TORONTO – They were awake. Oh, they were plenty awake.

The issue with the Kings on a clear, nippy Canadian afternoon, on a day their slump stretched to six consecutive losses, had nothing to do with the noon tipoff (Eastern) and everything to do with missed free throws, missed opportunities and not enough misses by Toronto's Chris Bosh.

"This is one of the more ridiculous pieces of scheduling," coach Paul Westphal said Sunday before the Kings dropped a 115-104 game at Air Canada Centre. "I don't know if anybody's done this before. They don't have to send someone from the West. Send Detroit!"

The scheduling was more than a bit odd. As if the Kings needed additional help stacking defeats in bunches, the turnaround time following their flight was brutal. They arrived in Toronto at 7 p.m. Saturday and awakened around 8 a.m. Sunday. They ate breakfast and bused to the arena around 10 before encountering the Raptors and old friend Hedo Turkoglu.

But somewhere along the way, coffee must have been served, because Westphal had no complaints afterward about the schedule, the three-hour time change or his squad's effort. This wasn't comparable to the recent clunkers, except for the final outcome. The Kings gave one of their most energetic performances, even taking a 91-84 lead on Sean May's jumper with 11:11 remaining.

Against one of the Eastern Conference's better clubs – granted, the teams are almost mirror images when it comes to defense – the Kings moved the ball, received a mostly exceptional floor game from Tyreke Evans (nine assists) and scampered for 36 fast-break points. They also outrebounded the Raptors and had six players in double figures.

"We played well for 42 or 44 minutes," Westphal said.

And then …

"We blinked. They made shots. We didn't."

In the final period, Bosh tormented Spencer Hawes, Jason Thompson and Donté Greene with dunks, baseline jumpers, spin moves and tipins. The Kings failed to convert on several close-in shots and short jumpers, managing 28.6 percent over the final eight minutes.

Worst of all, they made just 4 of 9 free throws in the period. Greene missed one. Beno Udrih clanked all three of his tries. Kevin Martin short-rimmed an attempt that would have enabled Sacramento to regain the lead. The Kings finished 25 of 36 at the line.

Bosh, meanwhile, demonstrated why so many NBA executives salivate at the mere sight of the future free agent. In the final 10 minutes, the 6-foot-10 power forward went over and around his defenders. When he wasn't scoring his 36 points, rebounding or intimidating around the basket, he found open teammates for five assists.

"He's just so tough," Greene said. "You just try to make him work. You try to stay in front of him, but it's tough because he's so quick and so long. That's why he's an All-Star."

Greene's struggles at the line detracted from his spectacular third quarter.

Catching passes in rhythm from Evans, he struck for consecutive three-pointers from the right side. On the ensuing possession, Greene again sprinted down the right side, this time to the right corner, and ended up making another three.

After being fouled on yet another three-point attempt a few plays later, Greene faltered twice at the line, his outing a microcosm of the Kings' afternoon.

"We're getting tired of going out on our swords," Westphal said. "We want to win these."

Posted on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:05:03 PST at http://www.sacbee.com/kings/story/2520287.html#mi_rss=Kings/NBA
Author: avoisin@sacbee.com (Ailene Voisin)