This game didn’t have the drama of the previous two, as the Sacramento Kings couldn’t keep this one close in the second half. It did have more big performances by opposing superstars, as Luka Doncic scored 36 and Dirk Nowitzki had 29 in the Dallas Mavericks’ 112-105 victory.
After winning three in a row, the Kings have now lost three in a row to fall to 3-4 in the gauntlet.
Mitch Richmond had his second straight 30+ scoring game, netting a team-high 32 points. DeMarcus Cousins scored 19 and Domantas Sabonis had his second double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Doncic went 14-for-14 from the foul line as the Mavericks went 21-for-24 from the charity stripe, compared to the Kings’ 16-for-23. Dallas also outshot Sacramento 51.2% to 45.7%. Nowitzki had a double-double with 10 rebounds.
Richmond scored 13 of the Kings’ 28 first-quarter points. He and Cousins both had a pair of baskets as the Kings went on a 10-0 run to take a 26-17 lead, which would turn out to be their largest of the game. Dallas went on a late 8-2 run and the Kings led 28-25 after the first period.
Dallas took its first lead since 17-16 at 42-40 on a James Donaldson basket. The Kings’ last lead of the contest was at 44-42 after Sabonis scored. Dallas had a late 8-1 run and went up 56-52 at halftime. Doncic scored 13 points in the quarter and Dallas had 31 in all.
Doncic scored 13 more points in the third quarter as the Mavericks extended their lead. He scored a quick five points to give Dallas its first double-digit lead at 66-56. Dallas went up by 11 at 70-59, though the Kings were able to get the deficit back to five points at 74-69 and 82-77. That’s as close as they would get the rest of the game. Dallas had an 84-77 lead heading into the final quarter.
Nowitzki had six points in a 10-2 run that put Dallas up 96-81. A three-point play by Nowitzki gave them their largest lead of the game at 99-83. With Doncic and Nowitzki resting, the Kings were able to close the gap in the final four minutes, but no closer than the final seven-point margin.
Next up: the Denver Nuggets.
ROGER SPORTS & GAMES 