SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – The Sacramento city council took another big step in building a new arena on Tuesday night.

“We’ll take it; we’ll take it. A win is a win,” said Mayor Kevin Johnson.

Many in the packed chambers gave the vote a standing ovation, with Kings fans sporting matching white shirts.

“A week ago we were 5-4, we got the win barely. A 9-0 vote sends a strong message,” said Johnson.

This night’s 9-0 vote did nothing to green-light an arena. It merely kept the planning process from coming to an end.

It was a concern for arena supporters after private parking critic Sandy Sheedy led a failed effort last week to allow a public vote on the matter that would have forced the city to miss the NBA March deadline.

“It’s been a long time with no figures. We keep moving along on a whim,” said Sheedy.

“What’s being told here is dissension within the ranks. It is a love hate relationship on the city council, no question about it,” said Sacramento political strategist Doug Elmets.

But even those inside the arena negotiations are admitting this deal is nowhere done.

Fans are still a long way from an arena win. But tonight, at least, supporters didn’t lose.

We found out Mayor Johnson texted NBA commissioner David Stern right after the vote with the news.

This wasn’t what he had in mind. The Bulls will take it, though.

Deng came through with 23 points and a career-high 11 assists, and the Bulls escaped with a 121-115 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night after a 19-point, fourth-quarter lead dwindled to two.

“Missing Derrick, even though we’re winning games, it’s huge,” Deng said. “He makes the game so much easier. When he’s not there, you’ve got to work extra.”

Joakim Noah added 22 points and 11 rebounds. Kyle Korver scored 18, hitting four free throws in the final 17.6 seconds. Carlos Boozer scored 16, Taj Gibson added 15 points, and the Bulls came away with the win — barely — even though Rose missed his third straight game with lower back spasms.

The victory clinched the Eastern Conference coaching spot at the All-Star game for the Bulls’ Tom Thibodeau.

DeMarcus Cousins led Sacramento with 28 points and 17 rebounds. Tyreke Evans scored 27, and Marcus Thornton added 23 points for the Kings, who made things extremely interesting down the stretch.

Two free throws by Evans with 19 seconds left made it 115-112. Korver answered with two of his own, but the drama wasn’t over.

Thornton nailed a 3 to make it a two-point game with 14.8 seconds left, but Korver immediately hit two more foul shots to boost the lead to 119-115. Deng then hit two free throws with 8.8 seconds left to seal the win.

“I’ve yet to fear this team being down,” Kings coach Keith Smart said. “This team has shown throughout the year that they have the ability to get back in games.”

Winning them is a different story. Sacramento is last in the Pacific Division at 10-18 and is just 3-13 on the road.

This seemed like a mismatch despite Rose’s absence, but the Kings hung with the Eastern Conference leaders even when it looked like Chicago had put this one away.

Sacramento was within eight in late in the third when Deng buried a corner 3 with just under a minute left. That started a 12-1 run that bumped Chicago’s lead to 97-78, but the Bulls couldn’t breathe too easily.

They did, however, let out a big sigh of relief in the end.

“They’re a tough team,” Evans said. “They play together. They run that high pick-and-roll good with the bigs. They ran it all night on us and got a lot of fouls. That’s what killed us.”

The dramatic win came on the heels of a 6-3 trip that matched their longest since the 1992-93 season, and they did it without their superstar point guard.

“I think our team has gotten used to guys being out,” Thibodeau said. “It happened last year with our big guys and this year, it is more perimeter guys, so we have that all covered. We feel very good about our depth, and when we are down a man, the next guy steps up and does the job.”

The question is: Will the injuries take a toll eventually?

Rose didn’t have a target date for his return. Boston visits Thursday, and he wasn’t sure if he’d be ready to play against Rajon Rondo and the Celtics. One thing was clear, though. Rose was certainly breathing a little easier.

A specialist confirmed Monday that there was no structural damage, and that was a big relief for him and a team eyeing a championship. This hasn’t been an easy season for Rose even though he’s averaging 22.0 points and 7.8 assists. Between the bad back and a problem with his left big toe, he’s missed eight games this season after sitting out six over his first three years.

