Kings overcome tough shooting for slim win over Warriors

By Jimmy Spencer, for NBA.com
Posted Wednesday January 27, 2010 1:53AM

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (NBA.com exclusive) -- A quiet moment courtside on Tuesday night was interrupted by the somewhat telling, somewhat obnoxious words of a Kings fan sitting a few rows back.

"Shoooooot the ball, Kevin ... shoot the ball! ... We know you can do it!"

At that moment in the second quarter, Sacramento had a large lead. But the Kings scorer, who hadn't played a home game in more than two months because of a wrist injury, wasn't sharing in the success.

But obliging to the fan's request, on that very next possession, Martin shot the ball. And he missed.

Despite Martin's 1-for-9 shooting, the Kings found a suddenly rare victory with a 99-96 home win against the injury-depleted Golden State Warriors.

In one sense, the win must have been a relief for Martin. The Kings scorer hadn't been part of a Kings win in quite some time. Martin last played at home in an early November loss to the Hawks that dropped the Kings to a 1-4 start to the season.

While sidelined after wrist surgery for 32 games, the Kings sniffed success for the first time in years, spearheaded by the emergence of rookie point guard Tyreke Evans.

Since Martin's return though, the Kings had gone 0-6 before Tuesday's win, putting the season tally at 1-10 with Martin and 14-18 without the star.

Not oblivious to the circumstances, Martin used a bit of self-deprecating humor in the first half when he leaned against the scorer's table and joked to reporters, "I think I left my shot on the surgeon's table."

While he talked to reporters during the game, Martin did not come out to greet the media in the locker room after the game.

Martin entered Tuesday's game shooting just 33.8 percent in the six games since his return. Those numbers didn't improve after his 11 percent performance against Golden State.

Even a designed play in the fourth quarter to get Martin an easy bucket failed, when a back pick gave the shooting guard an open layup attempt that he missed -- badly.

"I'm sure his confidence is rock bottom right now," Kings coach Paul Westphal said. "At the same time, he is trying to play through it and be aggressive. It wasn't his night tonight but he's going to get there.

"He is still going to be a big part of this team real, real soon."

It's easy to make Martin the scapegoat, but the Kings were sliding prior to Martin's return. Before Tuesday's win, the team had dropped 14 of its last 16 games.

It was an ugly win for the Kings, who shot 38 percent as a team and turned the ball over 19 times.

"I am not going to lie; it feels good to get a win," Westphal said. "Obviously it wasn't the prettiest win anyone has ever seen in this league."

But if the Kings were ugly, then the Warriors play was downright hideous. Golden State shot just 31.9 percent from the field and just 17.4 percent (4-for-23) from the 3-point line. The shooting was so bad from both teams that Sacramento set a new franchise records with 68 rebounds.

The dreadful game did deliver an entertaining ending, though.

The Kings, who led by as many as 21 points, saw their lead evaporate to just two points in the fourth quarter with 24 seconds remaining. Kings guard Beno Udrih was fouled on the inbound and made both free throws to push Sacramento's lead back to four points.

On the next possession, Corey Maggette drove through the lane but had his shot blocked by Sacramento's Donte Greene. The ball was sent out of bounds and the Warriors maintained possession. But Maggette kept jawing at referee Dan Crawford for a call until he was given a technical and Udrih made the free throw to push Sacramento's lead to a safer distance.

The scene continued with Maggette and Warriors head coach Don Nelson sharing a harsh exchange on the other end during Kings free throws. The final result was a Sacramento three-point victory.

Kings forward Andres Nocioni was called for a flagrant foul late in the third quarter when he used two hands to grab Stephen Curry by the shoulders, throwing the small guard to the ground.

It's been a familiar feeling for the Warriors rookie, who has been on the wrong end of many battles in his inaugural season with the last place Warriors.

Curry has been a bright spot for Golden State of late, having scored 20 or more points in four of his last five games. Curry entered Tuesday night averaging 13.7 points per game and 4.5 assists.

Curry scored 27 points on 10-of-22 shooting and had six assists against Sacramento.

• Warriors: Azubuike, Bell, Claxton, Randolph, Wright
• Kings: Brockman, Garcia, Thomas

• Warriors: Maggette
• Kings: --

• Lead Changes: 5
• Times Tied: 3

• Arena: ARCO Arena, Sacramento, CA
• Officials: #43 Dan Crawford, #72 Kevin Cutler, #67 John Goble
• Attendance: 14522
• Duration: 2:31