Kings Get Sweet Deal From K-Mart, Crown Timberwolves 121-109

Posted by Stephen Rhodes under NBA Game Recap

If Sacramento Kings guard Kevin Martin can play like he did Friday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves on a tender ankle, then perhaps he should remain gimpy for awhile. Martin scored 26 points, leading Sacramento to a convincing 121-109 win over Minnesota at Arco Arena. Tonight’s game also marked the season debut of Brad Miller, back from a NBA-mandated five-game suspension for violating the league’s drug policy program.

The Kings got their offense going early, trouncing the T-Wolves 36-27 in the first quarter; 3 Kings were already in double-digits by halftime as the Kings went into the third quarter leading 62-55. Martin, bum ankle and all, came out strong in the third quarter, scoring 7 point sin the period as Sacramento increased their lead to 92-79 going into the final period. The Kings would begin the fourth quarter scoring 9 straight points, including Martin’s 3-pointer, which would give Sacramento their largest lead of the game at 101-79; from that point they went into cruise-control.

Sacramento’s leading scorer was the aforementioned Martin with 26 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists and a blocked shot while John Salmons had another solid outing, scoring 23 with 3 rebounds, 2 assists, a steal and a blocked shot; Beno Udrih added 15 with a rebound, an assist and a steal while Miller notched a double-double with 11 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocked shots.

Minnesota was led by rookie Kevin Love with 20 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal while Mike Miller added 16 with 6 rebounds, 2 assists and a blocked shot; Sebastian Telfair chipped in with 15 along with 2 rebounds, 7 assists and a steal. Al Jefferson had a sub-par night, scoring 14 with 9 rebounds and an assist. Sacramento (2-4) looks to extend their winning streak to 3 as they host the Golden State Warriors on Sunday while Minnesota (1-4) make the short commute north to Portland to face the Trail Blazers on Saturday.

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