Dallas Mavericks Fall Short To Domantas Sabonis and The Sacramento Kings, 129-113

The Dallas Mavericks had a slow start to tonight’s matchup and the problem wasn’t on the offensive side of the ball as Dallas got productivity from Kyrie Irving, Luka Dončić, and Tim Hardaway Jr. It was the defensive side that held them down in tonight’s game as the Mavs fall 129-113 to Kings.

Dončić led Dallas with 25 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists.

The Kings found their rhythm early on and De’Aaron Fox posed a defensive challenge for the Mavs, disrupting their flow. Sacramento showcased smart ball movement, maintaining a 33-28 lead. Domantas Sabonis was fouled by Dwight Powell, converting both free throws and extending the Kings’ lead to 30-26 with 2:42 on the clock.

Following this, JaVale McGee executed an alley-oop layup assisted by Fox, bringing the score to 33-28. However, the Mavericks accelerated their pace at the end of the first quarter, with Kyrie Irving sinking a 3-pointer, giving them a lead of 36-35 going into the second quarter.

The Mavs demonstrated efficiency on the offensive end, with key contributions from players like Tim Hardaway Jr. and Kyrie Irving. Irving had an impressive 7-of-10 field goal success, missed only two of his four 3-point attempts, and made all three of his free throws. Hardaway made a significant impact off the bench, finishing the second quarter with 12 points, converting both of his three-point shots and free throws, and making 4-of-6 field goal attempts.

Although Luka Dončić was productive on the offensive side, scoring 16 points, he also carried the Mavericks defensively, finishing the night with nine defensive rebounds and three steals.

The Mavs struggled to contain the Sacramento offense, with four Kings starters scoring in double figures in the first half. Leading scorer, De’Aaron Fox, contributed 13 points, 2 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals. The Kings found success by drawing in the Mavs’ defense and making outside shots. Chris Duarte hit two consecutive 3-pointers with 4:32 left in the second quarter, bringing the score to 61-52.

Head Coach Jason Kidd said postgame that their understanding of guarding the three is what is hurting them defensively.

“Guarding the three is hurting us,” said Kidd. “It’s our effort and energy. There is no excuse about the schedule, it’s about being able to do your job on a nightly basis and we just didn’t do that. We did it for two and a half quarters and we didn’t finish the other part of the game.”