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Martin, Kings win fifth straight; spoil Lewis' return

Feb 11, 2007 - 7:11 AM SEATTLE (Ticker) -- Not even the return of Rashard Lewis could slow down the surging Sacramento Kings.

Kevin Martin scored 26 points to lead five players in double figures as the Kings posted an easy 114-93 victory over the Seattle SuperSonics.

Ron Artest had 20 points and seven rebounds and Francisco Garcia added a season-high 15 and five steals for Sacramento, which pushed its winning streak to a season-high five games.

"We're playing together, defensively and offensively," Garcia said. "Defensively, we're talking. When somebody makes a mistake we don't put our head down."

Lewis finally returned after missing 22 games with a torn tendon in his right hand sustained in the first quarter of a home loss against Dallas on December 20.

Lewis, who received a standing ovation during the introductions of the starting lineup, finished with 14 points, seven rebounds and five assists in 37 minutes. But he shot just 2-of-11.

"They outhustled us," Lewis said. "I thought I would still be able to make shots but with the glove (he was wearing), I've been working out with it for a while, and I've just got to be able to get back into the smooth of things. I felt like I missed some easy shots that I normally make and that comes with timing and rhythm and I'm sure I will make those (Sunday)."

"Rashard probably showed that signs of being out as long as he has but I had to leave him out on the court to get experience out on the floor," Seattle coach Bob Hill said.

Garcia and Martin scored on back-to-back possessions, sparking an impressive 12-0 burst to open the second quarter to make it 39-23 with 9:06 left.

The Sonics never were able to cut the deficit below double digits thereafter, dropping their third straight home game.

Ray Allen scored 29 points and Nick Collison chipped in 14 for Seattle, which shot 38 percent (28-of-72) from the floor and committed 18 turnovers.

"We had good looks at the basket, we missed a lot of layups," Allen said. "As the game progressed, confidence-wise, we just passed the ball,"

The Kings played without center Brad Miller, who is resting a partially torn fascia in his left foot. He will be out of the lineup until after the All-Star break. He is averaging 9.6 points and 6.6 rebounds this season.

"I don't know if we have another player like Brad on our team, so you can't necessarily replace him," Kings forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim said. "But we can all pull together and pick it up and roll on."

Seattle will have a chance for revenge when both clubs meet on Sunday in the second of a home-and-home series at Arco Arena.

"I look forward to it," Allen said. "It's a great town for me. I won't say do unto them as they did to us, but we need to get a victory on there floor."