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Red-hot Kings host banged up Bulls

Feb 2, 2008 - 3:39 PM Chicago (18-27) at Sacramento (21-24) 10:00 pm EST

SACRAMENTO, California (Ticker) - The Sacramento Kings are healthy and the wins are starting to pile up.

The Kings aim for a fourth straight win when they host the underachieving Chicago Bulls on Saturday.

Sacramento, which has won nine of 13, is benefiting from the return of guards Mike Bibby and Kevin Martin.

Bibby made his season debut on January 16 after missing the first 28 games due to a torn a ligament in his thumb. The 10th-year point guard scored 15 points and Ron Artest added 24 on his 25th birthday as the Kings posted an impressive 112-103 victory over the red-hot New Orleans Hornets on Friday.

In addition to the return of Bibby, the Kings are glad to have Martin back. Martin, who scored 22 points on Friday, missed 17 games with a groin injury before returning on January 12.

The fourth-year guard carried Sacramento in the absence of Bibby, and is the Kings' leading scorer at 24.3 points per game.

Bibby and Martin will lead the Kings against the Bulls, who like the Kings earlier in the season, are banged up.

On Wednesday, Chicago suffered an embarrassing 83-67 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Missing both Ben Gordon and Luol Deng, the Bulls opened the game just 2-of-14 from the floor and the 67 points were a season low.

Gordon missed a fifth straight game due to a sprained right wrist, while Deng has not played in more than a week because of a injured left Achilles' tendon.