[Peja Vu]

[Peja Vu]

Kings (27-35) at L.A. Lakers (44-18)

Tipoff: 6:30 p.m.

Where: Staples Center

TV: cS

Radio: KHTK (1140 AM).

Head to head: No one can blame Kings coach Reggie Theus for thinking the basketball gods were against him in this one. When the Kings and Lakers played Tuesday, it was the latest point in NBA history at which two teams in the same division met for the first time in a season. The Lakers left Arco Arena with a 117-105 win that featured all that is incredible about Kobe Bryant, who scored 17 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter.

Lakers update: The "Lake Show" keeps rolling. The Lakers have won 16 of 18 games and are alone atop the Western Conference. After downing the Kings, the Lakers routed the Clippers 119-82 Friday night.

Lakers injuries: SF Trevor Ariza (broken right foot, out); C Andrew Bynum (partially dislocated patella, out); C Chris Mihm (right ankle surgery, out); PF Vladimir Radmanovic (strained right calf, probable).

Kings injuries: 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

Lakers

2 Derek Fisher PG
24 Kobe Bryant SG
4 Luke Walton SF
7 Lamar Odom PF
16 Pau Gasol C

[Peja Vu]

Finally a win vs. a Pacific team! And I only saw the last 3 minutes of the game

Kings slip past Lakers

The City of Angels was buzzing with Lakers fever on Sunday afternoon.

With a San Antonio loss earlier in the day, Kobe Bryant and Co. had a chance to extend their lead in the Western Conference. This game, like every one from here on out for the Lakers, was of the utmost significance. Yet against a Kings team that seemingly has nothing in the standings to play for, the Lakers fell 114-113 at Staples Center. It was the Kings' first victory this season over a Pacific Division team.

The Kings did it, in large part, because of some welcome poetic justice from the officials.

With 2:24 left, the Lakers grabbed their first lead since a 2-0 edge when Lakers guard Sasha Vujacic was given a phantom call.

Kings forward Mikki Moore grabbed a rebound and swung his elbow. Vujacic - who is known to be among the NBA's preeminent actors - reacted nearly a second later, even though Moore's elbow had missed. The ensuing free throw cut the Kings' lead to 108-107 as all momentum shifted.

But after a Pau Gasol layup with 15 seconds left put the Lakers up 113-112, Vujacic was called for a foul while on the ground that led to the Kings' win. Point guard Beno Udrih ran him over on the way to the hoop after Vujacic had fallen, and the free throws sealed the victory. Kobe Bryant, who had 26 points but was held to 10 in the final three quarters, missed a jumper at the buzzer.

The Kings managed to pull off the sort of double duty that has, at times, seemed impossible, that being a win that came as they also continued the new priority of developing the young talent. Rookie center Spencer Hawes made that charge easy, scoring 14 points and grabbing eight rebounds in his coming-out game.

Ron Artest, who missed the previous two games with a sore right foot, played less than two minutes in the fourth quarter but had 17 points. Udrih had 25 points and Kevin Martin had 21.

The Kings' 11-point halftime lead left the announced Staples Center crowd of 18,997 a bit subdued, with occasional "MVP" chants for Bryant and random boos for Kings center Brad Miller and Artest. Otherwise, the Kings quieted the locals with an offensive display the likes of which neither team had seen this season. Their 71 points in the half was a season-high for the Kings and for any Lakers opponent, with Martin scoring 17 points and Artest contributing 13.

Artest was healthy and hellacious early. Less then three minutes in, he attacked the rim with a right-handed dunk over Lamar Odom that set an early tone. Artest pulled his trademark chest pound as he ran the other way, and he and the Kings were just getting started.

Despite Bryant's 16 first-quarter points, the Kings used a 12-2 run to lead 25-19 with 2:58 left in the period. The Lakers' 10-4 run tied it 29-29, but Artest buried a 22-footer with one second to put the Kings up 31-29 entering the second.

They pulled away using a 17-5 run in the second quarter, with Francisco García hitting three three-pointers in a span of 3:24 as the Kings led 58-45. Udrih finished the half in fine fashion, waving off Artest for the final shot attempt and burying a 19-footer with 0.2 seconds left for the 71-60 halftime lead.

[Peja Vu]

LOL @ Ron-Ron. Did he even play in the 4th quarter?




Yeah, I thought it was going to be good.

