Mike Bibby and Ron Artest are back. Wednesday night, it looked like the same old Kings anyway.
Bibby played for the first time after missing 36 games with a torn ligament in his left thumb, and Artest returned from a nine-game absence because of right elbow surgery. It didn’t matter. Chris Bosh scored 31 points and the Toronto Raptors beat the suddenly healthy Kings 116-91.
“I didn’t want the welcome to be like that,” Bibby said. “We have to get used to playing with each other again and get everybody on the same page.”
Bibby finished with 19 points, six rebounds, no assists and four turnovers in 29 minutes. Artest, who did not speak to media following the game, was held to four points, shooting 2-for-10.
Coming off a 39-point performance in Monday’s win over Dallas, Kevin Martin again led Sacramento, scoring 22 points but acknowledging the Kings need to make some changes.
“Anytime you have guys coming back from an injury there’s going to be an adjustment period,” Martin said. “You just don’t know how long it’s going to take. Ron and Mike are such a big part of our team.
“We’re in a situation where everybody has to give a little to gain a little for the team. Some guys have got to give up minutes, some guys have got to give up shots. That might be best for the team.”
In other NBA games Wednesday night, it was: Boston 100, Portland 90; Charlotte 99, Orlando 93; Chicago 126, Miami 96; Indiana 125, Golden State 117; New York 111, New Jersey 105; Milwaukee 87, Atlanta 80; and New Orleans 123, Seattle 92.
Kings coach Reggie Theus urged his players to be more unselfish.
“Right now, everyone who catches the ball takes a look at the rim instead of swinging it,” Theus said. “That’s a technical thing that can be fixed right away but it’s something they have to work out themselves.”
It was the eighth loss in the last 12 games for Sacramento, which finds itself 6 1/2 games behind Golden State for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Bosh went 11-for-12 from the field and 9-for-10 from the line.
“I was just trying to be aggressive and drive to the basket,” Bosh said. “At the beginning of the game, I saw a lot of lanes. Guys weren’t really concentrating that much on me if I wasn’t in the post. Anytime that happens I’m going to try to drive as soon as I catch the ball.”
Bosh, who added nine rebounds, has scored 20 or more in seven of Toronto’s past eight games.
“The way he has played the last week and a half, he really cannot play any better,” Raptors coach Sam Mitchell said.
Carlos Delfino came off the bench to score a career-high 26 and Toronto won for the fourth time in five games.
Jose Calderon had 17 points and 14 assists, Anthony Parker had 12 points and Kris Humphries had 11.
Sacramento’s Brad Miller had 16 points, but just two in the second half, while Francisco Garcia had 10.
Celtics 100, Trail Blazers 90
At Boston, Ray Allen scored a season-high 35 points, Kevin Garnett had 26 and the Celtics rebounded from their first consecutive losses of the season.
The Atlantic Division-leading Celtics, who had lost three of their last four games and two straight at home, also got 12 points from Paul Pierce and 10 from Eddie House.
Brandon Roy led the Northwest division-leading Trail Blazers with 22 points. Travis Outlaw and Jarrett Jack each had 17.
Knicks 111, Nets 105
At East Rutherford, N.J., Jamal Crawford scored a season-high 35 points and hit a tiebreaking 3-pointer, and New York took the season series from New Jersey for the first time in eight years.
Zach Randolph added 24 points and 11 rebounds for the Knicks, who are 3-0 against their cross-river rivals after the Nets had owned the series since Jason Kidd arrived in the area. New York hadn’t won the series since going 3-1 in the 1999-00 season.
Hornets 123, SuperSonics 92
At New Orleans, Peja Stojakovic scored 23 points to lead six Hornets in double figures.
Tyson Chandler had 14 points and 21 rebounds and Chris Paul had 12 points and 11 assists. It was the 12th time they’ve had double-doubles in the same game this season, and New Orleans has won all of those games. David West added 19 points and 11 rebounds.
Bobcats 99, Magic 93
Gerald Wallace had 36 points and 14 rebounds, Jason Richardson hit a 3-pointer and four free throws in the final minute for host Charlotte.
The Bobcats, who trailed by 19 points early in the third quarter, avoided a season sweep against Orlando.
Bucks 87, Hawks 80
Andrew Bogut had 21 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots and Milwaukee beat visiting Atlanta.
The Hawks, losers of 18 of their last 20 in Milwaukee, failed to hit a field goal for more than 12 minutes spanning the third and fourth quarters, missing 13 straight shots.
Pacers 125, Warriors 117
At Indianapolis, Danny Granger scored 29 points and Indiana overcame a 17-point deficit in the second half.
Indiana’s Mike Dunleavy had 24 points and nine rebounds against his former team, and Kareem Rush scored 14 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter for the Pacers.
Bulls 126, Heat 96
At Miami, Ben Gordon scored 24 points, Joe Smith added 23 and Chicago handed the Heat their 11th straight loss.
Shaquille O’Neal had 24 points and 10 rebounds in his return to the lineup for Miami, and fouled out for the sixth time this season. After making only two of his first nine shots, Dwyane Wade finished with 24 points.
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