Kings Rule Over Jazz This Time

It was payback time for the Sacramento Kings.

Chris Webber had 20 points and nine rebounds Friday night, leading the Kings to a 105-92 victory over the Utah Jazz at Sacramento in a rematch of last season’s first-round playoff meeting.

The Kings downplayed the significance of the victory, yet the message was clear. The younger, quicker Kings looked improved against the aging Jazz, who won last year’s five-game playoff series.

“It just happened to be Utah that we played tonight,” said reserve guard Jon Barry, who scored eight of his 12 points in the fourth quarter. “We learned a lot last year playing those guys. They are a team that always executes so well. I thought we executed pretty well tonight.”

That execution was evident in the fourth quarter, when Sacramento pulled away for good with a 15-4 run, extending its lead to 95-78 with 4:51 to play.

It was accomplished with reserves such as Barry and Lawrence Funderburke (11 points, seven rebounds) leading the way. The Kings’ reserves scored 37 points.

“We had great support from the bench, it was just a solid win,” Coach Rick Adelman said.

The starters also contributed in a major way. Webber paced six players in double figures. Jason Williams scored 18 points, Nick Anderson had 12 and Vlade Divac added 10.

Portland 93, Denver 78--Rasheed Wallace had 19 points and 11 rebounds as the Trail Blazers withstood a second-half charge at Denver.

Scottie Pippen added 10 points, eight assists and six rebounds for the Trail Blazers, who continued to display their impressive depth. Detlef Schrempf had 15 points and Steve Smith finished with 14.

Portland (5-1), coming off its only loss of the season Tuesday, built a 65-41 lead before the Nuggets rallied in the third quarter.

Charlotte 96, New Jersey 92--Former Laker Eddie Jones made all 12 of his free throws and scored 24 points for the Hornets at Charlotte, N.C.

The Hornets, 4-0 at home, didn’t make a field goal in the last four-plus minutes but made 10 of 12 foul shots in the final 2:35, four by Jones.

Jones, who came in averaging an NBA-leading 3.2 steals, had five more and added five assists.

Former Laker Elden Campbell and David Wesley added 17 points apiece for Charlotte. Wesley had 11 assists and Campbell had 11 rebounds.

Miami 104, Washington 95--Alonzo Mourning scored nine of his 25 points down the stretch at Washington as the Heat pulled away for its fourth win in a row.

Miami blew a 23-point, first-quarter lead, then put the game away with a 15-4 fourth-quarter run.

Every starter scored in double figures for the Heat.

Tracy Murray scored 15 points for the Wizards, who have lost five in a row after winning their opener.

Milwaukee 107, Phoenix 92--Glenn Robinson grabbed 12 rebounds and scored 12 of his 27 points in the third quarter at Milwaukee.

Robinson was the difference in a game featuring a matchup of two of the NBA’s best guard tandems. Milwaukee’s Ray Allen and Sam Cassell won their duel with Jason Kidd and Penny Hardaway, with the Bucks’ duo combining for 39 points and 19 assists compared to 36 points and seven assists for the Suns’ guards.

Boston 80, New York 74--Antoine Walker scored 22 points as the Celtics, helped by an injury to New York’s Marcus Camby, held off a late rally at Boston.

Camby, watching from the bench because of tendinitis in his left knee after leaving the game midway through the first quarter, saw his teammates cut a 46-33 halftime deficit to 77-74 on a 14-foot jumper by Kurt Thomas with 1:59 to play.

Philadelphia 92, Chicago 86--Allen Iverson scored 35 points and led a 16-0 surge in the second half at Philadelphia.

At 0-5, the Bulls are off to their worst start since they lost their first nine games in 1967-68. Down by 18 points in the fourth quarter, Chicago rallied within four in the final minute before falling short.

Golden State 103, Vancouver 93--John Starks scored a season-high 22 points at Vancouver as the Warriors won for the first time this season.

Around the League

Center Tyrone Hill of the Philadelphia 76ers was put on the injured list because of a ruptured finger ligament. Replacing Hill on the roster is former Clipper center Stanley Roberts, who was activated from the injured list after recovering from a shoulder injury. . . . More than 10 years after hanging up his Detroit Piston jersey, Darryl Dawkins will return to the court Nov. 26 when the Winnipeg Cyclone plays its season opener at Rapid City, S.D. Dawkins, 42, expects to sign a player contract with the Cyclone of the nine-team International Basketball Assn. on Tuesday.