[Peja Vu]

Still going to be shorthanded this week:

According to Kings coach Reggie Theus, Udrih (lower back strain) had aimed the past few days to return Monday against Houston. Miller (right elbow bursitis) had deemed himself questionable after falling on his injury Friday night in San Antonio. Artest had been questionable against the Spurs with a sore knee and stiff right elbow yet played well, only to sit against the Grizzlies.

PLAY THE KIDS.

[Peja Vu]

The Game Plan: Kings (31-38) at Houston (47-23)

Tipoff: 5:30 p.m.

Where: Toyota Center, Houston

TV: CSN

Radio: KHTK (1140 AM)

Head to head: In this day in which Kings victories are fewer and further between, Steve Novak played the relative role of Robert Horry on Feb. 13 at the Toyota Center. After an off-balance Ron Artest jumper with 24 seconds left put the Kings ahead by one, the little-used Rockets reserve sank a threepointer with two seconds left to give Houston an 89-87 triumph. It was the eighth in what became a string of 22 victories for the Rockets and former Kings coach Rick Adelman.

The Kings downed the Rockets 107-99 at Arco Arena on Dec. 1.

Rockets update: Their monumental winning streak put them atop the Western Conference, but three losses in four games since have dropped them to fifth. They fell to Boston, New Orleans and Phoenix, and downed Golden State.

Rockets injuries: PG Steve Francis (surgery to repair torn quadriceps tendon in right knee, out); F Carl Landry (sore right knee, out); C Yao Ming (surgery to repair stress fracture in in left foot, out).

Kings injuries: PG Beno Udrih (lower back strain, questionable), SF Ron Artest (sore right elbow, questionable); C Brad Miller (right elbow bursitis, questionable); PF Kenny Thomas (sore right foot, out); PF Shareef Abdur- Rahim (right knee surgery, out).

Probable starting lineups

Kings

5 Anthony Johnson PG
23 Kevin Martin SG
15 John Salmons SF
33 Mikki Moore PF
31 Spencer Hawes C

Rockets

12 Rafer Alston PG
1 Tracy McGrady SG
31 Shane Battier SF
4 Luis Scola PF
55 Dikembe Mutombo C

[Peja Vu]

Udrih & Miller will play, Artest will not.

http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs...es/011305.html

[Peja Vu]

Rockets' Adelman gets milestone at Kings' expense

Rafer Alston scored 28 points and Tracy McGrady added 17 as the Houston Rockets beat the Sacramento Kings 108-100 on Monday night to give coach Rick Adelman his 800th career victory.

Adelman, who won 395 games coaching the Kings from 1998-2006, became the 13th coach to reach the milestone. He's one of six active coaches with 800 wins, joining Pat Riley, Phil Jackson, Jerry Sloan, Don Nelson and George Karl.

Shane Battier added 15 points for the Rockets, which won for the second time in five games since the end of their 22-game winning streak last Tuesday. Houston entered Monday's action in fifth place in the Western Conference, but only one game behind New Orleans and the Los Angeles Lakers for the No. 1 spot.

Kevin Martin scored 18, and Ron Artest and Francisco Garcia had 17 apiece to lead the Kings, who've lost eight of their last nine road games. Sacramento allowed 100 points for the 17th time in 18 games as Houston shot 50 percent from the field (35-of-70).

Congratz to Rick.

[Peja Vu]

Today's game: Memphis (18-52) at Kings (31-39)

Tipoff: 7 p.m.

Where: Arco Arena

TV: CSN

Radio: KHTK (1140 AM)

Head to head: Memphis is 2-1 against the Kings this season, with both victories on the Grizzlies' home floor. Memphis last defeated the Kings on Saturday, 117-111 at FedEx Forum. The Grizzlies, though, haven't had the same luck at Arco, where the Kings have defeated Memphis the last 18 times they've played there. The last time the Kings lost to Memphis at Arco was April 19, 1998 (112-108 in overtime), when the Grizzlies were still in Vancouver.

Grizzlies update: After losing four consecutive games from March 8-15, Memphis has won three of its last five. Tonight's game will be followed by road contests against the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers.

Grizzlies injuries: None.

Kings injuries: PG Beno Udrih (lower back strain, questionable); PF Kenny Thomas (sore right foot, out); PF Shareef Abdur-Rahim (right knee surgery, out).

Probable starters

KINGS

5 Anthony Johnson PG
23 Kevin Martin SG
93 Ron Artest SF
33 Mikki Moore PF
52 Brad Miller C

Grizzlies

11 Mike Conley PG
33 Mike Miller SG
31 Darko Milicic C
22 Rudy Gay SF
21 Hakim Warrick PF

[Peja Vu]

OT win against the Grizzlies tonight. Still not sure why Shelden Williams can't get off the bench....

