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Undermanned Kings look for fifth straight win vs. streaking Spurs

Mar 8, 2007 - 4:46 PM San Antonio (43-18) at Sacramento (28-32) 10:30 pm EST

SACRAMENTO, California (Ticker) -- The Sacramento Kings extended their winning streak without Ron Artest. It won't be as easy against one of the NBA's hottest teams.

Playing without their mercurial forward, the Kings aim for their fifth straight win when they face the similarly streaking San Antonio Spurs on Thursday.

Infamous for triggering a wild brawl at The Palace of Auburn Hills in November 2004, Artest demonstrated his troublesome nature yet again. He was excused indefinitely from team activity after Monday's arrest on felony domestic violence charges.

A former Defensive Player of the Year, and a reliable scorer, Artest left a huge void but his teammates managed to keep their winning ways going in their first game without him on Wednesday.

In that contest, Sacramento nearly blew a 20-point third-quarter lead but held on for its fourth straight win, a 102-98 victory over Indiana. Kevin Martin picked up the slack, scoring 27 points, and Mike Bibby added 22.

The Kings will look to continue their winning ways against the surging Spurs, who have won 10 games in a row. San Antonio defeated Portland, 99-94, on Tuesday to extend its impressive run.

Manu Ginobili, Michael Finley and Beno Udrih all had strong games off the bench for the Spurs, combining for 28 of San Antonio's 34 fourth-quarter points.

San Antonio defeated Sacramento, 4-2, in the first round of last season's playoffs and have won both games against the Kings this season.