What We Learned From Kings' Last-Minute Loss to Mavericks

The Sacramento Kings were in it to the end, but fell 100-98 to the Dallas Mavericks.

Jan 6, 2026; Sacramento, California, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis (3) drives past Sacramento Kings guard DeMar DeRozan (10) in the first quarter at the Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

With a national audience watching, the Sacramento Kings had one of the better games of the season against the Dallas Mavericks. They fell 100-98, but there haven't been many games where the Kings have been in it to the very end.

It's a sad but true reality for a team that drops to 8-29 on the season. Sacramento did have a lot of positives in this one, though, starting with their defense. Doug Christie is attempting to build a defensive identity this year and use that to get out in transition, and that's exactly what the Kings did tonight.

Dallas shot just 40.6% from the field and 29.6% from three as the Kings had one of their best defensive outings of the season. They used that strong effot to get out and run, winning the fast break points battle 30-19.

But the problem was the Kings gave up 18 second chance points, while they only had five of their own, and they shot just 42.4% from the field and 29.0% from three themselves. It's another reminder that even when the Kings are good on defense, their offense struggles so much that it puts so much pressure on them to be nearly perfect in order to win.

Dylan Cardwell Impresses Again

Dec 27, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings center Dylan Cardwell (32) dunks the ball against the Dallas Mavericks during the fourth quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images | Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

One of the biggest takeaways is the re-emergence of Dylan Cardwell. The rookie big was back in the G League with the return of Drew Eubanks, but he made his way back into the rotation tonight, and showed that he deserves to stay there.

He only had four points, nine rebounds, and a single block, but his presence was felt, especially on the defensive side of the ball. He brings a spark and energy off the bench that is infectious, and it showed tonight as he finished with a team-high +7.

The Kings will have to make a decision or two at some point, as Cardwell is on pace to run out of games (50-game limit for his two-way contract) well before the end of the season. With how much Doug Christie seems to love him, it would be shocking if his contract isn't converted by the end of the year.

Late Game Execution

With the game on the line, the Kings completely vanished. The late-game execution was nowhere to be found as they took a trio of contested threes in the final minute. From Doug Christie taking his final timeout with 33 seconds left down by two to Russell Westbrook taking a contested step-back three over Anthony Davis, it was just a disappointing end to a fun game for the Kings.

That's to be expected for a team that has lacked late-game opportunities throughout the season, but at the same time, they have all of the veterans on the court at the end of games who have career's worths of clutch time between them.

It likely won't happen until after the trade deadline, but it would be great to start seeing the Kings give players like Nique Clifford or Maxime Raynaud more clutch-time shots.