Turkoglu Will Remain the Starter

Upon further reflection, Coach Rick Adelman decided against removing swingman Hedo Turkoglu from the starting lineup in favor of guard Bobby Jackson for Game 2 tonight.

Turkoglu was scoreless, missing all eight shots he attempted in 29 minutes Saturday in the Kings’ 106-99 loss to the Lakers in Game 1. More than one pressroom wit dubbed Turkoglu “He-Don’t” afterward.

Jackson had 21 points in 25 minutes in a reserve role.

Turkoglu has been starting in place of Peja Stojakovic, who has been sidelined because of a sprained right ankle since Game 3 of the Kings’ conference semifinal victory over the Dallas Mavericks. Turkoglu vowed to drive to the basket more often tonight in Game 2. He said he spent too much time Saturday on the perimeter.

“He had a tough game,” Adelman said. “What he’s got to do is play the whole game. He got down. Maybe he felt the pressure. We’re going to give him some opportunities where he can be more aggressive.”

Adelman said he doesn’t want Jackson, who is 6 feet 1, to join 6-1 point guard Mike Bibby and 6-6 shooting guard Doug Christie in the starting lineup because it gives the Kings matchup problems.

“They’re two pretty small guards,” Adelman said of Jackson and Bibby. “How do you match up with Kobe [Bryant]? We talked about it, but at this point, we’re not going to do it.”

Laker forward Rick Fox, who muzzled Turkoglu in Game 1 and thwarted Stojakovic in last season’s conference semifinal sweep of the Kings, agreed with Adelman. Fox also brought up another issue the Kings face if they start Jackson.

“They risk losing something off the bench if they start him,” Fox said of Jackson. “[But] if you’re in a desperate situation, you do what you have to do.”

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The King defense rested in the first quarter, which accounted for the Lakers’ 36-22 lead and 16-for-24 shooting. At least that was the general consensus after practice Sunday.

“The first quarter was terrible,” center Vlade Divac said. “We let them have a lot of open shots. We didn’t make shots. We put ourselves in a difficult situation. It’s not the way we’re supposed to play. We’ve been in this situation before, but not against the Lakers. It’s always tougher against the Lakers.”

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Asked if tonight’s game was must-win, Adelman said, “We don’t want to go to L.A. down, 2-0.”

Asked if there were significant adjustments that needed to be made, he said, “We’ve got to play 48 minutes. We can’t have one quarter like that first one against that team. We’re not going to suddenly become a half-court team or play a zone. The adjustments are minor things. We have to execute better.”

Asked why he hasn’t joined in the trash talking during the series, he said, “It’s 10 minutes out of your life that you’ll never get back. Why worry about it?”

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For all the talk about the Kings’ great home-court advantage at raucous Arco Arena, the recent facts would indicate they are better on the visitors’ home floor. The Kings’ loss Saturday gave them a 3-3 playoff record at home. They are 4-0 on the road.