Kings reach .500 for first time in three years

SACRAMENTO, Calif.(AP) — It’s been nearly three years since
Sacramento was at .500. The Kings first three-game winning
streak in a year helped get them there.

Jason Thompson had 21 points and 14 rebounds to help Sacramento
beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 101-98 on Tuesday night. It gave
the Kings a 4-4 record, their first at .500 or above since Dec.
4, 2006.

“We want to start getting respect around here and the only way
to do that is on the court,” said Thompson, a second-year player
who is one six Kings with one year or less experience. “If we
take care of the home cooking and make Arco (Arena) a tough
place to play, that will take some pressure off us to win games
on the road.”

Tyreke Evans had 20 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for
the Kings, who made 31 of 36 free throws. Andres Nocioni scored
16 points, while both Beno Udrih and Spencer Hawes had 12.

“It was a great thing, the way we closed out the game was
right,” said Nocioni. “Our young guys are doing a great job.
They are bringing energy and playing great defense. They have
given us new blood on this team.”

Kevin Durant scored a season-high 37 points, including making
all 18 free throws, for the Thunder. Oklahoma City lost for the
fourth time in five games since opening the season with
consecutive wins.

Durant had a chance to send the game to OT, but missed a
3-pointer with a second left.

“The shot looked good when it left my hands. Hopefully the next
time it goes in,” said Durant, who missed 5 of 6 3-point
attempts and is 6 of 32 overall this season.

His 3-pointer with 4.4 seconds left pulled the Thunder to within
99-98. Fouled immediately after the basket, Evans made two free
throws to give the Kings a three-point lead.

After the Thunder cut the lead to 95-93 on Durant’s two free
throws, Evans made a long jumper and rookie Omri Casspis scored
on a breakaway dunk following a Thunder turnover, giving the
Kings a 99-93 lead with 1:17 remaining.

“Learning to close games out is what this league is all about,”
Kings coach Paul Westphal said. “There’s so much that goes into
it. You have to get into your plays, you have to make free
throws. It’s not easy. It takes experience and tonight we did a
pretty good job of those things in closing out.”

The game evolved into a free-throw shooting contest for much of
the second half between two of the NBA’s youngest teams. The
Thunder shot just 39 percent, but connected on 30 of 35 free
throws.

“I thought Sacramento did a good job of playing down the
stretch,” Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. “We didn’t shoot the
ball well and we didn’t do a good enough job of passing either.”

Durant, who picked up two early fouls, struggled to find his
shot the entire first half. Pestered frequently by the
aggressive defense of Nocioni, the Thunder’s leading scorer
missed 8-of-11 shots in the opening half.

But Durant did get going in the third quarter, penetrating
frequently and drawing fouls. He made all nine free throws and
scored 15 points, including the final 10 for the Thunder.

The Kings made all 14 free throws in a foul-plagued third
quarter. Thompson scored eight points for Sacramento, which took
an 83-77 lead into the fourth.

Both Evans and Thompson scored 10 first-half points for the
Kings, who led 54-51. Green had 12 points for the Thunder and
Durant had 10.

Notes: Harden made a 47-footer at the buzzer to end the first
half. Kings leading scorer Kevin Martin had surgery Monday on
his broken left wrist and is expected to miss at least two
months. Brooks, who grew up in Northern California, was an
assistant coach with the Kings in the 2005-06 season. Knocked to
the floor after hitting a 3-pointer in the fourth quarter,
Nocioni made the subsequent free throw for a rare four-point
play.

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