NorCal basketball playoffs

Oak Ridge girls represent in hoops

2010-03-21T07:30:11Z

Six high school basketball games Saturday at Arco Arena decided the Northern California boys and girls representatives for next week's state championships at RaboBank Arena in Bakersfield.

Four more games were played Saturday at Folsom High to determine the remaining NorCal representatives against the Southern region.

For these basketball players, it was the biggest day of their lives.

The Sacramento-area representatives struggled throughout the day until the Oak Ridge High Trojan girls team advanced to the Division I championships with a hard-fought 52-42 victory over the longtime NorCal power Berkeley Yellowjackets.

It's amazing to watch what high-school basketball has become.

Then again, the same can be said of life.

However, on some high-school basketball teams, there are nearly double-digit figure coaching staffs.

For a sport in which five players perform on a court, there are teams with nine or 10 coaches. One question: When a player has all these guys screaming at him, to whom does he listen? If they are screaming about different topics, isn't this player more confused than before the screaming began?

C'mon, now.

Fortunately, for the girls and boys, it does not appear to diminish the enjoyment of competition, win or lose.

Whether the games were close or decided by large margins, for the most part, sportsmanship and leaving all the effort on the court were the orders of the day.

The Sacramento High School girls opened the action at Arco and were no match for the nation's No. 1 ranked team, St. Mary's (Stockton). The Lady Dragons were not able to handle the relentless full-court defensive pressure for which St. Mary's is known and committed 38 turnovers on the way to a 70-45 defeat for the Girls Division III title.

The Sac High boys engaged in an up-and-down battle with Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland) and held a 50-49 lead with two minutes remaining, but never again scored before falling 57-50 in a battle of Dragons. Josiah Turner led the Sac High Dragons with 20 points, while 6-8 sophomore Brandon Ashley had 13 points and 13 rebounds for the O'Dowd Dragons, who were led in rebounding by Jordan Barton's 14.

O'Dowd won the Boys Division III game by dominating the boards, 57-to-28.

The next two games of the day at Arco were the most exciting. Carondelet (Concord) won the Girls Division II title in a 40-38 thriller against Archbishop Mitty (San Jose). Meanwhile, St. Francis (Mountain View) scored on a put-back at the buzzer by Patrick Crowley to defeat Woodcreek (Roseville), 48-47.

Oak Ridge's Sara James scored 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, and was joined by solid play from teammates as the Trojans overcame a slow start to defeat Berkeley with consistent play down the stretch. Oak Ridge held the Yellowjackets to one of 17 field-goal shooting in the fourth quarter to move away from a two-point game at the start of the fourth quarter.

Caitlin Welsch scored a game-high 19 points and had eight rebounds for Oak Ridge.

In the final game at Arco for the hotly contested Boys Division I title, Newark Memorial defeated De La Salle (Concord),58-49. The teams displayed a physical brand of ball that overwhelmed an officiating crew that never again should be allowed to work a playoff game.

It's incredible no injuries were suffered since the officials never established a line of what was and wasn't a foul.

Newark Memorial used full-court defensive pressure to force 18 first-half turnovers by De La Salle and take a 43-22 lead into the fourth quarter. Then De La Salle became the physical aggressor, showing on multiple occasions how it once fashioned a 100-plus-victory football streak. The Spartans cut the lead to five, but never could get closer.

For more information on next week's state championship games, go to cifstate.org.

No fracture for Kings' Evans

2010-03-20T23:21:47Z

Kings rookie guard Tyreke Evans underwent x-rays and a CAT scan Saturday morning to re-examine his jaw, injured during the latter portion of Friday night's 114-108 double overtime loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.

No fractures were found during Saturday's examination and Evans will be re-evaluated Monday. The Kings left today for Los Angeles to meet the Clippers Sunday afternoon and will return in the evening in preparation for Monday's night's game at Arco Arena against the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Kings announced in a release that Evans also suffered a slight concussion in the collision with Milwaukee's Ersa Ilyasova.

Evans gets triple-double in Kings win

2010-03-11T08:00:51Z

There was a point Wednesday night at Arco Arena when Kings rookie Tyreke Evans was a little embarrassed.

