Postgame Quotes: Kings vs. T-Wolves

KINGS HEAD COACH PAUL WESTPHAL

“Well that was the kind of game we look for every night. We did a great job of taking care of the ball, we ended up doing a great job rebounding, and we moved the ball. (We) got a lot of excellent performances off the bench, especially (Andres) Nocioni and Jason Thompson. It was the way we like Kings basketball to look.”

“I thought that Donte (Greene) really had a rhythm on his shot. He had great balance, took his time, took good shots and really helped to break the game open. I thought that they tried to play a little zone there for awhile and we did a good job of getting wide open shots against that. In general, for the first three quarters for sure, we really moved the ball well and we weren’t even shooting a particularly high percentage but our defense was good enough, our rebounding was good enough, we were holding our turnovers down and it seemed like we were able to get whatever we wanted.”

“Nocioni has had a rough time lately. Sometimes he hasn’t gotten in the game and people are asking me why he didn’t play. He’s been working hard and you just can’t play everybody. He’s been working hard in practice. I think his attitude is fantastic and I have a lot of confidence in him. He’s just a tough player; he’s tough-minded.”

“I think that defense is always effort. Sometimes you can give great effort and they can make shots – (tonight) they were missing shots. We did a good job of limiting them to one shot, coming down and getting good shots on our own. It just was a continuation of how I thought we played in the first half and it just was magnified because they happened to be missing as well.”

On Tyreke Evans:
“His night was sensational. He started off kind of slow, then when we got some stops and got in the open floor he was just unbelievable attacking the rim…I didn’t think he had to do anything that he’s not capable of doing. I think he’s going to have lots and lots of triple-doubles in his career. No, he wasn’t begging to go back in. We really don’t play to pad stats and he doesn’t need it. We play to win the game and he understands that. I think that’s the way it needs to be if you’re going to build a team the way we want to have this team be built.”

“I think Donte really showed how effective he can be when he plays under control and takes what comes to him. He’s a really good shooter when he takes good shots. They were coming his way and he was knocking them down. He seemed to build on the momentum of a little success and really added to it and really put the game away – he was a big part of it.”

Tyreke Evans

“No, I knew Coach was going to take me out. He just left me in longer than what he should have. I was attacking and trying to get the triple-double.”

On if it was deliberate for half, scoring a lot of points, second-half assists
“Yeah, they knew I had a hot hand and I was penetrating. Beno (Udrih) and Francisco (Garcia) were getting their looks and Donte (Greene) was knocking shots down. That is why I got my part on the assists.”

On how nice it was to get a blow-out win
“We came out with not a lot of energy. Coach called a timeout and told us that we needed to pick up the energy. So then we came back aggressive and ‘Cisco came in and talked because he is one of the leaders on this team.”

On how this win will be good for the upcoming Lakers game
This was a big win for us because the Lakers have a good team. They won the championship last year. With Kobe (Bryant) coming here there is going to be a good crowd. We have to bring our ‘A’ game.”

Jason Thompson

“It was a great team effort. We had some energy off the bench and we got it rolling. Both teams started out a little bit sluggish. Overall though, we were limiting their shots and we were getting the rebounds. That is when we were at our best was when we rebounded and ran. We were able to get some easy points which were easier on our offense.”

On the ball movement
“I think we are a good team when we are not turning over the ball. Our assist to turnover ratio was better. Last game we turned the ball over early and it obviously didn’t work out for us. We just took care of it (tonight) and we let the game flow.”

On coming out and having a great third quarter
“Coach said that we had a very solid first half, but we can obviously play better. I think that we showed that in the third. I think it kind of looked like the third quarter we had against Toronto. It was good that we started off the second half on a good note.”

Donte Greene

“Everything was in rhythm and nothing was really forced. I am just trying to stay consistent. We tried to pick it up a little more down the stretch. I was just out there having fun. That is what I do and that is what I try to do, on and off the court. Life is too short to be too serious. I was having a lot of fun tonight.”

On the upcoming Lakers game
“We have a big game on Tuesday. We look at it as trying to keep running our stuff, stay focused and prepare for the Lakers.”

