Mavs Must Stop Bleeding: Dallas vs. Kings GAMEDAY
DALLAS - The Dallas Mavericks host the floundering Sacramento Kings in a Sunday evening game at American Airlines Center. After losing four of their last six, the Mavericks look to heat back up in NBA playoffs positioning crunch time with 17 regular season games left.
The seventh-place Mavericks need wins to pass the Portland Trail Blazers. The Blazers are in sixth-place with a two-game lead on Dallas. Portland also owns the tiebreaker over the Mavericks, so Dallas would have to beat the Blazers by three games to avoid the NBA playoffs play-in tournament.
The Kings are coming into this matchup on a nine-game losing streak. Sacramento is not in playoff contention, behind the Western Conference 10th spot by a large margin.
This is the first meeting of the season between the two teams, the Kings are the only remaining Western Conference team that the Mavericks have not played. Last season, Luka Doncic nearly averaged a 30-point triple-double (29.8 ppg, 13.5 rpg, 11.3 apg) against the Kings.
PROBLEMS AT HOME: The Mavs lost three of the previous four, including an 8-point loss to New York on Friday. Dallas' woes at American Airlines are clear; the last three losses were all at home.
"UNICORN": Kristaps Porzingis is having his best stretch of the season, totaling 20 points in five straight games with 10 rebounds in four of his last five games. In the last five games, Porzingis is averaging 24.8 points and 12.4 boards per game.
COMING SOON: In this homestand, the Mavs host the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday before a pair of games against the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday and on April 24.
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ODDS: The Mavs entered the day as 8-point favorites to the Knicks, and the total over/under is 230 points.
RECORDS: DALLAS MAVERICKS (30-25) VS. SACRAMENTO KINGS (22-34)
WHEN: Sunday, April 18, 2021 at 6:30 p.m. CT
LOCATION: American Airlines Center (Dallas, TX)
TV/RADIO: Bally Sports Southwest, NBA League pass, ESPN 103.3 FM, Univision 1270 AM
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