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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- After nearly two weeks without a
behind-the-back pass or a half-court alley-oop, Jason Williams could have played two games.
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The Golden State Warriors couldn't even give him one challenging half.
Williams had 12 assists in his return from a five-game
suspension, and Chris Webber had 27 points and nine rebounds as the
Sacramento Kings beat the Warriors 115-84 Wednesday night.
"It feels great to be back, but it feels a lot better to get a win," Williams said. "I told the guys I was feeling like (playing) a doubleheader ... but I don't think my teammates' knees could handle it."
Predrag Stojakovic scored 27 points as the Kings put on another exceptional display of passing while embarrassing their Northern California rivals. Sacramento led by 17 points in the first quarter and 29 shortly before halftime.
"Jason got our offense rolling in the first half," Kings coach
Rick Adelman said. "You sense the difference when he's out
there."
Williams, who received a five-game ban for violating rules in the NBA's anti-drug program, sported a white headband around his freshly shaved head in his first game since the preseason. He seemed intent on being a patient point guard, and didn't take any questionable shots in a 2-of-6 performance.
Williams found his teammates with both simple and difficult passes as Sacramento ran away with the game early. Webber went 9-of-10 from the field for 19 points in the first half, while Stojakovic hit three 3-pointers as every player on the Kings' roster scored.
"It's great having him back," said Webber, the beneficiary of
six of Williams' assists. "The game just picks up so much more
tempo. It's amazing."
The Warriors thought they had improved their athleticism with
their offseason roster moves, but Sacramento showed them just how
far they have to go. The Kings' new commitment to defense could be
seen in Golden State's 31 turnovers and Sacramento's six blocked
shots and 13 steals.
"I won't look at the first-half tape, and no one else can, either," Warriors coach Dave Cowens said. "We just weren't ready to play. Hopefully it won't happen again. ... We made it easy on them. We had 31 turnovers. It was a terrible game."
Danny Fortson had 17 points and 14 rebounds as the Warriors lost their third straight. Fortson, acquired from Boston in a four-way offseason trade, has recorded double figures in points and rebounds in each of Golden State's four games this year.
Williams didn't take many poor shots, but Golden State's Larry
Hughes filled the void. He threw up several airballs while scoring
15 in another erratic performance.
"You just have to get one like this out of your mind and get on
with it," said Antawn Jamison, who had just 10 points in 25
minutes.
With Sacramento up 25 in the closing minutes, Kings rookie
Hidayet Turkoglu even got to make his NBA debut. Turkoglu scored
his first points on a jumper with 3:05 left.
Sacramento beat Golden State for the third straight time and the 13th time in their last 14 meetings at Arco Arena. The teams meet again in Oakland on Friday night.
Game notes Officials called a total of five palming violations against
Williams and Hughes, leaving both young stars shaking their heads.
... The Kings averaged 116.8 points per game in four meetings with
Golden State last season. ... Warriors guard Vonteego Cummings is
expected to be out approximately six weeks after undergoing plastic
surgery on Wednesday to repair his fractured right cheek. Cummings
was injured when he fell and ran into teammate Adonal Foyle's knee
on Saturday against San Antonio. ... Stojakovic's 27 points were
three off his career-high.
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NBA Scoreboard
Golden State Clubhouse
Sacramento Clubhouse
RECAPS
Indiana 108 Milwaukee 97
Philadelphia 103 Detroit 94
New Jersey 102 Washington 86
Miami 87 Seattle 81
Cleveland 99 New York 97
Charlotte 96 Orlando 90
Vancouver 101 Dallas 74
San Antonio 91 LA Lakers 81
Denver 109 Minnesota 107
Utah 93 LA Clippers 87
Sacramento 115 Golden State 84
AUDIO/VIDEO
Nick Anderson takes the breakaway in for the basket.
avi: 469 k
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