“Well there was a lot of variation in the quality of our play tonight. Sometimes we were really solid to very good and other times we were awful. Then we turned it around and came back in the fourth quarter, which was a terrific effort. Look at Gerald Wallace – this guy was 12-of-18 from the field, 12-of-15 from the line, 11 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 steals, 38 points – a fantastic all-star performance. I told our players that this guy was a young player struggling with the Kings. They had to let him go – they didn’t want to, he was a young player with talent – but they had to let him go in the expansion draft. He just kept improving and he’s fulfilling his potential right now. As much as we want everything right now and we want to win every game we play, we need our young players to understand that sometimes in this league you have to take steps to get where Gerald Wallace is. We have guys in that room who I think can get to where Gerald Wallace is. As discouraging as a loss like this can be, we need to learn from it. And because we have the heart to keep coming back and playing hard through bad play and adversity and everything else, there’s a lot of hope from the coaching staff and there needs to be from the players. So that’s the message that I take from this game. I can see the mistakes and I can see the effort but a guy like Gerald Wallace is going where we want some of our young players to go. We want it now but unfortunately it takes a little longer – so we’ll wait ‘til Denver.”

On the fourth quarter:
“I thought Sergio (Rodriguez) came in and really picked up the tempo for us. It seemed like we were just not as athletic and too slow for them all night in a lot of positions. A big part of it was that Tyreke (Evans) had a fantastic game against them last time and tonight he was dragging around a bruised hip that he fell on last night. I thought he had a very, very good first half but he was mostly making plays for other people. He was drawing the double teams, passing the ball and didn’t have his normal explosiveness. Then when we took him out in the second half and he just couldn’t go back in. But I thought that Sergio’s speed and quickness and aggressiveness really were a huge key for us. It shows a lot about Sergio’s professionalism too because he’s been having a hard time getting in the game lately. Mainly he’s been a victim of too many players in the backcourt when Kevin (Martin) has come back but he’s been terrific in his times when the game has been out of hand. He has stayed ready and tonight he was terrific, and (he) almost brought us all the way back.”

On Kevin Martin:
“That’s not any big surprise. It’s just I always thought it was a matter of rust and timing with him because he’s healthy and he’s in the prime of his career and he can score. He’ll always score.”

On Jason Thompson:
“I thought Jason really attacked the game. He’s getting frustrated still a little bit and there are a few plays I’m sure he’s going to look back in his dreams tonight and say ‘man I wish I would have done this’ or ‘I wish I would have done that’, and that’s the nature of things. But he played 35 minutes, got 16 rebounds, had double-figure points and knocked down some shots. So I think he should feel good about his effort. If he can continue to bring what he brought tonight I think that we’ll pronounce him out of his slump.”

Sergio Rodriguez

On coming back to get the game close
“It was hard, but I am happy for myself. I am obviously not happy about the loss, but we have to try to not have those downs in the game and keep working hard. We have to work hard like we were doing and how we do at times in the games. We just have to keep it up the whole game.”

On being in the tough situation coming back from the deficit
“Anytime that we have to come back from being down by at least 20 is hard, but when the opportunity comes, everyone has to be ready. The people on the bench or the people who are not playing that many minutes have to prove that they can play. That is all, but I would be happier if I played and the team wins.”

Tyreke Evans

On his bruised hip
“It happened yesterday in the game, I was limping and when I woke up then morning it was sore. I thought I would be able to go today, but I shouldn’t have played a lot. I couldn’t go at 100 percent.”

“I knew that I couldn’t really move out there like I wanted to and get the looks I wanted. I was just trying to find people, whichever way I could. I just wanted to get out there and try to get a win, which is why I went out there and played. Hopefully I will get treatment tomorrow and try to play in Denver, but I am not going to rush it. If I step onto the floor I want to go at it 100 percent. I am going to ice it and put heat on it that is all you can really do. I am going to try to get back as soon as possible.”

Jason Thompson

On getting advice and support from others
“I have been getting a lot of advice from a lot of people. You can only consume so much because you don’t want to think about what everyone is saying. It is good that I get a lot of support. I am just taking one day at a time. The game isn’t as easy as it was earlier on. That is just what happens in the league and guys get better in each game and guys are experienced. I can’t put that much pressure on myself, with this being my second year. I definitely want to be a focal point for the team, but I have to go through the process first.”

