Hedo Turkoglu made the go-ahead layup with 64 seconds remaining and Nazr Mohammed missed a pair of chances to tie the game in the final minute as the Kings edged the Hawks, 92-91.
Sacramento snapped a 12-game losing streak in Atlanta, dating to a 118-115 victory on February 16, 1988. That was the Kings' only win in 15 meetings in Atlanta since moving from Kansas City in 1985.
"We talked about not having won here before," Kings coach Rick Adelman said. "We haven't played well here, and I don't think we played well here today. But we persevered. This is a big win for us. You have to give Atlanta credit. But you have to give us credit for sticking with it."
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Kings-Hawks: 56k | 300k Chris Webber nearly messed around with a triple-double, and scored a game-high 29. Scott Cunningham NBAE/Getty Images |
Turkoglu's basket as the shot-clock expired with just over a minute remaining snapped a 90-90 tie. Mohammed made 1-of-2 foul shots with 33 seconds remaining and, after Turkoglu threw up an air ball, the Hawks had a pair of chances to win it.
"I didn't know that (referring to the shot clock expiring)," Turkoglu said. "I was struggling at 3-pointers, I preferred to take close shots, layups or pull-up jumpers. Sometimes it is better than waiting outside."
But following a timeout, Jason Terry missed a layup and Mohammed grabbed the rebound before missing a short jumper as time expired.
"JT (Jason Terry) got a look at it, and I got a look at it," Mohammed said. "We got two looks in 8.9 seconds. I'm a guy who could shoot the fadeaway. I am not going to say I was off balance. He (Chris Webber) contested me, but I still got a good look at the rim, but it didn't fall. The only bad thing about it is that I had to rush it."
"We were looking for Jason or Reef (Shareef Abdur-Rahim), either one coming off a little screen," Hawks coach Lon Kruger said. "Jason had a tough shot but a decent look. Then Nazr got the rebound look and neither one could quite go."
Webber scored 29 points to lead the Kings, who improved to 3-0 on a six-game road trip and moved two games in front of the second-place Los Angeles Lakers in the Pacific Division.
Already looking forward to next season, the Hawks gave the team with the best record in the league all it could handle, using a 13-3 run in the third quarter to take a 69-59 lead, capped by a layup by Ira Newble with 3:03 left in the period.
Terry sparked the burst with a trio of 3-pointers. He finished with 20 points and Newble added 16 off the bench for the Hawks.
But the Kings were able to rally, reeling off a 17-4 spurt that bridged the third and fourth quarters to take a 76-72 lead with 10:53 to play on a jumper by Webber. Doug Christie had seven points in the surge.
Webber was outstanding all afternoon, making 14-of-23 shots while grabbing 12 rebounds.
A technical free throw by Terry tied it, 88-88, with 3:45 left before Mike Bibby, who went just 3-of-15 from the floor, made a running jumper to give the Kings the lead 29 seconds later.
Each team went cold before Terry sank two foul shots with 1:27 left, tying it 90-90.
Turkoglu finished with 14 points and Gerald Wallace 11 for the Kings, who shot 43 percent (40-of-94).
Jacque Vaughn added 20 points and Abdur-Rahim 17 for Atlanta, which also shot 42 percent (37-of-89) but committed 18 turnovers.
"I thought it was a heck of a game," Kruger said. "From start to finish, I thought we did a great job and battled pretty good. It was just not the result we were looking for."