After all, it was a night designed and orchestrated by his team's management to promote him for the NBA's Rookie of the Year award.

As if he needed the t-shirts with Reke for ROY across the front to earn the award.

Evans provided his own legitimate promotion with his first NBA triple-double (19 points and game-highs of 10 rebounds and 10 assists) to lead the Kings to a commanding 113-90 victory over the Toronto Raptors before a crowd of 13,412.

Both Evans and the Kings had a slow start amidst all the hype. The Raptors led 45-40 at the half and Evans was three for nine from the field and had eight points.

However, the Kings put together their best quarter of the season with 43 points in the third, while holding the Raptors to 23 points on seven of 20 field-goal shooting.

Sacramento changed the game from a five-point deficit to a 15-point lead entering the fourth. The only suspense for the rest of the game rested on whether Evans could get a triple-double on his night.

The double-digit assists came last and the tenth came courtesy of a jump shot by Francisco Garcia, who remained true to his word.

"I told him if he wanted it," Garcia said of Evans, "give it to me."

Evans' triple-double was the first by a rookie in the Kings organization since Nov. 5, 1969 when the late Norm Van Lier did it with the Cincinnati Royals against the San Diego Clippers. Van Lier had 13 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists.

Evans received a lot of help from his teammates. Five other Kings reached double-figure scoring on their way to shooting 29 of 47 (61.7 percent) in the second half and scoring 73 points.

Evans said he was embarrassed at times to hear the crowd chant, "ROY, ROY," while he was at the free-throw line. However, he also said that it motivated him.

"You hear the crowd chanting like that and it made me step up my game," he said. "I started being more aggressive and our whole team was more aggressive in the second half."

Evans said the Raptors players told him he was going win the award and then playfully provided a little verbal harassment.

Kings coach Paul Westphal said Evans has been one of the most consistent rookies he's seen.

"When you look at it objectively from day one all the way through now, (Tyreke) has consistently been up there averaging over 20 (points) five boards and five assists and really taking steps to change the culture of this team," he said. "I just think that his consistency, as well as the obvious talent he has, just makes it an open and closed vote."

Evans, whose face was plastered on sticks given to fans, couldn't remember if he had a triple-double during his one season at Memphis, but said it really didn't matter.

"If I did, this is the one I enjoyed the most," he said.

Toronto coach Jay Triano echoed the comments of most other coaches around the league.

"In the third quarter I thought we started to come back," said Triano, whose Raptors have lost seven of their past eight games, "then (Evans) just picked us apart. We can't stop him with one guy."

And that's what likely will make him the Rookie of the Year.

Ease up at high school events

2010-03-07T20:43:59Z

These are the best high school basketball teams, girls and boys, the area has to offer.

It's the Sac-Joaquin Section 2010 championships.

As I sit and watch and more importantly listen to the comments and reactions of teams' supporters, one question comes to mind.

Can each team in every game be getting cheated?

The obvious answer is "Of course not."

Granted, the obvious biases belong to the parents, friends and relatives of the participants.

Generally, officials could care less which teams win or lose.

Officials are likely to have a slant toward a playing style more so than a team.

Indeed, because humans are involved, should officials run into a team with consistency, there is the possibility that one person (player, coach, official) could have a personal beef with another.

That's part of life.

However, officials more often than not do their best to cleanly officiate games.

If at all possible, think about the jobs they do.

Practically each game is spent on the move, making split-second decisions that even the camera's shutter speed often cannot catch.

And while they are doing that, you think they are skilled enough to cheat, too?

hey aren't that talented or skilled, no disrespect intended.

This is coming from a person who has covered basketball on all levels for 33 years and has criticized officiating relentlessly.

They miss calls. Players miss shots. Writers misspell words and mess up stories.

Once again, it's part of life. There are no perfect teams, coach, parents, kids or officials.

Jim Jorgensen is the director of the Northern California Officials Association and, following a couple of articles regarding officiating, an offer to officiate some games came soon after.

He must have thought he'd seen "stupid" on my head.

Officiating is the most thankless job I can imagine.

