Nor Cal Basketball

Kings center Brad Miller reaches for a rebound between the Clippers' Paul Davis, left, and Mike Taylor in the first half. Miller contributed 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting, 11 rebounds and eight assists.

Clippers guard Baron Davis drives around the Kings' Beno Udrih in the first half Wednesday night in Los Angeles. Davis scored only 12 points on 4-of-15 shooting but handed out a game-high 11 assists.

LOS ANGELES – For a time, it appeared Kings point guard Beno Udrih would wear a Clippers uniform.

A very short time.

The Clippers' pursuit of the then-free agent began at the earliest possible moment, when coach Mike Dunleavy met with Udrih for a late-night dinner on July 1 in New York City to discuss the possibility of the veteran heading for Los Angeles. By the next day, Baron Davis had shocked most of the NBA by opting out of his contract with Golden State, and he became the new object of Dunleavy's desire.

If only for one game, Udrih made it look as if the Clippers made the wrong decision on Wednesday night at Staples Center.

He was a commanding, convincing presence in the Kings' 103-98 win, scoring a career-high 30 points with a creative array of jumpers, drives, floaters and finger rolls that led to his team's first road win.

Udrih tallied a season-high seven assists as well, continuing what he had started with a strong outing against Detroit the previous night after his season started on such a sluggish note.

When a left hip flexor kept Udrih out of the final two exhibition games, the Kings' coaching staff was concerned about how he would play when he returned. The worries were warranted, as he was off-target and out of sync for the first five games. Yet after hitting 13 of 20 against the Clippers, Udrih has hit 36 of 63 (57.1 percent) in the last four games while averaging 16.1 points.

"I've been waiting for that," Udrih had said after scoring 18 points against Detroit. "That injury pushed me back. Now hopefully I'm going to keep playing like that, doing what I do and staying aggressive."

And proving he's worth such a hefty investment.

Dunleavy said he had every intention of giving Udrih the same five-year, $32 million deal he eventually took from the Kings.

"(After the dinner), we were scheduled to talk … the next morning, and there were some things that were known in terms of years and money," Dunleavy said. "There were some other potential things you could do with the contract, and then we were getting ready to discuss those, and then I got a call from (former Clippers forward) Elton (Brand) that Baron opted out and he wants to come."

The specifics of the free-agent drama were disputed publicly by Brand, his agent David Falk and Dunleavy, but the result was Brand signing a five-year, $79.8 million deal with Philadelphia while Davis was given a five-year, $65 million deal with the Clippers. The Kings, meanwhile, are feeling better about their choice with every game.

One night after the Kings let a 15-point lead slip away in a loss to Detroit, Udrih helped avoid a repeat with his 10-point third quarter. With Al Thorton (20 points) attacking and hitting from outside, Udrih did more than answer with a basket of his own every time. He made Davis play both ends of the floor. He took a charge. He penetrated in fifth gear and hit the brakes to find his teammates for wide-open looks.

And when his finger roll with 12.4 seconds left in the third fell in for an 81-69 lead, it appeared the Clippers may have already hit neutral and the Kings could drive home. Udrih, however, would need to steer the Kings in the fourth quarter as well.

With 1:03 remaining and the Kings' lead trimmed to 100-98, Udrih hit an 18-footer from the right side with the shot clock winding down and a defender flying by. Seconds later on the other end, his outstretched hand on the right wing was enough to alter Cuttino Mobley's three-point attempt and help seal the win. Davis had just 12 points on 4-of-15 shooting to go with 11 assists for the 1-7 Clippers.

Posted on Thu, 13 Nov 2008 00:00:00 PST at http://www.sacbee.com/kings/story/1393653.html
Author: samick@sacbee.com (Sam Amick)