Sacramento Kings

SACRAMENTO -- It almost had to happen this way. The cowbells were long gone and Phil Jackson hadn't zinged the local folks up here in years, but the Lakers reached way back into their rivalry with the Sacramento Kings and rode away with a 103-98 victory Saturday. It might have been the last time they ever meet here, the Kings possibly ticketed for Seattle, and if so, the Lakers grabbed the final edge again. Kobe Bryant played almost all 48 minutes, sitting out only 23 seconds at the end of the third quarter.

Sacramento Kings Coach Jerry Reynolds, who collapsed and lost consciousness during the final minutes of the Kings' game against Portland Tuesday night, was released from a hospital with a doctor's report that he was in good health after 48 hours of heart tests and observation.

I enjoyed reading the article on the Sacramento Kings, particularly the line "We own the whole McGilla . . . " I believe the word should have been the Yiddish megillah and not the new Irish version as printed. MERV KOLB Los Angeles

The Sacramento Kings struck a deal on naming rights for Arco Arena and formally accepted the terms of a $70-million loan offered by the Sacramento City Council. "The Sacramento Kings are going to stay in Sacramento," team owner Jim Thomas told council members. Before he could accept the loan, Thomas had to raise $20 million through an agreement on naming rights for Arco Arena, the Kings' nine-year-old home court. Thomas, a Los Angeles businessman, had originally faced a Feb.