Peja Stojakovic scored 31 points as the Sacramento Kings routed the Los Angeles Clippers 125-100 Monday for their fifth straight victory. Sacramento improved the NBA's best record to 29-9 with their ninth win in 10 games.

Sacramento Kings' Bobby Jackson, left, drives to the basket as Los Angeles Clippers' Chris Wilcox looks on during the second half at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Monday, Jan. 19, 2004. The Kings won 125-100. [AP]

The Kings had a season-high 38 assists on 49 field goals, including eight each by Doug Christie and Vlade Divac, who scored 15 points.

Stojakovic was 5-for-7 on 3-pointers and 8-for-8 from the free-throw line.

The Clippers, coming off consecutive two-point losses, lost for the sixth time in eight games. It was their largest margin of defeat this season.

Elton Brand, who had 35 points and 20 rebounds against the Lakers on Saturday night, had 24 points and six rebounds for the Clippers. Quentin Richardson returned to Los Angeles lineup, getting 18 points in 35 minutes after missing four of the previous five games because of a sprained right hand.

Sacramento, which entered averaging a league-leading 26.9 assists per game, recorded one on 19 of its first 21 baskets. The Kings built a 71-54 halftime lead with 22 points from Stojakovic, eight during an 18-2 first-quarter run that included a technical foul Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy got from referee Scott Wall.

All five Sacramento starters scored in double figures during the first three quarters while combining for 33 assists, helping extend the margin to 103-78. Coach Rick Adelman mercifully rested Stojakovic, Divac and Mike Bibby the entire fourth quarter, but the Clippers got no closer than 26 points after Dunleavy emptied his bench.

Matt Barnes, who played high school ball in nearby Fair Oaks, made his NBA debut for the Clippers and got four points and eight rebounds in 20 minutes. He signed a 10-day contract on Sunday after swingman Bobby Simmons was placed on the injured list with a sprained left hip that could require season-ending surgery.

Notes:@ Barnes averaged 18.7 points in 17 games with the Long Beach Jam of the American Basketball Association, and was a teammate of Dennis Rodman's for about a week. "It was exciting," Barnes said. "We talked about a lot of stuff on and off the court. He's a real good guy a great person, which kind of surprised me because I really didn't really know him before and I heard a lot of bad things about him. But I was happy to be his teammate for that short amount of time." ... Barnes became the eighth UCLA alum to play for the Clippers in Los Angeles, joining Bill Walton, Jamaal Wilkes, Marques Johnson, Kenny Fields, Kiki Vandeweghe, Pooh Richardson and Darrick Martin. ... The Kings had 37 assists Jan. 4 against Seattle in a 130-99 win. ... The Clippers have lost 17 of their last 22 meetings with Sacramento and are 0-3 against the Kings this season.

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