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Martin leads Kings past Grizzlies 127-116 in OT

Nov 3, 2009 - 7:07 AM By JOSH DUBOW AP Sports Writer

SACRAMENTO, Calif.(AP) -- Paul Westphal has been involved in hundreds of wins in the NBA as a coach and a player. That didn't take away from his excitement after his first with the Sacramento Kings.

Kevin Martin scored 48 points and Beno Udrih hit a game-tying layup in the closing seconds of regulation to give the Kings a 127-116 overtime victory over the Memphis Grizzlies in their home opener Monday night.

"That was a special experience for our team," Westphal said. "It's a night I'll never forget."

As ecstatic as Westphal was with his first win with the Kings, Allen Iverson was as upset after his first game with the Grizzlies. After missing the first three games while recovering from a partial right hamstring tear, Iverson played only briefly as a reserve, scoring 11 points in less than 18 minutes.

He said he had no problems with his hamstring, but had a big problem with the playing time he got from coach Lionel Hollins.

"Go look at my resume and that will show you that I'm not a sixth man," Iverson said. "I don't think it has anything to do with me being selfish. It's just who I am. I don't want to change what gave me all the success that I've had since I've been in this league."

After starting the season with three straight losses on the road, the Kings came through late to delight a rare sellout crowd in Sacramento. It was a back-and-forth game down the stretch with both teams delivering big shots on a night little defense was played.

The two biggest for the Kings were Udrih's layup with 1.6 seconds left in regulation and Martin's career-high tying seventh 3-pointer, that gave Sacramento a 116-112 lead with 1:45 remaining in overtime.

After Rudy Gay missed two free throws and Andres Nocioni blocked a driving attempt from Mike Conley, Omri Casspi dunked in transition to put the Kings up six. Nocioni's 3-pointer with 48 seconds left gave Sacramento a 121-112 lead, sending the crowd into a frenzy.

"It wasn't a must win, but it was a much needed win," Martin said. "We had great fan support tonight. You always want to show what kind of team you have on opening night."

Spencer Hawes added 21 points and 11 rebounds, and Udrih scored 16 for the Kings, who struggled who gave new coach Paul Westphal his first win with the team.

Zach Randolph had 30 points and 16 rebounds before fouling out in overtime. Gay added 21 points and 12 rebounds and O.J. Mayo scored 22 for the Grizzlies, who fell to 2-26 all-time in Sacramento.

"Defensively we just broke down tonight and Kevin had a hot night shooting the ball," Mayo said. "That happens sometimes. That's why this is the NBA."

Randolph had given Memphis the lead with a fallaway jumper over Kenny Thomas with 6.1 seconds left for the ninth lead change in the final 4 minutes of regulation. But Udrih answered for the Kings off a nice pass from Hawes.

Udrih did not play at all in the season opener but got the key minutes in this game ahead of rookie Tyreke Evans. He scored nine points in the fourth quarter, delivering key passes and running the offense efficiently. Evans had three points, missing all four shots from the field, as he struggled with a sprained right ankle.

"He made great decisions down the stretch," Martin said. "He's a traditional point guard. He's going to make the right plays and find the open players and take a shot when he needs to."

The Kings gave the fans little to cheer about early, falling behind 17-4 on a dunk by Gay midway through the first quarter as they were outhustled for rebounds and loose balls.

Martin quickly got the Kings back into the game, hitting a 3-pointer just before the first-quarter buzzer that was part of a 17-2 run that gave Sacramento a one-point lead early in the second.

NOTES: Memphis was not called for its first foul until 1:31 remained in the opening quarter, prompting Westphal to exclaim, "Finally!". ... Memphis C Marc Gasol tied a career high with 16 rebounds. ... The Kings got 67 points from their reserves, while getting only 10 from the four starters other than Martin. ... A few fans waved Israeli flags after each basket by Casspi, the first player from that country to play in the NBA. He scored 15 points.