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Kings seek season sweep of Pistons

Jan 18, 2008 - 2:56 PM Sacramento (15-22) at Detroit (29-10) 8:00 pm EST

AUBURN HILLS, Michigan (Ticker) - The Sacramento Kings will try to complete a season series sweep of the Detroit Pistons when the teams meet on Friday.

On November 18, Beno Udrih scored 23 points to lead five others in double figures as Sacramento posted a 105-95 victory over Detroit, which has captured the previous three meetings here in the series.

The Kings' chances of earning their first season series sweep over the Pistons since the 2003-04 campaign are helped by the return of guard Mike Bibby, who made his long-awaited season debut in Wednesday's 116-91 loss to the Toronto Raptors.

The 30-year-old Bibby had missed the first 36 games of the season after undergoing surgery to repair ligaments in his left thumb in November.

"It was good to get back on the court," said Bibby, who came off the bench for the first time in his NBA or collegiate career. "I haven't been out there in three months, so it felt a little different. I was a little tired out there, but in order for me to get in basketball shape, I am going to have to play a lot of minutes."

The Kings also welcomed back forward Ron Artest, who also made his return on Wednesday following a nine-game absence due to surgery to remove bone chips in his right elbow.

Richard Hamilton poured in a season-best 39 points in helping Detroit bounce back from an embarrassing loss to the New York Knicks with a convincing 103-89 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Monday.

The Pistons own the second-best home record in the East at 14-3.