SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Kevin Martin was glad the Sacramento
Kings didn't waste his latest 40-point game.
Martin scored a career-high 43 points Friday night in a 123-118
double-overtime victory over the New York Knicks.
"It's always good to do it and get the win, last year I got 40
and we lost (to Washington)," Martin said.
Despite Martin's effort, there was nothing easy about this
victory, which snapped the Kings' two-game losing streak.
Sacramento squandered a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter, but
the Knicks missed chances to win the game in both regulation and
overtime.
"They had two chances to win the game, so I told the guys
before the second overtime we can't give them a third," Kings
guard Beno Udrih said.
The Kings opened the second overtime with a 9-2 run, with
Martin's 3-pointer giving them a 116-109 lead with 1:34 left.
Martin converted four straight free throws and John Salmons made
two in the final 12 seconds as the Kings snapped a two-game losing
streak and handed New York its fifth consecutive loss.
"It was a good win for a team that in the past has had trouble
winning close games, but we've got to learn from it because we made
mistakes down the stretch that we have to get better from," Kings
coach Reggie Theus said.
Ron Artest had 28 points and eight rebounds for the Kings.
Salmons scored 16 points and Brad Miller had 12 points and 11
rebounds before fouling out in the first overtime.
Even with the Knicks going consistently with a three-guard
lineup in the second half, it was Eddy Curry and David Lee carrying
their share of the load. Curry fouled out late in the second
overtime with 27 points and nine rebounds, while Lee contributed 24
points and 16 rebounds.
"We were in foul trouble most of the night and we wanted to try
to speed the game and the pace up a bit," Knicks coach Isiah
Thomas said of his team's small lineup. "We didn't finish, we
didn't do what we were supposed to do."
Quiet through three quarters, Jamal Crawford warmed up
considerably in the fourth, scoring 10 points. He twice pulled the
Knicks even with three-point plays in overtime, the last one tying
it at 107 with 1:25 remaining. Both Crawford, who had 24 points,
and Lee missed shots in the closing seconds as the game went into a
second overtime.
Martin shot 11-of-21 from the field, converted 16 of 19 free
throws and had seven points in overtime. Martin had 20 points at
the half and scored 12 in the third, but went scoreless in the
fourth when the Knicks rallied to tie it.
Salmons' three-point play put the Kings ahead 97-95 late in
regulation. But Curry tied the game at 97 with 9.9 seconds left
when he rebounded a missed perimeter shot by Crawford. Curry missed
an off-balance shot with a second left to send the game into
overtime.
"They put me in a position to win the game and I didn't come
through," Curry said.
For the second straight game, point guard Stephon Marbury came
off the bench for New York, backing up rookie Mardy Collins.
Marbury wound up with 15 points in 43 minutes, while Collins added
four points and didn't play in the fourth quarter or either
overtime.
"For Stephon, it's not about offensive or defensive display,
it's more his leadership and his ability to rally the team," said
Thomas, who did not comment on whether Marbury would start Saturday
night in Denver.
Nate Robinson scored 17 points for the Knicks, who trailed 57-47
at the half.
Zach Randolph, the Knicks' leading scorer and rebounder, missed
the game after attending his grandmother's funeral in Indiana. He
could rejoin the team for its game at Denver on Saturday.
Game notes
Artest missed his first five free throws and was 4-of-11
overall. ... The Knicks have dropped 10 of 11 games at Arco Arena.
... Kings reserve forward Justin Williams was in uniform for the
first time this year after charges were dismissed earlier in the
week on a sexual misconduct investigation.