producing on a consistent basis and is quickly earning major respect around the league.

Of all the shots that were huge for the Kings in this game in which 14 of the 24 lead changes took place in the final quarter, Thompson's three-point play with 2:40 was as big as any. With the shot clock winding down, Thompson slithered his way along the baseline and squeezed in a reverse layup that became a three-point play when he got the continuation call and pulled the Kings within one (89-88).

It came at the most crucial of times, as the Kings' spirits had appeared to be sapped by the night-long trend of Bucks' tenacity winning out. With 4:14 left, Spencer Hawes did his part and contested Andrew Bogut down low. Three offensive rebounds later, Carlos Delfino's layup tied it 85-85. Evans got caught in the lane and the jumpball went the Bucks' way, followed by a Delfino three from Jennings that contnued the momentum switch.

It didn't get bigger than his floater with five seconds left, of course, when Thompson was there to bail Evans out when his drive nearly drove him out of bounds. And by the time it was all over, Evans was more than willing to shell out some kudos Thompson's way.

"When I gave it to JT, I saw Bogut coming to help," Evans said. "I'd told JT, when I drive to pop middle because I couldn't see when Bogut was coming up and I didn't have anybody to pass it to. He did a good job of listening to me. WhenI drove, he popped up, and when I'd seen him, I gave him the dish."

Other than Thompson and Evans, no one was bigger than Beno Udrih. And after a 2008-09 campaign in which I grew so accustomed to seeing Udrih play so poorly, I'm the first to admit I never saw this coming. He hit 6 of 11 shots for 16 points, marking the 10th time in the last 12 games in which he has hit at least 50 percent of his shots.

He is shooting a career-high 53.3 percent overall and scoring a career-high 13.8 points per game. And while Udrih is averaging four assists per game, his 1.7 turnovers is quite the improvement considering he averaged 2.2 last season in similar minutes (31.1 to 30.2 per game).

Yet at the end of it all, it was obviously the Evans-Jennings show.

"It was a good game," Evans said. "He played good, and I played good. (Jennings) didn't go out there and force anything. He was playing the same way he'd been playing all year. If he saw the open shot, he took it. He made open passes, that's what I like about it. We didn't feed into the two Rookie of the Year thing, we just went out there and played basketball."

And both of them, truth be told, played the game remarkably well for a pair of 20-year-olds.

"That was a really fun game for us I think it would have been a fun game for any neutral observer," Westphal said. "But I'm sure the Bucks didn't have that much fun at the end.
"It was outstanding to watch those two young kids play like that. I thought Tyreke and Brandon Jennings were sensational in their own way. They're both very, very special, and they have a lot of great basketball ahead of both of those guys." - Sam Amick

FOURTH QUARTER (Kings 96, Bucks 95)

MILWAUKEE - Tyreke Evans may have spent much of the night getting burned by his own mistakes, but he burnt the Bucks in the end.

The Kings rookie's driving layup with 0.9 seconds left gave the Kings the win, with Evans' right jab step in the lane nothing short of a thing of beauty. Andrew Bogut's enormous frame slid to his left while Evans finished with his right hand. Bogut missed a jumper at the buzzer as the Kings broke their eight-game losing streak on the road.

It was the second straight wise choice for Evans, whose decision making was suspect all night. Seconds earlier, he drove the lane and passed back to Jason Thompson when he hit a defensive wall. Thompson's 6-footer put the Kings up 94-93.

In between, Brandon Jennings had found Ersan Ilyasova for a wide-open layup after the Bucks point guard picked up the loos ball as the Bucks led 95-94 with five seconds left.

In the end, Evans finishes with 24 points, seven rebounds, four assists and six turnovers. Jennings had 15 points on 4 of 11 shooting, nine assists, and just one turnover.

THIRD QUARTER (Kings 73, Bucks 72)

There won't be many times this gets written this season, but the Kings were better without Tyreke Evans. For a short stretch anyways.

The rookie simply got frustrated and tried to do it by himself midway through the third, when he was either forcing jumpers on zero-pass possesions or losing the ball in the lane or getting called for a charge. He came out with two minutes left, and the Kings finished the quarter on an 8-2 run.

Jason Thompson had a 20-footer and short jumper in that stretch, Omri Casspi had two free throws and Beno Udrih (14 points) hit a runner to put the Kings ahead with two seconds left.

While Evans has a game-high 18 points, he has just two assists and four turnovers.

SECOND QUARTER (Bucks 53, Kings 49)

Tyreke Evans scored the Kings' final four points, slicing through three defenders to cut the Bucks' lead to 51-47 then keeping it at four points (53-49) when he squeezed under Andrew Bogut and got a layup over him at the halftime buzzer.

Otherwise, though, it was a bad finish to a good half for the Kings. Spencer Hawes had a rough few minutes, getting blocked on two straight inside attempts, then fouling Bogut to put him at the line and cap a 14-3 Milwaukee run that put the Bucks up 50-45. Bogut has 13 points already, with almost all of it coming against Hawes.

