"Peja Stojakovic is going home today probably to a hero's welcome.

From 1998-2004, Stojakovic was one of the most popular and more efficient players for the Sacramento Kings and helped put that franchise on the NBA map. The Kings were an elite club during Stojakovic's tenure, and were always butting heads with the Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs for supremacy in the Western Conference.

So when Stojakovic's newest team - the Mavericks - face the Kings at 9 tonight in Sacramento, Mavs guard Jason Terry can already feel the love that's going to be in the air in Arco Arena for Stojakovic.

"He's going to get a standing ovation, no question,'' Terry said. "What he meant to that organization for the amount of years he was there was huge.''

Mavs coach Rick Carlisle is aware of Stojakovic's value to the Kings and the indelible footprints he left with that organization.

"I know he's beloved there and his (three-year) All-Star career began there, and he developed into a big-time player there,'' Carlisle said. "So I know he's very well thought of and I'm sure he'll get a big round of applause.

"I have no doubt about that.''

The 6-10 Stojakovic will be playing just his second game with the Mavs after scoring eight points on 3 of 9 shooting in his debut game with Dallas during Monday's 99-96 win over Cleveland.

However, this won't be Stojakovic's first time returning to Sacramento as a member of another team besides the Kings. He did that from 2005 through last season while playing for Indiana and New Orleans."