Sacramento uses 19-4 third-quarter run to take control

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- While Sacramento Kings leading scorer

Peja Stojakovic continues to be cautious with a sprained finger,

teammate Bonzi Wells is playing his way through a similar injury.

Mike Bibby scored 25 points and Wells had 23 points and nine

rebounds Wednesday night to lead the Kings over the New Jersey Nets

114-105.

Scoring on a variety of shots inside and on the perimeter, Wells

didn't let a swollen middle finger on his right hand affect his

play, scoring 19 points in the second half for the Kings, who

snapped a two-game losing streak.

"Bonzi is a guy who plays with a lot of emotion, he's playing

with almost a broken finger right now," said teammate Shareef

Abdur-Rahim, who scored 16 points and had seven rebounds.

Stojakovic watched his second straight game in street clothes

after injuring a finger on his shooting hand in Sunday's loss at

Seattle.

"My finger has been messed up for a month. I'm hurting, but

it's nothing that will keep me from playing," Wells said. "Peja

is different, he's a shooter, it's (on) his shooting hand. For me

personally, I'm going to play."

Stojakovic's status remains day-to-day.

"It's really up to Peja, and the trainer and the doctor,"

Kings coach Rick Adelman said. "He shot the ball pretty well today

just catching and stuff. But I have no idea what the timetable

is."

After shooting 55 percent in the first half, New Jersey went

cold in the third period, when the Kings used a 19-4 run over a

5-minute span to take control. Wells made a buzzer-beating jumper

and scored 11 points in the third, when the Kings outscored the

Nets 35-20 for a 94-78 lead.

Brad Miller had 20 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds for

Sacramento. Kevin Martin, who has struggled in the early season,

scored a career-high 18 points, including a steal and dunk early in

the fourth quarter, giving the Kings a 100-78 lead with 10:08

remaining.

"We shot 54 percent and lose the game," Nets coach Lawrence

Frank said. "If there's a question about the value and importance

of defense, this is a great case example."

Abdur-Rahim said there was no revenge factor in beating the

Nets. He failed a physical in the offseason after it appeared he

would sign with the Nets as a free agent. Instead, he came to

Sacramento.

"We lost two close games in a row, we didn't want to make it

three, that was my whole focus in this game," Abdur-Rahim said.

Marc Jackson had a season-high 21 points and nine rebounds and

Nenad Krstic scored 19 points for the Nets, who have lost

consecutive games to open a five-game road trip. New Jersey played

without leading scorer Vince Carter, who has a strained back

muscle.

"Before we used to be a third-quarter team because we'd wear

teams out in the first half and then come out with that same

intensity," said Richard Jefferson, who had 16 points for the

Nets. "But we have a different group here, different mentality and

we need to figure that out."

Jason Kidd had 11 points and 11 assists, but he was ineffective

in the second half when Sacramento pulled away.

Miller had 15 points and Bibby scored 12 in the first half,

helping the Kings to a 59-58 lead. Kidd had 11 points, 10 rebounds

and four assists.<

^Notes:@The Nets have lost seven straight at Arco Arena, dating to

Nov. 30, 1997. ... Sacramento is 4-3 at home this season. Kidd had

eight points and six assists in the first quarter, when the Nets

led 27-26. ... Jackson made his first seven shots before missing

from close range late in the third quarter.