DALLAS – A long layoff wasn’t a problem for the Sacramento Kings. Neither were the Dallas Mavericks.

Peja Stojakovic had 26 points and nine rebounds and Chris Webber had 24 points, nine rebounds and six assists as the Kings pounded the Mavericks 124-113 Tuesday night in the opener of the Western Conference semifinal.

Sacramento was playing for the first time since eliminating Utah in five games last Wednesday. The Kings proved they weren’t rusty by going on 15-2 run midway through the first quarter, building a 12-point lead that was hardly challenged.

Dallas was able to trim it to six late in the second quarter, finally giving the game the electricity expected from two of the league’s three highest-scoring teams.

But Sacramento always had more answers. The Kings got the lead back to 12 by halftime and stretched it to 20 less than four minutes into the third quarter, drawing boos from a crowd of 20,525.

Sacramento’s lead peaked at 28 late in the third quarter. The final margin was the closest Dallas got in the second half.

Game 2 is Thursday night, and the Mavericks will have to find some answers fast. They have lost eight of 10 to the Kings since last year’s playoffs, when Sacramento won in five games, also in the second round.

The Kings were so dominant inside last May that Dallas put a banner over its practice court to remind everyone of the 115 layups and dunks they allowed. That didn’t stop Webber from backing down Eduardo Najera for an easy layup for the game’s opening basket.

Almost everything seemed that easy for Sacramento.

The Kings could even be accused of showing off the way they played that game-breaking early spurt, as the first five field goals came from a different starter. When it ended – with Webber dunking over Shawn Bradley – Sacramento was 9-for-14 for the game.

Bobby Jackson, the NBA’s top sixth man, scored 23 points, while Doug Christie had 13 and Keon Clark added 11 as the Kings shot 55 percent, including 9-of-21 on 3-pointers.

Steve Nash, Michael Finley and Nick Van Exel each scored 20 points to lead Dallas. Dirk Nowitzki, coming off 31 points in Game 7 against Portland on Sunday, had 18 points and 11 rebounds.

The only time Dallas made things interesting was late in the second quarter, when a 10-2 run made it 52-46. The crowd went wild when Webber missed two foul shots and got even louder a few seconds later when Najera dunked over a flat-footed Webber.

Then the Mavs wasted three offensive rebounds on one possession, the Kings turned it into an uncontested layup and they were back in control. Stojakovic opened the third quarter with a jumper, then a dunk off a steal and all that was in doubt was the final score.

So much for that homecourt advantage Dallas earned by winning one more regular season game than the Kings.

And so much for the support of the largest crowd in team history, a feat reached for the fourth time in five games this postseason. A huge chunk filed out during a dead ball with 8:05 left and Sacramento ahead 110-85.

The biggest surprise after that was Webber and Stojakovic remaining in the game until a timeout with 2:54 left. Maybe it was to knock off more rust, but they could have used the bench time considering the first four games are over six days.

The Mavericks knew how to absorb the lopsided loss because they’ve already had several in the postseason. Portland beat Dallas by 22 and 19 in the first round, when the Trail Blazers overcame a 3-0 deficit to force a seventh game.

Notes: Cowbells were all the rage in last year’s series, and probably will be again when the series returns to Arco Arena. Although a few clanged in the American Airlines Center, they were drowned by Thunderstix. … The Kings’ 33 first-quarter points were their third-most in a quarter this postseason. Their 36 in the third tied their most. … Najera got his second straight playoff start. He started 12 times in the regular season.

AP-ES-05-06-03 2339EDT