Site hosted by Angelfire.com: Build your free website today!
Williams, Webber Shoot Down Suns Kings End 11-year, 24-game Losing Streak In Phoenix Wednesday February 10, 1999

PHOENIX (AP) -- Jason Williams was 12 years old the last time the Sacramento Kings beat the Suns in Phoenix.

Now he's the flashy rookie point guard of a vastly improved team that could cause trouble in the West. On Tuesday night, with Williams scoring 22 points and Chris Webber wreaking havoc with a 28-point, 20-rebound performance, Sacramento routed the Suns 112-95.

The victory snapped Sacramento's 11-year, 24-game losing streak in Phoenix, and first-year coach Rick Adelman senses something special about these Kings.

"We didn't know what we'd do this year because we had so many young guys and new guys," Adelman said. "But I believe that if we keep thinking about improving and we can win some games on the road, we're going to be hard to handle as the season goes along."

Webber's big game came one night after he had 25 points, 16 rebounds, nine blocked shots and eight assists in a home victory over Vancouver.

"I tell you, he's been so good since day one at practice," Adelman said. "He's done everything we've asked of him, and these last two games he's played have been just monster games. There's no doubt in my mind he's one of the best big guys in this league."

Webber, who was reluctant to show up in Sacramento after being traded from Washington, is obviously having fun.

"No matter where you are, no matter what you're doing, you want to be with people who take their egos down and come together and play hard," he said. "I'm proud to be with these guys, with just their work ethic and their character. ...We can't get complacent. We have a big game in Houston. If we win that, then we really can smile."

All five starters reached double figures for the Kings, who hadn't won in Phoenix since Jan. 30, 1988, and had never won at America West Arena, which opened in 1992.

Corliss Williamson added 18 points for Sacramento. Williams made five of nine 3-pointers as the Kings shot 51 percent from the field, compared with 36 percent for the Suns.

"That's my rookie of the year," Webber said of Williams. "He has ice veins. His jumper is just beautiful. I really like a guy like Jason, because he has a big heart."

Tom Gugliotta scored 26 for the Suns. Jason Kidd added 17 points and seven assists.

Phoenix failed to sell out for the first time in 325 games, and those who showed up might have wished they hadn't.

Sacramento took the lead for good in the opening five minutes, went up by as many as 15 in the second quarter, led 87-71 after three and built a 22-point lead in the fourth.

"You could see it coming," Kidd said. "The last two games we won just on pure talent. We have to pay the price, not just on the offensive end but on the defensive end. Tonight it caught up with us. I'm just glad it happened in the third game and not the 47th or 48th game, because then you're really in trouble."

Phoenix coach Danny Ainge was thrown out of the game with 9:33 to play for protesting a flagrant foul call against Gugliotta. Williams made both free throws on the technical, and Webber hit one of two on the flagrant foul, giving Sacramento a 95-73 lead with 9:33 remaining.

"They whipped us in every way," Ainge said. "They took it to us defensively. They took it to us offensively. They beat us on the glass, made us take tough shots. I didn't see many weaknesses in that team out there."

The Kings shot 59 percent and scored 61 points in the first half, getting uncontested layups and wide-open short-range jumpers against the passive Suns.

Webber scored on a 15-footer and a tip-in to cap an 8-0 run that gave Sacramento a 59-44 lead with 2:25 left in the second quarter. The Kings led 61-50 at the break.

Notes: Gugliotta took a good share of ribbing for his appearance with his biathlete wife, Nikki, in the new Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition. ... The Suns played the second of four home games in seven days. ...The crowd roared in laughter when The Gorilla, the Suns' mascot, came out incredibly rotund with a jersey bearing the number of the Kings' notoriously heavy Oliver Miller, a former Sun. The Gorilla fell, couldn't get up and was rolled off the court. ... The Suns' Rex Chapman is 5-for-24 from the field this season.