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Kings defenseless, lose to Spurs, 103-73
With Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs in top form, the Sacramento Kings had no defense — and not much offense, either. Duncan had 23 points and 13 rebounds, and the Spurs emphatically snapped the Kings' six-game winning streak with a 103-73 victory Sunday night, Sacramento's worst home loss in more than seven years.
Tony Massenburg had a season-high 16 points against his former teammates, and Tony Parker added 13 points and eight assists to help the Spurs avenge an 86-81 loss in Sacramento three weeks ago.
San Antonio did it with 48 minutes of superb pressure defense that reduced the Kings' high-powered offense to a disjointed mess. Sacramento finished with season lows in points, 3-pointers and assists.
The Spurs took a 16-point lead in the first quarter and made it 28 in the third, coasting to their fourth straight victory and improving the NBA's best record to 34-9.
Massenburg was outstanding while filling the starting spot of center Rasho Nesterovic, who went on the injured list with a sprained left ankle. Massenburg spent last season with the Kings, but angrily left the team before the playoffs when he was left off the postseason roster.
The Kings lead the NBA in assists, but they had just three in the first three quarters, finishing with eight — the lowest total since the franchise moved to Sacramento 20 years ago. Chris Webber played just 13 minutes because of an ankle injury, and coach Rick Adelman benched the rest of his starters for the fourth quarter.
When Sacramento beat the Spurs three weeks ago, Duncan had one of his worst games of the season, scoring just 14 points and rarely looking like himself. The two-time MVP was in vintage form this time, hitting inside shots and perimeter jumpers with equal ease.
San Antonio won in Sacramento for the fourth time in six trips. Arco Arena was half-empty by the final minutes.
Mike Bibby scored 13 points for the Kings, who lost for the first time since acquiring Cuttino Mobley in a trade with Orlando two weeks ago. They went 1-for-9 on 3-pointers, and Peja Stojakovic — whose streak of 133 consecutive games scoring in double figures got snapped last week — managed just eight points.
Webber missed most of the first quarter with foul trouble, then landed awkwardly on his right ankle while taking a jump shot early in the second. He returned for part of the second quarter, but didn't come back after halftime, finishing with six points.
The Spurs played outstanding defense from the opening tip, with Bruce Bowen limiting Stojakovic to four points in the first half. The Kings trailed 50-36 at halftime, needing two free throws from Bibby with 4.3 seconds left to avoid their lowest-scoring half of the season.
Sacramento had just three assists at halftime — two by center Greg Ostertag.
"We got to wake up, wake up!" Bibby told his teammates as they took the court at halftime.
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