A good streak was on the line as well as a bad one. The Mavericks came in riding an 8-game winning streak and the Kings had a 6-game losing streak. Dallas had to grind out a victory using a 15-4 run over the final 5:24 to secure the 105-103 victory, extending their win streak to 9 games. The Kings were led by Tyreke Evans with 25 points but he only scored 2 points in the final frame. The Mavericks were led by Dirk Nowitzki with 25 points but Jason Terry really led the charge with his offense in the final quarter, he finished with 23 points and scored 8 points in the fourth.
It has been a one-sided advantage in this series. The Mavericks had averaged 111.8 points on 50.7-percent shooting during a six-game winning streak over the Kings. Dallas swept the season series with the Kings in 2009-10 and have now won seven straight games against Sacramento. Also, the Mavs have won six of the last eight games in Sacramento.
Coming in to the match-up with Sacramento, Dallas had played well defensively, allowing its last five opponents to average 89.4 points on 39.9 percent shooting. Tonight, Sacramento shot 48.2% from the field and scored 103 points. The 37 points the Mavericks allowed in the first quarter was a season-high with first quarters or any quarter. The previous high mark was 29 by San Antonio.
Dallas had to endure a shooting blitz from the Kings as they shot 60% from the field and 67% from beyond the arc in the first quarter. Dirk Nowitzki settled things down with an efficient second quarter, scoring 15 points. Dirk's shooting and Sacramento going cold led to the Kings only scoring 18 points in the second quarter and only shooting 33% in the quarter.
Sacramento had as big as a 12-point lead in the second quarter and the Mavericks got within a single point of tying the game up or taking the lead on numerous occasions before taking a brief 80-78 lead at the 1:25 mark of the third quarter. That was the Mavericks first lead since 5-3 at 9:14 in the opening quarter. That third quarter had Caron Butler carry the team as he scored 11 of Dallas' 26 3rd quarter points.
The Kings didn't crumble under the pressure in the fourth quarter as they kept firing away threes and getting fouled early in the quarter. The Mavericks eventually put the clamps down during that 4th quarter run and shut down the Kings. Dallas got their 4th team foul at 9:42 in the 4th and didn't allow the Kings to get in to the penalty, a true sign that the defense carried the team to victory.
With the victory, the Mavericks completed their 4th back-to-back of the season. They are 3-1 on the first night of a back-to-back and 4-0 on the second night of a back-to-back. Dallas went 15-5 in the first game of a back-to-back and 12-8 in the second game of a back-to-back in 2009-10.
After a two-game west coast trip, the Mavericks now head home and will have their longest home-stand of the season. They'll be hosting teams over the next two weeks with 6 straight home games and there won't be any back-to-back situations for the Mavericks during that stretch.
Quick Notes:
- Jason Kidd had a shooting night to forget, shooting 2-10 from the field and 1-8 from long range. It was a tough night, but those are jumpers you don't mind him taking as they were wide open shots.
- Jason Terry hit two 3-pointers during the tail end of the first quarter. The Mavericks are now 7-2 when Terry hits two or more 3-pointers.
- The bench continues to be a major strength for the Mavericks. Coming into tonight's game, the Mavericks bench averages more points/game versus the opposition, 33.5-28.1. The Mavericks bench outscored the Kings bench 43-22.
- Energy has been saved at rare rate as of late. Before tonight's game, Jason Kidd had 3 consecutive games of 30 minutes or less worth of action, first three-game stretch for that since March of 2008. Dirk Nowizki had 4 consecutive games of 36 minutes or less worth of action, first four-game stretch for that since December 2008.
Enter the DoJo
Dominique had a team-high 19 points in the 112-99 victory for the Texas Legends over the Tulsa 66ers. Jones was able to do most of his work at the free throw line, shooting 9-10 for the charity stripe. The rookie was plagued by turnovers and foul trouble, he had 5 of each. The Legends are now 5-1 and about to embark on a road trip, it is unsure whether or not Jones will travel with the Legends or stay with the Mavericks during their home-stand.
Twitter? I don't even know her! Oh......
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