Kings, Wells spring forth during third quarter

SEATTLE – Bonzi Wells scored a season-high 31 and Peja Stojakovic broke out of a shooting slump with 23 to help the Sacramento Kings snap a five-game losing streak with a 123-104 victory over the Seattle SuperSonics on Saturday night.

Sacramento overwhelmed Seattle with a 30-13 third quarter and broke its longest losing streak since the 1997-98 season when the Kings dropped 12 straight.

Wells made 13 of 22 shots – 7 of 10 in the second half – and had eight rebounds. Mike Bibby scored 24 points, Shareef Abdur-Rahim added 17 and Brad Miller had 15 for the Kings, whose starters outscored Seattle’s 110-64.

A night after holding Utah to 90 points – only the fifth team Seattle held to less than 100 this season – Sacramento scored in every manner.

Miller directed the Kings’ offense with efficiency, finding open shooters and capitalizing on mismatches.

Miller had 10 assists after three quarters and Sacramento eclipsed the 100-point mark with 9:40 left in the game.

The Kings had 30 assists on 43 made baskets and shot a season-high 58 percent.

Ahead 62-57 at halftime, the Kings started the third with a 13-4 run. Bibby missed the first shot of the half, but Sacramento made five of its next six attempts, including Stojakovic’s fourth 3-pointer. Abdur-Rahim’s layup with 7:28 left in the quarter gave the Kings a 14-point lead.

Disgusted Seattle coach Bob Weiss called timeout and benched all five of his starters at the 7:26 mark with Seattle down 75-61. The move did not spark a rally.

Instead, Sacramento went ahead 84-64 on Wells’ three-point play. The lead grew as large as 24.

Ray Allen led Seattle with 24 points, and had a scare with 8:45 left after taking a hard foul from Abdur-Rahim.

Allen drove to the basket and scored, but he was hit by Abdur-Rahim and landed awkwardly with his left leg tucked underneath him.

Allen made both free throws, then went directly to the locker room with trainer Mike Shimensky. Allen quickly returned, checking in 61 seconds later.

Rashard Lewis added 17 points for Seattle.

Stojakovic injured his right pinky finger in the first matchup with Seattle on Nov. 20.

He missed three games and had slumped since returning, averaging only 10.5 points and shooting 29 percent.

He made his first four shots and five of his first six shots, including three 3-pointers, nearly half his total of eight in the last six games. He was 6 of 10 in the first half, and took just four shots in the second half, making two.

In the first meeting, Stojakovic had 25 points at halftime, hitting 9 of 10 shots in the first half. Early in the third quarter of that game he took a hard slap from Seattle’s Danny Fortson, injuring the finger.

Fortson was suspended by the league for Saturday’s game for verbally abusing an official.

Kings 123, SuperSonics 104

3-Point Goals: 7-14, .500 (Stojakovic 4-7, Bibby 3-4, Abdur-Rahim 0-1, Wells 0-2). Blocked Shots: 2 (Abdur-Rahim 2). Steals: 6 (Stojakovic 3, Miller, Skinner, Wells). Technical Fouls: None. Flagrant fouls: Abdur-Rahim, 9:02 fourth.

3-Point Goals: 5-21, .238 (Allen 2-10, Ridnour 1-2, Lewis 1-4, Wilkins 1-4, Radmanovic 0-1). Blocked Shots: 3 (Radmanovic, Evans, Collison). Steals: 7 (Lewis, Radmanovic, Allen, Murray, Ridnour, Cleaves, Wilkins). Technical Fouls: Radmanovic, 6:22 third.