Kenny Thomas News

Not the best defensive strategy... View full size photo>> Game Time: 7:00 P.M. TV: KGW Well, well, well...look who's making a game go of it this season.

With eyes coated glassy from gimlets of joy here in points west, there remains one striking, sucking void in the burgeoning success of the Sacramento Kings : the defense remains absolutely awful.

It all started with a road win. The Kings, reeling and seemingly wrecked after the injury to Kevin Martin and the unwelcome news that Andres Nocioni drove under the influence, beat the Jazz 104-99 Nov.

Jason Thompson let the Sacramento Kings know they could count on him. He had 23 points and 13 rebounds to help the Sacramento Kings snap a four-game losing streak by beating the Minnesota Timberwolves 120-100 Saturday night.

The longer Tyreke Evans continues to play well, the more likely the name of Hall of Fame guard Oscar Robertson will be mentioned around Sacramento.

The young Kings wrap up another game this evening against the Miami Heat to cap off three games this week.

The reserve role of Kings rookie Jon Brockman has fluctuated from no action to a season-high 26 minutes against the Knicks.

The Suns had a bad shooting night against Sacramento - until it really counted. The Suns made 5 of 6 3-pointers in the final 6 minutes - three by Channing Frye and two by Steve Nash - to snap the Kings' four-game win streak with a 115-107 victory Saturday night.

Sacramento Kings head coach Paul Westphal can look to the Ring of Honor in US Airways Center and see his face, a tribute to his playing and coaching days with the Suns.

Sacramento Kings' Kenny Thomas, center, reaches for the ball along with Phoenix Suns' Jason Richardson, left, as Suns' Grant Hill looks on during the second quarter of an NBA basketball game in Phoenix, Saturday, Dec.

The last month has been one of many surprises, and few if any of us predicted just how well things would go during that time.

Had the Kings fallen to New Orleans on Sunday, it would have been frustrating. Instead, it was flattering.

Plenty of players have said halftime cooled their hot shooting hand. But on Friday night, halftime allowed Spencer Hawes' right knee to stiffen up just enough to end another good game for the third-year center.

View full size photo>> With Kevin Martin and Spencer Hawes sidelined, you'd figure that New Orleans' ploy to stop the Kings by focusing its defense on Tyreke Evans would be smart.

Sergio Rodriguez scored a career-high 24 points, Jason Thompson had 22 points and 14 rebounds and the Sacramento Kings won their third straight game with a 112-96 victory Sunday over the New Orleans Hornets.

Kenny Thomas still can't explain what happened. It's as if he woke up one morning as a decent rebounder and interior defender, then later that evening descended into a hellish slumber that lasted the better part of three seasons.

When Lawrence Frank went to the Hack-a-Jew strategy, intentionally putting Omri Casspi on the free throw line late in the fourth quarter with the winless Nets down by three possessions, I knew this game had ended.

The New Jersey Nets lost their 16th straight game to start the season, falling to the Kings on Friday night, and will have to beat the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday to avoid matching the worst start in league history.

There are times when Kenny Thomas uses his position as the longest-tenured NBA player on the Kings' roster to have some fun.

Beno Udrih has begun to play very well since being moved to the starting line. Udrih replaced the oft injured Kevin Martin, who fractured his wrist.