Even for fun, it takes a special personality to officiate. And I'm not that special one. Enjoying the games always is the object here.

The second day of these high-school sectional playoffs at Arco Arena consisted of six games and basketball from 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.

The Nos. 1 (Modesto Christian) and 2 (Argonaut) seeded teams met in the 11:30 a.m Division IV girls game that became a crushing end to the Mustangs' season in a 64-39 decision. Argonaut (30-1) was undefeated, while Modesto Christian (27-4) won its second straight Division IV section title.

Brandi Henton scored a game-high 23 points and grabbed six rebounds for the Crusaders, who also received strong contributions from Danielle Thompson (18 points, seven rebounds) and Taryn Garza (12 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks).

The Division II girls title game between No. 1 seeded St. Francis (22-9) and No. 3 seed Vallejo (26-6) went down to the wire, with Ashley Moore and Rechel Carter leading the lower-ranked Apaches to a 67-64 victory. Moore scored a game-high 32 points, while Carter (15 points, game-high 15 rebounds) made a pair of free throws with 11.9 seconds left to give Vallejo its second title in five years.

Moore scored 31, 27, 26 and 32 points in four playoff games this season.

The first boys game was a continuation of Modesto Christian dominance. The Crusaders (22-8) won their record 11th straight section title and 44th consecutive section playoff game with an 88-80 decision over Colfax High (26-5). Senior guard Isaiah Burse dominated the game with 29 points, five steals, four rebounds and four assists. Colfax's Chase Mosier scored 21 to lead his squad.

The Division II boys title was a Roseville neighborhood battle moved to Arco with No. 2 Woodcreek (27-5) facing No. 4 Oakmont (20-8). The schools are approximately five miles apart and this was the fourth time the teams met this season.

Woodcreek won the first three times, but missed nine of 10 first-quarter shots to trail 12-2. However, coach Burnel Pinkerton's Timberwolves persisted and rallied for a 45-44 victory. Nik Milani made four of six three-pointers and scored 16 points, while 6-foot-11 Mike Kurtz added 10 points, 13 rebounds and seven to lead Woodcreek.

The Oak Ridge girls won last season's Division II girls section title and Saturday added a Division I section championship with a 64-50 victory over Kennedy High.

Sheldon High School coach Joey Rollings completed a unique double by adding a boys section title to the girls section championship he won in 2006 as the Huskies outlasted the Franklin Wildcats, 78-72, in the night's finale. Junior Darius Nelson scored a game-high 29 points in a high-flying, physical contest. Both teams showed strong athleticism combined with offensive execution and determination.

Fierce competition in high school playoffs

2010-03-06T09:46:17Z

Competition can come in many forms and styles and the Sac-Joaquin Section Les Schwab Tires 2010 high school basketball championships was a perfect example of that Friday night at Arco Arena.

Approximately 5,000 hoop fans saw four section championships decided in different fashions.

Perhaps the most competitive battle came out of the Boys V section title game when Victory Christian of Carmichael outlasted Ripon Christian 68-64 in overtime. Both teams squandered possessions at the end of regulation to win the game, but sophomore Clayton Coppernoll made a three-pointer from the right wing to help coach Bob Grexton's senior-laden squad to win the section.

"They've been talking about winning the section from day one," Grexton said, "and now they achieved their goal. This is the hardest working team I've ever had."

Grexton said Ripon Christian dropped a 20-point beat down on his team earlier in the season, so there wasn't much he had to produce for motivation. Nathan Coppernoll led Victory Christian with 21 points and eight rebounds.

In the Girls V, Bradshaw Christian won its third straight section title convincingly with a 67-25 victory over Turlock Chrstian. Coach Mike Ruble still promised to have a solid squad next season. Freshman Ashlee Jones led the Pride with 20 points. Ruble's squad has just one senior (Cheyenne Williams) on the roster.

The Girls III section was same as it ever was with St. Mary's of Stockton winning its third straight title behind coach Tom Gonsalves and his dynamic All-American duo of Chelsea Gray and Afure Jemerigbe.