[Peja Vu]

Tonight's Kings game: Washington (37-34) at Kings (32-39)

Tipoff: 7 p.m.

Where: Arco Arena

TV / Radio: CSN, KHTK (1140 AM)

Head to head: The Kings fell 92-79 to the Wizards at the Verizon Center on Dec. 15, with Washington shooting guard DeShawn Stevenson burying five three-pointers en route to 19 points. The Kings played without shooting guard Kevin Martin, who missed his sixth of 17 consecutive games because of a strained groin. The Wizards have downed the Kings five consecutive times but are 7-14 against them in Sacramento all-time.

Wizards update: They continue to play above-average basketball even without former All-Star Gilbert Arenas, the guard whose recurring knee problems have limited him to eight games this season. Washington has won 12 of its past 17 games.

Wizards injuries: G Arenas (knee surgery, out); C Etan Thomas (heart surgery, out).

Kings injuries: PG Beno Udrih (lower-back strain, out); PG Anthony Johnson (sprained left ankle, probable); C Spencer Hawes (sprained left ankle, questionable); PF Shareef Abdur-Rahim (right-knee surgery, out).

Probable Starting lineups

KINGS

5 A. Johnson PG
23 Kevin Martin SG
93 Ron Artest SF
33 Mikki Moore PF
52 Brad Miller C

WIZARDS

6 Antonio Daniels PG
2 D. Stevenson SG
3 Caron Butler SF
4 A. Jamison PF
33 B. Haywood C

[Peja Vu]

Wizards overcome 16-point deficit to beat Kings

Antawn Jamison had 25 points and 12 rebounds Friday night for the Washington Wizards, who used a big third quarter to defeat the Kings 114-108 at Arco Arena.

The win kept the Wizards in fifth place in the Eastern Conference.

Former King Darius Songaila scored seven points in the final 59 seconds to help hold off the Kings. A three-point play by Ron Artest cut the margin to 111-108 with five seconds left, but Songaila made two free throws to help the Wizards secure the win.

DeShawn Stevenson scored 20 points and made consecutive three-pointers, followed by another jumper, to put the Wizards ahead 106-97 with 3:02 left.

Artest scored 28 points for Sacramento, which has lost four of five. Kevin Martin had 25 points, and Francisco García had 16.

The loss ended the Kings' four-game winning streak at Arco Arena, where they are 22-13 this season.

[Peja Vu]

Didn't watch the game, but saw the post game interviews. K-Mart said that there was too much selfish play, and judging by the box score, I guess he means Artest (10/22 FG) and Salmons (3/11 FG).

Kevin had 25 Points, but only 11 shots. Boo.

[Peja Vu]

Theus calls loss to Wizards 'just an absolute breakdown'

"Just an absolute breakdown," Theus said. "You can only tell the guys what to do and show them on the board what to do; they have to execute it during the game."

Instead, the Kings fell apart in the second half, allowing Washington to go on a 23-9 run that culminated in a 35-21 third-quarter advantage. The Wizards took back the lead that the Kings held for most of the first half after Darius Songaila's three-point play put Washington ahead 82-79 entering the fourth quarter.

The Kings fell behind 92-81 2:19 into the final quarter after three-pointers from the Wizards' Roger Mason and Antawn Jamison. The home team fought back with a 13-4 run, but Washington followed up with a 5-0 run to lead 101-94 with 4:45 remaining.

The Kings shot 35 percent from the field in the fourth quarter (7 for 20).

"It's lack of leadership on the floor, that's what it is," Theus said. "When things start going south, you have to have someone on the team that steps up and grabs hold of the team and says, 'Hey guys, this is what we're going to do and this is how we're going to get it done,' outside of what we're talking about as coaches."

Kevin Martin said he agreed "100 percent" that the team lacked leadership.

"There were times when we should have come together tonight and we didn't," said Martin, who finished with 25 points off 6-for-11 shooting from the field and four assists. "It was definitely a second-half breakdown. The third quarter just turned the game around."

Ron Artest scored a game-high 28 points on 10-for-22 shooting.

Jamison led Washington with his 42nd double double of the season, scoring 25 points and collecting 12 rebounds. Washington outrebounded the Kings 42-39.

"We kind of lost a little focus," said Brad Miller, who scored 10 points and had eight rebounds. "Obviously, we were trying to do some things and it just wasn't executing."

Mikki Moore was ejected with 7:27 remaining in the third quarter. Theus and several players called that a turning point.

"I saw our energy level drop after Mikki Moore went out of the game and it kind of just snowballed from there," Theus said. "He was playing well, we were playing well with him in the game and it hurt us. That was a big turning point in the game."

Moore was ejected after arguing a foul and receiving two technicals. He finished with two points off 1-for-2 shooting from the field and four rebounds in 13 minutes.

"It was one of those kind of nights where it seems like everybody had something else on their mind, something else that they were thinking about doing," Theus said.