[Peja Vu]

Bad loss vs. the Clips tonight. Even without Artest & Martin, this is a game they should have won.

[Peja Vu]

Double whammy for Kings: Sacramento suffers losses to two Los Angeles clubs in two nights

This was Los Angeles, and this was a high-flying player with all-worldly talent.

But unlike the night before at Arco Arena, this was not Kobe Bryant.

In this, the land of the silver screens, rookie Al Thornton was the B-movie stand-in at Staples Center on Wednesday night. The Clippers small forward scored 22 of his 27 points after the third quarter, and the Kings fell 116-109 in double overtime.

The jerseys and the names might have changed, but the story was almost identical. Just as Bryant had demoralized the Kings late in the Lakers' win Tuesday and nullified all the positive play that had come early, Thornton and the Clippers did the same in a different way while keeping the Kings winless this season in Pacific Division play (0-9) and breaking their own six-game losing streak.

For nearly four quarters, it looked as if the notion of playing the young talent and winning might not have been mutually exclusive after all for the Kings. At least in Clipperland.

The Clippers, after all, had yet to reach the 20-win mark coming in and had notched only two divisional wins of their own that hadn't come against the Kings. And with the pressure building from within the organization for Kings coach Reggie Theus to increase the playing time for some of his younger talent, the decision was mostly made for him as he was without shooting guard Kevin Martin and small forward Ron Artest.

Martin bruised his right thumb against the Lakers on Tuesday and had an X-ray taken Wednesday that was negative. Artest, however, was expected to play until less than an hour before tipoff when late word came that he had a sore right foot.

[Peja Vu]

Tonight's game: Minnesota (12-48) at Kings (27-34)

Tipoff: 7 p.m.

Where: Arco Arena

TV/Radio: CSN; KHTK (1140 AM)

Head to head: The Timberwolves are among the many subpar teams to whom the Kings have played down this season. Minnesota's 108-103 victory Nov. 14 at Target Center was painful for the Kings on many fronts, not the least of which was that it ruined Ron Artest's return from his seven-game suspension and marked the first of many times swingman John Salmons became frustrated with his reserve role. In their first meeting, the Kings beat Minnesota 100-93 on Nov. 10 at Arco Arena. This is their third and final meeting this season.

Timberwolves update: Minnesota had a short revival from late January to early February, winning five of seven games. But it's back to being atrocious: The Timberwolves have since lost 12 of 14 games.

Timberwolves injuries: F Corey Brewer (right thigh contusion, questionable).

Kings injuries: SG Kevin Martin (bruised right thumb, questionable); SF Ron Artest (sore right foot, questionable); PF Shareef Abdur-Rahim (right knee surgery, out).

Probable starters

KINGS
19 Beno Udrih PG
23 Kevin Martin SG
93 Ron Artest SF
33 Mikki Moore PF
52 Brad Miller C

TIMBERWOLVES
3 Sebastian Telfair PG
4 Randy Foye SG
30 Kirk Snyder SF
8 Ryan Gomes PF
25 Al Jefferson C

[Peja Vu]

Although Martin and Artest have been deemed questionable, they might play tonight against Minnesota.

[Peja Vu]

Box Score - Timberwolves 111, Kings 103

Kevin Martin: 48 Points (12/23 FG, 2/5 3PFG, 22/24 FT)

Martin scored a career-high 48 points for the Kings and set a career high, a Sacramento-era record and an Arco Arena record for free throws converted with 22.