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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- Chris Webber will remember the best
game of his career for the sour taste it left in his mouth -- not
for the records he set.
|  | | Sacramento's Chris Webber is fouled on a shot attempt by Indiana's Jermaine O'Neal Friday night. |
Webber had career-highs of 51 points and 26 rebounds, but missed
two shots late in overtime and didn't score in the extra period as
the Pacers beat the Sacramento Kings 93-91 Friday night.
"You never say one guy can beat you, but I think he came close
tonight," said Reggie Miller, who had 18 points. "When you have
it going like that, I think we did the next best thing -- we stopped
everyone else."
With any help at all from his cold-shooting teammates, Webber
likely would have led the Kings to a win. The rest of the Kings
were 15-of-59 from the field. Sacramento missed its final 11 shots
of overtime.
"The points will mean more when it's done, but right now I can
only think about losing," Webber said. "But it's something down
the road that I'll think about."
Webber's previous career-highs were 40 points and 22 rebounds.
His night was the third phenomenal performance in Arco Arena's last
three games; Allen Iverson scored 46 points in Philadelphia's
overtime win on Dec. 30, and Tony Delk had 53 in Phoenix's overtime
loss to the Kings on Tuesday.
Webber had more points, rebounds, field goals (24) and shots
(47) than anyone since the Kings moved to Sacramento in 1983. He
even had five assists and three steals -- but when the Pacers
switched Derrick McKey onto Webber in overtime, he missed four
straight shots and went scoreless.
"I just tried to make him work as much as I could and not let
him get in the sweet spot on the post, because he did have it
going," McKey said. "He got his numbers, but we kept everybody
else pretty calm."
The Kings, who closed regulation with a 12-3 rally, led 91-89
with 1:40 left in overtime. But Jalen Rose hit layups on
consecutive possessions to put the Pacers ahead by two.
Webber, who had been automatic near the basket throughout the
game, then missed two short hook shots in between Sam Perkins'
dramatic block of Jon Barry's layup attempt.
Rose, an 89 percent free throw shooter, missed two free throws
with two seconds left to give the Kings one last chance, but Rose
blocked Peja Stojakovic's jumper out of bounds with two-tenths of a
second on the clock, and Webber couldn't quite tip in Jason
Williams' ensuing alley-oop inbounds pass.
"I feel so bad for Chris," Vlade Divac said. "He had a career
night, and we didn't help him win the game."
Jermaine O'Neal scored 20 points, had a career-high 16 rebounds
and blocked five shots. Rose had 19 points despite missing four
free throws altogether.
All three of Sacramento's home losses this season have gone to
overtime, and this defeat knocked the Kings out of first place in
the Western Conference. Sacramento started the season 13-1 at Arco
Arena but has now lost two of three.
"We were totally out of sorts, like we were running in sand all
night long," Sacramento coach Rick Adelman said. "We just
couldn't get it going."
While Webber sizzled during regulation, the rest of the Kings
were dire. Stojakovic went 3-for-10 and had just seven points, 12
under his average; Doug Christie went scoreless in 30 minutes; and
Williams went 4-for-15 and airballed a jumper late in regulation.
The Pacers relied on O'Neal's strong performance and Rose's big
plays in overtime to get just their third victory in nine games and
their seventh road win of the year.
"I think we finally showed ourselves we're capable of competing
at an elite level," Indiana coach Isiah Thomas said.
Webber was thrown out of the Kings' overtime victory over
Phoenix on Tuesday night just seven minutes into the game, and he
came out against Indiana with passion. He had 16 points and 10
rebounds in the first quarter and shot 10-of-19 from the field in
the first half.
"Right now, the way the guy's playing, he can't be stopped,"
Thomas said. "He's like Shaquille O'Neal in that manner. He's that
good."
But the Kings trailed 52-43 after one of their worst shooting
halves of the season. Sacramento went 16-of-48 from the field (33.3
percent), and Webber had 10 of the Kings' 16 field goals.
Indiana led by 11 points with 4:25 to play, but Webber scored
nine points during a desperate Sacramento rally.
Webber's three-point play with 28 seconds left tied it at 89 and
gave him 51 points. The Pacers ran down the clock, but Divac
stripped the ball from O'Neal with 4.4 seconds left.
The Kings went to Webber again, but McKey deflected the ball
into the backcourt, and Webber's half-court heave clanged off the
rim.
Game
notes
There was comedy in the second quarter when Bobby Jackson
dove out of bounds to save a ball. He threw it back onto the court,
where it hit Barry in the head and popped out of bounds. The Kings'
bench burst into laughter. ... Webber bested his previous season
high of 18 rebounds early in the third quarter. ... Indiana shot
just 38.8 percent. No opponent has shot 50 percent or better
against the Kings this season.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Indiana Clubhouse
Sacramento Clubhouse
RECAPS
Philadelphia 121
Seattle 89
Dallas 115
Toronto 105
Golden State 100
Boston 88
Denver 100
Utah 87
Phoenix 108
Vancouver 76
Portland 119
Milwaukee 115
Charlotte 86
LA Clippers 73
Indiana 93
Sacramento 91
FROM
ATHLETESDIRECT
Reggie Miller Official Site
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