Evans has 17 points on 7 of 12 shooting, while fellow Rookie of the Year candidate Brandon Jennings has seven points, five assists, three rebounds and one turnover. Jennings was clearly looking to distribute early, but that focus lasted far longer than I'd anticipated as he didn't take his first shot until there was 3:25 left in the second quarter. The three-pointer from the right wing put the Bucks up one (He got it over Hawes after losing Evans on a screen). He got to the line for two free throws shortly thereafter, then buried a 20-footer to put the Bucks up three.

It wasn't the first time he has waited so long to look for his offense, as Jennings went the first 28 minutes of last Saturday's home game against Portland without taking a shot. He wound up taking 17 shots in that game (hitting seven) and finishing with 18 points. Of course the ultimate example of his streaky ways was his 55-point game against Golden State on Nov. 14, when he didn't score in the first quarter and had 45 points in the second half.

FIRST QUARTER (Kings 21, Bucks 21)

Score Round One to Tyreke Evans in the Rookie of the Year bout.

The Kings rookie has eight points on four of seven shooting and two assists (two turnovers too), and has come with the sort of energy he didn't have last night. The Bucks' Brandon Jennings is obviously looking to get everyone involved and has done a nice job of doing so, as he has four assists and no turnovers. He is scoreless, however.

The Kings trailed 11-6 early after an Ersan Ilyasova jumper, but finished shooting 45.5 percent (10 of 22) while holding the Bucks to 39.1 percent shooting (9 of 23).

For a guy who says he doesn't like changing his starting lineups, Kings coach Paul Westphal has a funny way of showing it. He went with his 10th different lineup of the season tonight, with Spencer Hawes returning after two games off the bench and joined by Tyreke Evans, Omri Casspi, Andres Nocioni and Jason Thompson. Only two of those lineups included Kevin Martin, meaning eight of them have been Westphal tinkering.

Evans continues to deal with the effects of right tendintis, as evidenced by trainer Pete Youngman rubbing a Ben-Gay type lotion underneath his brace before the game..

MINNEAPOLIS - So we've certainly talked about this matchup for some time, even if Kings' rookie Tyreke Evans and Milwaukee rookie Brandon Jennings hadn't seen each other yet in their new NBA digs.

I broke it down on last week's NBA page, making it clear that my Rookie of the Year vote is going to Evans at this point. So as the clock ticks in anticipation of tonight's Kings-Bucks matchup at the Bradley Center, we will switch gears toward the older folks on the Kings.

Kevin Martin and Francisco Garcia.

I'll shed some more light on Martin's situation in Sunday's paper, but enjoy these clips of him getting shots up before the game at Minnesota while still wearing a brace. It was the first time Martin had shot before a game, although he has taken shots before a practice during the last week. Martin, of course, had a hairline fracture in his left wrist in early November that required surgery and was expected to keep him out at least eight weeks.

FOURTH QUARTER (Timberwolves 112, Kings 96)

MINNEAPOLIS - Maybe Slamson needs to start making road trips. Or perhaps the Kings should hired local artist David Garibaldi to travel with the team, ordering him to paint 'Arco Arena' over whichever venue they're playing in on that particular night.

Anything to make this team feel at home.

The Kings had their worst road loss yet tonight, falling to the lowly Timberwolves at the Target Center as their road record fell to 1-11. They couldn't shoot (39 of 91, 42.9 percent), and certainly couldn't defend (T-Wolves 47 of 86, 54.7 percent).

There was simply not enough urgency or energy from the Kings, who must now play at a difficult venue tomorrow (Milwaukee's Bradley Center) before playing at Chicago on Monday.

Evans finished with just 10 point on 4 of 12 shooting, four rebounds, eight assists and five turnovers. Donte' Greene didn't exactly rectify his situation, going 0 for 7 on the night.

Kevin Love had 20 points and 16 rebounds for Minnesota, while Corey Brewer finished with 20 points on 9 of 16 shooting.

THIRD QUARTER (Timberwolves 87, Kings 76)

At least someone finally showed some fire.

Andres Nocioni ripped into Beno Udrih for missing a defensive assignment late in the third quarter, slamming the ball after Nathan Jawai scored and forcing Kings coach Paul Wespthal to cal timeout. It mattered little, though, as the Timberwolves simply continued to make a mockery of the Kings' disjointed defense.

Corey Brewer is having a big night, slashing early to set up his outside game and burying jumpers recently en route to 18 points on 8 of 14 shooting. T Kings are shooting 41.7 percent (30 of 72), with Tyreke Evans having by far his worst game in quite some time. He is 3 of 10 from the field for eight points, four rebounds, six assists and four turnovers. The Kings have 14 turnovers in all.

SECOND QUARTER (Timberwolves 52, Kings 45)

The half ended in fitting fashion, with Andres Nocioni's three-point attempt nearly busting the backboard here at the Target Center.