On the team right now
We are all coming together. Now we have a set core and nucleus for this team. We are just learning each other’s strengths and weaknesses and trying to get better everyday.”

Minnesota Timberwolves Head Coach Kurt Rambis

On the continuous Kings’ fastbreak
“It wasn’t as much as we have given up in the past. Obviously, it is an area of major concern defense-wise. Everyone not adhering to their responsibilities and what is supposed to happen when a shot goes up. So they are not getting organized in that fashion. Turnovers hurt. Obviously, bad shots hurt. It is an area of our defense, particularly recently, that has been a nemesis of ours and has been causing problems.

On adjusting to the late scratch
“With Darko (Milicic) being a last minute scratch like that certainly hurts. Players mentally prepare and Ryan Hollins was expecting to not start and then had to gear up mentally to start. That is just an excuse. We still have to come out and play hard. I don’t think we played hard except for a few people out there. I like what Damien Wilkens did out there. I like what Ramon (Sessions) did out there. Ryan Gomes did out there. I like what Wayne Ellington did out there. I thought those guys played hard, continued to fight and tried to do the right things out there.”

On Darko’s late scratch
“He was just feeling ill. Dizziness and upset stomach. I’m not sure what his fever situation is but he just started feeling really bad.”

On defending Tyreke Evans
“I thought Wayne did a good job. He was the one individual in particular that, conceptually, understood how we wanted to defend him. So he got a handle on it and what we wanted to do with our defensive game plan more than anyone else.”

On keeping the players motivated
“We work hard in practice; we work on the individual skills to try to get them better. Keep them focused on learning more about the NBA. But really, most of that comes from within. There is no rule or law that says you have a right to anything in this league. No one is going to hand you wins or opportunities. No one is going to roll over if you give 50 percent effort.”

Minnesota Timberwolves Guard Wayne Ellington

On Guarding Tyreke Evans
“He is so tough to play. He can handle the ball and play with his back to the basket. He can get in the lane and I just try to contest his jumper and stay in front of him. That is the best you can do really. I’ve know Tyreke since he was a freshman back in high school. So I know his game a little bit. He is quick. He is a big, strong, athletic guy. It is tough to stay in front of him.”

Postgame Quotes: Kings vs. Blazers

KINGS HEAD COACH PAUL WESTPHAL

“Well I can’t say that was the greatest game the Kings have played this year by a long shot. There was a lot that showed our youth and inexperience. I thought that the Blazers’ defense was very aggressive and took away a lot of our first options. We responded like a team that’s been together for 12 games, which is what we are. They forced us into 20 turnovers. When we’ve been playing well these past eight games, we’ve only had one real bad turnover half – that was the second half in Dallas. We had a bad turnover game today. It takes away any other good things that might happen when you constantly are not getting good shots. Not only that, you’re starting the other team’s fastbreak with your turnovers. So that was a big negative for us. When you look at the stat sheet and the rebounds are relatively even, we shoot 50.6 percent and aren’t even close, that tells you a lot about the importance of these turnovers and just how tough the Blazers were – obviously, Brandon Roy in the first half and throughout the game and then in the second half (LaMarcus) Aldridge. They just picked us apart offensively. They look like a team that’s heading for the playoffs and we look like a team that’s barely been together long. So we need to get better from this game, learn from it, cut down our turnovers and bring more energy for the entire game. I thought that they played with much more energy than we did tonight too which is a really disappointing thing to say – I haven’t said that about our team very often this year – but I thought we looked like we let them be the aggressor tonight.”

“They looked like they were playing the first game of the week and we looked like we were on the second game of a back-to-back, didn’t we? I thought Roy, in the first half particularly, we couldn’t stop him. We did a pretty decent job on the rest of the guys at least numbers-wise but he took whatever he needed to take and it seemed like he never missed.”

“We didn’t do a very good job of getting dribble penetration. I think that we have to space the floor better. We looked at our last game and thought we spaced the floor pretty well against Toronto but tonight looked like we had nowhere to go. We did not space (the floor); we did not attack well. I give the Blazers a lot of credit.”