[Peja Vu]

Kings collar victory over Lakers

"Kobe popped his collar in Sacramento, and the Kings' fans weren't too happy, so the best thing was to have a chance to pop it back," said Artest, who didn't play the last 16:30 of the game. "That's all I wanted to do. I didn't care if I didn't score a point.

"I wanted one game, to run across the L.A. court and show everybody. (The jersey) says 'Kings.' I wish it said Sacramento."

Bryant – whose 19-foot, game-winning attempt came up short with Mikki Moore contesting the shot – wished Artest would have come up with his own celebration.

"He's got to get his own material," Bryant said. "Don't be (rapper) Puff Daddy and sample every song. You've got to create your own music sometimes."

For a night, the Kings were doing just that. They managed to pull off the sort of double duty that had previously seemed impossible – a win that came as they also continued the new priority of developing the young talent.

Swingman Francisco García had 15 points and teamed with John Salmons and Artest to hold Bryant to 10 of his 26 points in the final three quarters. Rookie center Spencer Hawes made the task of competing with the youngsters easy, too, scoring 14 points and grabbing eight rebounds in what was his coming-out game in terms of impact. It was his defense that put his outing into a category of its own, with Hawes showing a new kind of physicality with Lakers forward Pau Gasol during a key stretch midway through the fourth quarter while he continued to progress.

"We've been trying to get Spence to understand that, with his minutes, he's got six fouls to give and not be afraid to use them," Kings coach Reggie Theus said. "Tonight I thought he was aggressive, wasn't afraid to be physical, and consequently I thought he challenged a lot of shots and made his presence known on the defensive end."

[Peja Vu]

Tonight's Game: Portland (34-31) at Kings (28-35)

Tipoff: 7 p.m. • Where: Arco Arena

TV/Radio: CSN; KHTK (1140 AM)

Head to head: Hope was still afloat when these teams met Feb. 19, as the Kings' 105-94 victory at the Rose Garden was their third consecutive after the All-Star break. In the Kings' first game since Mike Bibby's trade to Atlanta, Ron Artest scored 12 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter to seal the win.

Trail Blazers update: Portland is in a slightly less painful but similar position to the Kings. The Blazers' 13-game winning streak in December couldn't carry them through. A slide ensued, and they are a distant 10th in the Western Conference. As a building block toward the much-anticipated addition of center Greg Oden next season, though, it has been a memorable campaign.

Trail Blazers injuries: F Darius Miles (right knee, out); C Greg Oden (right knee, out).

Kings injuries: PF Shareef Abdur-Rahim (right knee, out).

Projected starting lineups

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

BLAZERS
2 Steve Blake PG
7 Brandon Roy SG
8 Martell Webster SF
12 LaMarcus Aldridge PF
10 Joel Przybilla C

[Peja Vu]

Artest solid in Kings' victory

Ron Artest looked up, focusing in on the fan yelling his way.

"That's six steals, Ron," the man repeated as Artest walked on the court with a little more than three minutes remaining in the game Thursday night.

Artest held up six fingers, then pumped his fists. Equally as impressive as his defense was his zero turnovers and game-high 22 points in 37 minutes as the Kings beat Portland 96-85.

Four other Kings players joined Artest in double-digit scoring in front of an announced crowd of 13,333 at Arco Arena. Brad Miller and Beno Udrih each scored 14 points. Udrih tied his career high with eight rebounds.

Brandon Roy led Portland with 21 points. The Kings led by as many as 18 points, despite being beaten on the boards. Portland outrebounded the Kings 43-37.

Kings defenders forced 20 Portland turnovers for 27 points, while giving up 15 turnovers for 19 points. Kevin Martin (six points) and Udrih combined for 10 of their team's turnovers.

The Kings struggled from three-point range, making four of 19 attempts (21.1 percent).

[Peja Vu]

Box Score - Kings 96, Blazers 85

Artest: 22 Points (8/12 FG) and 6 Steals


Udrih: 14 Points, 8 Rebounds, and 7 Assists

[Peja Vu]

<object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/zJwPnMuCxjk&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/zJwPnMuCxjk&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>

[Peja Vu]

Today's game: Kings (29-35) at Phoenix (43-22)

Tipoff: 7 p.m.