The Kings small forward wasn't alone, as he and his teammates were combined 17 of 47 (36.2 percent) in the half. Nocioni is 3 of 8 overall and 1 of 5 from three-point range; Spencer Hawes is 1 of 4, Tyreke Evans 3 of 8 and Donte' Greene 0 for 3.

The Kings have made matters worse with 10 turnovers, playing sloppy and out of sorts almost the entire half. And right about the time they looked primed to make a push, Minnesota would push harder.

Case in point: Evans end-to-end layup on the break pulled the Kings within three with 1:20 left in the half, and Corey Brewer had answered six seconds later with his own full-court effort on a dunk. Minnesota has given the Kings 10 turnovers of their own, and the production has been balanced. Kevin Love and Brewer have team-highs with eight points apiece.

FIRST QUARTER (Timberwolves 27, Kings 22)

So it's not exactly buzzing in this building. A couple nearby personnel types from opposing teams joked that no one is bringing energy thus far - not the Kings, not the T-Wolves, the media, dancers, fans, not even the Wolfish mascot.

Nonetheless, Minnesota has been more on point offensively, hitting 13 of 23 (52.2 percent) with Al Jefferson and Ryan Hollins scoring a team-high six points apiece. The Kings have hit just 7 of 21 shots.

Spencer Hawes did not start for the second straight game, as Westphal went with Kenny Thomas in his spot and put Tyreke Evans, Omri Casspi, Donte' Greene and Jason Thompson alongside him. The Kings trailed 13-8 early after hitting just two of their first nine shots. They pulled within one late (23-22), but couldn't answer when Sasha Pavlovic hit a jumper and Kevin Love had a layup on the break. The Kings had two shots rim out in the final 30 seconds, a runner from Omri Casspi and a three-point attempt by Sergio Rodriguez.

Hawes logged six minutes and has two points and two rebounds. - Sam Amick

(BLOG UPDATE (1:49 p.m. Pacific): I forgot to mention that rookie forward Jon Brockman is likely out with back spasms. One less to big to help push Al Jefferson around.

MINNEAPOLIS - What better place to start a fire than this whip-out-the-winter-coat-and-hat locale?

It's cold here, of course, as it always is in December and the many months before and after. And while Spencer Hawes can relate to this feeling, his coach said it's time for the Kings third-year center to heat up if he wants his starting job back. While Westphal wouldn't indicate which lineup he'll be going with tonight, I was told that Hawes will come off the bench just as he did on Wednesday against Washington.

"The main thing we want from Spencer is continued aggressiveness at both ends,"
Westphal said at this morning's shootaround. "And I think that when he plays with a fire, he can be effective. And when he doesn't, he struggles. And so, we need him, and we want him to maximize his potential for his good and for the good of the team. That's what he needs to do."

The stat of most relevance here is blocks, as Hawes has taken major steps backward in his ability to help defend the rim and use all seven feet of his frame. He has just one block in the last six games. Hawes isn't the only young player Westphal is hoping gets back on track, though.

Westphal and I talked recently about second-year small forward Donte' Greene as well, and the coach discussed what he wants next from him now in the wake of some subpar play recently. Again, it's not all about one area, but Greene is scoring far less efficiently (and less in general) recently.

In an 11-game stretch between Nov. 7 and Nov. 29, he hit 44 of 80 shots (55 percent). In the eight games since, he is shooting just 39.7 percent from the field (25 of 63). His scoring average in that time is almost irrelevant, as it's more about Greene making the most of the chances that are there for him to take on the offensive end than it is scoring big on a consistent basis.

"It has been very impressive to watch where he has come from and where he is now, but we want to make sure he doesn't slip back to the land of more flash, less substance," Westphal said of Greene. "I think it's important that he keep concentrating on his fundamentals and his role on the team and I think that he can continue to show improvement. But if he thinks he has got anywhere now, that would not be a good assumption. You've got to stay hungry.

"Focus has always been the concern with Donte, and it needs to keep being the concern. He has to concentrate...He's somebody that definitely can score and we want him to score. But we're not measuring his effectiveness on scoring. He's not the No. 1 option or the No. 2 or even the No. 3 option. That doesn't mean he's not going to have games where it comes his way, but he's out there to play defense and supplement the offense. And if he starts having his priorities a little bit different, then that's not going to work so well for the staff."

The T-Wolves, of course, haven't forgotten how the Kings blew them out at Arco Arena on Saturday 120-100. We'll see in a few hours whether they get their revenge or if the Kings break their seven-game losing streak on the road.

"It'll be interesting," Westphal said. "They played us tough for two and a half quarters (on Saturday), and then we broke it open. So we know that they can be good. We know that we struggle on the road and that this is a tough place to win traditionally. We've got to play well, and we need it."