“(Andres) Nocioni is a good player. He’s proven what he can do in this league. Like everybody else on this team, if somebody’s playing, somebody has to be sitting. It’s nothing against him. We have a lot of players that play that position and it’s hard to give them all as much time as they would like to have. Other times in this year, Andres was playing a lot and I would get questions about why Donte Greene wasn’t playing. Then sometimes Donte and Andres would be playing and people would want to know why Omri Casspi wasn’t playing. We have a lot of good players in that position and we try to give players a fair look for long periods of time but it doesn’t always work that all of them can get as many minutes as they’d like. Right now it happens to be that Andres is left out but he’s a good player and that’s just the way our team is right now.”

Tyreke Evans

On what happened tonight
“They ran plays and we fell apart. We had too many turnovers. I think we had at least 20 turnovers. They also rebounded and got second shots. It looked like they didn’t even play last night.”

On the Trail Blazers’ play
“They have been together for a long time. They just continue to run their offense. Brandon Roy got hot and once he hit they all just started hitting. Rudy (Fernandez) also starting hitting and then we just fell apart.”

On Brandon Roy
“He came out and was able to get to the line. He hit a couple of shots and then he was on from there. He played at his own pace so he was able to find the shots he wanted. He is an All-Star and that is what he is going to do.”

On Andre Miller
“He is a veteran, so he is a smart player. He makes some smart plays and will try to cut you off and stuff. He has been in the league for a long time, so he knows more things than half the players on the team.”

Carl Landry

On what went wrong tonight
“Turnovers were the problem. You can look at the box score and see that. It is plain and simple like that.”

On all the calls by the refs
“That is a part of the game (all the whistle blowing by refs). We missed seven free throws. The rebound war was pretty much the same, but it was our turnovers. That is what killed us. We gave them about 15-20 points just off turnovers.”

On if their back-to-back had anything to do with their play
“It wasn’t them (tonight), it was us. I am not going to give any team in the league credit, we can compete with anyone. They are a good ball team and a playoff team, but tonight it had nothing to do with them playing a back-to-back, it was us.”

On if they are starting to have cohesion
“We are getting better as a team. Obviously it didn’t look like it tonight, but we are. We have practice tomorrow and we are going to go back to the drawing board. We will try to correct some of the mistakes that we had in tonight’s game and the last couple games. We have to just have to try to keep getting better every day.”

Portland Trail Blazers Head Coach Nate McMillan

On tonight’s game
“I’m really pleased with these guys. To face the Kings and Golden State, games we really needed, our guys came out with a business-like approach. They played the game from start to finish in a back-to-back. Sometimes letdown is written all over a game like this. We knew they (the Kings) play better in this building and we had to come out and play better than last night. The challenge was to take the fourth quarter (from last night) and take it into tonight’s game.”

On the recent play of Brandon Roy
“It has taken a while to figure out how to use him with this group. Pick-and-rolls, which he has been really good at, teams have been double teaming and trapping. Now we are isolating him and just allowing him to go one-on-one and play from one side of the floor and the middle of the floor. It has taken a little while to adjust with the group that we have and figure out plays and take advantage of his skill. The last two games, he has just taken advantage of that and made good plays.”

On their strategy defending Tyreke Evans
“Nicolas (Batum). Get some length on him. Square your shoulders and try to shadow him in transition because he is really good going coast-to-coast. Just trying to square your shoulders and keep him in front of you and don’t allow him to get into the paint.”

Portland Trail Blazers Guard Brandon Roy

On his recent play
“I was in a great rhythm before my hamstring. I felt like, offensively, I was playing at a high level. And it is coming back. I kind of judge my game between how I’m playing my in-between game, my midrange. When I feel like that rhythm is going, then I am tough to guard. I feel like I am starting to get in a groove and just feeling confident out on the floor.”

On how he approached the game
“Tonight, I wanted to come out and be aggressive. Coming off a back-to-back, I wanted to come out and play hard and let the team know that that was last night and this is another game. Second half, late in the third quarter, I wanted to be patient and get guys involved. The fourth quarter, I wanted to finish the game and took what the defense gave me and continue to be aggressive. Even if that means to pass, just put pressure on the defense.”

