Webber Leads Kings to Rout of Mavericks

<br>SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) _ Chris Webber is ready to play on consecutive nights, and coach Rick Adelman has agreed to let him do it. <br><br>``After having successful back-to-back games, hopefully I'll

Friday, March 12th 2004, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) _ Chris Webber is ready to play on consecutive nights, and coach Rick Adelman has agreed to let him do it.

``After having successful back-to-back games, hopefully I'll be let loose,'' Sacramento's star forward said.

Webber had 16 points, eight rebounds and five assists in his first game against Dallas since hurting his knee against the Mavericks during last year's playoffs, and the Kings beat Dallas for the first time in three meetings this season, 120-102 Thursday night.

``I didn't feel it was a good game,'' Webber said. ``The best is yet to come. But it does feel good not to stink the place up.''

Peja Stojakovic scored 22 points, Doug Christie added 22 and 12 assists, and Mike Bibby had 21 points and 10 assists as the Kings improved to 48-16 and moved into a tie with Indiana for the NBA's best record. Sacramento, 29-5 at home, also got 21 points and 16 rebounds from Brad Miller. The Kings' 39 assists tied their season high.

Dirk Nowitzki had 21 points, eight rebounds and four assists to lead the Mavericks, who lost their fourth straight road game.

In the only other NBA game, Houston beat New Orleans 97-86.

Sacramento is 4-1 with Webber back in the lineup, and Adelman is going to let him play on consecutive nights for the first time this season when the Kings visit Portland on Friday.

``I'll play him tomorrow and see how he reacts,'' Adelman said. ``He's going to be ready to play. He was so much more patient tonight. He seemed more relaxed and just let the game come to him.''

The five-time All-Star was activated Feb. 16, then suspended eight games for violating the league's anti-drug policy and lying to a federal grand jury.

He played against the Los Angeles Clippers on March 2 and averaged 24 points in his first three games before resting his knee during a 107-90 win over Orlando on Sunday. Webber returned to the starting lineup Tuesday and struggled with just five points on 2-for-21 shooting in a 96-92 home win over Golden State.

Michael Finley added 18 points and six assists, and Steve Nash had 13 points and seven assists for Dallas, which shot 41 percent and trailed by as many as 24.

``We got our butts beat tonight,'' Dallas coach Don Nelson said.

Mavericks forward Josh Howard played only 13 minutes after cutting his lip in the second quarter and receiving nine stitches.

Webber tore cartilage in his left knee in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals _ a series Dallas won in seven games. He missed the first 58 games this season.

Dallas, an NBA-best 29-4 at home, has struggled to an 11-20 mark on the road. The Mavericks are in a stretch where they play eight of 10 on the road, where they have lost eight of their last 10.

``It's very frustrating,'' Nash said. ``We've been inconsistent. That's kind of new territory for us.''

The Kings shot 69.6 percent (16-for-23) in the first quarter to build a 10-point lead and went ahead 64-52 at halftime. They were 48-for-85 (56.5 percent) for the game.

Adelman is one victory shy of matching Les Harrison (295) for the most coaching wins in franchise history.

Rockets 97, Hornets 86

At Houston, Cuttino Mobley scored 31 points and equaled a season high with six 3-pointers.

With the Rockets leading 23-21 early in the second quarter, Mobley scored 13 straight points for Houston as part of a 17-4 surge.

Yao Ming had four points, a blocked shot and two fouls in the first five minutes. He sat out the rest of the opening period, and New Orleans outscored Houston 8-4 over the closing minutes for a 21-21 tie. Yao finished with 17 points and five fouls.