From The Bee

'Kings, T-Wolves going in opposite directions,' By Sam Amick

From the Minneapolis Star Tribune

'New Wolves tandem starts to jell,' (Jonny Flynn and Kevin Love) By Jerry Zgoda

From the St. Paul Pioneer Press

'(Damien) Wilkins throws in a speech,' By Ray Richardson

TONIGHT'S GAME

KINGS (11-13) AT MINNESOTA (4-22)

When: 5 p.m.
Where: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minn.
TV: CSNCA.
Radio: KHTK (1140 AM).

Kings update: For as frustrated as the Kings were to falter late at Portland Tuesday and fall to 1-10 on the road, the Rose Garden is no easy place to fix a team's road woes and the Blazers - while disappointing thus far - are far from pushovers. That's not the case today, as the T-Wolves have been bad no matter the location as they are 2-11 at home and away.

Wolves update: As the Kings well know, a win at Utah can lift the spirits of a struggling team. They did it Nov. 7, then kept the momentum going as it sparked a three-game winning streak. But Minnesota had no such luck, upsetting the Jazz on their home floor on Monday then getting blown out by the lowly Clippers two days later at the Target Center (120-95).

Probable starters

KINGS

No. Player Pos.
13 Tyreke Evans G
20 Donte' Greene SF
5 Andres Nocioni SF
34 Jason Thompson PF
31 Spencer Hawes C (This is no longer the case, of course)

TIMBERWOLVES

No. Player Pos.
10 Jonny Flynn PG
22 Corey Brewer SG
3 Damien Wilkins SF
42 Kevin Love PF
25 Al Jefferson C - Sam Amick

They're not title contenders, but the Kings matter, thanks to Tyreke Evans.

For fans that don't have the NBA League Pass, ESPN provided the rest of the country with a chance to see just what Evans could do.

Having committed a foul that could have eventually led to a loss, Evans didn't flinch with Gilbert Arenas looking to win the game for the Wizards.

"I just thought it was almost poetic to have it come down to a clear-out for Arenas and to have Tyreke (Evans) pick his pocket," said Kings coach Paul Westphal. "We've got a kind that's somebody in this league and it's really fun to see that and have the building rocking."

Evans had 26 points, six rebounds and six assists. And his confidence appears to be rubbing on teammates who already look to him to make plays late in games.

Evans said he didn't realize his foul of Arenas before the ball had been inbounded would give the Wizards a free throw and possession.

But after he forced Arenas into a turnover (Evans wasn't credited with a steal) Evans couldn't wait to shoot two free throws.

"That is something I dreamed, to get the ball in the end," Evans said. "I got the ball in my hands and made the free throws."

*Now for the Wizards point-of-view.

Here's what Washington coach Flip Saunders had to say about Evans defense on Arenas at the end of the game:

"He made a great play at the end, poiking the ball away and getting the steal. We got hurt because it was Gil's sixth foul so he took away our best three-point shooter. Then he goes and makes two free throws."

And you can add Arenas to the list of opposing players who are praising Evans:

"I like him. He's 6-6 and I think he's 220 pounds. Guards that come in that size as a rookie are like LeBron and D. Wade came in at that size. They're hard to guard. I'm considered a big guard in this league and going against Tyreke I felt little tonight. He has the poise of Brandon Roy when he came into the league. He plays at his own speed and never looked flustered out there. I think it's a great pickup for the Sacramento Kings."

*Arenas explained what happened on his final play when Evans forced a turnover:

"The whole night I never crossed over. The last play I figured he was going to think I was going to straight line him. I wanted to crossover to get back to Antawn Jamison's side so if (Andres) Nocioni tried to come over to take a charge, I was going to hit him with a quick bounce pass. If not, I was going to have a straight lay up going to the right."

*Kings center Spencer Hawes played a total of 3 minutes, 53 seconds as a reserve. He didn't enter the game until the third quarter.

Westphal said trying to deal with Antawn Jamison was the reason he started Omri Casspi at forward and Jason Thompson, not Hawes at center.

"Well the matchups would've been pretty tough," Westphal said. "We didn't want Jason or Spencer to have to chase Jamison around so we went with a different strategy and held him to 30. It was a matchup thing and I think we got good results from it."

Casspi had a career high with 22 points.

*The game ended up not being a sellout. But the announced crowd of 16,579 was as loud as any at Arco Arena this season.

--Jason Jones

It was an exciting finish as the Kings pulled out a 112-109 win over the Washington Wizards.

A foul by Tyreke Evans led to a free throw for the Wizards to make the score 110-109.

Evans foul was committed before the ball was inbounded, giving the Wizards one free thrown and possession.

Evans came up with a steal against Gilbert Arenas and made two free throws.
Evans finished with 26 points, six rebounds and six assists. Omri Casspi had a career-high 22 points.

Arenas led all scorers with 33 points. Antawn Jamison had 30 points for the Wizards.

More to come later.

--Jason Jones

The third quarter looked similar to the third last night in Portland.

The Kings' halftime lead was trimmed quickly and the Kings responded. If the Kings can hold on for a win, which they didn't do in Portland, remains to be seen.

