FOURTH QUARTER (Kings 114, Minnesota 100)
The Kings cruised in this win, with the only point of intrigue in the final quarter the question of whether Tyreke Evans would get his second career triple double (and second in three games).
Kings coach Paul Westphal answered that question with 6:04 left in the fourth, when he took his rookie out for good despite the fact that he was just one rebound away from the mark. Nonetheless, Evans' 29 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds were huge. Donte Greene added 19 points on eight of 11 shooting, with Andres Nocioni and Jason Thompson adding a combined 27 points off the bench.
The T-Wolves shot just 41.8 percent and lost for the ninth straight time.
THIRD QUARTER (Kings 94, Minnesota 61)
The Kings started piling on at the start of the third quarter, going on a 15-0 run in which Donte' Greene had 11 of the points and the T-Wolves missed all eight of their shots. Tyreke Evans just might be able to get his second triple-double in three games (and second of his career), as he has 29 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.
SECOND QUARTER (Kings 64, Minnesota 49)
Kings rookie Tyreke Evans had a rare off-night on Friday against Portland, scoring just 10 points in a blowout loss. He has more than doubled that total by halftime tonight, though, scoring 24 points on 8 of 12 shooting while adding four rebounds and two assists.
For Evans, it's the kind of game he could wind up having on a routine basis later in his career for one reason: he is burying his jumpers. The inside-out game - while a rarity for him this season - is nearly unguardable when he has it going.
He has received substantial help from the bench as well, with forward Jason Thompson pitching in 11 points on four of four shooting and grabbing five rebounds. Andres Nocioni has added spark too, scoring nine points on four of eight shooting (although he missed his last three).
The Timberwolves are being carried by forward Al Jefferson (18 points) but have shot just 39.6 percent. They have given the Kings 10 turnovers to their four.
FIRST QUARTER (Kings 32, Minnesota 28)
For a moment, it looked like Tyreke Evans capped the Kings' opening quarter in fine form. His end-to-end dash was a thing of beauty, with the Kings rookie staying a step ahead of Damien Wilkins and Wayne Ellington in traffic and finishing the layup and the free throw that followed. On the Kings' next possesion, he found small forward Andres Nocioni for a three-pointer that put the Kings up seven.
Wilkins, however, spoiled the finish somewhat. He buried a 30-footer at the buzzer to cut the Kings' lead to four. Evans has 12 points, four rebounds and two assists already, while forward Carl Landry has nine points. The Timberwolves are led by Al Jefferson (nine points) and Jonny Flynn) seven points). Forward Kevin Love (left midfoot sprain) is not playing tonight for Minnesota.
