April 10th, 2009 
Stephen Rhodes 
Posted in 
The Sacramento Kings, in their game on Thursday against the Houston Rockets at Arco Arena, showed why they are the worst team in the NBA. A good first half, but unfortunately for them, a lackluster second half. This habit reared its ugly head once again as Houston turned a 5-point deficit at halftime into a 115-98 win over Sacramento.
After trailing for much of the first half, Houston took over in the third quarter with Yao Ming and former King Ron Artest leading the way as the Rockets outscored the Kings 36-20 in the period. Artest scored 13 in the third frame as Houston took an 84-74 lead into the fourth quarter; from there, they would coast to the victory.
Houston’s high scorer was Artest with 26 points (including three 3-pointers), 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and a blocked shot while Ming added 20 with 9 rebounds, 3 assists and a block; Luis Scola chipped in 15 with 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and a block.
Sacramento was led by Spencer Hawes with 22 points, 11 rebounds, an assist and a steal while Francisco Garcia and Andres Nocioni added 17 each – with Garcia making three treys, grabbing 3 rebounds, dishing out 4 assists along with 2 steals and 3 blocks while Nocioni made three 3-pointers, grabbed 6 boards, dished out 4 assists along with a block. Jason Thompson pitched in 16 with 10 rebounds and 3 assists in a losing effort. Houston (51-28) plays again on Friday when they make the short trip west on I-80 to take on the Golden State Warriors while Sacramento (16-62) flies south to Los Angeles to take on the Clippers – also on Friday night.
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