The Kings lead the Wizards, 89-80, after three quarters at Arco Arena. The Wizards led 73-69 with 6:05 left in the third, but the Kings rallied with a 20-7 run to close the quarter.

Omri Casspi leads the Kings with 18 points. Andres Nocioni has 17 points. Tyreke Evans has 16 points and six assists.

Antawn Jamison has 26 points for the Wizards. Gilbert Arenas has 20 points, but he also has four fouls.

--Jason Jones

The Kings' debut on national television looks good after two quarters.

Sacramento leads the Wizards, 59-54, at halftime. After Omri Casspi got off to a hot start, it was Jason Thompson and Tyreke Evans who kept things going well for the home team.

Thompson has 14 points and six rebounds while Evans has 11 points and six assists.

Ime Udoka came off the bench to add eight points as the Kins continue to shoot well (57.1 percent).

Only two Wizards are hurting the Kings. Antawn Jamison has 20 points and Gilbert Arenas has 15 points.

One thing the Kings need to work on is boxing out. The Wizards have nine offensive rebounds and 16 second-chance points.

--Jason Jones

It was Omri Casspi's first start, but he hardly looked nervous in front of what looks as if it might be the second sellout of the season at Arco Arena.

The rookie forward had nine points in the first quarter as the Kings took a 34-33 lead after the first quarter over the Washington Wizards.

Casspi started at forward along with Andres Nocioni with Jason Thompson moving to center. The change meant Spencer Hawes did not start for the first time when dressing for a game since the first four games of this season.

Tyreke Evans had seven points and two assists for the Kings. Antawn Jamsion led the Wizards with 16 points, making seven of 10 shots.

The Kings are shooting 63.6 percent.

--Jason Jones

A lot has changed since the Kings last appeared in a nationally televised game on Nov. 9, 2007, a 93-91 loss at Cleveland.

No one who was in the starting lineup for the Kings that night will play tonight against the Washington Wizards.

Here's the group that played against the Cavs, that didn't include a suspended Ron Artest, or Mike Bibby, wo was inactive that night.

F John Salmons (now with Chicago)
F Mikki Moore (now with Golden State)
C Brad Miller (Chicago)
G Kevin Martin (injured)
G Francisco Garcia (injured)

Of players that were on the roster that night still with the team, Beno Udrih was inactive and Spencer Hawes didn't get into the game.

Hawes is now a starter, after watching that night as a rookie.

The nation figures to be treated to the good Kings, the team that hasn't wilted late in games and is 9-3 at Arco Arena like the Kings have on the road, including last night's loss in Portland.

There will be some extras that come with being on for the nation to see.

The NBA on ESPN RV will be outside the main entrance to Arco for fans to enjoy.

Beer, soda and water are just a dollar to ensure the nation won't see the many empty seats that have been at home games, especially when struggling Eastern Conference teams like the Wizards have been in town.

With three road games coming up after tonight's game, the Kings need to win to have some good feelings before trying to end the road losing streak that is now at seven games.

The Wizards are on the second stop of a four-game road trip and have lost five straight.

--Jason Jones

FOURTH QUARTER (Portland 95, Kings 88)

PORTLAND, Ore. - The road woes continue for the Kings, who failed to adjust to Brandon Roy's lockdown defense on Evans in the final quarter and are now 1-10 away from Arco Arena. The Portland guard focused on his defense after sparking the offense, as he scored four points to start the period during Portland's 9-2 run to start it.

Evans had just three of his 19 points in a fourth quarter in which he took just two shots, and the Kings scored just 15 points in the final period while hitting just 6 of 18 shots. Roy finished with 25 points and 10 assists.

Free throws were an issue once again, as Evans and Donte' Greene missed one apiece in the final 93 seconds that were key. The Kings are now 9-6 when leading entering the fourth quarter this season, but just 1-5 on the road. The Blazers are 2-8 when trailing entering fourth, and 1-5 at home.

THIRD QUARTER (Kings 73, Portland 66)

Geoff Petrie is here tonight, and I'm guessing the Kings basketball president was smiling during parts of that third quarter.

After the Kings played a horrendous nine-plus minutes and saw the Blazers open the second half on a 23-11 to take a 66-65 lead, Petrie and everyone else at the Rose Garden saw why Tyreke Evans is considered superstar material.

Having hit a five-foot runner just moments before, he couldn't be stopped on two subsequent drives late while being a game changer on the defensive end as well. Evans' rundown block of Andre Miller's layup attempt sparked the fastbreak and led to an Omri Casspi dunk that capped the Kings' 8-0 run to end the quarter.

SECOND QUARTER (Kings 54, Portland 43)

The Kings are doing almost everything necessary to win on the road for the second time in 11 tries this season. Beno Udrih continues to carry the offense, as he has hit 6 of 10 shots and has 15 points.