On where they fit in the playoff race
“We know we are in eighth place, but we want to move up. It may be tough, but our biggest thing is to try to continue to move up in the standings. I feel like if we look behind us, we may put too much pressure on ourselves. Why settle? Let’s move up as high as we can. I try to look at the teams ahead of us like what the Spurs do, what is Phoenix doing and Oklahoma City. Those are teams that we feel like are close enough that, if they slip, we can catch them.”

On the expectations on the team for this season
“Expectations, those things change. That is why the NBA is 82 games and we have had our share of injuries. It also says how tough the West is. We may win 50 games and who is saying that is a failure. We put the expectations behind us a while ago. I think we are just trying our best to make the most of the team we have now. We have (Marcus) Camby here and he is getting in his flow and helping us a lot. I feel like I am getting my rhythm back from sitting out so long with that hamstring. We feel like we have a pretty good team.”

Postgame Recap: Kings @ Pistons

SACRAMENTO 103, DETROIT 97

February 10, 2010 - At the Palace of Auburn Hills, Kevin Martin tallied a game-high 26 points and Beno Udrih added 22 off the bench to help the Kings secure a 103-97 win over the Pistons. With the win, the Kings surpassed last season’s win total while becoming the first Kings’ team since the 2003-04 season to win back-to-back road contests heading into the NBA All-Star Weekend. The Kings took the lead for good after Martin made two free throws for an 87-85 lead with 6:35 left in the fourth quarter. Each time the Pistons inched closer, the Kings had an answer. Tyreke Evans scored seven of his 13 points in the fourth quarter and Martin tallied nine points, hitting 3-of-4 from the field and all three of his free throw attempts. Sacramento’s defense in the fourth blocked six Pistons’ shots and limited Detroit to 30.4 percent shooting from the field. Andres Nocioni tallied 13 points off the bench and Spencer Hawes grabbed a team-high 11 boards. Tayshaun Prince scored a season-high 23 points to lead Detroit. Rodney Stuckey added 17 points and Ben Wallace grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds.

Postgame Quotes: Kings @ Pistons

SACRAMENTO KINGS HEAD COACH PAUL WESTPHAL

On back-to-back road wins before the break
“I’m very happy, our team is getting better and one of our problems has been that we let go of leads and two nights in a row we did just the opposite. Tonight our defense really stiffened up and we actually got some stops which is what we needed to do if you want to win road games in this league. So, we are learning and we are getting good performances from different people and we hate to have this break happen right now. However, it’s a good time for it and it is good to take two road wins into the break.”

On bench stepping up
“We were having a hard time playing with any energy at the beginning of the ball game and then Nocioni and Beno (Udrih) came into the game and were just very aggressive and changed the tone of the game for us. Jason Thompson then came in and did a good job on the boards as well. Then when the starters came back in there later, they took the cue from Beno and Andres. It was definitely a group effort in all ways tonight.”

SACRAMENTO KINGS GUARD KEVIN MARTIN

On back-to-back wins on road
“It was huge, especially for our confidence since we were struggling with that coming in to this road trip and we just wanted to get a couple of wins and we did. We just knew what we were up against tonight with the All-Star break here. Sometimes guys mentality is to pack it in early, but we didn’t do that tonight.”

On finishing strong
“We did, we just wanted to execute better down the stretch because when you have guys out there like Rip and Tayshaun who has been through everything in this league, they know how to execute down the stretch and we just wanted to do the same. We hit shots and they didn’t down the stretch.”

On bench help
“Beno (Udrih) and Nocioni came in and gave us a spark and that is what we needed. Sometimes, especially on back-to-backs, with the game that we had in overtime last night in New York, guys played a lot of minutes. So, tonight Beno and Nocioni came in and gave us a big lift and they got everyone else going.”

DETROIT PISTONS HEAD COACH JOHN KUESTER

On the game
“I know our thought process going into this thing was in the right way. In the beginning, we just kept trading baskets back and fourth in the first and second quarter and we couldn’t come up with stops. As good as we were defensively at times last night, we weren’t as good tonight. Going into the fourth quarter, you’re tied up - our execution wasn’t as crisp as it was the night before.”

On Nocioni and Udrih
“Well, Udrih lit us up. He goes from five minutes versus New York and then comes in and lights us up. That hurt and Nocioni came in and hurt us. You have to go into this thing knowing that these guys are in the NBA for a reason and you have to play them straight up.”

