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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) – Count Chris Webber among
those who will be sad to see the Grizzlies depart Vancouver.
Webber thrived again versus the Grizzlies, scoring 36 points as
the Sacramento Kings established a franchise record for road
victories with a 118-90 win Friday night.
The win was the 21st on the road this season for the Kings,
breaking the franchise mark set in 1948-49 by the Rochester Royals.
When the Kings next play the Grizzlies on the road, they will
likely do so in Memphis.
Webber, who averaged 30.5 points in six previous games against
Vancouver, hit 15 of 23 shots from the field to help the Kings
(51-24) pull within two games of idle San Antonio for the Western
Conference lead.
The Kings stumbled earlier in the week, with poor efforts in
home losses against Dallas and Milwaukee before recovering to win
on the road in the first game of the back-to-back set against Utah
on Thursday. Webber said beating the Grizzlies and the Jazz was a
sign his team had put their troubles behind them.
"That would have been a wasted effort he if hadn't won (against
Vancouver)," said Webber. "A lot of times we play well but let
teams back into games. We didn't do that."
The Grizzlies were able to slow down the Kings' fast break
offense early, but that was about the only area where they had
success and it didn't last long. Webber was unstoppable in the
early going, scoring 14 of his team's 27 points in the first
quarter and hitting seven of his first 10 shots.
Sacramento kicked its offense into high gear when Webber
returned later in the second quarter. The Kings had assists on nine
of their 12 baskets in the period and were comfortably ahead 61-49
at the break.
The Kings outscored Vancouver 31-15 in the third quarter and
Webber sat out the final 9:38 after the Kings had built a 98-69
lead. It was the seventh straight game in which Webber led the
Kings in scoring.
"Sometimes we get lazy when we get up by 20 points, but Chris'
shooting helped us stay on a roll," said Kings guard Jason
Williams.
"It was nice to see him get in the flow," Kings coach Rick
Adelman said of Webber, who complained of tiredness at the start of
the week.
Adelman said the Kings are equally concerned about holding off
the Los Angeles Lakers for the Pacific Division title as they are
with catching San Antonio.
"I'd like to win the division because no one ever gave us a
chance," said Adelman, whose club maintained its one-game lead on
the Lakers with the victory. "But it's going to be tough to hold
them off."
Some members of the Grizzlies, on the other hand, like
Sacramento's chances should the Kings and Spurs meet deep in the
playoffs.
"They're the most fun team in the league to watch," said
Vancouver veteran Tony Massenburg, who was blitzed by Webber
through most of the contest. "I think they could take San Antonio
deep into a series if they met.
"When their four-man (Webber) hits shots consistently like he
does there's nothing you can do. They throw the blind pass. They're
always on the same wavelength. They have a lot of non-verbal
communication. You don't know what's coming sometimes."
Damon Jones led 22-54 Vancouver with 17 points in 22 minutes off
the bench.
Game notes
Erick Strickland (knee) did not dress for his second
straight game for the Grizzlies and was joined on the sidelines by
teammate Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf (back spasms). ... It was reported
Friday that the league will not allow Grizzlies owner Michael
Heisley to attend any of the club's final regular season games,
citing security concerns. Heisley, who intends to move the
Grizzlies to Memphis after the season, had expressed an interest in
attending a game in Vancouver, which he has not done since
announcing his intentions to move the franchise. ... The Kings play
their 20th and final nationally-televised game of the season Sunday
against Portland.... The Grizzlies need one win from their final
six contests to avoid losing at least 60 games in each of their six
seasons in Vancouver. ... The Kings' 51st win put them within four
of the overall franchise record set by the 1963-64 Cincinnati
Royals.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Sacramento Clubhouse
Vancouver Clubhouse
RECAPS
Philadelphia 96
Cleveland 88
LA Lakers 100
Boston 96
Miami 81
Charlotte 76
Toronto 108
Orlando 100
Indiana 100
Chicago 93
Minnesota 101
Phoenix 88
Sacramento 118
Vancouver 90
Portland 122
Golden State 91
LA Clippers 113
Milwaukee 110
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