Bibby lights it up as Kings beat Magic (Agencies) Updated: 2006-01-16 11:38
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Mike Bibby finished his career-high
42 points with two clinching free throws with 0.4 seconds left, and the
Sacramento Kings held off the Orlando Magic 104-100 Sunday night in a meeting of
seriously short-handed teams.
Orlando Magic's Grant Hill, top, shoots
between Sacramento Kings' Mike Bibby, right, and Francisco Garcia, during
the second quarter of their basketball game in Sacramento, Calif., Sunday,
Jan. 15, 2006. [AP] | Bibby and Brad Miller were
the Kings' only healthy regular starters, but the point guard and his center
still carried Sacramento to its 11th straight home victory over the Magic.
Miller had 21 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists, scoring nine points in the
fourth and hitting a crucial 3-pointer with 2:16 to play.
Bibby, battling through tight defense and visibly favoring his hip after a
late-game collision, had another superb shooting performance when the Kings
needed it most. He put Sacramento in control with 15 points in the third
quarter, hitting three 3-pointers while the Kings took a 14-point lead.
Jameer Nelson scored 12 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter for the Magic,
who pulled within 90-86 on Travis Diener's 3-pointer with 3:44 left. Miller beat
the shot clock with his 3-pointer to put Sacramento up by eight, but the Magic
eventually cut the lead to 96-94 on Diener's next 3-pointer and another by Hedo
Turkoglu with 20 seconds left.
But Kevin Martin, Miller and Bibby were perfect on eight free throws in the
final 19 seconds, and Nelson's six points in the frantic final moments weren't
enough.
Martin added 22 points and 10 rebounds for the Kings, who played without
injured starters Peja Stojakovic, Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Bonzi Wells.
Grant Hill scored 18 points in his return from a four-game absence with a
groin injury for the Magic, whose personnel shortages are due to suspensions,
not injuries. Hill then sat out the final minutes after getting tangled up with
Martin.
Dwight Howard scored 18 points and just missed his career high with 19
rebounds, but Orlando dropped to 4-13 on the road with its eighth straight
defeat, including all four games of its road trip.
The Magic are expected to meet with suspended guard Steve Francis early in
the week to determine his future with the club. Orlando suspended Francis
indefinitely Thursday for "conduct detrimental to the team" — reportedly because
he refused to enter a game one day earlier in Seattle.
Orlando also played without guard Keyon Dooling, who served the second night
of his five-game suspension for fighting with Seattle's Ray Allen in the same
game.
Stojakovic missed his second straight game for Sacramento with a protruding
disc in his lower back. Abdur-Rahim missed his ninth straight with a broken jaw
that's still wired shut, while Wells missed his 11th consecutive contest with a
torn muscle in his groin.
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