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CHICAGO (Ticker) -- Even without Jason Williams, the Sacramento Kings had plenty to take care of the Chicago Bulls. With Williams suspended, Chris Webber and reserve point guard Bobby Jackson ran the offense and the Kings pulled away for a 100-81 victory over the Bulls in the season opener for both teams. Williams, Sacramento's flashy point guard, is suspended for the first five games for violation of the NBA's anti-drug policy. It is a brutal stretch, with the Kings playing four straight road games against teams holding their home openers before returning home to face powerful Portland. "Any time you start off the season with four road games, it's certainly good to start the trip with a win," Kings coach Rick Adelman said. "I thought our defense was the key to the victory. Offensively, we kind of found our niche in the fourth quarter. It's just nice to get a win, especially with Jason out." Webber and Jackson got the Kings through the first one with relative ease. The Bulls, who have seven rookies among the 15 players on their roster, put up a fight for three quarters before collapsing in the final period. Webber had 23 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. The 6-10 All-Star forward was content to set up teammates in the first half before becoming more aggressive in the second. "Chris missed a lot of shots early, but he stayed with it and almost got a triple-double out of it," Adelman said. "I was very happy with his effort." "I'm glad we were able to get this first game over with a victory," Webber said. "I know we didn't play that well early but getting a win on the road is a big thing for us." Jackson, signed as a free agent during the offseason, started in Williams' spot and collected 14 points and six assists. He made 5-of-9 shots and added four steals. Peja Stojakovic scored 23 points on 10-of-13 shooting for the Kings, who shot 55 percent (40-of-73) and held a 37-29 edge on the boards. Sacramento limited Chicago to 17 points in the final period. "He's (Stojakovic) my man. He's one of the best shooters in the league," Webber said. "I don't get as many rebounds now because he makes so many shots." "It's great to play with Chris and Vlade (center Vlade Divac)," Stojakovic said. "They are both very good offensively and when they're double-teamed, they seem to be able to find the open guy and a lot of times, that's me." Ron Mercer, signed to a four-year, $27 million deal during the offseason, scored 19 points for the Bulls, who shot below 39 percent (26-of-67). Mercer made 6-of-15 shots, 2000 co-Rookie of the Year Elton Brand was 4-of-14 and Ron Artest was 2-of-8. "They definitely played good defense against us tonight," Brand said. "I had a hard time getting the ball. I also think we had a good game plan as well but it all fell apart in the fourth quarter." Rookie Marcus Fizer came off the bench to scored 16 points for the Bulls. But it was the same old story for Chicago, which seems to be in a perpetual youth movement since dismantling its dynasty and does not have the experience to win close games. "I thought defensively, Sacramento did a fine job on us," Bulls coach Tim Floyd said. "They shut down the middle and kept Elton out of the paint." The Kings led 69-64 entering the fourth quarter and widened the advantage to 78-67 with a 9-3 run fueled by Webber, who scored a pair of buckets as Sacramento began to attack the paint. Webber and Scot Pollard scored inside in an 8-2 burst that gave the Kings an 88-73 advantage with 3:47 to play. "I thought the game came down to easy baskets," Floyd said. "We were trying to double-team and break up their offense. We weren't able to get the job done in the fourth quarter." Taking over for the traded Corliss Williamson, Stojakovic scored eight points in the first quarter, when he Kings led by as many as 10 points before settling for a 25-19 lead. The Bulls scored the first seven points of the second period, taking a 26-25 lead on a jumper by Fizer, the fourth overall pick in the June draft. The forward scored 12 points in the period, which ended with Chicago trailing, 46-42. A layup and dunk by Stojakovic gave the Kings the lead for good at 56-52 with 4:46 left in the third quarter. He scored nine in the period and Sacramento took a five-point edge to the final 12 minutes.
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