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RECAP
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GAME FLOW
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- With their leader in the locker room
and their ex-teammate hitting every shot in sight, the Sacramento
Kings still eked out an unlikely victory.
On a night of superlatives and surprises, the Kings survived 53
points by Tony Delk and Chris Webber's ejection to beat the Phoenix
Suns 121-117 in overtime Tuesday night.
|  | | Chris Webber confronts offical Bennie Adams, left, after his ejection in the first quarter. |
Vlade Divac scored a career-high 34 points and Jason Williams
had nine points in overtime for the Kings, who improved to 14-2 at
home in one of the most difficult ways imaginable.
"This was the best team win you could hope for," Divac said.
"It would have been very bad for us to lose this one."
Sacramento overcame an unbelievable performance by Delk, who was
Williams' backup last season. Delk more than doubled his previous
career-high of 26 while shooting 20-of-27 and scoring more points
than anyone in Arco Arena's history.
"I just felt good," said Delk, who hadn't been so prolific
since scoring 70 points in a high school game. "I think a lot of
guys around the league can score like that when given the
opportunity, and it was just one of those nights."
But it wasn't enough to beat the Kings. They won with an
unlikely combination of offense from Divac, including a game-tying
layup with six seconds left in regulation, and tenacious play from
Williams.
The flashy point guard is almost always yanked from the Kings'
lineup late in close games because of his poor defense. But with
coach Rick Adelman pointedly leaving the game in Williams' hands in
overtime, he hit a 3-pointer and a tough layup, then made four free
throws in the final 14 seconds to put the game away.
The Kings matched Philadelphia's league-best 21-8 record and
increased their Western Conference lead over the Lakers and the
Trail Blazers. Peja Stojakovic matched his career-high with 33
points, though he went scoreless in the fourth quarter and
overtime.
"Peja was terrific the first three quarters, Vlade was
terrific, Jason came in and made some great plays at the end,"
Adelman said. "It was just a great team win with Chris out of
there."
Divac, a 12-year veteran who has been criticized for his lack of
offensive production this year, scored 22 points after halftime and
also grabbed 12 rebounds. Stojakovic hit five 3-pointers.
"I was thinking Peja and I definitely need to be more
aggressive with Chris out of there," Divac said. "I had to step
up, so I did."
The Suns played without Tom Gugliotta, who served a one-game
suspension for fighting Toronto's Corliss Williamson last week. The
Kings lost Webber midway through the first quarter after he engaged
in a heated, lengthy argument with the officials.
Shawn Marion and Rodney Rogers scored 16 points apiece for
Phoenix, which relied almost entirely on Delk for its offense. Even
Williams' defense couldn't be faulted against Delk, who scored 31
points after halftime and spent almost the entire game in some sort
of shooter's trance.
"He made easy shots, he made tough shots," Phoenix coach Scott
Skiles said. "I think the guys were looking for him and finding
him."
Delk hit his previous career-high early in the third quarter and
never cooled down. His shooting accuracy was all the more
unbelievable because nearly all his shots were jumpers, and he also
went 13-for-15 from the free throw line.
"The way he was shooting the ball, everyone in the stands knew
we were going to ride him until the end of the game," Jason Kidd
said. "We missed a great opportunity at the end (of regulation),
and we wasted a great game."
Webber's ejection just seven minutes in was the start of a
bad-tempered night for both teams. Divac got a technical foul in
the fourth quarter after jockeying and jawing with Phoenix's Chris
Dudley and Clifford Robinson. Rogers and Scot Pollard also drew
late technicals.
The game was tied when Delk missed a 10-foot jumper with 35
seconds left in regulation, but Williams' bad pass gave Marion a breakaway layup with 19 seconds left before Sacramento
tied it on Divac's layup.
Kidd, who had 12 points and a season-high 17 assists, missed a
runner and Paul McPherson missed a tip at the buzzer.
Game notes
Delk, whose career scoring average is 8.0 points, has the
lowest average of any player ever to score 50. ... Stojakovic, the
Kings' second-leading scorer with a 19.0 average, set his career
high just three days ago, when he had 33 in the Kings' overtime
loss to Philadelphia. ... Webber took at least three minutes to
leave the court after his ejection. He tried several times to
confront officials Steve Javie and Bennie Adams, but teammates and
coach Rick Adelman held him back. ... Sacramento made 20 turnovers,
but just three in the fourth quarter and overtime.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Phoenix Clubhouse
Sacramento Clubhouse
RECAPS
Washington 115
Minnesota 108
Atlanta 92
Boston 81
Houston 100
Cleveland 95
New Jersey 120
Orlando 110
Milwaukee 104
Chicago 70
San Antonio 80
Miami 72
Indiana 91
Seattle 83
LA Clippers 110
Toronto 97
Sacramento 121
Phoenix 117
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Tony Kornheiser rants about Tony Delks' 53-point night against Sacramento.
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