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Bobcats batter Kings

Feb 26, 2009 - 6:34 AM SACRAMENTO, California (Ticker) -- Gerald Wallace and the Charlotte Bobcats could have been tired. Instead, they wore out the Sacramento Kings' hopes early in a 98-91 waltz on Wednesday.

An 18-0 run in the first quarter basically turned out the lights on the homestanding Kings, who sunk to a brutal 12-47.

Sacramento actually led in this one, 11-8, on a layup by Kevin Martin with 4 1/2 minutes gone. And then, their chances for victory were gone. Wallace scored eight of his 27 points in the back-breaking spurt, hitting a hook shot, layup, 21-foot jumper and dunk.

"It still was a bad start," Wallace said. "We had three or four unforced turnovers where we just threw the ball away. That's one of the things we've been trying to work on, taking care of the ball.

"It's fun to come back (to Sacramento) and show the improvement. I never had the opportunity to play here. I was given the opportunity to play (in Charlotte) and my progress is on the upside. There's no point being bitter. I was just happy to go someplace where I got the opportunity to play."

The carnage continued as Charlotte, which lost at Phoenix on Tuesday, boosted its lead to 55-41 at intermission and 78-60 after three quarters.

At one point, the advantage stood at 86-62 before Sacramento went on a 13-0 run, which was far too little, far too late. Still, coach Larry Brown turned back to his starters.

"Yeah, that was tough. When you've got a 24-point lead and they go on a 13-0 run. We definitely were not looking for that," Bobcats forward Boris Diaw said. "We know we've got to be more consistent throughout all the game. I was a little cold when I came back, so it was a little bit difficult, but you've got to do what you've got to do."

Wallace finished 10-of-17 from the field and Diaw added 21 points for Charlotte, which was 36-of-74 (49 percent) from the field.

Martin paced Sacramento with 25 points. The Kings hit 31-of-78 from the field (40 percent).

"It's the same thing all over again - digging a hole for ourselves," Kings interim coach Kenny Natt said. "I think they shot nearly 60 percent in the first half, and it was 70 percent at one point in the first quarter. That's something that has really hindered us throughout the season."

The Kings lost Beno Udrih to a sprained foot in the first quarter and Drew Gooden (groin) in the final quarter.

"Obviously he's not 100 percent but it was definitely a different type of spark for this team," Kings rookie Jason Thompson said of Gooden, who came over from the Chicago Bulls.

"We're going to need his physical presence in the paint - blocking shots and making some jumpers."