“I think the best thing you can do is try to get better from it,” Deng said. “If we had a choice, we wouldn’t want him to be hurt, but that’s the situation. We really think that it will help us. Guys are stepping up. Guys are getting playing time. We’d rather have this problem now than later in the year.”

Notes: Veteran G Richard Hamilton, who remains sidelined by a right thigh injury, rejoined the Bulls after tending to a family issue. He posted on Twitter that his grandmother died. … G Mike James signed a 10-day contract. He appeared in three games for Chicago before being waived on Jan. 28. … Kings rookie Jimmer Fredette, nursing an upset stomach, did not play.

The Raiders also announced Tuesday the hiring of five other assistants: receivers coach Ted Gilmore, tight ends coach Mark Hutson, defensive line coach Terrell Williams and defensive backs coaches Clayton Lopez and Johnnie Lynn.

DeFilippo was quarterbacks coach in Oakland in 2007-08 before leaving for a job with the New York Jets. He spent the past two seasons at San Jose State before new Raiders coach Dennis Allen brought him back.

Lopez also is back for a second stint with the Raiders, having been here in 2004-05. He was in St. Louis the past three seasons.

Lynn has 17 years of NFL experience, most recently in Philadelphia. Williams, Hutson and Gilmore are career college coaches.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

Today, Don begins by telling us that Extreme Amy from Good Day Sacramento will be arriving soon with a wood chipper to destroy any and all Valentine’s Day stuff that people have from past relationships. Don tells the listeners he wants people to bring so much stuff that it makes Good Day think it was a bad idea to do this. Don then calls his wife Janet to wish her a happy Valentine’s Day. Amy then arrives with the woodchipper and begins throwing things in it while Good Day Sacramento airs it on television, while Don and the guys talk about Teen Mom, Hoarders, and Faces of Death. Craig and Slow Joe even go outside to talk to Amy on the wireless microphones.

We then get a conference call from Dennis Murphy, and Dennis Hof, owner of the Moonlite Bunny Ranch in Reno. Hof has got Murphy with one of his new ladies, a British woman named Adrienne. With Cami Parker giving us the play-by-play, we hear Dennis Murphy being deflowered for the first time in 10 years! (He actually goes almost 7 minutes!) It’s then time for Extreme Amy to join the guys in the studio. Amy tells us about coming to Sacramento from Las Vegas, her ex boyfriend, and what she thinks of Slow Joe, who has a crush on her. Don then gives her the Hot Seat Quiz!

After discussing Noodles’ drunk tweeting last night, and talking with Dennis Murphy again, Don plays clips from Whitney Houston’s last interview, and Celine Dion saying it was drugs that killed Whitney. Don then takes the guys outside to throw things into the woodchipper with Extreme Amy. After discussing who the most famous disabled people are, it’s time for the “Phantom News Hour.” Today, Phantom talks about the worst Valentine’s Day gifts, promotions certain restaurants are doing today, Kate Upton on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Issue, and the Grammy’s getting over 40 million viewers. And of course, Don wraps everything up with a caller 100!

The 19-year-old Florida native graces the cover in a tiny red-and-brown, sparkle-covered bikini with a view of the waters of Australia behind her.

“That was one of the first photos from the first shoot,” she said in a telephone interview before the big reveal on Monday. “It was my favorite swimsuit. … I felt sexy in it but confident.”

The 2012 magazine cover is her second time appearing in the annual SI issue, but her first time on the cover. The 5-feet-10 model joins the ranks of models Christie Brinkley and Elle Macpherson who have previously had the gig as cover model.

“This means so much for me personally,” she told People magazine. “This has always been my dream.”

The cover, which leaked early Monday, was officially unveiled on TV Monday night on the “Late Show with David Letterman” on CBS.

–

February 13th, 2012

Mr. Christopher Hansen
Valiant Capital Management
1 Market Street, Steuart Tower, Suite 2625
San Francisco, CA 94105

Mr. Hansen,

On behalf of the 99% of us who make up the wonderful mosaic that is the great City of Sacramento, we have one message for the top 1/10th of the 1% who is engaged in actions detrimental to our community:

KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF OUR KINGS.

