Sacramento Kings guard Cuttino was fined $15,000 by the NBA yesterday for making an obscene gesture toward Seattle fans at the Key Arena in Game 1.

The gesture came after he hit a 3-pointer with 42.4 seconds to play in the game

When the Seattle Supersonics square off against the Sacramento Kings in Game 2 tonight they would be better suited to find a different way to win other than holding Mike Bibby to 1 of 16 shooting.  It isn?t going to happen again.

Coming off a season low 3 points, the Kings star will likely not repeat his miserable shooting performance, good players never do.  Also, do not expect Bibby?s backup Bobby Jackson to shoot 0-for-7 either.

?We gotta feel that Mike and Bobby are going to be better the next game,? Kings coach Rick Adelman said after Game 1.

?He?s a great player and he?s a guy that gets a lot of screens and a lot of shots, so he?s a guy you have to be ready to guard all the time,? said Ridnour, who often applied full-court pressure on Bibby in Game 1. ?He?s one of the best in the league at the point guard spot right now. ... He?s going to hit a lot of shots, and I?ve got to stay on him and make everything tough.?

Ray Allen scored 28 points to lead Seattle to an 87-82 win over the Sacramento Kings.  Also huge for the Sonics was Jerome James who had a monster 15 rebounds to go along with his 17 points.

The Sonics were dominant early, leading by 15 at halftime, but a strong 3rd quarter from the Kings made the game interesting, as they outscored the Sonics 24-15 in the frame.

Peja Stojakovic scored 24 points in 44 minutes of action, while Cuttino Mobley had 22.

Both teams were unsure what kind of club they'd field on Saturday night, as both the Sonics and Kings have endured a host of injuries.

With the Seattle Supersonics first playoff game versus the Kings tonight, Ray Allen is focused only on advancing the Sonics to the second round and beyond.

"I feel vindication after having been sent away from Milwaukee and being able to come here and help this team be successful and win," Allen said yesterday, the eve of the Sonics' Western Conference first-round series opener against Sacramento. "Where this team was, it was somewhat in a downward spiral. But we rebuilt it in the last year and half, and we're in a good place now."

When contract talks do come up, Allen still remains unsure of his future in Seattle.

"I know I'll still get judged, but I feel like I have done enough to guarantee some type of position in free agency on any team next year."

"I've hopefully solidified what I can do and I can carry a team to the playoffs. To win now is the most important thing. Whatever happens with this contract, hopefully they know what they are going to do already and what direction we are going to move in so we'll be good over the next couple of years to come."

Ray Allen ? Playing for a contract or just playing to win?  You be the judge.

After sitting the last 19 games with a stress fracture in his right fibula, Seattle Supersonics sharpshooter Vladimir Radmanovic is back in practice and says he will be ready for the team?s playoff opener against Sacramento this Saturday.

?I had hoped to come back and play the last two games of the regular season, but after awhile we figured out that wasn?t going to be possible,? Radmanovic said. ?So our main goal was to be ready for the playoffs. I?m not going to play 40 minutes in the first game. I just need to get in and get a feel for the game, and see how it goes. There?s not much we can say right now because it?s all up to me and how I feel on the court.?

He didn?t practice too hard yesterday as Sonics? coach Nate McMillan does not want to take any chances before the first round of the playoffs.

?We want to just save his legs as much as possible, and have him ready for the game,? McMillan said.

The Sacramento Kings activated Bobby Jackson from the injured list on Wednesday just in time for the Kings? first round playoff season versus the Sonics.  

Jackson has been injured since Dec. 21 with a torn ligament in his left wrist.

Peja Stojakovic will be on the Kings playoff roster, however, has not played since straining his groin Friday in a win over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Kobe Bryant missed the Lakers' game against Sacramento on Friday night to be with his wife, who had an ectopic pregnancy.

Vanessa Bryant has undergone several tests the last two days and Bryant was with her, the team said.

Bryant will remain with his wife, and his status for the final three games of the season is unknown, the team said. The Lakers didn't qualify for the playoffs.

"He's doing the right thing being with his wife," Lakers coach Frank Hamblen said.

Injured Kings Brad Miller and Bobby Jackson received good news about their potential return to action after being examined and tested Tuesday.

Geoff Petrie said he hoped both players would be on the Kings' 12-man playoff roster.

"That's a decision for another day," said Petrie, who will not have to submit its playoff roster until a few days before the postseason starts the weekend of April 23-24.

"I don't anticipate anything," Petrie added. "Neither has been released. Neither has practiced. We'll have to make that decision once they start doing more basketball-related activities. But I'm hopeful they are on the roster."

Getting Miller back on the floor would greatly improve the Kings' frontline.

"Brad's X-ray was much improved," Petrie said. "He's clinically healed, and that means he can start to significantly upgrade his activity. Now that doesn't mean he'll be running up and down in any scrimmages. But he'll be able to run on a treadmill unassisted and gradually increase his speed. He's on an as-he-feels basis."

Kings forward Corliss Williamson was suspended one game by the NBA on Sunday for hitting Portland's Joel Przybilla in the head.

Williamson knocked Przybilla down in the fourth quarter of the Kings' 119-115 win Friday. Przybilla got up and shouted at Williamson, and the two had to be restrained by teammates. Williamson was called for a flagrant foul.

He missed Sunday's game against the Lakers.

Latrell Sprewell stepped up for the Wolves on Sunday scoring 23 points in a 112-100 victory over the Sacramento Kings. Six of those points came off two clutch three-pointers in the fourth quarter, both of which halted attempted comeback efforts by the Kings.

When asked about Spree?s contribution in a post game interview, Kevin Garnett said, ?Our offense is kind-of crazy man.?

Averaging only eight points per game on the season, Latrell?s big game was a huge bonus for the desperate Wolves.