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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
CHICAGO (AP) -- Predrag Stojakovic had one of those nights when everything goes right.
|  | | Chris Webber rises above the Chicago defense for two of his 23 points. |
Whenever he took a shot, it swished. When he went up for a rebound, the ball stuck to his hands. When the Sacramento Kings needed a quick bucket, he was there with the score.
Stojakovic scored 23 points on 10-of-13 shooting, grabbed eight
rebounds and had three steals Tuesday night as the Kings beat the
Chicago Bulls 100-81 in the season opener.
"He's my man," said Chris Webber, who also had 23 points for the Kings. "He's one of the best shooters in the league. I feel
great playing with him as it really helps your game to have a great
shooter out on the wing.
"He makes so many shots, I don't have to rebound."
Well, that's not exactly true. Webber had eight boards, too, as
well as a game-high seven assists and three blocked shots. But
Stojakovic was good enough that the Kings didn't miss a beat
without Jason Williams, the flashy point guard with the spectacular
passes and the playground-style game.
Williams is suspended for the first five games of the season for
failing to comply with his drug treatment plan.
"I was a bit nervous because it was my first game as a
starter," Stojakovic said. "Guys were bugging me about my
rebounding because I averaged only about one or two per game in the
preseason. But tonight I played hard and the ball found me."
Bobby Jackson, playing the point in Williams' absence, scored 14
points on 5-of-9 shooting and had six assists.
Ron Mercer, lured to Chicago when the big-name free agents turned up their noses at the Bulls' money, overcame a slow start to
score 19. He missed his first five shots and was just 1-of-7 in the first half, but he settled down in the second, scoring six in the first two minutes of the third quarter.
"In the beginning I wasn't really in the groove," Mercer said. "I started to feel more comfortable, and I worked from that."
Elton Brand had 16 points, while Khalid El-Amin added 11 and Fred Hoiberg had 10 for the Bulls.
But the highlight of the night for the Bulls was rookie Marcus Fizer. The forward scored 16 points on 7-of-13 shooting, including the play of the game at the end of the first half.
With about 2 seconds left, he stole the ball from Lawrence
Funderburke, crossed the halfcourt line, pulled up and, with the
crowd yelling "Shoot!" let the ball fly. The 34-footer went in,
drawing a huge roar from the crowd and pulling the Bulls within
46-42 at the half.
"My main goal tonight was to win the game and that goal was not met, so anything I did was nullified," Fizer said. "I was more hurt losing the game than (excited by) what I did on offense."
With an average age of 22.8 years, the Bulls are the youngest team in the NBA, and they looked it in flashes. They managed to hang with the Kings until the last five minutes of the third quarter, when Stojakovic scored nine points during a 17-9 run that gave Sacramento a 69-61 lead.
The Bulls didn't manage a field goal until Mercer's layup with
6:56 left in the fourth quarter, and they got sloppy with missed
shots and turnovers. Whenever they did manage to score, the Kings
had an answer.
The Bulls finished with 20 turnovers, and Sacramento converted
them into 27 points.
"Anytime you start off the season with four road games, it is
certainly good to start the trip with a win," Kings coach Rick
Adelman said. "Early in the game, we started out in kind of a rut,
but in the fourth quarter, we took control with our rebounding and
defensive work."
Game notes
Stojakovic's eight rebounds were one off his career high.
... El-Amin was the first second-round draft pick to start a season
opener for the Bulls since Sam Worthen in 1980. ... The Kings
outscored the Bulls a whopping 58-26 in the paint.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Sacramento Clubhouse
Chicago Clubhouse
RECAPS
Charlotte 106
Atlanta 82
Cleveland 86
New Jersey 82
Orlando 97
Washington 86
Dallas 97
Milwaukee 93
Philadelphia 101
New York 72
Detroit 104
Toronto 95
Sacramento 100
Chicago 81
Minnesota 106
Houston 98
San Antonio 98
Indiana 85
Utah 107
LA Clippers 94
Golden State 96
Phoenix 94
LA Lakers 96
Portland 86
Vancouver 94
Seattle 88
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