He played fewer minutes, took fewer shots, scored fewer points and grabbed fewer rebounds. Divac also handled the ball less, which caused the biggest problem for the Kings.

Sacramento controlled the opening-game win by getting the ball to Divac and Chris Webber in the low post, allowing them to shred the Mavericks' defense. In the second game, the Kings gave up on that plan.

The challenge for the Kings in Thursday's third game at American Airlines Center is to bring a hale and hearty Divac back into the flow.

Sacramento needs the Divac who had 18 points and 16 rebounds for 35 minutes in the opener, not the Divac who had 15 points and one rebound for 28 minutes in the second game.