[DaUnbreakableKinG]

Kings notes: Kings play on without Peja

PHOENIX - The seriousness of Peja Stojakovic's left groin strain has yet to be determined, but coach Rick Adelman said his sharpshooting forward would be on the bench with injured center Brad Miller for the Kings' remaining regular-season games.

Adelman, who has made a habit of surviving injury and adversity, called Stojakovic's groin strain "mild," yet he is planning for the worst-case scenario - the possibility that the Kings' scoring leader (20.1) won't be ready for the playoff opener.

"I have to think ahead," Adelman said Saturday night. "You've gotta be healthy to make a playoff run, and I'm concerned that we're not.

"But all I can say right now is that Peja is not going to play the last three games. It's obviously not great timing for us. He was playing real well lately."

[DaUnbreakableKinG]

Ailene Voisin: Kings fans earn high marks on arena tour

Greg Boeck is a journalist, not a fan. He admits to being jaded, travel-weary and professionally cleansed of any and all rooting interests. Yet in an attempt to discover how the other half lives - those who purchase their own tickets, concessions and travel arrangements to NBA games, etc. - USA Today's senior writer went arena-hopping for 124 days, traveling an exhausting 43,000 miles by air and by auto.

He really needed that chair massage and margarita in San Antonio's SBC Center. He enjoyed the waitress service in Denver's Pepsi Center. He refused to patronize the barber shop in Indiana's Conseco Fieldhouse but characterized a stroll along the memorabilia-framed concourses as "a grand experience."

And when he visited Arco Arena for a Jan. 18 game between the Kings and the Portland Trail Blazers, he was bummed by the building but overwhelmed by the crowd.

"The fans in Sacramento are great," Boeck concluded, "but the arena kind of (stinks)."

[DaUnbreakableKinG]

Wilting in desert

The Kings can't keep up with Phoenix and are caught by Houston.

PHOENIX - There are many ways to lose an NBA game, but relenting to pressure and aggressiveness is not supposed to be an option for one of the league's better teams.

In terms of record, the Kings qualify in the latter category, but not Saturday night at America West Arena. The Phoenix Suns trampled them in a 116-98 romp that wasn't as close as the score indicated.

The loss ended Sacramento's four-game winning streak, dropped the Kings into a fifth-place tie with Houston in the Western Conference and left Mike Bibby feeling glum.

"I don't like getting embarrassed, and I was embarrassed (Saturday night)," he said.

With 4:20 left in the third quarter, Kings coach Rick Adelman had seen enough. He called a timeout and removed all his starters after the Suns' 62-52 halftime lead had ballooned to 89-63 on Amare Stoudemire's two-handed alley-oop dunk off a Steve Nash pass.

Mike Bibby finds the going rough around the basket thanks to Phoenix’s Amare Stoudemire.

[Twix]

With 4:20 left in the third quarter, Kings coach Rick Adelman had seen enough. He called a timeout and removed all his starters after the Suns' 62-52 halftime lead had ballooned to 89-63 on Amare Stoudemire's two-handed alley-oop dunk off a Steve Nash pass.

Wow, that's pretty bad.

I guess it's OK that I missed the game.

[Pejavlade]

Originally Posted by Twix

Wow, that's pretty bad.

I guess it's OK that I missed the game.

I saw the alley on highlights looked like Nash was shooting the ball as he was going out of bounds and then Amare throws it down.

[DaUnbreakableKinG]

Originally Posted by Twix

Wow, that's pretty bad.

I guess it's OK that I missed the game.

I think we all missed it.

It's like we knew what was going to happen.