Kings crown Wolves; force Game 7

Minnesota, the top seed in the Western Conference, will host Game 7 on Wednesday.

Brad Miller collected 17 points, seven boards and five assists for Sacramento, which will be involved in a seventh game in the conference semifinals for the second straight year. The Kings dropped Game 7 to Dallas in the second round of the 2003 playoffs.

"The good thing is, we’ve been in this situation before," said Sacramento forward Chris Webber about playing in a Game 7. "So I feel comfortable going into it."

Mike Bibby and Doug Christie each netted 16 points for the Kings. Bibby also handed out 10 assists.

Latrell Sprewell paced Minnesota with 27 points. Kevin Garnett contributed 19 points, 10 rebounds and five assists for the Timberwolves, who are attempting to capture their second consecutive playoff series after having never advanced past the first round prior to the 2004 post-season.

Minnesota held a six-point lead early in the second quarter, before Anthony Peeler nailed a three-pointer for Sacramento to ignite a 14-0 spurt that gave the Kings a 45-37 lead.

Sacramento was later in front 48-41 and then closed the period with a 9-3 run to carry a 57-44 advantage into the locker room. Bibby and Sprewell led their respective clubs in the first half with 14 points apiece.

The Kings made 13-of-21 shots from the floor in the second stanza as they outscored the Timberwolves 33-14.

Minnesota battled back and closed within 61-55 on Sprewell’s three-pointer with 8:10 remaining in the third quarter.

Sacramento then countered with a 10-2 spurt to regain a double-digit advantage at 71-57 with 2:47 left in the period. Christie and Miller each sank four free throws during the run.

In the closing stages of the third stanza, Garnett and Peeler got involved in an altercation. Peeler caught Garnett with an elbow in the stomach with 30 seconds remaining. On the next trip down the floor, Garnett hit Peeler in the shoulder with an elbow and the Sacramento guard retaliated with his forearm to Garnett’s face and was ejected with 13.5 seconds left.

"I feel everybody should have gotten kicked out," Peeler said. "It always takes two people to fight. It’s never one person."

The Kings eventually led 78-63 after 36 minutes.

Minnesota got as close as 94-87 on Garnett’s basket with 3:25 remaining in the fourth quarter. However the Timberwolves would not score again, while Sacramento countered with 10 points to win going away.

The Kings took control early, scoring 17 of the first 25 points of the game. Christie’s three-pointer with 6:41 left in the opening quarter staked Sacramento to a nine-point lead.

Minnesota then responded with a 20-2 burst to take a 28-19 advantage. Fred Hoiberg, Sam Cassell and Sprewell each scored six points during the surge. The Timberwolves led 30-24 after 12 minutes.

Sprewell was 6-of-7 from beyond the arc. Cassell ended with 16 points.

Webber chipped in 14 points and seven boards for the Kings.

Miller was fined $10,000 on Sunday by the NBA for making an obscene gesture toward the Minnesota fans in Game 5 of this series.

The home team has won 83 percent of Game 7s.