The two teams who had yet to play their first game of the season finally got it underway Friday, as the Sacramento Kings and the Minnesota TimberWolves faced off in Tokyo, Japan. This was the fifth time the NBA had two teams square off in the Tokyo Dome, the most recent being New Jersey vs. Orlando in 1996. The NBA has been planning these meetings to help get interest level up around the world.

Now on to the game, Nick Anderson led the Kings in scoring with 17 points, as they had six players finish in double figure scoring. Kevin Garnett kept the Wolves close as he scored 34 points and 17 rebounds in 43 minutes. But, that was not enough as the Kings defeated Minnesota 100-95. As expected, this was a fast-paced game with a lot of shot attempts. Sacramento hoisted 24 3-point attempts, including seven from Anderson and Jason Williams. Williams scored 15 points and dished six assists, but had a few bad decisions regarding shot selection. Chris Webber had 15 points and 15 rebounds and played with a lot of intensity.

Minnesota point guard Terrel Brandon played great scoring 18 points and giving out 12 assists. He hit a jumper with 13 seconds left to make it 96-95, but Williams hit two free throws, then Predrag Stojakovic hit two of his own to close out the game. These two teams meet in Tokyo again on Saturday.