Mike Bibby's Nine 3-Pointers Leads Kings Over Suns

Sacramento's ARCO Arena used to be one of the NBA's most difficult places to play for an opponent. Kings teams of old would run, gun, and fire threes at an alarming rate in their home hall. In the last couple of years, the ARCO hasn't been quite as formidable, though. It's not the fans' fault, though. People are still filling the seats in southern California. The team just hasn't been performing to their usual level. On Sunday night, players and fans alike got to taste what it used to be like when the Kings took the court at home as hot shooting from Mike Bibby and stingy defense led Sacramento over the surging Phoenix Suns by a score of 107-100.

Mike Bibby was the star of the Sunday show as he hit a franchise-record nine three pointers and accounted for 37 points in all. Two of his jumpers came in the final minute of the contest, as Sacramento clung to a small lead. Though he might not have done it in a while, Bibby gave a reminder to all of the NBA that he's still a very capable clutch scorer. The Kings needed every bit of help they could get from Bibby and all 24 of Ron Artest's 24 points as they struggled to compete without injured stars Kevin Martin and Brad Miller.

Sacramento's game plan was simple. Coach Eric Musselman employed an old tactic, the front court weave, in order to keep the fast-paced Suns on their heels. His idea worked, as Phoenix struggled to find their full-court groove in the newly slowed game. Bibby was counted on to hit big shots throughout the game and ran the offense effectively, dishing out five assists to teammates along the way.

Phoenix was led in scoring by sixth man Leandro Barbosa, who added 27 points from the bench. Two-time MVP Steve Nash had 18 points and nine assists in the losing effort. They never seemed to get into a rhythm, though, as Ron Artest led the Kings' defensive effort.

Sacramento held the lead for much of the second half, but a late Phoenix run gave them a scare. Shawn Marion streaked to the basket for an easy layup with just over a minute remaining to cut the Kings' lead to only two points. That was when Bibby hit the first of his two clutch last minute jumpers. From there, he walked with a familiar swagger in place where swagger has seemed vacant. Hopefully for the Kings, this victory will spark a run that puts them back into the thick of the playoff hunt. They currently sit a full four games back of the eight place Clippers with their playoff hopes officially on life support.