On gaining some momentum before the All-Star break
“Going into it, we really had that mindset, looking forward to that next game and recognizing that, ‘Hey, listen, we’re headed in the right direction.’ We took one step forward and two steps backwards. This game can be very unkind to you at times especially if you don’t do things the right way and we didn’t do things the right way defensively or offensively.”

On the team’s consistency
“It seemed like we weren’t as poised as we were the night before. We go from being so poised to not being as in control as we had been. It seemed like we were rushing things. These guys wanted to win so badly tonight but sometimes when you want something so badly you end up rushing as opposed to doing things like you did the night before.”

DETROIT PISTONS FORWARD CHARLIE VILLANUEVA

On the disappointing loss
“It’s very disappointing. We let that that one slip away. We gave them this game. We will spend a couple days off, get away from basketball and be focused on Monday.”

On the game
“I think we were playing well, and then they made a run. We kind of got away from what we were doing at the first half. I think that during first half we were playing very well.”

On the All-Star break
“A lot of things change during an All-Star break when guys come back. Hopefully, we will be one of those teams that can make a push.”

Evans Likely to Play Against Spurs

With seven out of the past eight and three upcoming games against current playoff-bound teams, the Sacramento Kings are amidst a tough stretch. As a young team striving to be mentioned among the postseason group, however, the Kings formidable matchups provide continual opportunity to gauge the team’s development.

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Postgame Recap: Kings at Bobcats

CHARLOTTE 105 SACRAMENTO 103

January 18, 2010 - At Time Warner Cable Arena, on Martin Luther King Day, former King Gerald Wallace scored 28 points and Raymond Felton narrowly missed a triple-double as the Bobcats withstood a late Kings rally to hold on to a 105-103 win. Tyreke Evans scored 14 of his career-high 34 points in the fourth quarter in trying to lead the Kings to another comeback. Sacramento trailed by as many as 24 points in the third quarter (82-58 at the 4:09 mark) but used a 14-2 run to close the quarter and trail by 12 entering the fourth. Thirteen straight points by the Kings brought them to within one, 94-93, with 4:11 remaining. The Kings were within one again, with 2.4 seconds left after Beno Udrih’s three-pointer, but Flip Murray made one of two free throw attempts to complete the scoring. Besides his 34 points, Evans recorded four rebounds, seven assists, two steals, and three blocks. Andres Nocioni and Omri Casspi each tallied 13 points. Kevin Martin, in his third game back, finished with nine points. Jon Brockman grabbed a game-high and career-high 14 rebounds. Felton recorded 17 points, nine rebounds, and 10 assists. Boris Diaw contributed 13 points and Murray added 12 off the bench.

NOTES: Kevin Martin moved into second place on the Kings’ all-time career list for free throws made in the Sacramento era, passing Peja Stojakovic (1,724). Of Brockman’s career-high 14 boards, seven came on the offensive end. The Kings turned the ball over 20 times, one shy of their season high. After a bad first half in which the Kings were outscored (47 to 66) and outshot (44.4 to 58.1), Sacramento turned it around in the second, outscoring (56 to 39) and outshooting (53.8 to 35.0) the Bobcats. Tyreke Evans scored 26 points (10-13 FG, 6-8 FT) in the second half.

Postgame Recap: Kings vs. Nuggets

SACRAMENTO 106, DENVER 101

December 28, 2009 – At ARCO Arena, Andres Nocioni led the Kings with 21 points off the bench and the Kings withstood a 34-point performance from Carmelo Anthony to defeat Denver, 106-101. Both teams played without their starting point guards - Tyreke Evans was sidelined with a sprained right ankle and Chauncey Billups had missed five of the previous six games for Denver with a left adductor strain (groin). The Kings used a 9-1 run to turn a two-point deficit into a 103-97 lead with 13.5 seconds left in the fourth quarter. The Kings’ run began with Omri Casspi’s three-pointer at the 2:01 mark. Beno Udrih’s three-point play put the Kings up, 100-96, with 1:41 left. Anthony made one of two free throws, but the Kings would make six of their eight free throw attempts to seal the win. Donte Greene and Udrih each tallied 17 points. Jason Thompson recorded his 10th double-double of the season with 15 points and a team-high 11 rebounds. Jon Brockman came off the bench to corral a career-high-tying 10 boards. Nene scored a season-high 25 points for the Nuggets, who have dropped their last six road contests. Kenyon Martin recorded a double-double with 10 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.