Gray is scheduled to attend Duke University in the fall, while Jemerigbe has accepted a scholarship to Cal. The Rams, who are ranked No. 1 in the nation by some, won 75-45 over the Sacramento Lady Dragons.

St. Mary's (30-1) used its amazing, relentless full-court pressure to shut down Sacramento (25-6). Gonsalves' team showed it is more than just the two McDonald's All-Americans. Five players reached double-figure scoring, while defensively, St. Mary's limited Sacramento to 32.8 percent field-goal shooting.
In the nightcap, the Sacramento boys won their second consecutive section and third in four years with a hard-fought 65-55 victory over Vista Del Lago.
The Dragons were led by junior guard Josiah Turner, who scored a game-high 23 points, including 11 of 16 from the free-throw line. The Eagles, in only their second season of competition, were led by Hayden Lescault's 17 points.
Vista Del Lago trailed 54-51 with less than two minutes remaining and got a steal in the back court, but missed the layup that could have gotten them within one point. The Dragons, historically poor free-throw shooters, iced the game from the line. Forward/center Will Davis helped lead Sacramento by going seven of 10 from the field and eight of nine from the free-throw line.

Kings lock up Clippers

2010-03-01T07:47:29Z

It's been the rare occasion when defense and sound ball handling have been staples of a Kings victory.

Sunday night at Arco Arena was one of those rarities, as the Kings limited the Los Angeles Clippers to 37.3 percent field-goal shooting on the way to a 97-92 victory before a crowd of 13,071 fans.

The 92 points by the Clippers (24-35) were a season low for a Kings opponent.

The Kings (20-39) won their second straight game partially because they committed just nine turnovers. Only thrice this season have the Kings limited their turnovers to fewer than 10. They did so during Friday's win over the Utah Jazz as well as Sunday night.

Two in a row might not be much for the league's upper echelon squads, but it's only the second time since Dec. 21 the Kings put together back-to-back. They've not won three straight since late November-early December, when they defeated New York, New Jersey, New Orleans and Indiana.

Sacramento begins a three-game road trip Tuesday in Oklahoma City. They'll also face Houston and Dallas on the trip.

Many times this season, coach Paul Westphal has pointed to shoddy offense as a contributor to poor defense. That was not the case against the Clippers.

The Kings made just 43.2 percent (36 of 88) of their field goal attempts, but still brought home a victory.

"On a night that we didn't shoot the ball particularly well," Westphal said, "I thought our defense won the game for us. I thought we played 48 minutes of first-class defense, really for the second game in a row."It's great not to shoot the ball very well and still get a win."

The Kings were sharp offensively in the first half as they took a 56-42 lead into the third quarter. Spencer Hawes scored 16 points during the first two quarters to lead the way. He attacked Clippers center Chris Kaman from the perimeter initially and then went at him with driving attempts.

Hawes, who also contributed a team-high nine rebounds and two blocked shots, failed to score in the second half, but Westphal credited his center for helping the team get off to a good start.

Tyreke Evans scored 13 of his game-high 22 points in the second half and also was the man during the game's final minutes. The Clippers closed within 91-90 with 2:07 remaining when Rasual Butler made a three-pointer.

Evans scored on two strong drives to help hold off the Clippers, but couldn't have done so without huge assists from reserve Ime Udoka.

Carl Landry (18 points, eight rebounds) missed a 13-foot jump shot, but Udoka raced to the baseline to rescue the bouncing rebound and get the Kings another possession.

"I thought Ime made the play of the game for us," Westphal said, "when we missed a shot (with) a one-point lead and he stole the ball and we ended up scoring. It gave us a little breathing room."

Evans then sliced through the Clippers defense and went to the basket powerfully to score and give the Kings a 93-90 lead with 1:27 left.

The Kings played aggressive defense and forced Clippers guard Baron Davis into an errant 29-footer, which Udoka rebounded. Evans ended the ensuing possession with another clutch foray through the Clippers defense to make it 95-90 with 43 seconds left.

Kings snap five-game losing skid

2010-02-27T08:34:25Z

Had the teams changed uniforms late in Friday's 103-99 Kings victory over the Utah Jazz, a basketball observer couldn't be faulted for thinking it was just another victory for the opponents.