On his stretch of play lately
“It is something that I have to learn and I have to first experience that, but I have only been in the league about a year and a half. I think it is better to go through it now than in year four or five. Hopefully this is something that I can learn from and laugh at later on.”

On what they need to work on
“I think as a team, in our last five or six games we weren’t really getting stops and running. I think once we get the rebound and run and get those fastbreak points then things will get easier.”

Charlotte Bobcats Head Coach Larry Brown

Tonight’s game…
“It’s almost a replay of the last time played them. We probably played as well as we ever have in the third quarter but we didn’t finish. Give them credit - (Sergio) Rodriguez was just phenomenal, Jason Thompson was phenomenal. They had a chance to win. I remember watching them play the Bulls at Chicago. They came back from the dead and won. It’s kind of disappointing how we finished but we got another road win on this trip.”

Gerald Wallace’s performance…
“He was phenomenal. He’s been phenomenal. He made two blocks at the end when they were rallying, just incredible plays. He’s played great all year but in the last month he’s just taken it to a new level. I guess these last couple of games validated the other people voting for him.”

Third quarter turnaround…
“We rebounded. We defended. We got out and ran. We passed the ball. We did everything that they did in the fourth quarter. It looked exactly like two different teams. In the fourth quarter they rebounded, they defended, they passed the ball, they got out on the break. We did none of that. We got into the halfcourt and had trouble scoring. I think the same thing holds true, we got it going in the third quarter off of our defense, giving them one shot and causing some turnovers.”

Sacramento Kings…
“I love what Paul’s done with this team. They have some many young kids with so much energy. They don’t ever give up.”

Gerald Wallace, Charlotte Bobcats’ Forward

Third quarter turnaround…
“We got attacking. We got going. We were able to put pressure on them. Got in the open court and attacked the rim. Our defense picked up.”

Being selected as an All-Star Reserve…
“I think it’s a great thing not just for me but for the coaches and the organization. Finally we have someone that will go down to All-Star Weekend and represent our team, our organization, our fans and the city of Charlotte.”

Back-to-back wins on the road…
“We’re doing a whole lot better now. I think we were struggling in the first part of the season. I think now coming into 2010, we’re doing a pretty good job of controlling the game and finishing games. Tonight I think we were better off still attacking and pushing the ball rather than walking the ball. I don’t think we’re good walking the ball up as a halfcourt team.

Stephen Jackson, Charlotte Bobcats’ Guard

Team’s performance…
“We’re playing better basketball as a team. We’re defending well. I think the good thing about it is we are starting to trust each other.”

Being a veteran on the team…
“I think my veteran experience is helping. Knowing how to playing in big games and taking big shots and taking some of the pressure off of Gerald and Raymond (Felton). Also Flip (Murray) has been coming in and hitting shots. We are just growing unbelievably as a team especially how we’ve been playing at home and now it’s been carrying over on the road.”

Postgame Quotes: Kings @ Lakers

Kings Coach Paul Westphal

On tonight’s game:
“I am so proud of our team but at the same time it’s disappointing. We have played well enough to beat these guys twice and we have now gone home with two loses. We have seen it before from the Lakers and I am sure the league will see it again. They have a knack at the end of games that we are hoping to acquire.”

On playing Dallas tomorrow night:
“We are going to have to bounce back tomorrow against Dallas and we will. That’s the way this league is. We are improving but we have to learn how to win these game.”

On the Kings having a young team:
“It was not even our young players that were involved in those key plays. We got everything we needed performance wise from everybody that played to win this game and we couldn’t close it out. That is one of the things that make the Lakers so special.”

On Kobe Bryant:
“He is an unbelievable player there is no question about it.”

Beno Udrih

On the second half of tonight’s game:
“They’re the NBA champions. So, you know, we expected them, in the second half, to come back. And make a run but we were just trying to contain them and Kobe’s Kobe; everybody knows who he is. He just played really great.”

On Kobe’s buzzer-beater:
“He made the shot; I think he was in that position a lot of times so he knows how it is and how to take a shot like that. It was a great shot. They deserve to win.”

On losing close games:
“It hurts a lot. We’ve had a couple of games like this, this year especially on the road, we basically were right there and just couldn’t finish.”

