Kings Team Report
GETTING INSIDE
The buzz that surrounded the Kings continued to build last week.
Overtime losses to Cleveland and the Lakers qualified as moral victories for a team that had the league’s worst record last season, and their defeat of Denver on Monday kept the good vibes going.
In downing the Nuggets, the Kings had defeated a team with a winning record for just the fourth time this season (they have 14 wins). Then came Tuesday, when the contract extension of team basketball president Geoff Petrie was announced and all involved proclaimed that the rebuilding effort was in full effect.
Until Wednesday’s buzzkill.
While their loss to lowly Philadelphia was only one game, it came with bigger-picture implications that the Kings will have to deal with. For starters, they were without starting point guard Tyreke Evans(notes) for the second straight game and may be without him for the next two as he recovers from a right ankle sprain.
This, of course, comes after they’ve spent most of the season without shooting guard Kevin Martin(notes) and reserve swingman Francisco Garcia(notes). The Kings have lost eight of their last 13 games and may be on their way to more in the ‘L’ column, as their next three opponents (the Lakers, Dallas and Phoenix) have a combined record of 68-27.
76ers 116, Kings 106: The Sixers came back from a 13-point, second-quarter deficit to down the Kings at Arco Arena on Wednesday. They did it largely because of their long-range game, as Philadelphia hit 9-of-16 from beyond the arc. The 56.2 percent clip was well above their season-long total of 33.9.
NOTES, QUOTES
• While the Kings matched their home win total from last season Monday against Denver (11), they finished their homestand just 1-3 and play at the Lakers on Saturday.
• The Kings have scored 100 or more points in each of the last 11 home games. Overall, they are ranked fifth in the league in scoring (104 points per game).
• The Kings’ defense has fallen off recently, as they have allowed an average of 111.5 points in the last four games. They are ranked 27th in points allowed per game (105.2).
Quote To Note: “I’m not saying we were overconfident, but we were not sharp. And when you’re not sharp against a team as talented as Philadelphia, and you let them hang around a little bit too long, and then they get on a roll, you lose.”—Kings coach Paul Westphal, on his team’s loss to Philadelphia on Wednesday.
ROSTER REPORT
Rotation: Starters—Point guard Beno Udrih(notes), Shooting guard Donte’ Greene, Small forward Omri Casspi(notes), Power forward Jason Thompson(notes), Center Spencer Hawes(notes). Bench—Forward Andres Nocioni(notes), Guard Ime Udoka(notes), Forward Kenny Thomas(notes), Guard Sergio Rodriguez(notes), Forward Jon Brockman(notes).
Player Notes:
• F Jason Thompson recorded his 11th double-double of the season (15 points, 11 rebounds), but it was the rare case in which that didn’t result in a win. The Kings are now 9-2 when Thompson has a double-double.
• F Donte’ Greene tallied 17 points against Philadelphia Wednesday in what was his 17th start of the season. He has scored double-figures in his last three games.
• G Beno Udrih shot just 3-of-11 from the field against Philadelphia and appears to struggle more with Tyreke Evans out of the lineup. Udrih, who is shooting a career-high 52.1 percent, is now 18 of 46 in the three games in which Evans hasn’t played.
Medical Watch:
• G/F Francisco Garcia (right wrist fracture) is out at least until mid-February after his exercise ball accident on Oct. 9. The fifth-year player was bench pressing with 90-pound dumbbells in each arm when the ball exploded and the weights caused the injury that required surgery.
• G Kevin Martin remains out after having surgery to repair a hairline fracture in his left wrist on Nov. 9. He had a CT scan Wednesday and returns to the doctor on Jan. 12, with his return coming thereafter at an undetermined date.
• G Tyreke Evans has missed the last two games with a lingering right ankle injury. Evans is questionable for Saturday’s game at the Lakers.