However, this was not a mirage at Arco Arena.

The Kings, who had lost five straight and not won a home game since Jan. 26, made the winning plays down the stretch. Sacramento (19-39) held Utah (37-21) to just one field goal during the final four minutes to overcome four of 10 fourth-quarter free throws and received clutch play from the starting backcourt of Beno Udrih and Tyreke Evans.

The Kings are 7-5 in the 12 games Udrih and Evans have started in the backcourt this season.

The pair combined to score 49 points, including Udrih's season-high 25. Neither Udrih (five of five) nor Evans (three of three) missed from the field during the final quarter, to helping spur the Kings to 12 of 17 (70.6 percent) field-goal shooting when the game was on the line.

Utah coach Jerry Sloan lamented his team's inability to keep the Kings away from the basket.

"We gave them 50 points in the paint," he said. "When you let a team get you in that situation, it's pretty tough to win. I thought the Kings played well."

Sloan is not used to seeing his team fail to execute down the stretch.

"You have to be able to make shots," he said. "We didn't shoot the ball very well. They put the ball in the baskets. It's pretty hard to miss when you shoot layups."

Evans continues to amaze opponents as well as those who watch him every day. He scored on a one-on-one move against All-Star point guard Deron Williams with 14.8 seconds left, to give the Kings a 102-97 lead. Evans took the ball directly at Williams, who was playing him to go right as most players do now, then stepped to his left and used his body to protect the ball and score.

Kings coach Paul Westphal said of Evans, "Well, it's just another example of how amazing and special he is. He's not only talented, but he's consistent and he thrives under pressure.

""It's his strength and body balance," Westphal continued. "He can plant one leg and make it seem as if he only can go in one direction and then somehow change and use his strength and body balance as a contortionist to go the other way."

There have not been many games in which the discrepancy of field-goal shooting has been so lopsided in Sacramento's favor. The Kings shot 54.5 percent from the field, while the Jazz, who led the league in field-goal percentage (49 percent) entering the game, made just 40.9 percent against the Kings.

Westphal has been dealing with the failing health of his wife as well as an overblown mini-controversy with center Spencer Hawes this week. Compound that with the five-game losing streak and it is easy to understand how treasured this victory was to the coach.

Westphal began his post-game press conference by thanking those who had sent good wishes and prayers to his wife, Cindy.

"She's doing a lot better," he said. "I know she was watching and enjoyed this game tonight. This was a vision of the way we want our team to play. To beat one of the best teams in the NBA -- one of the hottest teams -- in a solidly played game is very gratifying."

The Kings fell behind, 81-75, early in the fourth quarter and the 12,938 fans may have believed they were about to see another meltdown.

However, Udrih and Evans, as well as newcomer Carl Landry, Hawes (15 points, 12 rebounds and five assists) and Ime Udoka wouldn't let the team falter.

Kings trade Martin to Houston

2010-02-18T23:35:47Z

It still has not been announced by the Kings or the NBA, but the trade that sends Kevin Martin to the Houston Rockets also will send guard Sergio Rodriguez to the New York Knicks.

The Kings will receive forwards Carl Landry and Joey Dorsey from Houston and veteran guard Larry Hughes. Hughes has a $13.6 million contract that expires at the end of this season.

The Rockets get Martin, center-forward Hilton Armstrong from the Kings and rookie forward Jordan Hill and veteran forward Jared Jefferies from the Knicks. Landry, 26, a tough-guy scorer, gives the Kings a legitimate low-post threat they've lacked for years.

Hughes, 31, is a talented defender, who never has been able to consistently make a jump shot.

However, Hughes' major attraction to the Kings is his expiring contract. The Kings plan on being active this summer during the NBA's free-agent period and unloading Martin's money as well taking Hughes' money off their ledger will give them more options.

Activity during free-agency also entails the ability to make moves via sign-and-trade options as well as luring players through free-agency.

Dorsey, 26, was a college teammate of Kings' rookie guard of Tyreke Evans last year at Memphis. Dorsey has few offensive skills, but at 6-foot-8, 260 pounds, is a strong rebounder and shot blocker. He'll add toughness around the basket.