Spencer Hawes

On the last play of the game:
“I thought we played them pretty well. It looks like it was just a collision between Sergio, I mean, that’s how this league goes sometimes. It’s a game of one or two bounces. Unfortunately the bounce was our player. That’s why he’s Kobe, he makes big shots at big times.”

On the Lakers’ comeback:
“I think we kind of took the pedal off. We knew they were going to make a run, it was inevitable, we knew that we couldn’t sit up by 20 [points] all game. And they chipped away, chipped away to put themselves in a position to win it at the end.”

Omri Casspi

On the positives the Kings can take from tonight:
“We played well. Spencer showed me again that he can be one of the best centers in the league. Team chemistry was well. Everything will work out.”

On playing the Lakers again:
“We’re going to see them again. We’re going to be ready to compete again, you know. The Lakers are an amazing team.”

Lakers’ Coach Phil Jackson

On how Kobe stacks up with the all-time greats in making game-winning shots:
“He’s there. He’s right with Michael in that kind of a breath that you look at. These players – I don’t know how they get themselves into these positions – but they do an unbelievable job of hitting shots that are remarkable shots, marvelous shots.”

On whether the Lakers ran the play that he drew up in the final possession:
“Yeah. They ran the play. It looked like they wanted to zone it up. Pau found Kobe on the over-top pass. It was a little different than we drew it up. Kobe had enough room to shoot it.”

On whether he was surprised that Kobe was so open on the final play:
“Well, no. Not when you look at the play. Rodriguez jumped in front of Kobe to take away that and so he reversed course.”

On how the Lakers came away with this win:
“I give total credit to Kobe playing almost a whole game. Guys patching it up. Trying to figure out how to come up with some stops at the end. Trying to find personnel that could play against some of these young players that were very effective against us tonight: Casspi, Hawes, Rodriguez.”

On what changed in the second half:
“Defense. We had a few turnovers, got some runs. That changed the game, got the momentum swung in our favor there in the third quarter. It’s hard to sustain that for a whole half but we got the game back in a position where we were capable of getting back into the ballgame.”

Kobe Bryant

On his own game-winning shot in tonight’s game:
“Well it looks like they went into a zone coverage on the inbounds pass and that side was wide open. It was just a matter of me getting to that spot with enough time to get a shot off.”

On if the play was designed for him to shoot a three or a two-pointer:
“Phil drew up a play for a three. I think he wanted to get out of here. We played like we were stuck in mud like we had no energy. He wanted me to get a good look at a 3 and knock it down.”

On whether the shot was more special because they were down throughout tonight’s game:
“We get down and work through it. You know, we didn’t give up. We just continued to play hard. We stuck it out to win the game.”

Pau Gasol

On their performance against teams as of late:
“You know what, its tough because we had to come back a lot. Teams that might not be best in the league, they play really well. Teams that don’t have extremely good records, they just shoot the ball really well. Part of that is on us to let them play too loose. Like the Cavs, Sacramento, Phoenix. We just let them play their game and we need to get into it more from the beginning, not just the second half when we’re down.”

On whether it’s safe to rely on Kobe Bryant to make the game-winning shots :
“Well he’s shooting the ball at a very high percentage and he’s not always going to shoot like that. We understand that. I think he understands that too. But when he’s feeling it and the shots are going down. He’s going to keep shooting. I have no problem with that.”

Andrew Bynum

On his performance in tonight’s game :
“I just played another game really. I tried a little bit harder to be more aggressive and go toward the basket and it paid off.”

On Kobe Bryant’s game-winning three pointer:
“It’s crazy. That was unbelievable, man. How’d they keep letting him get that wide open. He just knows the ball and he understands the game. So he knows the open spots. If he’s open, its definitely going in.”

Lamar Odom

On Kobe Bryant’s buzzer-beater :
“I think sometimes we’ll get your guy. His greatness is the plays leading up to it. Shannon had a chance to put us up. Kobe is so good.”

