Artest leads Kings to win over Hawks

Ron Artest scored 29 points and Kevin Martin had 26 for the Sacramento Kings in a 119-107 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night that spoiled the homecoming of ex-teammate Mike Bibby.

Even with the veteran presence of Bibby who scored 17 points, the Hawks lost their sixth straight game overall and eighth consecutive game in Sacramento, where they haven't won since Feb. 23, 2000. The road has been a miserable place recently for Atlanta, which lost its seventh straight and 13th in 14 games.

It was another strong effort by Artest, who has been the subject of trade rumors for the past month. Scoring from the outside and muscling inside at times, Artest hit nine of 12 shots, 10 of 14 free throws in scoring 20 or more points for the eighth time in nine games.

The Kings broke up a close game with a 13-2 run early in the fourth quarter, sparked by Brad Miller. Beno Udrih converted a three-point play and moments later was credited with a basket on a goaltending call to put Sacramento ahead 117-104 and seal the victory.

Stepping in as a starter for Bibby, Udrih had 18 points and 10 assists for the Kings, who have won seven of eight games at home.

Francisco Garcia scored 11 of his 14 points in the second half and Miller added 12 points and 13 rebounds.

Although Bibby has struggled with his shot this season, that wasn't the case against the Kings. He made four 3-pointers and had three assists in 31 minutes.

Josh Childress scored 18 points for Atlanta, which lost by 29 points Tuesday night to the Lakers. Marvin Williams had 13 points, Joe Johnson had 12, Al Horford added 12 points and 12 rebounds before fouling out late in the game, and Josh Smith added 11 points.

In a trade Saturday that he says wasn't surprising, Bibby went to Atlanta for Lorenzen Wright, Anthony Johnson, Tyronn Lue, Shelden Williams and a second-round pick in the 2008 draft.

A fixture in the Kings' lineup the past seven years, Bibby is the Sacramento-era's leader in assists, is fourth in scoring and third in both games played and minutes.

Despite changing uniforms, Wednesday seemed like a typical day for Bibby, who woke up at his nearby home, got a haircut at his usual place and walked into a familiar arena where he had played since coming to the Kings in 2001.

But once in the arena, Bibby admitted he was anxious, nervous and also suffering from a minor injury, a bruised right heel from Tuesday's lopsided loss to the Lakers.

Bibby hugged well-wishing fans and arena employees prior to the game, then laughed and joked with his ex-teammates in pre-game warmups when he wandered toward their side of the court.

The 10-year veteran received a standing ovation following a video tribute just prior to the game and the Arco Arena fans were on their feet and even louder moments later when Bibby waved to the crowd during player introductions.

There were only scattered cheers for Bibby during the first quarter when his first two shots, a pair of 3-pointers, helped the Hawks assume an early lead.

Garcia made a pair of 3-pointers in the final 20 seconds of the third quarter to lift the Kings to a 93-90 lead heading into the fourth.

Notes:@ Talking before the game, Lue commented on playing with the Lakers as a visiting player during the heated rivalry with the Kings. "Shaq loved coming here and you had Phil (Jackson) on the bench with earplugs because of all the cowbells. It was crazy coming to Arco in those days. ... Kings head coach Reggie Theus and Atlanta counterpart Mike Woodson played in the backcourt together on the first Sacramento team in the 1985-86 season. ... His Superman cape apparently of no help, the Kings mascot missed a pair of dunks between the third and fourth quarter.