The last time the Sacramento Kings and Seattle Supersonics squared off, opening night in Arco Arena, the absence of King star forward Chris Webber was hardly a problem. Behind the fine play of Yugoslavians Peja Stojakovic and Vlade Divac, the Kings still won 101-95.

Tonight, the absence of Webber was a problem.

Or maybe it wasn't. Quite possibly, the addition of Webber would have made nary a difference as the Sonics took advantage of excellent shooting, especially from the perimeter, in dispatching the Kings 104- 92 in KeyArena.

Despite Webber's absence, the Sonics did not look more to the inside for offense. Instead, they went beyond the three point line. Seattle made 9 of 15 triples for the game, and 7 of 9 during the first half. On the other side, Sacramento made just 4 of 14 three point attempts.

That's not to diminish the importance of the Sonics' power forward, Vin Baker. After a slow start, Baker turned it on to finish up the game with a nice line of 16 points and 9 rebounds. Divac, who torched the Sonics for 27 points on opening night, combined with Scot Pollard, Webber's replacement, for only 16 points up front for the Kings.

The only reason that the Kings were able to hang around as long as they did was the Sonics' sudden and inexplicable inability to avoid turnovers. Brent Barry and Baker each had 5; point guards Gary Payton and Earl Watson had 3 apiece. All told, the Sonics had 21 turnovers for the game, many of them converted by Sacramento into easy fast-break baskets.

However, the Sonics were able to keep the Kings' running game in check by dominating the glass. Sacramento's 33 rebounds were the lowest for a Sonic opponent all season, while Seattle had 47, thanks in large part to the work of guards Payton and Barry, who combined for 16 -- more than Divac and Pollard combined.

The game started off slowly on the offensive end for each side. Payton provided the Sonics an offensive lift, scoring 7 of their first 9 points. Seattle held a lead much of the quarter, but Sacramento erased this advantage when they found the Sonic interior defense soft and welcoming, and drove the lane repeatedly. After Payton picked up his second foul, he was replaced by rookie Watson, who immediately energized the Sonics. They outscored Sacramento 8-2 after Watson entered the game to take a four point lead -- and momentum -- at the end of the quarter.

The early second quarter was more of the same. Seattle got an offensive shot in the arm from Barry, who threw in four threeballs in the first half alone. His opposite number, Seattle native Doug Christie, got hot to keep Sacramento close. As well, the Kings began forcing the Sonics to foul them in low as opposed to allowing easy baskets. Seattle went to the half with a six point lead.

The third quarter saw the Sonics plagued by turnover-itis. Easy baskets allowed the Kings to atone for their otherwise poor shooting. The Sonics learned their lesson, and began to run the floor themselves on King misses. The fast break points enabled the Sonics to extend their lead over 10 points. A buzzer beating leaner by Rashard Lewis put the advantage at 14 heading to the final period of play.

In the fourth quarter, both teams went back and forth, with neither side able to establish momentum. This was okay with the Sonics, who were more than willing to trade baskets. When the Kings couldn't get the lead under 10 with two minutes left, Sacramento coach Rick Adelman conceded, sending in his deep reserves. Although the only drama left was whether the Sonics could get the six points they needed to hit 110 and win their fans chalupas, the Kings continued playing hard, and were able to make the final score a bit more respectable. The Sonics went cold, and their fans went home without free food, but happy nevertheless.

Payton's 27 points on 11 of 18 shooting led the team and marked one of his best performances of the season. He added 10 assists and 7 boards. Barry had 19 on 7 of 11 shooting, including 5 of 7 from beyond the arc. He finished with 9 rebounds, all defensive. Lewis shot 8 of 16 en reute to 20 points. Art Long, starting his second straight game, had 6 points and 6 boards.

In his return to his hometown, Christie led Sacramento with 23 points on 10 of 20 shooting. Stojakovic was effective, but the Sonics neutralized him by not letting him get many looks. He finished with 18 points on 5 of 10 from the field. Point guard Mike Bibby had 13 points, but they came on middling 6 of 15 shooting. Reserve Bobby Jackson came off the bench to score 12 points, and Divac added 10 points and 8 boards.

Notes:
Sonic forward Vladimir Radmanovic sat out his second straight game with a sprained ankle ... reserve Peja Drobnjak suffered the embarrassment of several boos when he missed everything on a 20-foot jumper from the sideline, but was offensively active while in the game and had 6 points ... Desmond Mason struggled offensively for the second straight game since returning, but had 7 rebounds ... Sacramento's Divac limped off the court and into the lockerroom with 4:28 left in the game ... the right baseline on the side of the court near the Sonic bench must have been cursed ... during the second half, King reserve Lawrence Funderburke launched an ill-advised fadeaway jumper from nearly the same spot as Drobnjak. Instead of hitting nothing, this one caught the side of the glass ... the Sonics nearly doubled up the Kings in assists, 32-17.

SC.com Player of the Game: Setting the tone for the Sonics in their big victory this evening was Gary Payton, who started out hot and didn't cool off all game.