NOTES: The Kings outrebounded the Nuggets, 48-46. The Nuggets recycled 17 Kings turnovers into 25 points while turning the ball over nine times. The Kings are 9-1 when Jason Thompson records a double-double. Sacramento earned its 11 home win of the season - last season’s Kings won a total of 11 games at home. The Kings have scored 100 or more points in each of the last 10 home games.

Postgame Quotes: Kings vs. Nuggets

Head Coach Paul Westphal

“It was really nice having a big crowd totally behind us. I think that the city is appreciating what these young guys are doing. To be able to knock off the Nuggets, one of the best teams in basketball, with a real solid defensive effort and without Tyreke (Evans) – obviously, they were without Chauncey Billups as well – but it was very satisfying for us to be able to back up our near misses with Cleveland and the Lakers and then get this game tonight. I really liked the toughness and togetherness we showed out there. I thought we got some great performances off the bench with (Andres) Nocioni, Sergio (Rodriguez), Ime (Udoka) and (Jon) Brockman. Every one of them came in and gave us a lot; they did what they do. Donte (Greene) – think about it – he guarded LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Carmelo Anthony. They all scored big and we told him tonight, ‘if (Carmelo) doesn’t get 40, we’ve got a chance’. I thought Donte really took the challenge and made it tough for Carmelo; he didn’t give him a whole bunch of free throws and made him earn his points, which is all you can do with superstars. So we’re glad that we knocked off one of the big boys at home and it’s another step in our development.”

On Donte Greene:
“Donte’s not afraid. Maybe he doesn’t have enough experience to be afraid but I think he actually concentrates better when things get tougher. Sometimes if things are going too well for him he starts drifting and going in between his legs and things like that, but I think Donte’s a clutch player, both offensively and defensively.”

On Andres Nocioni:
“Nocioni obviously has been struggling shooting the ball lately and also defensively. He’s a real pro who doesn’t ever back up. I told him after the game, ‘Noc, you know how to get out of a shooting slump don’t you?’ and he said, ‘yeah, keep shooting’. It’s a shame to be hot and not know it; you’ve got to find out. If you’re a shooter, that’s what you do. He didn’t hesitate and I think sometimes he has been hesitating when he’s struggling with his shot, but tonight he didn’t. Defensively he gives up a lot of quickness to Anthony and size but he fought him. Really it was like bringing in a middle relief pitcher that got us to the point where we could close the game with somebody else. I thought he was very, very valuable at both ends.”

On Jon Brockman:
“He’s an amazing player. The thing he does is rebound and make his presence felt out there. I’d have to say, I thought he’d be good at that – but he’s even better than I thought he would be. Some of those rebounds he gets, for a player his size and in traffic – he goes up after the ball and before he goes up you’re thinking, ‘oh boy, those guys are tall, they’re probably going to get it” but then when Brockman gets it you say, ‘nobody else had a chance’. He’s that kind of rebounder – he’s amazing.”

Donte Greene

“It felt good out there. I was out there guarding my man (Carmelo Anthony). I call him big brother and I showed him little brother was working.”

On the big week of games they have played
“I love it. Give it to me next week. I just love it. It is challenging and it’s not like I am out there talking trash. I am out there defending, but I am also learning. I’m not bashful, I will ask questions. I was out there asking Kobe (Bryant) questions right on the court. He told me that I needed to relax; when he got the two three’s he said he was just letting you know not to over relax. It’s just the little things. I don’t say anything to Carmelo though because we have been playing since we were in like middle school. It’s just all about learning.”

On where his confidence is defensively
“It is getting there. I still need to work on some things and try to draw some fouls. It is getting there and I’m working on it everyday.”

