The Associated Press

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - After several tough practices and a few emotional speeches from their leaders, the Sacramento Kings opened the playoffs with a rush of energy - enough to outrun and outscore the Dallas Mavericks.

Peja Stojakovic scored 28 points and Chris Webber added 26 points and 12 rebounds, propelling the Kings to a 116-105 victory in the opener of their first-round playoff series Sunday.

Shaking off the uncertainty of a late-season collapse that cost them the Pacific Division title, the Kings were flying from the opening tip. They made a franchise-record 11 of 21 3-pointers, including five by Stojakovic to tie Sacramento's individual playoff best. The Kings also claim they've got a new focus on defense and inside play - though it wasn't obvious until the fourth quarter, when not even Dirk Nowitzki could keep Dallas close in a fitting start for a series between the NBA's two highest-scoring teams.

DALLAS (105)-Finley 4-13 0-0 9, Nowitzki 12-19 4-4 32, Walker 3-11 2-4 9, Daniels 6-15 1-3 13, Nash 5-14 2-2 13, Jamison 7-10 4-4 18, Howard 4-8 2-2 11, Bradley 0-0 0-0 0, Najera 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 41-91 15-19 105.

SACRAMENTO (116)-Stojakovic 10-16 3-3 28, Webber 12-19 2-4 26, Divac 5-8 2-2 12, Christie 7-14 5-7 21, Bibby 4-14 5-6 14, Miller 1-3 0-2 2, Peeler 4-7 0-0 11, Songaila 0-0 0-0 0, Wallace 1-2 0-0 2, Buford 0-0 0-0 0, Smith 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 44-83 17-24 116.

Dallas	31	34	20	20-105
Sacramento	34	29	23	30-116

3-Point Goals-Dallas 8-21 (Nowitzki 4-6, Nash 1-1, Howard 1-1, Walker 1-3, Finley 1-8, Daniels 0-2), Sacramento 11-21 (Stojakovic 5-10, Peeler 3-3, Christie 2-6, Bibby 1-2). Fouled out-None. Rebounds-Dallas 49 (Nowitzki 13), Sacramento 51 (Webber 12). Assists-Dallas 25 (Nash 8), Sacramento 28 (Christie 11). Total fouls-Dallas 19, Sacramento 21. Technicals-Dallas coach Don.Nelson. A-17,317 (17,317).

Pistons 108, Bucks 82

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - Detroit's defense completely shut down the Milwaukee Bucks.

Richard Hamilton scored 21 points and the Pistons set a team playoff record with 14 steals in Game 1 of the first-round series.

One of the best defenses in NBA history stopped the highest scoring team in the Eastern Conference.

MILWAUKEE (82)-Smith 3-5 0-0 6, D.Mason 6-15 4-4 16, Skinner 3-6 0-0 6, Redd 4-10 3-3 11, Jones 3-8 0-0 7, Knight 1-3 2-2 4, Van Horn 3-11 1-1 8, Gadzuric 2-4 0-1 4, Kukoc 2-4 2-4 8, Strickland 4-8 2-2 10, Haislip 1-1 0-0 2, Santiago 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 32-75 14-17 82.

DETROIT (108)-Prince 5-12 3-3 14, R.Wallace 7-12 0-0 17, B.Wallace 8-15 1-2 17, R.Hamilton 5-13 11-12 21, Billups 4-15 3-4 12, Campbell 0-3 0-0 0, Williamson 5-11 2-2 12, James 1-2 1-2 3, Hunter 1-4 0-0 3, Okur 3-4 2-4 8, Ham 0-0 0-0 0, Milicic 0-0 1-2 1. Totals 39-91 24-31 108.

Milwaukee	21	22	15	24-82
Detroit	27	25	28	28-108

3-Point Goals-Milwaukee 4-16 (Kukoc 2-3, Van Horn 1-4, Jones 1-5, Redd 0-1, Strickland 0-3), Detroit 6-18 (R.Wallace 3-4, Prince 1-3, Hunter 1-3, Billups 1-6, Okur 0-1, R.Hamilton 0-1). Fouled out-Knight. Rebounds-Milwaukee 44 (Smith 11), Detroit 61 (B.Wallace 14). Assists-Milwaukee 20 (Jones 7), Detroit 23 (R.Hamilton 8). Total fouls-Milwaukee 27, Detroit 19. Technicals-D.Mason. A-22,076 (22,076).

Heat 81, Hornets 79

MIAMI - Dwyane Wade sank a 7-foot jumper with 1.3 seconds left, and the Heat stayed hot by beating New Orleans in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference series. The Heat earned their first playoff berth in three years with a 17-4 finish, and they finished strong against the Hornets despite some shaky moments in the fourth quarter.

New Orleans trailed 77-65 midway through the period, but rallied to tie the game on P.J. Brown's jumper with 54 seconds left.

NEW ORLEANS (79)-Lynch 2-6 0-0 4, P.Brown 4-9 2-2 10, Magloire 5-14 4-7 14, Wesley 5-13 1-2 14, Davis 4-15 5-7 17, Armstrong 0-1 0-0 0, Augmon 4-7 2-2 10, Traylor 1-2 0-0 2, West 4-5 0-0 8, Williams 0-0 0-0 0, Smith 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 29-72 14-20 79.

MIAMI (81)-C.Butler 4-15 4-6 12, Odom 7-15 3-5 17, Grant 1-4 0-0 2, Wade 8-19 4-6 21, Jones 3-5 0-0 9, Haslem 2-4 3-6 7, Alston 5-10 1-2 13, R.Butler 0-1 0-0 0, Walker 0-0 0-0 0, Allen 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 30-73 15-25 81.

New Orleans	22	22	15	20-79
Miami	23	18	25	15-81

3-Point Goals-New Orleans 7-19 (Davis 4-8, Wesley 3-6, Augmon 0-1, Armstrong 0-1, Lynch 0-3), Miami 6-17 (Jones 3-5, Alston 2-6, Wade 1-2, C.Butler 0-1, R.Butler 0-1, Odom 0-2). Fouled out-None. Rebounds-New Orleans 51 (P.Brown, Magloire 11), Miami 51 (Odom 11). Assists-New Orleans 18 (Davis, Augmon 4), Miami 15 (Odom, Wade 5). Total fouls-New Orleans 24, Miami 27. A-20,102 (19,600).

Timberwolves 106, Nuggets 92

MINNEAPOLIS - Sam Cassell tied a career high with 40 points, Garnett put up 30 points and 20 rebounds for the top-seeded Timberwolves.

Rookie Carmelo Anthony had a quiet 19 points in his postseason debut for the Nuggets, most of them in the second half with his team down by double digits.

Game 2 is at Target Center on Wednesday night.

Denver, the eighth-place team in the West making its first playoff appearance since 1995, didn't make it easy for Minnesota despite being outrebounded 48-35 and going 3-for-17 from 3-point range.

The Timberwolves, determined to end an NBA-record streak of seven straight losses in the opening round, had their 22-point lead in third quarter whittled to five early in the fourth.

But Cassell helped finish it off.