If you have ever been to Sacramento, you would know that this is a big city with small town values and a big heart, which will fight for the more than 4000 construction jobs, seven billion dollars in economic development and $150+ million in annual economic activity that will be created as a result of the building of a new downtown-based Entertainment and Sports complex.

In this age of historic economic challenges, regardless of where one lives, we should all be working together to create jobs.  Our country has always been at its best when people have come together to work for the common good.  And that is precisely what we have done in Sacramento under the leadership of Mayor Kevin Johnson and the Sacramento City Council.

Today, the entire community, Business and Labor, Republicans and Democrats, the Mayor and the City Council, is working for the greater good of Sacramento.

We are especially troubled that you would be actively pursuing an initiative that you know will short-change our community of badly needed jobs given that your native city of Seattle knows the economic pain and suffering that comes when one city raids another city.  One would think that Seattle of all places would be sensitive to engaging in such predatory behavior.

Given what is at stake for Sacramento and your highly publicized effort to steal our team, we challenge you to come to Sacramento and participate in a debate at high noon on February 23rd at the Oak Park Community Center where you can defend the indefensible and explain the inexplicable: your effort to steal our jobs.

Participating in this debate on behalf of Sacramento will be a construction worker representing the thousands of workers from the Building Trades who have been out of work with unemployment for construction workers in excess of 20%, a current employee at Power Balance Pavilion who will lose their job should the Kings depart, and a representative of our youth community who love their Kings and wants them to stay in Sacramento.

To help prepare you for this debate, we are attaching to this challenge a report prepared by Think BIG entitled Truth or Consequences, which lays bare what is at stake, including documenting the impact on Seattle caused by the SuperSonics relocation.

We hope this report will help you prepare to defend why you want to inflict the kind of economic harm on working people that took place in Seattle.

Keeping the Kings in Sacramento as the cornerstone for the economic revival of the City is really a question of whose side are you on:

Are you on the side of jobs for Sacramento; the future of Sacramento; and the people of Sacramento or are you trying to kill our jobs; working against our future; and anti-Sacramento?

We look forward to seeing you in Sacramento.

Sincerely,

Jeremiah Jackson
Think BIG
www.thinkbigsacramento.com

Today, Dennis Murphy has arrived! Craig and Slow Joe picked him up at the airport yesterday, and he will be on his way to Reno, and the Moonlight Bunny Ranch this evening to live like a rock star with some of the Bunny Ranch’s hottest women! Before the guys get to Dennis’ trip out here, and the audio Craig and Joe got from their pickup of Dennis, Don tells us how uneventful his weekend was, which included him waking up at 3:30 and 3:45 am Saturday and Sunday, and going to bed early. He also tells us how Janet’s rent a car broke down in Pittsburgh, in 12 degree weather.

Don also talks about how bummed out he is about the passing of Whitney Houston, and the Grammy’s last night, including how he hated the performances of Springsteen, Coldplay, and the Beach Boys. Don then plays the audio of Craig and Slow Joe picking up Dennis Murphy at the airport, and calls Dennis in to the studio to sit with the guys all show. Dennis tells us what Slow Joe’s apartment is like, his thoughts on Whitney passing, shows the guys his clubbed foot, and even does some karaoke for us!

After Don reads a list of 90′s teen stars who are still hot, Dennis Hof from the Bunny Ranch stops by with Cami Parker to talk to Dennis Murphy about his visit later tonight. Dennis can barely contain himself as Dennis and Cami tell him all the great things they’re going to do for him while he’s there!

After we hear the clip of Chris Webber acting like a crybaby on the Grant Napear Show last Friday, it’s time for the “Phantom News Hour.”  Today, Phantom gives an update on the GOP race, discusses the death of Whitney Houston, and gives us the box office numbers for the past weekend. And of course, Don wraps everything up with a caller 100!

Dennis Hof from the Bunny Ranch stops by with Cami Parker to talk to Dennis Murphy about his visit later tonight.

Dennis can barely contain himself as Dennis and Cami tell him all the great things they’re going to do for him while he’s there!

