Basketball: Kings set standard in rout of Mavericks

Peja Stojakovic scored 26 points to lead the Sacramento Kings to a 124-113 away victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday in the first game of their best-of-seven NBA Western Conference semi-final series.

Stojakovic also had nine rebounds and was supported in attack by Chris Webber, who scored 24 points, 13 of which came in the first quarter, andBobby Jackson, who scored 23. Doug Christie added 13 points as the Kings beat Dallas for the eighth time in 10 meetings and for the fifth successive time at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.

A franchise-record crowd of 20,525 were soon silenced by the Kings. The home supporters began booing after a dunk by the Kings centre, Vlade Divac, made it 74-54 early in the third quarter, and many left with over eight minutes remaining with Sacramento leading 110-85.

"They had every right to boo," the Dallas centre, Dirk Nowitzki, who had 18 points and 11 rebounds, said. "We didn't come out to play. Any time we get spanked in the semi-finals, and at home, it's embarrassing."

The Detroit Pistons, meanwhile, beat the Philadelphia 76ers 98-87 in the first game of their Eastern Conference semi-final series. Detroit's Chauncey Billups scored 24 points before leaving with an ankle injury while Allen Iverson scored 27 points for the 76ers.

Michael Jordan will not return as president of operations for the Washington Wizards. The team's owner, Abe Pollin, made the decision after meeting Jordan yesterday. The move ends Jordan's three and a half years with the Wizards, the last two as a player.

NBA PLAY-OFFS Semi-finals: Eastern Conference: Detroit 98 Philadelphia 87 (Detroit lead best-of-seven series 1-0). Western Conference: Dallas 113 Sacramento 124 (Sacramento lead series 1-0).