[Peja Vu]

"Mucking it up, we can smile about it because that's been our goal," Kings coach Reggie Theus said. "We are going to be here working anyways, so let's have some fun and muck it up. Make the West take notice."

The Kings have a chance to further mess with the standings with games against San Antonio on Monday and the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday in their regular-season finale.

[Peja Vu]

Kings stand in Lakers' way in West

On concept alone, the notion seems to reflect a Kings season of immense success and elite play.

The Western Conference championship goes through them. No, really. It does.

Ignore the sub-.500 record. It's the scheduling anomaly combined with the Kings' recent penchant for dragon slaying that has kept them relevant until the end, even if the only real role is that of party crasher.

There was Saturday's unexpected win over New Orleans that knocked the Hornets into a tie for the Western Conference lead with the Los Angeles Lakers, who since have moved ahead and alone in the race and have a virtual do-or-die game against the Kings on Tuesday for their regular-season finale. In between, the same San Antonio squad that was overmatched and undermanned against the Lakers in a 106-85 loss at Staples Center on Sunday comes to Arco Arena tonight with its own postseason position on the line.

There is, of course, more to come. But for the moment, Lakers coach Phil Jackson wanted to express his gratitude. Asked before tipoff against the Spurs if he had called Kings coach Reggie Theus to thank him for downing the Hornets, Jackson said, "Oh, no. Ron Artest is the one everybody is going to send a birthday cake to. But (Artest) may come down here on Tuesday night and kick our butt anyway, so it might not matter."

That's precisely what the Lakers did against the defending champion Spurs, who looked as old as advertised and are 1 1/2 games behind in the West. Playing for the second consecutive game without leading scorer Manu Ginobili (groin strain, game-time decision tonight), the Spurs once again fell flat against one of the league's best. They haven't defeated a team currently in the playoff picture since a 109-88 win over Houston on March 30, falling to Utah by 26 points, Phoenix by 17 points and the Lakers by 21 in that span.

As it was, Sunday's most positive performance for the Spurs came when guard Brent Barry ran sprints before the game without pain from the left calf that continues to keep him off the floor. Barry, whose long-range game could aid a Spurs offense that has averaged just 79 points in the last five games, has not played since re-signing with San Antonio on March 23. He suffered a torn muscle in his left calf Jan. 23.

Lakers forward Pau Gasol, who came in an early February trade, did what he was acquired to do, not only running the triangle offense as if he has been with Los Angeles for years but adding a defensive presence that will be so key in a few weeks.

In an ominous sign for San Antonio, forward Tim Duncan couldn't find his way around or over the 7-foot Gasol, hitting just 6 of 19 shots in the Spurs' 41.8 percent shooting performance. It has been that way for some time now for Duncan (16 points), whose worst month yet was March.

Gasol and the Lakers, meanwhile, are headed in the opposite direction, on the brink of winning the West with only the Kings left in the way of the crown.

There was chatter among the players in the Lakers' locker room afterward as to whether Artest would play Tuesday, with the consensus being his sprained left thumb wouldn't keep him off such a stage. The West, strange as it sounds, will go through the Kings.

"We're definitely not overlooking them," Gasol said. "We know how dangerous they are and how much fun they have playing against the Lakers, so we want to make sure we come out hard and with the intensity required to beat them."

Or, as Lakers guard Derek Fisher put it: "Eighty-one games of work goes out the window if we lose on Tuesday night."

[Peja Vu]

2:17 until the half, Kings up 51-46 over the Spurs. Salmons has 16 and Hawes has 13.

[Peja Vu]

Kings battle but fall short against Spurs

The Kings kept it close against playoff-bound San Antonio but couldn't walk away with the win in their home finale Monday night, as the Spurs prevailed 101-98 before an announced crowd of 15,334 at Arco Arena.

Spurs point guard Tony Parker scored a game-high 32 points with 11 assists. The Kings led by as many as 12 points, despite the absence of their top three scorers - Kevin Martin, Ron Artest and Brad Miller - who averaged a combined 57.6 points a game.

John Salmons led the Kings with 29 points, coming up big on a three-point play with 14.3 seconds remaining that put his team within 99-98 and resulted in Tim Duncan fouling out.

The Kings fouled Michael Finley with 11.8 seconds remaining, and he sank both attempts. After calling a timeout, the Kings had enough time for two three-point attempts, but Francisco Garcia and Quincy Douby missed as the clock ran out.

Martin missed his second game with a strained right knee, and Artest sat out for the fourth time in six games with a thumb injury. Miller has been out with a stress fracture in his left leg and bone chip in his right elbow.

San Antonio was coming off a 106-85 loss to the Lakers on Sunday afternoon.

"They know how to win," Kings coach Reggie Theus said. "They've been playing playoff basketball most of the season."

[Peja Vu]

Last game of the season vs. The Lakers!

K-Mart and Artest are game time decisions.

[Peja Vu]

The young guys got a lot of burn in the last game of the year....

Kings end season with loss to Lakers

Quincy Douby led the Kings (38-44) with a career-high 32 points. Beno Udrih scored 22 points, Francisco Garcia had 15 points, and Sheldon Williams scored 12 points with a season-high 11 rebounds.