Anthony's buzzer beater saves Nuggets (Agencies) Updated: 2006-01-09 08:47 Guard Derek Anderson has been out since Dec. 12 with a calf strain and guards
Alston and Barry recently returned from leg injuries that kept them out a total
of 34 games.
Jackson's 3s spur Pacers past Kings
Stephen Jackson
(1), pulls up for a three point shot over Sacramento Kings' Kenny Thomas,
left, at the end of the third quarter of their NBA basketball game in
Sacramento, Calif., Sunday, Jan. 8, 2006.
[AP] | SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Stephen Jackson scored
17 of his 31 points while hitting five 3-pointers in the third quarter, and
Jermaine O'Neal had 12 points and eight rebounds in his return to Indiana
Pacers' lineup in a 108-83 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Sunday night.
Fred Jones scored 18 points for the Pacers, who hit 13 3-pointers and
cruised to their second straight victory on a tough road trip thanks to two
prolonged runs in the middle quarters. Jackson hit four consecutive 3-pointers
during a decisive run in the third, when Indiana guaranteed it would snap a
six-game losing streak against the Kings.
With their final basket, the Kings avoided surpassing their biggest loss ever
to the Pacers, a 26-point defeat in 1993. Sacramento also was one point better
than in its biggest loss of the season, a 26-point defeat in Oklahoma City on
opening night.
Kenny Thomas had 21 points for the injury-depleted Kings, who showed none of
the life from their 118-114 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers two nights
earlier. Leading scorer Mike Bibby went 1-for-10 before getting benched in the
third quarter, and Peja Stojakovic had 12 points.
O'Neal didn't start and played just 22 minutes after missing the last three
games with the flu, but the Pacers didn't need him. Jones, Austin Croshere and
Sarunas Jasikevicius combined for seven 3-pointers against Sacramento's pathetic
perimeter defense, and the Pacers led by 35 points late.
Indiana took control with a 23-6 run in the second quarter, getting eight
points apiece from Jackson, O'Neal and Jones on the way to a 60-39 halftime
lead. The Kings, outrebounded 30-16 while shooting just 36 percent, were booed
off the floor again.
Indiana then made a 19-6 run shortly after halftime, with Jackson's fourth
straight 3-pointer staking the Pacers to an 80-47 lead with 7:20 left in the
quarter. Jackson blew on his hot fingers, while Bibby and Stojakovic were
benched by coach Rick Adelman after the ensuing timeout.
Jackson added another 3-pointer later in the quarter, tying the Kings
franchise record for the most in a quarter by an opponent. Both clubs' reserves
played the fourth quarter, and Bibby sat away from the Kings' huddle during the
rest of the night's timeouts, gazing into the crowd while Adelman spoke to the
team.
The Kings dropped to 9-11 at home, losing as many games as they did all last
season. Sacramento has been one of the NBA's toughest home teams since Adelman's
arrival in 1998, but his club will have its worst record at Arco Arena during
his tenure with one more loss.
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