Agent Adam Katz confirmed Monday the sides had reached agreement, with details still to be finalized. This is a significant move for Oakland, which now has the steady hitter it sought to boost the roster heading into 2012. The A’s also have expressed interest in slugger Manny Ramirez.

The A’s, hoping to be given clearance from Major League Baseball to relocate to San Jose and construct a new ballpark, have been in rebuilding mode this winter. Oakland traded starting pitchers Gio Gonzalez and Trevor Cahill and also All-Star closer Andrew Bailey.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

Sacramento Kings’ head coach Keith Smart was on with Grant today.  They talked about the Kings’ win over the Thunder on Thursday night.  Coach Smart talked about the development of the Kings in both the starting lineup and on the bench.  He also talked about the Kings’ upcoming game against the Phoenix Suns and the different challenges they present.

Today on the Grant Napear Show, the main topic was TNT’s blunder during their national broadcast of Thursday night’s Kings game where TNT’s broadcast team gave misinformation regarding the Kings’ arena and chances of staying in Sacramento.  Grant took calls about TNT’s mistake, as well as the win over the Thunder.  Grant interviewed Keith Smart and Chris Webber.

The victory was the fourth in five games for the Suns, who have won their last three on the road. Phoenix took a double-digit lead in the second quarter and maintained a comfortable margin for the remainder of the game.

Markieff Morris came off the bench for 18 points, Channing Frye had 17, and Marcin Gortat had 15 points and seven rebounds for Phoenix.

DeMarcus Cousins had 26 points and nine rebounds, and Marcus Thornton made four 3-pointers and had 21 points for the Kings. Tyreke Evans, Sacramento’s leading scorer, shot 1 of 9 and finished with four points while being guarded all game by Grant Hill.

Sacramento, which had won four of its previous five games, shot 35 percent.

The Suns made three 3-pointers over a three-minute span, and the final one by Michael Redd put them ahead 86-69 midway through the fourth quarter.

Suns point guard Steve Nash, who turned 38 earlier this week, took a shot in the mouth on the final possession of the first quarter and spent much of the second quarter getting four stitches to sew up a wound in his lower lip.

Nash shot sparingly all game and scored four points, but handed out 15 assists in 29 minutes.

Phoenix controlled the tempo in the third quarter, scoring inside frequently and making the cold-shooting Kings take contested shots. Gortat scored six points and the Suns shot 61 percent in outscoring the Kings 22-16 and taking a 75-60 lead into the final quarter.

With Nash leading the way with his pinpoint passing, the Suns scored numerous baskets in transition in the third quarter when the Kings committed six turnovers. Nash was scoreless in the game until tossing in a short floater with 39 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

Dudley scored 13 points and Frye had 10 to help give the Suns a 53-44 halftime lead. Both Thornton and Cousins had 11 points for Sacramento, which shot 38 percent but committed only three turnovers.

With the injured Nash in the locker room getting stitches and missing the entire second quarter, the Suns were still able to maintain its lead. The Suns’ much-maligned bench combined for 12 points in the quarter when Phoenix outscored the Kings 22-20.

Notes: The Kings won’t play another home again until Feb. 28. On Tuesday, they start a six-game road trip, playing exclusively Eastern Conference teams, followed by the All-Star break. … Nash had six assists in the game’s first eight minutes, helping the Suns take a 31-24 lead after one quarter. … Cousins had 11 points in the opening quarter, but picked up three quick fouls in the second period and only played two minutes.

(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press)

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Former Sacramento Kings superstar Chris Webber abruptly cut an interview short after facing a question over erroneous statements made during a nationally televised Kings game Thursday night.

KHTK host Grant Napear quizzed the ex-Kings forward about his statements that called the efforts to build a new Sacramento arena dead following a city council vote earlier this week, but Webber unloaded on the radio host and indicated he was unaware of any inaccuracies.

“If there was any incorrect information, just tell me the correct information,” Webber said.

>> Listen to the full audio exchange

During the TNT broadcast of Thursday’s Kings vs. Thunder game, courtside reporter Cheryl Miller asked Mayor Kevin Johnson about a bill the city council voted down on Tuesday, incorrectly stating that the move had been a rejection of the arena plan.