He hit a three from the left wing with 2:27 left that was a reflection of the Kings' good fortune so far. Kenny Thomas had blown a layup and the inherent two points, but Udrih managed to improve the situation with his trey for a 48-40 lead. There was a lot of that grit and scrappy play from the Kings, who have 10 offensive boards and 15 second-chance points.

Udrih found Ime Udoka for a wide-open three 40 seconds later, his pass the latest smart basketball play that led to a 51-40 lead. Brandon Roy has 15 points for Portland, but the Blazers are shooting just 42.1 percent (16 of 38).

FIRST QUARTER (Portland 23, Kings 23)

The Blazers started hot, hitting six of nine to lead by as many as nine points early on. But Kings rookie guard Tyreke Evans woke his squad up midway through, driving for a layup after a killer crossover and stealing the ball seconds later. Jason Thompson hit the ensuing layup, followed by a Beno Udrih jumper that cut Portland's lead to 17-14.

Udrih did it again three minutes later, hitting a jumper off pick and roll to tie it 21-21. In all, the Kings - who tok the brawny route midway through with Jon Brockman, Omri Casspi and Ime Udoka running together - hit 10 of 20 from the field with Udrih's seven points leading the way. They also have four turnovers.

Portland has hit just 9 of 22 shots (40.9 percent), with Brandon Roy's seven points leading. - Sam Amick

PORTLAND, Ore. - Kings co-owners Joe and Gavin Maloof made it clear from the start of this season that 'In Geoff we trust' was still their mantra even after the franchise-low 17-win campaign in 2008-09.

And after Joe Maloof told Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski that they would "sit down soon" with Petrie to discuss a contract extension, I caught up with him this morning on the topic. There will be more in tomorrow's paper, but this is Joe Maloof on the state of affairs on that front.

JOE MALOOF

"I think we want to visit (extension talks) fairly soon, and we want to look at it within the next couple weeks. We'll sit down with Geoff, and discuss the state of the franchise, talk to him about his feelings on the team, how he feels about the situation and go from there and try to work a nice agreement for both parties. We want to sit down in Sacramento. I'll be there for rest of the month.

On whether he thinks the eventual negotiations present any significant hurdle to getting it done. Petrie is among the league's highest-paid general managers under his current contract that expires after this season, earning $4.6 million this season...

"No, I don't think there will be any tough negotiation. I don't think he even has an agent. We just have that kind of a relationship. I just feel very confident (it will get done). I feel that it's going to get done, and it'll be fair for both sides...The world's not the same as it was (business-wise), nobody in the country is doing business the way it was done before."

On the motivation to get it done now rather than the end of the season...

"I think the community really really loves Geoff Petrie. They like him. He has proven himself. He is one of the community. People like him. He does a lot in the community. I think we need to some good news, and I think good news would be to have Geoff sign.

"I think that he's a proven winner, he's got a talent like nobody else in the league at spotting great players. Nobody has been able to do things he's done through the draft - we had three rookies on the court the other night and two second-year guys and we're competing (against Minnesota) and won by 20 points. I think he wants to see this through. Like all of us, we go up and down. We understand that. That's part of the game. We're taking a few punches. That's alright, now we're going to start dishing some out." - Sam Amick

Say hello to Sergio Rodriguez day.

He's back in Portland for a regular season game for the first time since he was traded to Sacramento on draft night in June, and he returns as a contributing member of one of the league's most surprising teams. That makes for a fun trip for any former player of said team.

And while Jason Jones hit on that very topic in today's paper, there's plenty more to delve into as opening tip approaches. Namely, how did Sergio Rodriguez get a role on this team?

When the Kings and Blazers met in the preseason, it looked as if Rodriguez's request for more playing time outside of Portland would go unheeded once again even though his locale had changed. Beno Udrih was the clear No. 2 point guard, and the prospect of a No. 3 seeing real floor time with the lion's load given to Tyreke Evans seemed unlikely.

But then a funny thing happened: they all played too well to not play them. And Kings coach Paul Westphal began to reconsider his approach.

"As you add information as a coach, you can sift through things and learn how to use guys a little better," Westphal said. "I think early I didn't know how to use he and Beno together, and it evolved through practice that that seemed like a viable way to go. Beno was playing so well you try to keep him on the floor. And Sergio was playing so well in practice, he made me rethink the first, second and third point guard idea."

The main concern, of course, was the prospect of having two guards known as below average defenders making up 40 percent of your defensive unit. But after upping Rodriguez's minutes in mid-November, Westphal said the pros continue to outweigh the cons.

"Sometimes there are issues (defensively), but you just ask yourself, 'Is it a net-plus or not?" Westphal said. "Are we getting more out of the mismatch than they are? And when Sergio and Beno are rolling, they can be effective against most teams."

As Rodriguez said when he was starting to his his stride in late November, he is a much better fit with Westphal than he was with Portland coach Nate McMillan when it comes to style of play.

