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SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- They placed tenacious defense, they fought for every loose ball -- and in the final minutes of a close game, they repeatedly ran the pick-and-roll to perfection.

The Sacramento Kings clearly learned something from facing the Utah Jazz all these years.

Chris Webber had 27 points and 11 rebounds, and Peja Stojakovic scored 16 points as the Kings showed the discipline and versatility they'll need to contend for the NBA title, beating the Jazz 96-90 Saturday night in their playoff opener.

Except for a clumsy start, the Kings were sharp and effective while playing Utah's famously deliberate style. There were few fast breaks and even fewer easy baskets, but the high-scoring Kings never trailed in the final 30 minutes.

"We're trying to be more precise with what we do,'' Webber said. "It's not for us to go out and score 120 points against these guys. It's to go out and control the tempo, and win these games.''

Jim Jackson scored 15 points for the Kings, who are facing the Jazz in the first round of the playoffs for the third time in five seasons.

As usual in the teams' meetings, Utah controlled the tempo -- and as usual, the Kings won. The Pacific Division champions have won 13 of their last 15 against Utah, including a 3-1 series victory in the first round last season.

"They get us ready, just like last year,'' said Mike Bibby, who made three straight outstanding pick-and-roll passes in the final minutes. "They beat us up last year, and I think it got us ready for what we had to do down the road. I think they'll do that to us again.''

The seventh-seeded Jazz got an outstanding game from Karl Malone, who had 27 points, eight assists and seven rebounds in the first game of his 18th trip to the playoffs.

In the first game of what might be the final playoff run in Malone's 18-year partnership with John Stockton, the Jazz shut down Sacramento's fast break, rebounded well and kept the score low against the NBA's third-best offense.

The Jazz pulled to 78-76 on Malone's free throws with 3:13 left, but Bibby drove past Stockton and dished for consecutive baskets -- a jumper by Webber and a 3-pointer by Stojakovic.

Utah coach Jerry Sloan was frustrated to see his team's toughness matched and exceeded by the Kings.

"We just do not have the toughness at times ... to do the things that you'd expect to teach grade-school players,'' Sloan said. "You can't do a lot of the sloppy, careless things that we did when you're playing a team that good that's on their home floor.''

Game 2 in the best-of-seven series is Monday night.

Greg Ostertag had a career playoff-high 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Jazz, dominating the paint at times. Stockton had 13 points and five rebounds, while Matt Harpring scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half.

Bobby Jackson had 13 points and six assists for the Kings.

After the typically exuberant pregame festivities at Arco Arena, the Kings were shaky, committing two offensive fouls and making six turnovers in the first quarter. Malone scored 13 points, mostly on outside jumpers, as Utah took a nine-point lead.

Both teams struggled in the second quarter. Utah scored just eight points on 3-of-17 shooting, while Sacramento scored 13 straight points and took a five-point halftime lead despite going more than five minutes between baskets.

"Any little mistake, and they'll pick you apart,'' Ostertag said. "That's what they did. Still, we had a chance with two minutes left, so I don't think anybody in here will be holding their head down.''

An uneasy vibe hung over Arco Arena throughout the second half as Utah thwarted Sacramento's up-tempo offense and kept the Kings' lead small. Sacramento coach Rick Adelman used unorthodox lineups, limiting starter Doug Christie to 22 minutes and keeping Bibby on the bench in the fourth quarter until the final minutes.

"We're just trying to figure out what works best against this team,'' Adelman said. "Luckily, we made some exceptional plays on offense down the stretch. I don't have a lot of complaints about the decisions we made. We were tough.''

The Kings and the Jazz have been frequent playoff opponents since Sacramento vaulted into prominence during the strike-shortened 1999 season.

Sacramento won the series in four games last season, though the first two games at Arco were tight. Utah won Game 2 -- a day after Vlade Divac said the Jazz were "done'' -- only to lose twice at the Delta Center.

Game notes

Stockton is in the playoffs for the 19th season -- an NBA record. ... The Jazz wore their black-and-copper alternate road uniforms. ... The teams finished the regular season against each other at Arco last Wednesday. Sacramento won 95-84. ... While chasing a loose ball in the first half, Stockton landed on George Maloof, the casino-running brother of Kings owners Joe and Gavin Maloof, in his courtside seat.