Sacramento wins sixth straight

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- Perhaps the surging Sacramento Kings

could use a close game at home for a change.

Coach Rick Adelman doesn't think so.

Peja Stojakovic scored 26 points and Sacramento beat the Memphis

Grizzlies for the eighth straight time, 109-89 Tuesday night for

Kings' sixth win in a row.

The Kings have won their six home games this month by a combined

98 points -- and Adelman appreciates convincing wins.

"I don't care as long as it's a win," Adelman said when asked

if a nail-biter might be needed soon to keep Sacramento sharp.

"With 82 games, you're going to have enough of those."

Mike Bibby added 16 points and six assists and Vlade Divac had

15 points for Sacramento, which remained unbeaten at home.

Stojakovic also had nine rebounds.

Pau Gasol had 21 points and 10 rebounds for the Grizzlies, who

have lost 18 of the last 19 meetings with the Kings and their last

11 games at Arco Arena. Memphis was held below 90 points for the

second straight game.

New California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and wife Maria Shriver

were on hand to see the Kings improve to 8-0 at home this season

with their 15th straight victory in Arco.

But Sacramento needed a big second half to do it.

Stojakovic had 12 of his points in the Kings' decisive third

quarter, when they outscored the sloppy Grizzlies 31-14 and took

advantage of eight Memphis turnovers.

"They turned up the heat and we didn't respond," Memphis guard

Shane Battier said. "We need to find a way to pick it up in the

second half."

The league's highest-scoring offense surpassed its season

scoring average of 105.3, finally coming to life in the third

quarter after a slow start.

"Guys, wake up!" one fan hollered late in the first quarter,

and the Kings obliged.

Jason Williams, a 1998 first-round draft pick by Sacramento who

played his first three seasons for the Kings, had 15 points and six

assists for Memphis.

Sacramento started the third quarter with a 9-2 run, then

Stojakovic scored seven as the Kings scored nine straight points to

go up 75-63. Stojakovic had a 3-pointer followed by an uncontested

dunk the next time down the floor during the spurt.

Sacramento's Brad Miller entered the game with five straight

double-doubles, but finished just shy of a sixth with 13 points and

seven rebounds.

The Grizzlies shot 66.7 percent in the first quarter to build a

35-24 lead, getting 16 points in the paint in the opening period.

The Kings were held to only eight assists in the first half, but

trailed by only a point, 57-56, at halftime because of poor

free-throw shooting by Memphis (9-of-19).

Bibby's 3 with 4:06 remaining in the half broke a 44-all tie and

gave the Kings their first lead since the opening minutes.

Sacramento, which won a season-high six straight three times last

season, used four reserves for much of the second quarter.

"We got a little down, but everyone stayed focused and just

tried to pound the ball inside, and I think that ultimately defense

won it for us," Kings guard Doug Christie said.Game notes
Schwarzenegger sat in a luxury box with Kings co-owner Joe

Maloof. The governor received a standing ovation when introduced in

the third quarter, then later moved down to a courtside seat. "It

was my first time seeing him in person," Stojakovic said. "I was

excited to see him." ... Memphis C Jake Tsakalidis picked up his

third foul with 7:33 left in the first quarter and played only

eight minutes, getting six points and one rebound. ... Christie and

his wife will pass out 50 Thanksgiving food baskets Wednesday to

families at a local soup kitchen. ... Battier needed four points to

reach 2,000 for his career, but had just two after scoring in

double figures in his last seven games.