Tracy McGrady originally was headed to the Kings in the formative stages of the deal, but was re-routed to the Knicks. The Kings also had planned to include forward Kenny Thomas before the deal became three-pronged.

Thomas' agent, Mark McNeil, said, "Kenny was in the deal until the Knicks entered and offered the Rockets an opportunity to exchange first-round draft picks (2011 or 2012). It looked like Kenny was going to Houston."

Thursday, sources indicated the Kings will waive Thomas, 32, who has languished on the bench for most of the past three seasons. McNeil will look to get Thomas with a playoff team.

In a separate transaction, the Kings acquired 6-9 Dominic McGuire from the Washington Wizards for a future second-round choice. McGuire, 24, is an athletic small forward, who played at Fresno State.

Kings trade Martin; get T-Mac

2010-02-18T07:41:18Z

One of the Kings' trademarks this season has been the ability to compete on a nightly basis. They failed to meet their own standard Wednesday night during a 130-98 blow-out loss to the Golden State Warriors before a crowd of 17,023 at Oracle Arena.

But the more important competition Wednesday night appears to have been off the court, as the Kings reportedly have agreed to a even-player trade involving scoring guard Kevin Martin, center Hilton Armstrong, point guard Sergio Rodriguez and forward Kenny Thomas.

The four Kings appear to be going to the Houston Rockets for a package that includes swingman Tracy McGrady, athletic rookie Joey Dorsey and power forward Carl Landry.

The Kings organization would neither confirm nor deny the deal, in part because it is not official. The NBA's trade deadline is noon Thursday (PST). None of the Kings in the locker room would confirm they had been informed of a trade being done. There were reports that a third team could be involved.

But a source close to the deal acknowledged that the trade had been agreed upon.

"We knew about the deal around halftime," the source said.

Another source looked at the players reported to be involved in the deal and just smiled, but said no more.

McGrady, who is in the final year of a contract paying him $22.8 million this season, has played just six games this season as he attempted to rehabilitate a knee injury. He was granted an indefinite leave of absence almost two months ago as his agent, Arn Tellem, attempted to arrange a trade.

McGrady has been rumored to be the object of many teams' affection because of his talent as well as his expiring contract.

The Kings, in effect, would get a tryout during the rest of the season to see if McGrady still can play, but also would receive a gem in Landry, who is a tough power player.

Martin, whose former agent Jason Levine now is a Kings assistant general manager, appeared to be in an upbeat mood, particularly for a player whose team lost by 32. Martin did not play in the second half of the loss at Golden State.

Trading Martin also may have cleared up a huge locker room problem created Tuesday night when the 6-foot-7 shooting guard opted not to return in the fourth quarter of the Kings' 95-92 home loss to Boston.

There appeared to be confusion between Kings coach Paul Westphal and Martin on just how that occurred, but Martin did not make many friends inside the locker room or within the organization by sitting down virtually the entire fourth quarter.

But the bottom line on this night was that competing appeared to be the farthest thing from the Kings' minds. The way Sacramento played, no one could have blamed team president Geoff Petrie had he traded the entire team for a couple of peanut butter and banana sandwiches.

Golden State guard C.J. Watson surpassed his career-high with 40 points. Watson scored 38 points on April 11, 2009 against Utah, but this had to be accomplished with far less effort. That's in part, because Sacramento did not make him work too hard to score.
Watson tied his season scoring high for a game with 23 during Wednesday night's first half. The Warriors led, 72-45, at the half after scoring 42 points in the second quarter.

The Kings (18-36) trailed, 30-29, entering the second, but the Warriors unleashed a barrage like few have experience before. Golden State out-scored Sacramento, 36-to-9, during the first 10 minutes of the second quarter.

There was little the Kings did right and virtually nothing the Warriors did wrong in the second. Sacramento made just 22 percent (5 of 23) of its field-goal attempts. That included a zero-for-seven performance from three-point range.

Conversely, Golden State, playing without guard Monta Ellis (left knee sprain), shot 64 percent (16 of 25) from the field, including six of eight from three-point range. The Warriors, who entered the game as the league's worst defensive team, totally dominated the Kings during the second quarter.

