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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
PHOENIX (AP) – The Sacramento Kings can play with a dazzling
style.
|  | | Predrag Stojakovic beats Tony Delk for two. Stojakovic had 21 points and eight rebounds in the Kings' Game 3 win. |
Yet in the down-and-dirty world of the NBA playoffs Sunday, they
showed some old-fashioned, tough substance, too.
The Kings turned to reliable basketball virtues – defense,
rebounding and free-throw shooting – to beat the Phoenix Suns
104-96 and are one victory from their first playoff series triumph
in 20 years.
"I always kind of laugh at the fact that talk about how we are
just a style team," Sacramento coach Rick Adelman said. "They
obviously haven't seen us play."
With the victory, Sacramento wrestled the homecourt advantage
back from the Suns to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series.
Game 4 is Wednesday night in Phoenix.
"We can be real entertaining," Adelman said. "But we've done
the dirty work all year. If we're going to win in the playoffs,
especially on the road, you've got to defend, you've got to rebound
and you've got to play defense."
The Kings' franchise last won a playoff series in 1981, when
they were in Kansas City.
"I have those butterflies – the good ones," Chris Webber said,
"the ones that are in your stomach because you're excited, not
because your scared. It's almost a dream come true."
Webber, smothered by defenders much of the game, scored 23
points for the Kings, while Predrag Stojakovic added 21 and Jason
Williams had 14, including nine in a row in the third quarter on
two 3-pointers and a three-point play.
Doug Christie added 17 points, including a crucial 3-pointer
that put Sacramento up 97-92 with 1:03 remaining. He also blocked
Jason Kidd's layup attempt from behind and sank another 3-pointer
with Kidd on the floor at the other end of a court with a bruised
hip.
After Phoenix had rallied to tie it at 90, Sacramento outscored
the Suns 14-6 over the final three minutes.
Kidd had 19 points and 16 assists for the Suns, who had
taken the homecourt edge with an 86-83 victory in Game 1 a week
earlier.
But the Suns were in foul trouble almost from the start in this
one, and the Kings rallied from 17 points down early to get within
two at halftime.
With his team trailing 36-19 at the end of the first quarter,
Adelman reminded the Kings of their many previous comebacks,
including the time they rallied from 28 points down in the same
building to beat the Suns.
"He just looked us in the eyes and said, 'This is nothing,' "
Webber said.
Tony Delk scored 18 points for Phoenix, while Shawn Marion added
14 points and 10 rebounds but shot just 4-for-15.
Offensive rebounds led to four crucial points down the stretch
for Sacramento. Stojakavic made two free throws after grabbing an
offensive rebound and put the Kings ahead for good at 92-90 with
2:42 to play. Vlade Divac, who shot just 4-for-12, slammed home an
offensive rebound with 1:33 remaining to make it 94-90.
Sacramento had a 48-38 rebound advantage, 12-9 on the offensive
boards. The Kings had 18 second-chance points, the Suns nine.
"We have not rebounded the ball well in this series," Suns
coach Scott Skiles said. "At critical moments, they came up with
rebounds and second possessions, and they scored. If I had to point
to anything, it would be that they have just been all over the
glass on us."
The Kings made 11 of 12 free throws over the final 3:20 and were
34-for-41 from the line for the game.
Webber made nine of 11 free throws, while Stojakovic was
11 of 12.
Delk had a baseline jumper and a 3-pointer in a 10-2 spurt that
caught the Kings at 90-90 on Cliff Robinson's drive with three
minutes remaining. Robinson, however, was just 2-for-8 from the
foul line and had nine points.
Scot Pollard scored 10 points for the Kings, all in the first
half and mostly with offensive rebounds that were critical to
Sacramento's comeback.
"He's the MVP of the series at this point," Kidd said. "He's
destroyed us. After we got the lead, we got kind of lazy and
committed some silly fouls."
Marion, Robinson, Jake Tsakalidis and Rodney Rogers all went to
the bench with three fouls for Phoenix in the second quarter.
"It was hard to maintain any sort of continuity in the second
quarter because we were dealing with foul trouble most of the
time," Skiles said.
Game notes
If Phoenix wins Game 4, Game 5 will be in Sacramento on
Sunday. ... Four Phoenix players drew two fouls apiece in the first
quarter, when Skiles used 10 of his 11 players. ... Kidd sat the
first four minutes of the second quarter, during the early stages
of Sacramento's comeback. ... Pollard got into foul trouble and was
no factor in the second half.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Sacramento Clubhouse
Phoenix Clubhouse
Suns-Kings Series Page
RECAPS
New York 97
Toronto 89
Sacramento 104
Phoenix 96
LA Lakers 99
Portland 86
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Chris Webber hopes to finish off the Suns.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Doug Christie says the Kings will do whatever it takes to win.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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