In fact, the measure was an attempt to block the arena deal by putting the decision on the June ballot, which would have forced the arena plan to miss the NBA’s deadline in March. The city council shot down the idea in a 5-4 vote, keeping the arena hopes alive.

Johnson quickly corrected her, but Webber stated moments later that he had heard the arena deal itself had been rejected. Fellow TNT analyst Reggie Miller went on to describe Johnson’s correction as political posturing.

“That’s Kevin Johnson being a political figure, by spinning, because it was rejected,” Miller said.

Webb responded hotly to Napear’s question about the mistakes Friday night and bulled through attempts to clarify the issue in a rant that lasted nearly three minutes.

“I called out of my heart, out of the goodness of my heart,” Webber said, before later adding. “If I did any wrong to the fans of Sacramento, I’ll apologize, you know I love you. But I’m not going to give this guy on this show the chance to make me do that.”

Webber soon hung up, despite Napear’s pleas to stay on the line.

Mayor Johnson’s office did not respond to requests for comments on the issue Friday.

On last night’s TNT broadcast of the Kings game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the TNT team incorrectly reported that the Sacramento City Council had voted down a deal that would build a new sports and entertainment complex in Downtown Sacramento.  In fact, earlier in the week, the Sacramento City Council voted 5-4 to move ahead with their plan to privatize the city’s parking assets, without putting it on the ballot, in order to fund a new sports and entertainment complex – a move heralded by Arena advocates.  Chris Webber, a member of the TNT team and Sacramento Kings legend, called into the Grant Napear Show for an interview that was supposed to shed light on how this error made it’s way to the TNT broadcast.  Instead, the conversation was cut short by Chris Webber, as he hung up while defending his record advocating for the Sacramento Kings.

The general manager on Friday received a three-year contract extension through the 2016 season. CEO Jed York tweeted that negotiations were finalized over a recent dinner.

“Contentious contract negotiation w/Trent over dinner. Didn’t finalize terms until after we finished the chips & salsa,” York tweeted.

York also formally announced Friday the addition of Gideon Yu as president and co-owner after tweeting it last week, when NFL owners at the Super Bowl in Indianapolis approved a $200 million loan to help the 49ers build a stadium near their current training site.

NFC West champion San Francisco went 13-3 in 2011 and advanced to the NFC title game before losing in overtime to the eventual Super Bowl champion New York Giants.

Not only did Baalke hire away NFL Coach of the Year Jim Harbaugh from nearby Stanford in January 2011, in perhaps his best signing of all, he also acquired All-Pro placekicker David Akers and brought in two Pro Bowl defensive backs – safety Dashon Goldson and cornerback Carlos Rogers. Not to mention safety Donte Whitner, who dealt his share of blows in a victory against the favored Saints in the NFC divisional round.

They all made key impacts during a turnaround season as the 49ers ended an eight-year drought without a playoff berth or winning record.

“Trent has distinguished himself as the man to direct our football operations for years to come,” York said. “Since taking over as general manager last January, we have made great strides on the football field under Trent’s leadership. It gives me great pleasure to watch Trent and Jim work arm-in-arm with the common goal of leading the 49ers to championships.”

The 49ers earned the NFC’s No. 2 seed and a first-round playoff bye and went 6-2 on the road, with four of those victories coming in comeback fashion.

All that after Baalke drew criticism over whether he had made enough splashy moves in free agency to improve his roster after the lockout.

Baalke has been with the team in various jobs since 2005, when he was hired as a regional scout. He moved up to director of player personnel in 2008, to vice president in the same capacity in 2010 and to general manager last year.

The private, behind-the-scenes Baalke expressed his gratitude to the York family, Harbaugh, the other coaches and football operations staff as well as the players.

“The success we experienced on the field was a direct result of their efforts,” Baalke said. “It is a privilege to work for the 49ers organization, alongside this group, as we continue our pursuit of championships.”

When York began looking for a GM, he vowed to open an exhaustive national search, then ultimately decided to go with the familiar face who had shown plenty of leadership and reliable decision-making. York took heat for it, too, as some believed he had settled for Baalke over a bigger name.

