Jackson has little message for Wolves

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- Bobby Jackson sent the crowd into a frenzy with a 3-pointer that barely beat the third-quarter buzzer. Then he turned toward the visiting bench and flexed his arm, staring right at Flip Saunders.

Whenever Jackson faces the Minnesota Timberwolves, that extra hop in his step is fueled by loathing for the coach and the team that let him walk away.

Jackson scored 24 points, and Chris Webber had 22 points and 11 rebounds as the Sacramento Kings beat Minnesota 98-86 Tuesday night for their 10th straight home victory.

"I would have done anything to win this game," Jackson said. "I came out at them with everything I had."

Jackson has played remarkably while filling in for injured point guard Mike Bibby, but his level of intensity against Minnesota always is exponentially higher. He spent two seasons there, playing limited minutes and working on his game, before the Wolves let him sign with Sacramento in the summer of 2000.

"I've got love for K.G. and the guys I played with, but I just can't stand that organization," Jackson said after hitting a career-high five 3-pointers and sparking the fourth-quarter rally that put it away.

"It's nothing against their players, but I just want to beat the dirt out of them every time we play them, just because of the way they treated me. I want to let them know what they're missing out on."

Jackson scored 11 points in the third, and Webber made five straight shots in the fourth as the Kings survived the stiffest challenge they've faced during their longest season-opening winning streak ever at Arco Arena.

Sacramento won for the ninth time in 10 games overall.

After sitting out the early part of the fourth, Jackson entered with 5 1/2 minutes left and promptly dished to Keon Clark for a thunderous dunk. Jackson then had a three-point play on a sprawling layup during an 18-4 run that iced it.

"Bobby has improved a lot. He's still a streaky shooter," Saunders said. "He has a lot of confidence in his ability to hit the 3. He's worked at his game a lot. This is the perfect situation for him."

Kevin Garnett had 18 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists -- missing his ninth career triple-double. He got his eighth against the Kings last Wednesday in Minneapolis, but the Kings held him to four points on 1-of-5 shooting in the fourth.

"When you (face) a team with nine players, you have to find a way to get it done," Garnett said. "I don't think the Kings' style is a danger to us. This is the same team we had down by 20 points (last week)."

Jackson led six players in double figures for the injury-plagued Kings, who dressed nine players and used only eight. Clark, signed specifically to block shots and help out on defense against players like Garnett, added eight rebounds and six blocks.

The Timberwolves are the only team to beat Sacramento since Nov. 15, but they never got a lead in this one.

For the Timberwolves, Troy Hudson scored 19 points, Rod Strickland had 10 in a reserve role, and Kendall Gill 11.

MINNESOTA (86)

Garnett 6-14 5-6 18, Trent 3-5 0-0 6, Nesterovic 5-11 0-0 10, Gill 5-13 1-2 11, Hudson 8-15 2-2 19, Strickland 4-9 1-2 10, Smith 2-6 0-0 4, Peeler 4-10 0-0 8, M.Jackson 0-2 0-0 0, Slater 0-0 0-0 0, Rakocevic 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 37-85 9-12 86.

SACRAMENTO (98)

Wallace 5-7 0-0 10, C.Webber 9-19 4-8 22, Divac 5-10 0-0 10, Christie 2-9 5-8 10, B.Jackson 9-17 3-3 26, Clark 2-6 1-2 5, Jones 2-5 0-0 4, J.Jackson 5-10 0-0 11. Totals 39-83 13-21 98.

Minnesota 20 26 22 18 -- 86

Sacramento 28 20 26 24 -- 98

3-Point Goals--Minnesota 3-9 (Strickland 1-1, Garnett 1-2, Hudson 1-3, Gill 0-1, Peeler 0-2), Sacramento 7-15 (B.Jackson 5-7, Christie 1-3, J.Jackson 1-3, C.Webber 0-1, Jones 0-1). Fouled out--None. Rebounds--Minnesota 51 (Garnett 16), Sacramento 52 (C.Webber 11). Assists--Minnesota 24 (Garnett 9), Sacramento 21 (C.Webber 7). Total fouls--Minnesota 20, Sacramento 13. Technicals--Minnesota Defensive Three Second 2, Clark. A--17,317 (17,317).