There may be no place like home for the holidays, but home just isn't what it used to be for the Kings.
While they have lost eight straight road games and are 2-13 away from Arco Arena for the season, the situation has been only slightly better in Sacramento. They are 5-9 on their home floor, but the atmosphere -- or lack thereof -- that has surrounded those games is the larger concern. The Kings entered Monday ranked 29th in home attendance (12,185 per game). The sad scene will likely continue through the holiday season when they play host to Toronto on Friday, Boston on Sunday and the Clippers on Dec. 30.
The Raptors are -- on paper -- the Kings' best chance to win at home. Toronto is 1-11 at Sacramento all time, the one victory coming on March 13, 1997 (103-96). The Celtics are 8-15 at Arco Arena, while the Clippers are 11-39 on the Kings' home floor.
SPURS 101, KINGS 85: Tony Parker didn't even need three full quarters to help put the Kings away on Monday night at the AT&T Center. The Spurs' point guard had a team-high 18 points and six assists before he was ejected late in the third quarter for arguing a foul. It mattered little -- the Spurs were up 21 points at the time in their rout. Five Spurs scored in double figures, but it was their defensive effort that keyed the win as they held the Kings to 39.7-percent shooting (31-of-78).