"I think that Sergio is a unique talent," Westphal said. "If you try to plug him in to some pre-determiend role, it's not easy for him. But if you, quote, let Sergio be Sergio I think that players love playing with him and they keep moving and keep their head up and they get the ball. He's a very creative passer who's not afraid to try to thread the needle. Some times that's a fault, but it also can be a big strength when he has it rolling.

"We talked a little bit (going into the season) about how I wanted him to be aggressive and take what he sees. Our initial meetings were like that. In general, nothing has changed. If you're going to be a creative player, then you have to be allowed to create otherwise what are you doing here?"

From The Bee

'Rodriguez brings flash, energy to his role,' By Jason Jones

'Kings dangle dollar beer to lure fans, to chagrin of some,' By Cynthia Hubert

From The Oregonian

'Blazers stay optimistic, look for answers after going 2-6 in last eight games,' By Joe Freeman

GAMEPLAN (By Jason Jones)

Kings (10-12) at Portland (14-11)

When: 7 p.m.

Where: Rose Garden, Portland.

TV: CSNCA.

Radio: KHTK (1140 AM).

Kings update: It's back to the road, where the Kings have struggled all season. Sacramento is 1-9 on the road with six losses in a row since their lone road win, Nov. 7 at Utah. Things are always better for the Kings when Jason Thompson is playing well. He's averaging 20.7 points and 10 rebounds in his last three games.

Trail Blazers update: Portland is coming off a four-game trip in which it lost three of four. Injuries are a big problem for the Blazers. In their last game in Milwaukee, only nine players dressed for a game that went to double overtime. Even coach Nate McMillan couldn't escape injuries. He missed the trip after surgery on a right ruptured Achilles' tendon.

Probable starting lineups

No. Player Pos.

13 Tyreke Evans G

20 Donté Greene G

5 Andres Nocioni F

34 Jason Thompson F

31 Spencer Hawes C

Trail Blazers

2 Steve Blake G

7 Brandon Roy G

23 Martell Webster F

12 LaMarcus Aldridge F

10 Joel Pryzbilla C

- Sam Amick

So I barely squeezed in the old 'East-Coast bias' angle in Sunday's NBA page, with the lead discussing the fact that some folks still inaccurately think that Milwaukee's Brandon Jennings is running away with the Rookie of the Year award.

There is still some truth to that, but far less than there was about a week ago. The top-notch play of Kings rookie guard Tyreke Evans is officially being noticed, and there's no better indicator than the fact that he sits atop the rookie rankings for ESPN (ESPN Insider only), Sports Illustrated (which had the headline 'Jennings clear No. 1...' the week prior) and NBA.com.

There is still a long ways to go for all involved, and that includes the Clippers' Blake Griffin. The first overall draft pick out of Oklahoma continues to work his way back from a stress fracture in his left knee that has kept him out all season but still has a ways to go before his return.

But Grant Hill's advice applies at anytime, and to anyone. The 14-year forward who won the 1994-95 Rookie of the Year award dispensed some of his veteran wisdom when we chatted in Phoenix last week. His main point is that we are fast approaching Phase Two for all these rookies, who may have surprised at the start but who may have a tougher time doing so from here on out.

The Kings cruised in the fourth quarter to a 120-100 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves tonight at Arco Arena.

Five Kings scored in double figures and all 12 players scored for Sacramento.

The win ended a four-game losing streak for the Kings (10-12).

Jason Thompson led the way with 23 points and 12 rebounds. Tyreke Evans had 18 points, five rebounds and five assists. Beno Udrih has 16 points and seven assists off the bench. Sergio Rodriguez had nine assists off the bench as the Kings had a season-high 33 assists.

Al Jefferson led Minnesota (3-21) with 26 points and 11 rebounds. Kevin Love had 14 points and 12 rebounds.

--Jason Jones

Paul Westphal showed some trust in his young team during the third quarter.

With 9:06 left in the third quarter, the Kings were up 68-66 with Minnesota on a nice run.

Westphal didn't call a timeout and the Kings responded by outscoring the Timberwolves 29-11 the rest of the quarter to take a 97-77 lead into the fourth quarter.

The Kings have five players in double figures, led by Jason Thompson's 19 points. Two reserves have reached double figures. Beno Udrih has 14 points and Omri Casppi has 12.

Al Jefferson is still a lot to handle inside (24 points, 10 rebounds) but the Kings are shooting 52.7 percent.

--Jason Jones

Jason Thompson took over the second quarter.

He's on his way to a career night at this rate. He had 10 points in the second quarter and has 17 for the game to go with eight rebounds as the Kings lead Minnesota 64-57 at halftime.

Thompson wasn't in foul trouble so he was able to play all but a minute of the first half. As a result he had what might be his best half this season.

Tyreke Evans has 16 points for the Kings and Omri Casspi has 10 points off the bench.

Al Jefferson had 18 points and eight rebounds for Minnesota. Kevin Love added 11 points.

The Kings have just five turnovers thus far, all coming in the second quarter.

