Struggle Continues: Mavs Lose 121-107 to Kings
The Dallas Mavericks have now lost five of their last seven games with a home failure on Sunday night, this time losing 121-107 to the Sacramento Kings.
Prior to Sunday’s win, Sacramento was on a nine-game losing streak.
"We've got to reach down and do a hell of a lot better,” Mavs coach Rick Carlisle summarized.
Dallas had a tough start, quickly falling to a 20-8 deficit. Kings center Hassan Whiteside had his way in the first half, finishing the period with 12 points and eight rebounds on his way to a double-double night.
Along with the Mavericks struggles from deep (6-24, 25-percent), Dallas fell into a 67-50 hole going into the break.
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Every time Dallas made a run, ex-Maverick Harrison Barnes and De'Aaron Fox answered, leading the Kings with 24 and 30 points respectively.
Without star players Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis on the floor, Dallas made a run in the third quarter, cutting the Kings’ lead to only eight points, but ultimately it wasn’t enough to catch up.
Doncic only began to catch fire in the fourth quarter, scoring 22 points in the period. He finished with 37 points and eight rebounds.
Some bright spots for the Mavericks include strong performances from Dorian Finney-Smith, who had an efficient shooting night of 22 points (6-of-8 from deep), and Jalen Brunson, who made key contributions off the bench (20 points).
Clearly, something needs to change. The 30-26 Mavs’ next opportunity to make a comeback will be on Wednesday night when it plays the Detroit Pistons at home. Tip-off is set for 7:30 CST.
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