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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- Strange as it may seem, the Sacramento
Kings are winning with defense.
Bobby Jackson stripped the ball from Scottie Pippen and hit two
free throws with 11 seconds left as the Kings beat the Trail
Blazers 79-75 Monday night for their first win over Portland in
nearly three years.
Thanks to a revolutionary attitude exemplified by new Kings
Jackson and Doug Christie, the NBA's most pass-happy, run-and-gun
team of the last two seasons has held all five of its opponents
this season under 50 percent shooting.
"We beat Portland because we played defense," said Vlade
Divac, whose layup with 22 seconds left put the Kings up for good.
"We didn't shoot the ball well, and we didn't rebound great, but
we stopped them. If we can do that in future games, we'll beat
anybody."
Playing the NBA's final home opener after beginning the season
on a four-game road trip, the Kings buckled down, banged bodies
down low and put a hand in the Blazers' faces all night long.
Jackson's sly theft from Pippen was the final act in an outstanding
defensive performance.
The Blazers shot poorly, passed only sporadically and got just
20 points from their vaunted bench. Steve Smith was 2-of-9, Shawn
Kemp 2-of-10, Dale Davis 3-of-12 and Damon Stoudamire 4-of-14 as
the Kings watched Portland miss dozens of jumpers rather than drive
inside.
The Kings snapped an 11-game losing streak against the Blazers.
Sacramento hadn't beaten Portland since Dec. 16, 1997.
Sacramento led by 13 early in the fourth quarter, but Portland
made a 19-6 run culminating in Rasheed Wallace's short jumper with
34 seconds left that tied it at 75.
Chris Webber, who had 29 points on 13-of-21 shooting, passed out
of double coverage to Divac, who hit the go-ahead layup. Moments
later, Pippen tried to drive the lane but was robbed by Jackson,
and Pippen was forced to foul.
"I saw him drive, and I knew what he was going to do, so I just
stepped in there and grabbed it," Jackson said. "Hopefully we can
make plays like that every night."
Wallace had 24 points for the Blazers, who have lost three of
four to begin a season in which many picked them to win the title.
"When you hold a team to 79 points, you'd think you'd win,"
Smith said. "They got the last shot, and we just didn't play down
the stretch."
The game was the last in Jason Williams' five-game suspension
for violating the league's drug policy. In their flashy point
guard's absence, the Kings looked to Webber on offense and then got
defensive, holding Portland to 34 percent shooting in the first
three quarters before the Blazers' late run.
"I think that defensive effort was long overdue," Webber said.
"We expect that extra effort now on the floor."
Divac had 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Kings, who would
have won handily if not for 5-of-20 shooting in the fourth quarter.
Peja Stojakovic, who averaged 19.8 points per game in the Kings'
first four outings, was 1-of-11 from the field.
"We knew we had an opportunity, but we couldn't get it done,"
said Pippen, who had 13 points. "We have to put together a game
and build up on what we did right tonight."
Sacramento, which won 30 of 41 games last season at Arco Arena,
won its third straight home opener.
Game notes
After spending the season's first week on the road,
Sacramento won't leave Northern California for three weeks. The
Kings began a string of seven home games in eight, with a Friday
trip to Golden State the only road game. ... Portland finished a
three-game road trip and has three home games this week. ...
Portland also played strong defense, blocking 10 shots. ... There
may be a kinder, gentler Wallace emerging. Midway through the third
quarter, Wallace didn't get a foul call he wanted from referee Joe
Crawford. On the Blazers' next possession, Crawford hit Wallace
with an offensive foul -- but instead of going for another of the
league-leading 38 technical fouls he got last season, Wallace
turned to coach Mike Dunleavy and yelled, "You talk to him!"
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NBA Scoreboard
Portland Clubhouse
Sacramento Clubhouse
RECAPS
Orlando 110
Seattle 99
Dallas 108
Denver 96
Utah 98
Minnesota 92
Vancouver 97
Atlanta 87
Sacramento 79
Portland 75
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Vlade Divac on the changes in this year's Kings team and their victory over Portland.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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