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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- Jason Williams had the Sacramento
Kings' offense back in high gear, and even a career night by Chris
Gatling couldn't slow it down.
Chris Webber had 30 points and 14 rebounds as the Kings survived
Gatling's career-high 38 points to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers
108-103 on Tuesday night.
|  | | Another opposing player torched the Kings -- this time Chris Gatling of the Cavs -- but Sacramento still got the win. |
Williams had a season-high 24 points and eight assists, and Peja
Stojakovic added 27 points as the Kings won for the sixth time in
eight games. After a string of halting offensive performances, the
Kings looked like the Kings again in their highest-scoring
non-overtime game since Dec. 8.
"It was good for us to get out and run well," Stojakovic said.
"We're good at running and beating the other team with passing.
Not many teams can pass like us."
It was also the best night of the season for Williams, the
Kings' mercurial point guard who has struggled on both ends of the
floor this season. Williams held his own defensively while playing
a scintillating offensive game that included four 3-pointers and
all manner of elaborate, whirling passes.
"My offense is coming in the course of the game," Williams
said. "People are too worried about Chris and Peja. They made it a
whole lot easier."
But the Kings' efforts were nearly wasted as Gatling became the
latest opponent to shoot the lights out in Sacramento, where Allen
Iverson scored 46 points and Tony Delk had 53 in the last two
weeks.
Gatling, who started at center in place of injured Zydrunas
Ilgauskas and Chris Mihm, scored 14 points in the first 4:30 and 22
in the first quarter _ one off Cleveland's franchise record.
"He is the quickest big guy in the league," Kings center Vlade
Divac said. "It was tough to guard him."
But Gatling had just four points in the fourth quarter as the
Cavs couldn't climb back from a 14-point deficit. Gatling has been
with eight teams in the last six seasons, but no one has doubted
his abilities as a mobile big man with a consistent outside shot.
"I was a little tired," Gatling said. "I haven't started for
a while, and I don't know the last time I played that many minutes
(41). ... We didn't win, so it went for nothing."
Andre Miller scored 16 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter
for the injury-riddled Cavs, who opened a six-game road trip with
their ninth loss in 11 games.
For the first time in three weeks, the Kings didn't wait until
the final minutes to decide a game. Sacramento's previous eight
games were decided by four points or fewer, but the Kings broke it
open with runs of 9-0 and 10-1 late in the second half.
"We settled for too many long jump shots, which they ran out
on," Cavs coach Randy Wittman said. "We settled for jump shots
that weren't going in, against a team that loves to get out and
run. We can learn from this, though."
Though Sacramento has fallen behind Portland in the Pacific
Division, this win was a milestone of sorts in the team's
breakthrough season. At 23-9, the Kings are 14 games over .500 for
the first time since the franchise moved to Sacramento in 1983.
Clarence Weatherspoon had 12 points and 10 rebounds for the
Cavs, while Lamond Murray, playing with a plastic face mask to
guard the cheekbone he broke Monday night against New Jersey, had
10 points on 4-of-15 shooting.
Sacramento finished its seven-game homestand with a 5-2 mark
that included overtime losses to Philadelphia and Indiana. The
Kings, who have a league-high 16 home wins, play five of their next
six on the road.
Game notes
Webber, Stojakovic and Williams combined for 15 turnovers.
... Williams' 24 points were four off his career-high. ... Mihm
missed the game for the Cavs with a bruised bone in his right knee.
He's expected to return sometime during Cleveland's road trip. ...
Gatling made just his second start of the season, and he made all
nine of his shots in the first quarter. He missed a layup to begin
the second quarter.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Cleveland Clubhouse
Sacramento Clubhouse
RECAPS
Boston 88
Miami 76
Seattle 104
Washington 101
Toronto 110
Detroit 85
Dallas 106
Minnesota 86
Portland 93
Philadelphia 75
LA Clippers 92
Denver 86
Sacramento 108
Cleveland 103
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