Yet it was Baalke who orchestrated the contract extensions for two key 49ers before the 2010 season: five-time Pro Bowl linebacker Patrick Willis and tight end Vernon Davis. Running back Frank Gore got his coveted new deal before the 2011 season.

Baalke, a former college coach who also worked four years in the scouting department for the Washington Redskins before coming to San Francisco, made two first-round picks in 2010 – offensive linemen Anthony Davis and Mike Iupati – and both became instant starters. Last season’s rookies also shined: Aldon Smith with 14 sacks, Kendall Hunter as Gore’s reliable backup, and Bruce Miller as a defensive end turned fullback.

Akers’ 44 field goals set an NFL record – Baalke scooped him up when the Eagles decided he was expendable.

“He had a plan, and he stuck with it,” Goldson said late in the year. “And look where we’re at now.”

(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.)

Bobby Slaton, who is performing at the Punchline in Sacramento, tells us why Good Day Sacramento backed out of having him on, his worst experiences in a radio station, comedians he can’t stand, and how Alice Cooper saved his life!

Today on The Don Geronimo Show, the Kings won last night! The guys talk about the Kings’ victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on their only nationally televised  game all year, the success of Blackout Thursday, the idiocy of Chris Webber’s remark that the Sacramento City Council voted against funding for a new arena (which is NOT true!), and all the great listeners who came out to support the team. Don even calls in Craig to have him share his experiences of the evening.

After the guys discuss Matt Lauer signing a contract worth $30 million a year, Don reads Noodles’ letter to the City Council, in which he begs them to not increase parking fees to fund the arena, because somehow, he’ll end up losing his job. We then get a joint call-in with Dennis Hof and Dennis Murphy, who talk about Dennis (Murphy) flying in to Sacramento this weekend to go to the Hof’s Bunny Ranch in Reno. We even hear from Cami Parker, on of the Bunny Ranch girls, who is really looking forward to meeting him!

After a few “Dirty Jay” jokes, a clip from the trailer for the new Star Wars 3D re release, and a redneck shooting up his daughter’s laptop, The Pitbull of Comedy Bobby Slayton stops by the studio!

Bobby, who is performing at the Punchline in Sacramento, tells us why Good Day Sacramento backed out of having him on, his worst experiences in a radio station, comedians he can’t stand, and how Alice Cooper saved his life!

It’s then time for the “Phantom News Hour.” Today, Phantom only gets about 3 stories in, because Slow Joe Ardinger spends the last half hour doing his Carmichael Dave impersonation, which was absolutely HILARIOUS!!!! After Phantom’s news, Don wraps everything up with a caller 100!

NBA analyst Bill Walton drops by the show and eloquently (as always) describes the state of the league and breaks down how the Kings can beat the Thunder. Bill also makes the time to squeeze in a story about his days as teammates with Danny Ainge.

NFL analyst Charles Davis joins for his weekly segment to look back at the Super Bowl, congratulates Grant on seeing the Giants beat the Patriots, and relives some New York sporting history – amongst other things.

NBA on TNT play-by-play voice Kevin Harlan is in town to call the Kings’ only national television appearance this season and takes the time to reflect on how much he enjoys the atmosphere at Power Balance Pavilion. Grant and Kevin also talk about how well Indianapolis handled hosting the Super Bowl.

The Kings’ national television matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder ruled the afternoon. As part of a TNT doubleheader, Thursday night’s contest tipped off thirty minutes later than usual. As a result, Grant was allowed the full four hours to field calls from fans eagerly anticipating and exciting game against one of the top teams in the league.

Grant also addressed the bogus rumors that Seattle is looking to poach the Kings from Sacramento, a topic which became the focus of his rant at the two hour mark.

After the rant, NBA analyst Bill Walton dropped by the show and eloquently (as always) described the state of the league and breaks down how the Kings can beat the Thunder. Bill also made the time to squeeze in a story about his days as teammates with Danny Ainge.