Postgame Recap: Kings vs. 76ers

PHILADELPHIA 116, SACRAMENTO 106

December 30, 2009 – At ARCO Arena, Lou Williams tallied a game-high 22 points and Allen Iverson added 20 as the Sixers handed the Kings a 116-106 setback in the Kings’ last game of 2009. Rodney Carney buried a three-pointer with 25.3 seconds left in the third quarter to break a 76-76 tie. He drained another to begin the fourth quarter, but Donte Greene answered with one of his own. Philadelphia then went on a 10-2 run for a 92-81 lead with 8:58 remaining. The Kings cut the Sixers’ lead down to six, 94-88, with 7:28 left, but Philadelphia scored four unanswered points to push the lead back to double digits. The 76ers would maintain at least an eight-point cushion the rest of the way. Donte Greene and Omri Casspi each scored a team-high 21 points. Jason Thompson recorded his 11th double-double of the season with 15 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Sergio Rodriguez came off the bench to tally 15 points and five assists. For Philadelphia, Andre Iguodala tallied 19 points, seven rebounds, nine assists, one steal and one block. Iguodala, Thaddeus Young, and Samuel Dalembert each grabbed a team-high seven rebounds.

NOTES: The Kings played their second straight game without Tyreke Evans, sidelined because of a sprained right ankle. The Kings are now 9-2 when Jason Thompson records a double-double. Sacramento has scored 100 or more points in their 11 home contests. The Kings recorded more rebounds (40 to 38) and more assists (26 to 23) than the 76ers, but were outshot (52.5 to 47.2) from the field.

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 Quotes: Kings @ Bulls

Paul Westphal, Sacramento head coach:

On the win.
How do you explain that? I don’t think that I know how. Momentum is an amazing thing. We seemed to have none in the first half and then started out the second in the same way. Then, it shifted and the guys started to believe they could win. We got great help off the bench, Ime, Beno and Sergio really gave us a big lift. Then there was the phenomenal play by Tyreke. However, the guy who turned the game around for us was Jon Brockman. He did everything out there and gave our offensive players a chance to score. We brought him on the trip and up until now all he was doing was eating. I’m not sure I understand what happened nor am I sure I believe it. I’m not sure when the guys thought that we could actually win. I told them in the third quarter we had made great progress and were down 19 and had missed six layups. We were so loose with the ball in the first half and everything was going in for the Bulls it looked like one of those avalanche nights. Tyreke just played great. I don’t know what you have to do to be player of the week but he deserves it. This started as one of his worst games up until the end.

Gavin Maloof, team owner:

On the game.
I was thinking this would be a long ride home, but it turns out to be the best ride I ever had. It was a fun night. If they don’t know who Tyreke Evans is now, they know him now. And how ’bout Jon Brockman? And Ime Udoka? It was magical.

Jason Thompson, Sacramento forward:

On the game.
In the second half they weren’t shooting as well as they were in the first half. It was lights out in the first. It was good shooting but it also wasn’t good defense. We locked up a little bit and Derrick wasn’t scoring as much, Luol wasn’t scoring as much. They were the one-two punch in the first half. We made other guys make plays. I don’t think I would have said at halftime that I would come out with a smile on my face but this is great.

On Jon Brockman.
The only way you can judge his impact is by watching his game. What he did was great. He limited them, got rebounds, was really tough, made guys try and finish. He’s a big part of this win.

On the team.
We’re a young exciting team. For us, being so young you never know what’s going to happen. We played really bad at Minnesota, we gutted out a tough one in Milwaukee and I don’t even know how to describe tonight. We gutted it out even more. It’s a great win. Even though we even won 17 games last year, we’re trying to make the playoffs. If that’s not a goal for yourself, you might as well not step on the court. The sky is the limit for this team because we’re so young.

Tyreke Evans, Sacramento guard:

On the game.
Wow, that’s all I can say. Wow. That was crazy. I’ve never been a part of a team that came back like that.

When did you think you had a chance to win this game?
When we got up. It was amazing, we never stopped fighting. One thing I like about Coach Westphal, he’s a great coach. At halftime he didn’t come in and curse us out like we were little kids. He talked to us, we weren’t playing our best basketball, keep fighting. We went out and did that. I think that kept our confidence up instead of just coming in and yelling at everybody.

Vinny Del Negro- Chicago coach:

Your thoughts on the game:
“It’s tough, we had it going pretty good in the 1st half. We just stopped being aggressive. We stopped moving the basketball in the 3rd quarter and it just got contagious. In the 4th quarter we just could not get any stops. We were not aggressive. We had one pass and shot. We were not playing together. I’m very disappointed obviously. We are not good enough to take off a minute, let alone a half.”