--Jason Jones

Tonight's opening strategy was simple: Tyreke Evans was going to post up Jonny Flynn and to beat him into submission.

That strategy put Flynn in early foul trouble and got Evans off to a good start as the Kings took a 35-32 lead after the first quarter over Minnesota.

Evans had 14 points in the first quarter to lead all scorers. Al Jefferson led the Timberwolves with 10 points.

Evans is listed at 6-6, while Flynn is generously listed at 6-0. So the decision to go to Evans early and often made sense.

Flynn picked up two fouls in the first quarter trying to deal with Evans in the post. Though Flynn's backup, Ramon Sessions, is a quality player, keeping him on the bench keeps one of the quickest players around off the floor.

--Jason Jones

LOS ANGELES - It never gets old coming down here.

And, no, not just because I went from talking with the hoops version of Yoda one day (that being Kings assistant Pete Carril) to walking next to a real, live Yoda impersonator in front of Hollywood's Chinese Theater the next. Kings Land compared to Lakers Land is quite the contrast. So many more characters.

The point of the trip was to catch up with a particular character who was only visiting, that being former Kings coach Reggie Theus. Now an assistant with Minnesota (whose team plays at Arco Arena on Saturday night), we caught up on all things past and present for this story. As always, there was some interesting material that didn't make the print editions, not the least of which was Theus talking glowingly about this new cast of Kings that has surprised so many folks around the league this season.

He talked about how the team has added the sort of toughness he wished his players had when he was in charge and discussed a few individuals as well.

No there won't be a miraculous appearance in tomorrow's game by Kevin Martin, but his broken left wrist is healing fine.

Martin had an X-Ray today that showed the healing process is going well. He will have a CT scan on Dec. 30 to check the progress again.

Martin was expected to miss six-to-eight weeks when he had surgery Nov. 9.

--Jason Jones

SAN ANTONIO - This storyline is getting old.

Kings trail early.

Kings fight back and even lead in the game.

Kings falter late.

That's what happened again in yet another loss on the road. This time it was the San Antonio Spurs beating the Kings, 118-106 at AT&T Center.

After trailing by 12 in the third quarter, the Kings closed the gap to three points in the fourth quarter. But the Spurs came up with the plays late to pull away and close the game on a 15-6 run.

The Spurs made eight of nine threes and shot 55.3 percent for the game.

Omri Casspi had a career-high 20 points. Tyreke Evans and Jason Thompson each had 19 points for the Kings.

Richard Jefferson led the Spurs with 23 points. Manu Ginobili had 20 points off the bench.

After the game, coach Paul Westphal wasn't discouraged.

"We gave San Antonio every single thing we could to give us a chance to win," he said.

Westphal said even though the team hasn't won the close games yet and that it is "discouraging" that the Kings will continue to go in the "right direction."

These are the growing pains that come with having the second-youngest team in the NBA.

--Jason Jones

SAN ANTONIO - The Kings trail 89-82 heading into the fourth quarter. The Spurs are still shooting the ball well to stay ahead.

Tyreke Evans has 17 points to lead the Kings. Richard Jefferson leads the Spurs with 20 points.

--Jason Jones

For the second straight night the Kings looked out of the game for the first 12 minutes. And for the second straight night, the Kings looked like a different team in the second quarter.

The Spurs lead 63-54, but the Kings were in control most of the quarter until the final minute of the second quarter when the Spurs surged ahead again.

The Spurs are shooting 61.4 percent while the Kings are at 50 percent. But the Kings are also shooting 50 percent on free throws (5-of-10). To make this game close, the Kings can't have a third straight game filled with missed free throws.

Omri Casspi has 11 points to led the Kings. Richard Jefferson has 18 points for the Spurs.

--Jason Jones

SAN ANTONIO - The Kings are off to a slow start for the second straight game and trail the Spurs, 30-24 after the first quarter.

The Kings' struggled defensively, allowing the Spurs to shoot 59.1 percent while Sacramento shot 44 percent.

The Kings came out flat forcing Paul Westphal to go to his bench for a spark. Omri Casspi provided that with six points.

Keith Bogans led the Spurs with nine points.

--Jason Jones

SAN ANTOINIO - Early into his NBA career, Tyreke Evans is flirting with greatness.

Evans is averaging 20.2 points, five rebounds and 5.1 assists. Oscar Robertson, Michael Jordan and LeBron James are the only other players in NBA history to average 20-5-5 as rookies.

A hard fall last night in the first quarter left Evans with a headache after the game in New Orleans

Evans said his head felt better and that he would be fine tonight.

"If it ain't broke I'm playing," he said.

Forward Omri Casspi missed the game in New Orleans with lower back spasms. Coach Paul Westphal said Casspi was probable with a "strained muscle in his back."

"I felt better than yesterday but I'm still not 100 percent," Casspi said after this morning's shootaround. "I think I'll be all right for tonight. Take some (pain) pills and I'll be OK."

--Jason Jones