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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – The Sacramento Kings, known far and
wide as the NBA's flashiest team, still can be pretty good when
they keep things simple.
|  | | Chris Webber was in foul trouble, but managed 20 points and eight rebounds for the Kings. |
Divac scored eight of his 13 points in the final seven minutes,
and Predrag Stojakovic hit a big jumper over Scottie Pippen with 27
seconds left as the Kings beat the Portland Trail Blazers 98-89.
There was no dramatic, defining moment for the Kings. Instead,
they were proud of the mistakes they didn't make – and what such a
win suggests they might do later this spring.
"This wasn't a game where one guy won it for us," Divac said.
"If you want to win in the playoffs, you need to win games like
these – games where you don't turn the ball over, you don't take
bad shots and you don't forget to play defense."
Sacramento (52-24) maintained its lead in the Pacific Division
and kept the pressure on San Antonio for the Western Conference
lead with a balanced team effort and tenacious late-game execution.
With just six games left in their regular season ? four on the road
– the Kings appeared to be in playoff form.
The Kings, who ended the game on a 9-2 run, had six players
score in double figures and made just six turnovers, tying the
franchise record for careful play.
With Chris Webber on the bench in foul trouble, Divac carried
the Kings down the stretch ? even though he missed three free
throws in the final 95 seconds. He followed a spinning layup with
1:35 left with several enthusiastic fist pumps that incited the
deafening Arco Arena crowd.
"We took control in the second half," Kings coach Rick Adelman
said. "Our bench guys and our role players did a great job today.
All of the guys stepped up when Webb was in foul trouble."
Webber and Stojakovic scored 20 points apiece on just 13-for-39
shooting, while Divac added 17 rebounds as the Kings won their
third straight overall and their 31st home game, the franchise's
most home wins since the Kings moved to Sacramento. The Kings won
despite shooting only 37 percent.
Divac took issue with Webber's suggestion that he was "a
rebounding machine."
"I'm a free throw-missing machine," Divac said with a grin.
"We missed a lot of shots, so there were a lot of opportunities
(for rebounds)."
It was a tight game in which Sacramento erased a 12-point
Portland lead in the first half, but the Blazers came back from an
11-point deficit in the third quarter. Neither team led by more
than four points in the fourth until Bobby Jackson's 3-pointer with
2:59 to play put Sacramento up 92-87.
After Stojakovic juked Pippen and hit a 25-footer, Divac grabbed
a difficult rebound and made another free throw to seal it. As the
Kings celebrated afterward, Divac ruffled the hair of rookie Hedo
Turkoglu, who hit two big fourth-quarter jumpers on his way to 12
points.
Portland lost for the fourth time in five games while slipping
1 1/2 games behind Dallas for the West's fifth seed. Still, the
Blazers looked better than the disorganized bunch that slumped
through much of the last four weeks, and coach Mike Dunleavy was
marginally encouraged by their effort.
"The game was well-played, and we're just trying to get to the
level where we need to be for the playoffs," Dunleavy said. "They
made some big shots, and we missed some down the stretch."
Two nights after scoring one point against the Warriors, Pippen
had 21 to lead the Blazers. Steve Smith, Damon Stoudamire and Dale
Davis scored 13 points apiece, while Rasheed Wallace had 12 points
and 11 rebounds.
If the playoffs began today, the Blazers would face the
defending champion Los Angeles Lakers in the first round.
Game notes
Wallace, who was accidentally poked in the eye by teammate
Arvydas Sabonis earlier, began the game wearing protective eye
goggles. He took them off during the first half. ... Sacramento
hadn't won the season series against Portland since the 1995-96
season. ... The Kings have informed several hundred season ticket
holders that their seats won't be available during the playoffs.
They'll instead be used by media covering the postseason. The
ticketholders will get seats elsewhere in Arco Arena.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Portland Clubhouse
Sacramento Clubhouse
RECAPS
Miami 81
New York 76
Indiana 108
New Jersey 83
Sacramento 98
Portland 89
Toronto 100
Chicago 88
LA Lakers 104
Minnesota 99
San Antonio 84
Golden State 76
Seattle 101
Milwaukee 88
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