Webber had 28 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists as the Sacramento Kings defeated the Phoenix Suns, 103-100, for their eighth straight victory, matching their longest winning streak since moving from Cincinnati prior to the 1972-73 season.
Peja Stojakovic added 25 points and eight rebounds for Sacramento, which had not played since beating Milwaukee last Sunday.
"I think that we talked too much about having days off and needing a rest because coach (Rick Adelman) killed us in practice," Webber said. "I feel like we played two games. Coach did what he had to do, but it wasn't as easy as most people anticipated. It was needed, especially in a game like tonight when not everyone was able to play."
| from Suns-Kings: 56k | 300k  Scot Pollard and the Kings came out on top against the Suns. Rocky Widner/NBAE/Getty Images |
The winning streak equals the Kings' longest since a nine-game run during the 1949-50 season, when the franchise was based in Rochester, New York.
"I am really pleased with the win," Adelman said. "We struggled, especially shooting the ball. Considering all of the injuries, I was really pleased with the guys, the way they stayed with it and got the win."
Hedo Turkoglu hit a 3-pointer with two seconds left in the third quarter, enabling the Kings to take a 78-68 advantage into the final period. Doug Christie converted from the arc to begin the fourth quarter and gave Sacramento its biggest lead at 81-68.
Sacramento led 95-87 after Turkoglu made a pair of free throws with 2:15 left. Phoenix made a late run to get within 96-93 on a turnaround hook by Shawn Marion with 53 seconds left, but Turkoglu and Bobby Jackson each sank two free throws over the next 24 seconds to give the Kings a 100-93 lead.
The Suns got within 103-100 on Tony Delk's 3-pointer with five seconds left, but the Kings were able to run out the clock.
"I thought we played hard," Phoenix coach Scott Skiles said. "A couple of times we needed big plays, but we just didn't get them. I don't think we can complain about the effort."
Jackson added 18 points and Christie 15 for Sacramento, which won its 13th straight game at Arco Arena and improved to a league-best 20-1 at home. The victory moved the Kings into a first-place tie with the Los Angeles Lakers in the Pacific Division.
"Tonight's game was a great test for us," Jackson said. "Sometimes we need difficult games to wake us up. Not every game is going to be a blowout. It helps us out a lot when we do not have those close games so we know what to do."
"Everyone thinks that you are going to have a lot of energy when you have so much time off, but sometimes that can serve backwards," Christie said. "Your legs can get a little tired and it can get a little frustrating. I was just happy that we were able to make it through tonight's game."
Stephon Marbury scored 33 points and Rodney Rogers added 24 for the Suns, who have lost six of seven.
"We just kept pushing the ball. We were making shots and we were getting shots," Marbury said. "We just didn't have consistency on defense."
"They have a good combination together," Rogers said, referring to Webber and Stojakovic. "When both of them have it going good, it's really tough to stop them. The plays that they run, they execute them well, and it's tough to stop both of them."
Sacramento made 30-of-35 free throws, while Phoenix converted just 11-of-17.
Webber had 18 points, 11 rebounds and five assists to stake Sacramento to a 48-44 halftime lead. Rogers had 15 and Marbury 13 at the break for Phoenix.