The Sacramento Kings finished a perfect 5-0 homestand after a 102-96 victory over the Houston Rockets.  

Peja Stojakovic scored 22 points, while Brad Miller scored 13 points and played gritty last-minute defense on Yao in the Kings' sixth straight victory overall.

With the win, Sacramento is now 7-4 on the season, trailing first-place Phoenix by 2 games in the Pacific Division.

Guard Courtney Alexander was waived by the Sacramento Kings on Saturday without playing in a regular-season game.

Alexander was signed as a free agent shortly before training camp but played sparingly in the preseason with various nagging injuries. The fifth-year pro has played for Washington, Dallas and New Orleans.

Alexander missed the first nine games of the regular season with a sore left foot, and coach Rick Adelman grew frustrated with Alexander's apparent lack of progress.

"We know he can play, but we just haven't seen it," Adelman said.

NBA commissioner David Stern believes the Sacramento Kings will secure funding for a new arena in plenty of time to prevent the team from leaving Northern California.

Arco Arena has few of the luxurious amenities that generate revenue for most NBA teams, and the club has battled with local governments for several years over a plan to replace it. Stern supports a new proposal in which local developers would generate funds for an arena in exchange for a deal on rezoned land.

"I'm optimistic," Stern said before the Kings' game against Chicago on Tuesday night. "It sounds like a lot of people who have invested a fair amount of time and some money in this idea think it can be done, and the Maloofs have determined they will support it completely."

"We ran into a wall politically here," owner Gavin Maloof said of recent attempts to secure public funding for an arena. "(The new plan) makes sense for Sacramento, and we need a new arena."

"If it happens, we'll have a new state-of-the-art arena on the drawing boards in Sacramento, and the Maloof family will have their wish of making sure that the team stays in Sacramento for as long as you can see into the future," Stern said.

Relocation isn't out of the question despite the Kings' enthusiastic fan base in one of the nation's fastest-growing areas.

"If the Maloofs stay the course as they have and tell the league that they've done all they can to get the arena for the long term and it hasn't worked, I think their partners would be sympathetic to their plight," Stern said.

When asked how long Arco Arena could subsist as the Kings' home, Stern said: "As long as it takes to put together a plan to replace it."

Sacramento swingman Peja Stojakovic hasn't publicly rescinded his trade demand, but there are indications that he is preparing to remain in Sacramento for the long haul.

According to the Sacramento Bee, Stojakovic has taken his home off the market and is helping his mother, Branka, shop for a place to live in the area.

He's also been seen having long, friendly conversations with teammate Chris Webber. Webber's post-playoff critique of unnamed teammates last spring was thought to be one reason Stojakovic asked to be traded.  Also contributing to Peja's displeasure was the departure of Vlade Divac to the Lakers.

In the latest installment of a GM survey conducted by NBA.com, the San Antonio are the popular choice to win the Western Conference.  The Spurs received 71.4% of the vote.

The Minnesota Timberwolves were the only other team to receive votes, with a 28.6% take.

Both teams are also heavy favorites in their respective divisions.

In the Pacific Division, the Sacramento Kings are the popular choice, with the Lakers and Warriors collecting just a couple of votes.