 Mike Bibby has to enjoy being on the home team in Sacramento. Rocky Widner/NBAE/Getty Images from Blazers-Kings: 56k | 300k |
Sacramento is off an excellent start considering All-Star forward Chris Webber has yet to make his season debut. The Kings have continued their dominance at Arco, where they were 33-8 last season.
The lead changed hands three times in the fourth quarter before Portland's Bonzi Wells tied it, 83-83, on a 3-pointer with 2:33 left. But Turkoglu followed with a layup and Sacramento scored the game's final 12 points to improve to 5-0 at home.
Turkoglu made 6-of-9 shots, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range. Peja Stojakovic scored 21 points and Vlade Divac added 10 and 11 rebounds for his eighth double-double of the season.
"It was just a good day for me," Turkoglu said. "The coach put me in in the fourth and I got hot, I found my rhythym. It was a hard game, but I got lucky. Today was my day and I was happy to help my teammates."
Portland is playing without injured regulars Scottie Pippen, Damon Stoudamire and Ruben Patterson. All-Star forward Rasheed Wallace was on the bench for the final 10 minutes.
"I go and play the guys who are playing the game the right way and getting things done," Portland coach Maurice Cheeks said. "That's one of my motifs. We had a combination that was going and stuck with it."
Wells scored 13 points to lead six players in double figures for the Blazers. Shawn Kemp had 12 points and nine rebounds off the bench and Wallace chipped in 10 and 12.
Dale Davis scored 10 points and rookie Zack Randolph also had 10 as Portland's bench contributed 30 points on 16-of-29 shooting.
"Everyone that played on the court tonight came with a contribution," Cheeks said. "They gave us what we wanted, they gave us a chance to win."
The game was tied after the opening 12 minutes, but the Kings started the second quarter with an 8-2 run and held the lead until the final period.
Sacramento used a 6-0 run midway through the second to turn a 37-33 lead into a 10-point cushion. But the Blazers closed the first half on a 10-4 run, highlighted by four points from Rick Brunson, who ended up with 10 and seven assists off the bench.
Portland closed within a basket at 7:09 of the third quarter, but Sacramento scored 10 of the next 12 points and took a 63-53 lead on a jumper by Stojakovic with 3:26 to go.
The Blazers finished the quarter on a 10-2 spurt and took the lead, 67-66, on a basket by Randolph 1:48 into the fourth.
"I liked the way our guys competed," Cheeks said. "I thought we should've won the game. It's not about moral victories, but tonight we showed our character."
After Derek Anderson made a free throw for Portland, Turkoglu tied it with a pair from the line. Kemp followed with a dunk, but Divac forged another tie with a layup and the Kings never trailed thereafter.
"Our defense was up to par, but late in the game we couldn't guard them on the perimeter," Cheeks said. "We had a chance to win the game and I'm sure no one gave us a chance to actually be in this game."