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Bosh, Bargnani power Raptors past Kings

Jan 26, 2009 - 4:10 AM TORONTO (Ticker) -- Chris Bosh scored 31 points and Andrea Bargnani added 24 as the Toronto Raptors used a huge third quarter to cruise past the Sacramento Kings, 113-97, on Sunday.

Jose Calderon went without a turnover for the second consecutive game since his return from a hamstring injury, collecting 16 points and eight assists. The Spaniard also extended his consecutive free-throw streak to 86, putting him 11 behind record-holder Micheal Williams.

"He is playing within himself. He is playing under control. He is making sure different guys get the basketball," Toronto interim coach Jay Triano said.

"When he sat out too, he was mentally involved in all the games. He was watching what this team did, he was watching what worked, what didn't and I think he learned from not playing."

Anthony Parker added 11 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for the Raptors, who won their second straight contest after suffering through a seven-game losing streak.

"We are playing good that last couple of games," Calderon said. "I think everybody is trying to help the team. Everybody has stepped forward and tried to play a bit better."

Toronto led 56-53 at halftime in a back-and-forth opening 24 minutes that featured eight ties and 14 lead changes. However, the Raptors took over in the third, outscoring Sacramento, 31-21, before leading by as many as 22 in the second half while never trailing.

"We came out of halftime and we thought we were in pretty good shape," Sacramento interim coach Kenny Natt said. "They came out and outscored us (by) 10 points in the third quarter and it really set us back. They got their momentum going in the game."

A 3-pointer by John Salmons cut the advantage to two, 62-60, early in the third, but the Raptors countered with a 21-6 spurt that put the game away. Bargnani scored nine points during the run.

Bosh, who hit 12-of-22 from the field and 7-of-8 from the free-throw line, has clearly enjoyed the return of Calderon. The point guard now has 18 assists without a turnover since returning from an injury that kept him out of 10 of 11 games before Friday's 114-94 win over Chicago.

Jermaine O'Neal recorded his first double-double since December 20 with 11 points and 10 boards in his third game off the bench since missing 11 of 12 games with a nagging right knee injury.

"With Jose and (O'Neal) back in the lineup, I think that gives us a bit of confidence as a team," Bosh said. "We have guys playing their natural positions again, which is a real key for us."

The Kings' futility against the Eastern Conference continued as they fell to 0-18 this season against foes from the East despite making 11-of-25 3-point attempts.

Salmons scored 21 points and Francisco Garcia added 18 off the bench for Sacramento, which has lost five straight and 11 of 13.

"We are losing each game differently," Salmons said. "We've just got to put a whole game together and be more consistent with our effort in the game."

Sacramento's leading scorer, Kevin Martin, struggled and scored 12 points - his lowest output since returning from a left ankle injury on December 30. He made just 4-of-15 field-goal attempts.