Jon Brockman

On being a bit shorter than the guys he is guarding
“It is mostly keeping them busy and moving around a lot. I’m kind of like a pest. They were playing physical in there, so you can go in and they allow you to push around a bit and use leverage. I think because I am shorter, I can get a little lower on their legs. That is where all your strength comes from. You are not pushing with your upper body, because then you would be off balance.”

On the way he is playing
“I am playing the same way; it’s just that I have a different role. Obviously, in college, I had more of a scoring and leadership role. I feel like a freshman coming in now. I feel like I am a rookie. It is my first year coming in and what you do is play with the other players. You don’t demand anyone to change because of you. You have to mold yourself around everyone else and just help where ever you can.”

Andres Nocioni

On bouncing back tonight from the previous games
“I tried to do my job and I tried to bring energy from the bench. I tried to make my wide open shots.”

On if he expected to see more minutes tonight
“Maybe, I could have thought about it. No one told me anything, so I just come here every night and be ready from the start. If the coach needed me, I will be ready. If not, I will be ready on the bench.”

George Karl, Denver Nuggets’ Head Coach

Tonight’s team performance…
“It is very similar to a lot of our games on the road lately. In the fourth quarter, we’re not the ones making the shots. We’re hurting ourselves with fundamentals like making free throws (20-of-35). The effort was great. We put a lot of work into this game and we just didn’t win.”

Losing tonight’s game…
“Losing is frustrating. You don’t like to lose but Sacramento is playing at a good level. We’re not playing at a great level. We played better early. The best thing we have going for us right now is three days of practice which we need to tune up some defensive responsibilities, hopefully getting Chauncey (Billups) back healthy and we’ll be fine.”

Arron Afflalo, Denver Nuggets’ Guard

Team’s performance…
“At the end of the day we need to get a win. It is good that we can get in some practice time and regain our focus on whatever it may be. At the end of the day we just need to get the wins.”

End of the game…
“They hit some big shots. We actually took the lead by two. We were definitely competing. I think the corner three they made and the and-1 with two or three minutes left was when they took the lead. It really broke the momentum for us and gave it to them.”

What the team needs to do to win…
“I think it’s just the focus of what it takes to win and understanding what it takes for this team to win. That’s playing great defense and running off points as opposed to exchanging baskets with guys. On top of that we need everyone to be healthy. We need everyone on this team to play at the level that we like to play at. That includes when Chauncey gets back and everyone gets healthy.”

Postgame Recap: Kings vs. Timberwolves

MINNESOTA 112, SACRAMENTO 96

December 18, 2009 – At the Target Center, it was just too much Love for the Kings. Kevin Love recorded a double-double with a season-high 20 points and 16 rebounds and Corey Brewer added 20 points as the Timberwolves handed the Kings their eighth straight road loss, 112-96. Minnesota never trailed at any point in the game, and built a 13-point advantage on a 12-2 run in the third quarter. Sacramento trailed by seven, 87-80, with 11:08 left in the fourth quarter, but the Timberwolves used a 8-1 spurt for a 95-81 lead with 8:50 remaining. Minnesota cruised the rest of the way, earning their fifth win of the season. Omri Casspi, making his second straight start, led the Kings with 21 points. Beno Udrih and Jason Thompson each added 18 points. Thompson also grabbed a team-high nine rebounds. All five Minnesota starters scored in double-figures. Al Jefferson and Damien Wilkins each contributed 16 points. The Timberwolves shot 54.7 percent from the field and outrebounded the Kings, 47-37.

NOTES: Kenny Thomas started his second game of the season. Spencer Hawes and Andres Nocioni came off the bench. Omri Casspi has totaled 43 points in the last two games, both starts. Casspi was just a point shy of matching his career high, set in the previous game against Washington. Tyreke Evans finished with 10 points, four rebounds, eight assists, and two steals. Minnesota entered the game averaging 93.3 points per game and scored a season-high-tying 112 points.

Andrès’ Blog: ARCO Energy Takes Kings to New Level

Lo que más me impresiona de éste equipo es que estamos jugando con una mentalidad ganadora, con muchas ganas de ganar. Realmente nos encontramos en un gran momento y bueno ojalá que sigamos así, mejorando día a día y poder llegar lo mas lejos posible ya que es una temporada larga.

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