• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Timberwolves visit Kings in last home opener of season

Nov 6, 2006 - 4:18 PM Minnesota (2-1) at Sacramento (1-2) 10:00 pm EST

SACRAMENTO, California (Ticker) -- Two teams who are already familiar with each other this season hook up in the home opener for the Sacramento Kings, the final home opener in the NBA.

The Minnesota Timberwolves look to rebound from their first loss of the season when they travel to the Kings on Monday.

This is the second matchup this season between the two clubs, after the Timberwolves recorded a 92-83 victory in the season opener for both squad on Wednesday.

Minnesota, which opened the season with consecutive wins, absorbed their first setback on Saturday, a heartbreaking 88-86 loss at the Portland Trail Blazers. Juan Dixon hit a 3-pointer with 6.2 seconds left to seal the win.

Kevin Garnett, who missed an eight-foot jumper as time expired, scored 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in defeat.

New acquisition Mike James scored 19 points and Ricky Davis chipped in 16 for the Timberwolves, who shot 48 percent (35-of-73) in the second game of a four-game road trip.

The Kings are also looking to bounce back after finishing up a season-opening three-game trip with a 104-91 loss at Milwaukee on Saturday.

Signed away from Philadelphia in the offseason, John Salmons scored 18 points and Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Kevin Martin had 15 apiece for Sacramento, which could not contend with the strong inside presence of Milwaukee.

Minnesota is one of the few teams to play well in Sacramento. It has won the last five meetings at Arco Arena and nine of 11 overall. The Timberwolves also beat the Kings in seven games in the 2004 Western Conference semifinals.