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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
DENVER (AP) – After Raef LaFrentz hit his third 3-pointer in an
87-second span, you almost expected him to jog back down court,
shrugging his shoulders and smirking in mock humility.
Of course, LaFrentz is no Michael Jordan and this was a
meaningless game between one team heading to the playoffs and
another making early vacation plans for the sixth straight season.
LaFrentz tied career highs with 32 points and 20 rebounds as the
Denver Nuggets ended their disappointing season on a high note,
beating the Sacramento Kings 110-100 Wednesday night.
"I just felt good," said LaFrentz, who took a career-high 28
shots. "The shot felt good. When you see them go in, that gives
you a little more confidence and you keep shooting. I got a lot of
shots. I better score a lot of points."
Kevin Willis added 25 points and 19 rebounds for the Nuggets,
who won 40 games for the first time since 1994-95 but missed the
playoffs for the sixth straight year.
"Forty sounds a whole lot better than 39 does," Denver coach
Dan Issel said, "even though they didn't play their starters
much."
The Kings seemed almost indifferent from the start as they used
Chris Webber and their other starters sparingly in preparation for
the playoffs.
Sacramento, which finished one game behind the Los Angeles
Lakers in the Pacific Division, are the No. 3 seed in the Western
Conference and will open the postseason against the sixth-seeded
Phoenix Suns.
"We would have liked to have won to tie the Lakers, but we do
have the third seed and we have had a good year," Kings coach Rick
Adelman said. "We are glad it is over with, so we can move on to
the playoffs now."
Scot Pollard, who played with LaFrentz at Kansas, led the Kings
with 18 points and 14 rebounds. Vlade Divac had 14 points in 17
minutes as the Sacramento starters sat out most of the second half.
Webber, who averages nearly 41 minutes, played just 14. He
scored six points -- the second time in 70 games this year he failed
to reach double figures.
"The reality of it is that it didn't mean anything, and we need
to stay healthy and be ready to play in the first round," he said.
"It was good to get some rest, but once you start playing, you
want to keep playing. Sitting down was hard, if I never would have
stood up it would have been easier."
LaFrentz hit 4-of-5 3-pointers as part of a 15-1 run that gave
Denver a 20-point lead midway through the third quarter. The Kings
responded with a 23-5 surge to cut the lead to one with 9:10
remaining in the fourth before Denver pulled away with another 13-2
spurt.
The Nuggets hit 6-of-8 3-pointers in the third quarter and
finished 11-for-21 for the game.
Neither team looked very inspired in the early gong. Denver
trailed by 12 early in the second quarter before going on a 21-3
run against Sacramento's reserves. LaFrentz capped the surge with a
one-handed dunk on an alley-oop pass from Anthony Goldwire.
The Nuggets shot 65 percent and outscored the Kings 38-20 in the
period and led by seven at the half.
"It was a little sloppy at the beginning, and almost not
competitive," LaFrentz said. "At this point in the season, you
have to find things to play for, as a player and as a team. we
weren't going to make .500, so the next thing was 40 wins."
Game notes
Before the game, the Kings placed F Lawrence Funderburke on
the injured list and activated rookie F Jabari Smith. Funderburke
has a left groin strain. ... Sacramento missed a chance to break
the franchise record for victories. The 1963-64 Cincinnati Royals
also won 55 games. ... Denver's last playoff appearance came in
1994-95 when it beat Sacramento in the season finale to clinch the
eighth spot over the Kings. The Nuggets were 41-41 that year. ...
Denver F James Posey was the only Nuggets player to play in all 82
games. ... The Nuggets finished 29-12 at home, their best home
record since the 1988-89 season. They also improved to 18-1 when
scoring 100 points at the Pepsi Center.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Sacramento Clubhouse
Denver Clubhouse
RECAPS
Charlotte 97
Boston 92
Chicago 92
Philadelphia 86
Toronto 98
Washington 92
Indiana 105
Cleveland 101
New York 94
Detroit 88
Miami 103
Orlando 91
Dallas 120
Minnesota 100
Denver 110
Sacramento 100
Seattle 105
San Antonio 67
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