In the final hour, NFL analyst Charles Davis joined for his weekly segment to look back at the Super Bowl, congratulate Grant on seeing the Giants beat the Patriots, and relive some New York sporting history – amongst other things.

Wrapping things up, NBA on TNT play-by-play voice Kevin Harlan is in town to call the Kings’ only national television appearance this season and took the time to reflect on how much he enjoys the atmosphere at Power Balance Pavilion. Grant and Kevin also talked about how well Indianapolis handled hosting the Super Bowl.

SACRAMENTO (AP) — Playing on national TV for the first and only time this season, the Sacramento Kings and their rabid fans put on a good show — at the expense of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

It was tough to overlook the youthful Kings after Tyreke Evans scored 22 points and DeMarcus Cousins had 19 points and nine rebounds in Sacramento’s 106-101 comeback victory that dropped Oklahoma City to second overall in the NBA.,

It was a difficult start to the season for the Kings, who had a 2-5 record and were a troubled team on and off the court when coach Paul Westphal was fired. The turnaround has been gradual for the Kings, the youngest team in the NBA. But they have improved under new coach Keith Smart and the latest victory was their fourth in five games.

“We’ve improved as a team, we’re on the right path now,” said Cousins, who was clearly unhappy under Westphal. “We’re a lot better than our record (10-16) shows. We’ve grown so much from the team we used to be.”

That growth surfaced against the Thunder, an experienced team that a year ago lost to the eventual-champion Dallas Mavericks the Western Conference finals. It was Oklahoma City that looked like the inexperienced team, committing 23 turnovers, including six in the fourth quarter when it was outscored 30-23. The turnovers led to 28 Sacramento points.

“I thrive on a team that creates high deflections because that gets you on a good level on nights when you’re not scoring,” said Smart, whose team won despite shooting 40 percent. “Deflections, steals and altered shots can get you in the open court. We have some fabulous guys that can get out into the open court and make plays.”

The Kings didn’t make a field goal in the final 2 minutes, but still kept the sellout crowd that was dressed primarily in black, matching the Kings’ uniforms, roaring with approval. Sacramento’s final nine points came on free throws.

Russell Westbrook scored 33 points, but also committed seven turnovers. Kevin Durant added 27 points for Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City, at 20-6 a game behind Chicago for the overall lead.

“We had a good lead and in the last five or six minutes we’ve been good all season,” Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. “But the turnovers hit us tonight. We played with good effort, but we didn’t play with a controlled effort.”

Marcus Thornton fouled out late in the game with 15 points for Sacramento. Jason Thompson had 11 points and 10 rebounds, and Donte Greene scored 10 points.

Struggling for three quarters, the streak-shooting Thornton found his stroke in the fourth. He scored 10 points, including a pair of 3-pointers that came at big moments.

“I wasn’t having a very good game, but I made shots when they counted, that’s what I’ve done my whole career,” Thornton said. “I was trying to get myself going in the fourth quarter and try to make some shots and turn the game around.”

James Harden scored 17 points for the Thunder, 11-5 on the road. Serge Ibaka tied his career high with 10 blocks, and added nine rebounds. His block total was one short of the Sacramento arena record of 11 set by David Robinson of San Antonio. The Thunder had a franchise-record 17 blocks.

“It was just frustrating to lose because Serge had a great game tonight,” Durant said. “He was closing up the rim, in the paint, and we couldn’t close it out for him. It was a tough loss, but we have to move on. We have a game tomorrow (in Utah) and we can’t harp on this one.”

(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press)

Routt became the first player casualty under the new regime with the Raiders.

Routt was released on Thursday just one year into a $54.5 million, five-year contract, ending his seven-year tenure in Oakland as the team heads in a new direction.

The move by new general manager Reggie McKenzie and coach Dennis Allen signifies a change of approach from when Davis ran the team and was fiercely loyal to players he drafted.

Davis died Oct. 8, setting the stage for a busy offseason. McKenzie was hired in January and fired coach Hue Jackson after one season on his first official day on the job. He then began a coaching search that ended up with Allen, and now changes are being made to the roster even before free agency begins next month.

After the news conference announcing Allen’s hiring on Jan. 30, McKenzie said the Raiders had some contracts that were “out of whack.” Apparently, Routt’s was one of them.