On the sequence with 6 turnovers in 7 possessions:
“They went small and started to penetrate. We helped when they threw it out and they made a couple of nice shots. You let a team back in the game and they gain confidence. At the end, their confidence was up and Evans is very difficult to contain. Confidence is very big at this level. We had it in the 1st half, we kind of lost it in the 2nd half.”

More disappointed in offense or defense?
“Both, we needed to get some defensive stops in the 4th quarter and offensively we did not move the basketball. We stopped being aggressive. There was nothing positive in either one.”

Were you frustrated on the defensive glass?
“We went a little small with Luol at the 4. We were struggling to score and we gave up the glass. What was more frustrating we gave up some offensive rebounds. The ball just stopped moving and that really changed the momentum. I don’t think fatigue was an issue. We were not playing back to back, we were just not smart with the basketball. We just stopped being aggressive. We were playing not to lose instead of playing to win.”

Derrick Rose:

Have you ever been part of a game like that?
“Never, I guess there’s a 1st for everything. I guess we got a little complacent but we’ll be fine.”

Did you play not to lose?
“I wouldn’t say that. Some of our shots that weren’t falling are shots that we usually make. Sometimes it’s tough playing with a big lead.”

Where do you go from here?
“We play tomorrow. That’s the great thing about the NBA. Hopefully we can use this anger and take our frustration out on the Knicks tomorrow.”

On his final shot:
“It was a good look. I just missed it. I shot it kind of flat. It’s a shot I usually make. I didn’t get fouled, though. He didn’t touch me at all. I just didn’t make the shot.”

Luol Deng:

Did you stop sharing the basketball in the 2nd half?
“Maybe. I’ve got to go back and look at it again. I think we relaxed. I’m not sure what happened offensivel, but defensively we just relaxed. I always say that our defensive is what really makes our offense go, but we were making mistakes defensively and we were just not aggressive and that carries over to offense.”

On the loss:
“It’s frustrating. It definitely is especially when you play pretty well for 3 quarters and you can’t hold on to it in the end.”

Postgame Recap: Kings vs. T-Wolves

SACRAMENTO 120, MINNESOTA 100

December 12, 2009 – At ARCO Arena, Jason Thompson recorded a team-high 23 points and a game-high-tying 12 rebounds and Tyreke Evans added 18 points as the Kings ended a four-game losing streak with a 120-100 win over Minnesota. The Kings used a 15-3 run to turn a 68-66 lead into an 83-69 advantage in the third quarter. A 10-2 spurt gave the Kings a 20-point lead, 95-75, with 43.4 seconds left in the third. The Kings maintained their 20-point edge throughout the fourth quarter and led by as many as 29 (110-81). Sacramento dished out a season-high 33 assists, nine coming from Sergio Rodriguez off the bench. Al Jefferson (a game-high 26 points and 11 rebounds) and Kevin Love (14 points and a game-high-tying 12 rebounds) recorded double-doubles for Minnesota.

NOTES: The Kings scored 100 or more points in 17 of their last 19 games. Omri Casspi, ranked among the top three in the NBA in three-point field goal percentage, made two of his six attempts from beyond the arc and finished with 14 points off the bench. All 12 Kings players saw action in the game and made at least a basket. Sacramento picked up its ninth home win of the season - Last season, it wasn’t until their 31st home game on March 8, 2009 against Denver that the Kings won their ninth.

Postgame Quotes: Kings vs. T-Wolves

Head Coach Paul Westphal

“I think we might have caught them on a good night tonight after (they played) in Los Angeles last night and us having a couple of days rest. I thought that we wore them out with our bench and really did a good job with keeping the pressure on. Whoever we put in there really seemed to bring us energy. Once we got the lead we were able to just extend it and pull away. So it was a good win for us. I thought that the bench really, really gave us a big lift. That’s not to take away from a lot of the contributions our starters gave us. I thought that Tyreke (Evans) gave us a great start and we were really going in to him in the first quarter and established that. Then Jason Thompson was terrific the whole game on both ends, on the boards and scoring. Then, when Sergio (Rodriguez) and Beno (Udrih) came in, it seemed like it gave us extra quickness out there. (Jon) Brockman and Kenny Thomas were all over the boards. It was really good to see our team just go out there and everybody did what they had to do.”