Where: US Airways Arena

TV/Radio: 10; KHTK (1140 AM)

Head to head: No one expected the Kings to lose nine consecutive games to Pacific Division opponents this season before unexpectedly beating the Lakers last Sunday. And it's likely no one expects a second win to come against the Suns, either. The Kings have lost all three meetings this season. This being the first game since Phoenix acquired Shaquille O'Neal, the history of a 10-40 Kings record in Phoenix during the Sacramento era doesn't help.

Suns update: The Suns continue to jell with O'Neal on deck. After losing six of their first nine games with him at center, they've won three in a row. Their Sunday win over San Antonio was followed by victories against Memphis and Golden State.

Suns injuries: None.

Kings injuries: 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

SUNS
13 Steve Nash PG
19 Raja Bell SG
33 Grant Hill SF
1 Amare Stoudemire PF
32 Shaquille O'Neal C

[Peja Vu]

Kings cannot keep pace: The Suns assume control in the second quarter and sweep the season series 4-0.

This was Shaquille O'Neal years later, 16 years in all and amid the latest challenge of his illustrious career.

But when he took a pass in the low post in the first quarter at US Airways Arena on Saturday night, he looked no different than his younger self as he pulled a power play on longtime foe Brad Miller. O'Neal leaned back on the Kings' center and turned toward the baseline, his massive frame moving Miller as the layup fell through and the foul was called.

"Where's Brad supposed to go when (O'Neal) is leaning on him?" Kings coach Reggie Theus hollered at the official. "Is he supposed to run and hide?"

It might not have been a bad idea for the Kings.

By the time the cover-your-eyes loss had mercifully ended with Phoenix up 127-99, the mini-momentum of two consecutive victories couldn't compare to the surge of a Suns team that has been searching for its identity with O'Neal in the mix.

The soul search, at least for the moment, appears to be over, as the Suns won for the fourth successive time and improved to 7-6 with O'Neal. They swept the season series from the Kings for the first time since the 1999-2000 campaign and won for the ninth time in 10 meetings.

And they did so with a second quarter that might have been as lopsided as any this season in the NBA.

The final tally for the period was Suns 42, Kings 14, and the eruption began with Phoenix up 41-40 at the 9:54 mark. Nearly seven minutes later, the Suns had exploded on a 28-2 run that segued into a 79-point first half and a 31-point lead. The Kings missed 10 of 11 shots during the run, all part of a period in which the Suns hit 15 of 19 from the field and left an announced sellout crowd of 18,422 little time to breathe before the next highlight-reel material arrived.

"It's been our M.O. a lot of times this year that if we are not making shots, we stop playing defense on the other end," Theus said. "It's about defense. We won a lot of games when our defense was strong."

Suns forward Amare Stoudemire and guard Gordan Giricek combined for 25 points in the quarter, none more sensational than Stoudemire's alley-oop with 5:57 remaining that left a fan yelling, "Da da da, da da da," because it was a surefire "SportsCenter" moment. Stoudemire took off from the left side as Steve Nash's pass was thrown behind his head. He reached back to corral the ball and collided with Kings swingman Francisco García in midair, yet finished the dunk and hit the free throw for a 59-42 lead.

Stoudemire finished with 30 points and 10 rebounds, making good on the little-talked-about MVP campaign of which O'Neal is the head publicist. O'Neal, who had an active 17 points and eight rebounds, has been championing his new teammate as a candidate who is too often ignored.

It's the sort of camaraderie that didn't appear to exist before Shawn Marion was traded to Miami for O'Neal. For all the success the Suns enjoyed with their previous cast, there was said to be jealousy among some of the core players regarding who received the most credit. The status report on the new version: a healthier locker room, perhaps, and possibly a more playoff-ready team that is in fifth place in the Western Conference and 1 1/2 games behind the first-place Los Angeles Lakers and Houston.

"The first few games (with O'Neal), we had to figure out how to do it," Stoudemire said. "Shaq didn't quite know the offense, and we didn't quite know how to adjust to him with his dominant presence inside the paint … . Our first week and a half was basically preseason."

Meanwhile, the Kings took one torturous step closer to their offseason.

"They were playing with a sense of urgency that they had to win games to solidify their position in the playoffs," said Kings small forward Ron Artest, who had 26 points on 10-of-22 shooting, nine rebounds and five steals. "But we only played in spurts. And in order for us to continue to win games, we have to play the whole game."