Routt got the big contract after grading out as one of the league’s top cover cornerbacks in 2010. The opposition’s 39.4 percent completion rate when throwing at him was the lowest of any player targeted at least 60 times that season, according to STATS LLC.

Davis gave Routt the big contract, while letting Pro Bowler Nnamdi Asomugha test free agency. Asomugha later signed with Philadelphia, making Routt the No. 1 cornerback in Oakland.

While he once again held opponents to a low completion percentage (47.4 percent) and allowed less than 6 yards per pass attempt for the season, according to STATS, he was susceptible to penalties and touchdowns. He was credited with allowing eight touchdown passes – tied for the second-most in the NFL – and led the league with 17 penalties committed, according to STATS.

More changes are sure to come on the Raiders, who have not had a winning record or made the playoffs since 2002. Oakland is coming off one of its worst defensive seasons ever during last year’s 8-8 campaign.

The Raiders had franchise worsts in touchdown passes allowed (31), yards per carry (5.1), yards passing (4,262) and total yards (6,201), while giving up the third-most points (433) in team history. Oakland also became the sixth team since the 1970 merger to allow at least 2,000 yards rushing and 4,000 yards passing in a season.

The Raiders also set an NFL record last season with 163 penalties for 1,358 yards.

Routt has played 110 games with 53 starts since being drafted in the second round by Oakland in 2005. He became a starter his third season before falling behind Chris Johnson on the depth chart in 2008-09. He worked his way back into the starting lineup in 2010 and was Oakland’s top cornerback last season when he set career highs with four interceptions and 15 passes defensed.

Notes: The Raiders also hired two more assistant coaches, making Johnny Holland the linebackers coach and Keith Burns the assistant special teams coach. Holland spent the past five seasons in Houston, where he coached two AP NFL Defensive Rookies of the year in Demeco Ryans (2006) and Brian Cushing (2009). He had previously worked in Detroit and Green Bay. Burns has spent 28 years as a college coach, most recently with Mississippi.

(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.)

Chris talks to the guys about his new projects, getting recognized by people, and working for the National Down Syndrome Society. He even does an intro for the “Phantom News Hour!”

Today, Don begins by telling us that “Archie” from the Archie comics has married the black girl from “Josie And The Pussycats,” and has had an interracial child. We then hear that Little Joe was late to the station today because his kids hid his keys from him, so his wife Laura had to drop him off. The guys then talk about the Kings “Blackout Game” tonight, and all the events that will be going on there. Don then tells us about the email he got from long time loyal listener Dennis Murphy, who wants to go to the Bunny Ranch in Reno, because he hasn’t gotten laid in over ten years! Don gives Dennis a call, and the two talk about him coming out here, as well as some of the good times they had back in the day on The Don and Mike Show.

After hearing a few clips, including a girl who fell off the stage during American Idol last night, Will Ferrell announcing the Chicago Bulls lineup, and Mimi Alford describing losing her virginity to JFK, Don plays Password with the listeners for the last of the Kings tickets. Don has Dave and Phantom give the clues to the listeners, and after the tickets are given away, Don has Dave give clues to Slow Joe in the category of “Reality TV.” It takes Dave almost two minutes to get Slow Joe to say “Top Chef!”

Don then tells us that after all that Janet has gone through in the past week, on top of that, her iPhone crashed on her today. Dave and a few of the texters offer a few ways to reboot her phone to fix it. Don then plays a compilation of his epic farts from this week, before calling in Craig to get Chris Burke (Corky from “Life Goes On”) on the show! Chris talks to the guys about his new projects, getting recognized by people, and working for the National Downs Syndrome Society. He even does an intro for the “Phantom News Hour!”

After reading another sexist Cosmo quiz, and a more accurate Askmen quiz, it’s time for the “Phantom News Hour.” Today, Phantom talks about Rick Santorum needing more money to keep his campaign momentum going, the new iPad being available in March, Denzel being waterboarded for 45 minutes in filming his new movie, and Gary Busey files for bankruptcy. And of course, Don wraps everything up with a caller 100!