When asked why he decided against calling a time out and changing the lineup when the Timberwolves got within two points during the third quarter:
“I was thinking hard; I got up and I was bringing my hands together and I just said well, I think it’s time for us to just figure it out. You can’t really do that all the time with a young team but it seemed like we’d been having good success and I had confidence that they would make something good happen. I can’t really say that it was brilliant, it was just like I thought about it and I said ‘naw’, and it happened to work out.”

When asked if the first step for a young team is getting wins at home:
“We want to win anytime we play, but the realistic analysis of this NBA is it’s tougher on the road and it’s tougher against the teams that have the good records. So, like I said, it was a good night for us. The Timberwolves had been playing better – I think they may have been a little fatigued after the Lakers last night. We were rested and we got them on a good night so we want to take any win we can get.”

Jason Thompson

“I just play in the rhythm of the game. Coach Truck and Coach Carril keep saying just to attack them and try to get them in foul trouble. They said to use my quickness instead of bodying guys. For the most part I tried to use my energy more and try to get my hand on balls when we weren’t making shots. You just have to let the game go.”

On adjusting to the Timberwolves
“From the scouting report we knew that Jonny Flynn is smaller and a shorter guy then Tyreke. We tried to post it early and see if they would adjust.”

On their bench being deep
“Spencer (Hawes) got in early foul trouble and Kenny (Thomas) came in, then Jon (Brockman) came in with his energy and was getting rebounds and getting his hands on balls. It may not always show up on the stats sheet, but it really helps us out.”

Tyreke Evans

On succeeding his own expectations
“I try to go out there and play hard every night. We are a young team and we are still learning, but we have to go out there and play with a lot of energy.”

On what they need to work on
“We have a lot to work on. We need to learn to be able to close out the fourth quarter. We have had game on the road where we couldn’t finish the game and had some turnovers. I think if we can close out games we can win more games.”

On the Timberwolves not being able to answer back
“Our plan was to just go at Jonny (Flynn). He is strong, but he is also a very small guard. Coach (Westphal) said that we were going to attack the post early and we did it and got a couple easy baskets.”

On if he gets excited seeing smaller guards
“Definitely. It is a big advantage for me. When I get in the box all I need is one or two dribbles. It is an advantage for me, a big advantage. I try to take advantage of it.”

On the ball movement being good
“We had (a season-high) 33 assists tonight. We moved the ball well and I think that is how we got the win.”

Timberwolves Head Coach Kurt Rambis

On falling behind badly in the third quarter

“On the second night of a back-to-back playing on the road, a young team has to understand how to play the proper way. They are a team that likes to get up and down the floor and has had a few days off. We got caught in trying to play too fast. Anytime we organized our offense and moved the ball, we got quality looks. That is the way we are supposed to play. So it was difficult to try and calm everyone down and play the right way. Once we started falling behind, then it became very difficult. Now they want to pick up the pace of the game and it just gets sloppier and sloppier. Turnovers hurt us. More than anything else, we wanted to shut down the lane on them and we were very poor at that tonight. We lost our focus on that and our attention to detail.”

Are there lessons to take out of this game

“When you have a young team, they just have to understand that there is a proper way to play the game. You don’t play every game the same way. You have to understand how to play on the road. You have to take away from the team you are playing their style of ball that makes them successful and try to take them out of that element. You can’t play the same pace of game on the road that you do at home.”

On looking spent on the bench

“I think fatigue played a huge part of it. So much of what happens when players get tired, late nights, flights… It’s all part of the NBA, so I am not using it as an excuse, but they have to find a way to take what the league gives you and still compete at a high level.”

On Kings guard Tyreke Evans’ potential

“I think he is a terrific ball player. He has a chance to be very good in this league. He has great size and length. He is going to be able to make outside shots, take guards off the dribble, post them up like we saw tonight on smaller guards and penetrate and find people. He plays with a lot of poise and does a pretty good job of changing gears and changing speeds which keeps his defender off-balance.”

Timberwolves Forward Kevin Love

On why they fell behind

“We were playing way too fast, turned the ball over and didn’t set anything up. That’s why the score was what it was … We came out and thought we could outscore them, didn’t really play well on defense. And they put up 120 points on us.”

Kings Playing to Teammates’ Strengths

The Kings are feeling confident heading into their final contest of a four-game home stand — a matchup against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday at ARCO Arena.

Read more

Next Page »