Often, that's enough to take control of a contest, and it was against a Kings team that showed little fight or character on this night.
However, it appears the Kings may have done their battling off the court Wednesday night.

Charity starts at home for Kings

2010-02-17T08:29:11Z

The NBA is not known for giving away opportunities.

Yet that's what the Kings did Tuesday to help the Boston Celtics to a 95-92 victory.

The victory didn't come without a fight, and the 14,439 fans felt the pain at Arco Arena.

There have been games this season in which the Kings have missed free throws and sabotaged their efforts.

However, never have they done so as blatantly as they did Tuesday night. Sacramento missed eight of 10 free throws during the fourth quarter. Six of those misses came during the final 1:32.

Kings coach Paul Westphal openly admitted his team lost the game by shooting so poorly at the free-throw line.

"I don't know how to measure frustration," Westphal said after his team's record fell to 18-35. "It's obvious that we lost the game at the free-throw line. That's the big difference. We missed nine free-throws in the second half, just about all of them in the fourth quarter, it seemed like."

The worst came with 4.2 seconds remaining. Boston (33-18) led 93-91 after Omri Casspi made the first of two free-throw attempts. Casspi tried to miss the second shot legally, which meant the ball had to touch the rim. Once the ball hit the rim, it could be rebounded, potentially by one of Casspi's teammates which could give them the opportunity to tie the game.

Casspi's shot hit the backboard hard, but then hit the front of the rim and fell through the net.

On the other side, Boston made each of its seven free-throw attempts during the fourth quarter.

"We missed free throws and they made theirs," Casspi said. "The one I tried to miss (Tuesday night), I made it."

Casspi scored a team-high 19 points and shot more accurately from three-point range (3 of 5) than from the free-throw line (2 of 6).

Jason Thompson came off the bench to have an otherwise solid game with 17 points, and a game-high tying 11 rebounds, but missed two free-throws with 16.5 seconds remaining and the Celtics leading 89-87.

Thompson made his only previous pair of free-throws.

"I didn't feel any nerves or anything," he said. "The first one was long, so I adjusted on the second one and it was short. The experience will help, but this hurt."

No matter the victor, the losing team would have felt like they were handing them the win on a silver platter. Both teams played solid defense, but both also missed numerous point-blank shots at the basket.

Boston coach Doc Rivers lamented his own team's mishaps. "We counted about 12 lay-ups we had at the basket that we didn't convert."

Yes, but his team didn't miss eight of 10 free-throw attempts in the fourth quarter.

Kings must grow defense

2010-02-03T07:58:52Z

The Kings are searching for some place they can play and win. They've lost seven of their past 10 home games and 21 of their past 24 road games.

And there isn't a neutral court game on the schedule anywhere.

There is a game at Arco Arena tonight against the San Antonio Spurs followed by a Friday night visit from the Phoenix Suns.

Then it is off to Toronto for a Sunday morning game, followed by games Tuesday and Wednesday nights in New York and Detroit, respectively. Then comes the All-Star break for most of the squad. Rookies Tyreke Evans and Omri Casspi will play in the Rookie-Sophomore Game during All-Star Weekend.

The Kings need to recognize they need to commit to defense or they won't win regularly anywhere.

They've got to protect their basket. They allow the fourth-most points per game in the league, which is why they've lost 17 of their past 20 games.

The Kings give up too many uncontested shots, many of which can be found around the basket. NBA teams, even those who struggle, will feed off that penchant and gain confidence.

Defense has to be played with consistency in effort and approach. Too many times during the course of a game, the Kings appear confused about what they are supposed to do as a unit.

They will not be able to outscore their way out of the doldrums. Turning things around must be done by consistently contesting shots. Sacramento's offense is too dependent on perimeter scoring to be relied upon, especially against the league's best.

That offense also does not take care of the ball, thus contributing to the defensive woes by giving the opposition easy scoring opportunities.

Observers often are too focused on offense, however. Establishing a tougher and more consistent defensive approach and attack is where the Kings must begin. With 17 losses in 20 games, the Kings must start over.