The Dallas Mavericks continued their four-game road trip by traveling to the California state capital to take on the Sacramento Kings on Monday night. The Mavericks lost to the Kings 110-100 at the Golden 1 Center. Dallas fell to 20-13, while Sacramento improved to 14-19. The Mavericks have now lost two games in a row while the Kings snapped a six-game losing skid.
Spencer Dinwiddie led the Mavericks with 30 points, three rebounds, and six assists. PJ Washington Jr. followed up with 28 points, four rebounds, and one assist. Quentin Grimes added 11 points, seven rebounds, and three assists. Brandon Williams scored 10 points, one rebound, and two assists. Daniel Gafford had eight points and six rebounds. Jaden Hardy recorded eight points and three rebounds.
Dallas Mavericks-Sacramento Kings Recap
The Dallas Mavericks and Sacramento Kings game was action-packed from start to finish. The Mavericks ruled out Luka Doncic, with a left calf strain, Kyrie Irving, with right shoulder soreness, Klay Thompson, with an illness, Dereck Lively II, with a left hip contusion, and Dante Exum, with right wrist surgery. The Kings ruled out Devin Carter, with left shoulder injury surgery, and Jae Crowder, a former Dallas Maverick, with a back injury.
The Mavericks’ new-look starting lineup featured Jaden Hardy, Quentin Grimes, Spencer Dinwiddie, PJ Washington Jr., and Daniel Gafford. Washington Jr. returned to the Mavericks’ starting lineup after a one-game suspension for escalating the altercation between Naji Marshall and Jusuf Nurkic in the Mavericks-Suns game on Friday night. Kyrie Irving said he’ll pay the NBA’s fines for Marshall and Washington Jr.
The first quarter opened dramatically, as Spencer Dinwiddie quickly scored 11 points to help the Mavericks to a 19-15 lead with 6:14 left. The Kings had a brief scoring surge, but the Mavericks took a commanding 37-23 lead at the end of the first. The second quarter was in favor of the Kings. De’Aaron Fox passed Doug Christie for second place with 718 steals for the most steals in Kings’ franchise history. The Mavericks merely led 60-56 at halftime.
The third quarter saw a slow start on both sides of the court, but both teams picked up the pace. PJ Washington Jr. continued his dominance with a notable and-one, while Trey Lyles impressed with a noteworthy three-pointer. The Kings led 83-77 through three quarters. The fourth quarter witnessed the Kings’ fast start, which included Trey Lyles’ three-pointer at the buzzer, in the opening minutes. The Kings won 110-100 in regulation.
Dallas Mavericks-Sacramento Kings Highlights
There were multiple headlines ahead of the Dallas Mavericks and Sacramento Kings game, such as the Mavericks and Suns receiving punishments for Friday night’s altercation. The NBA suspended the Mavericks’ Naji Marshall for four games without pay for throwing a punch at the Suns’ Jusuf Nurkic, who was suspended for three games without pay for initiating the altercation, and PJ Washington Jr. for one game for escalating the altercation.
For the Mavericks, the Sporting News reported the Bleacher Report’s prediction of the Mavericks ditching Klay Thompson in favor of the Miami Heat’s Jimmy Butler. Butler is a $146 million NBA All-Star who was predicted to land in Dallas. If the Mavericks crumble without Luka Doncic, the Mavericks’ package to the Heat could consist of Thompson, PJ Washington Jr., Daniel Gafford, a 2026 first-round pick swap, and a 2031 first-round pick swap.
For the Kings, Athlon Sports reported the Kings could land the Toronto Raptors’ duo of Bruce Brown and Chris Boucher to improve their NBA playoff chances. There has been speculation the Raptors will look to trade Brown after the 2024-25 NBA season. If a trade takes place, Sacramento could send Kevin Huerter, Trey Lyles, Colby Jones, and NBA Draft capital to Toronto for Brown and Boucher.
Final Thoughts
The Dallas Mavericks came down from a 21-point deficit in the third quarter, but the Portland Trail Blazers held on for a 126-122 win at the Moda Center on Saturday night. The Mavericks were missing five players — including three starters — and battled the Trail Blazers, as Kyrie Irving nearly brought them home. Irving’s gem of 46 points, including 20 fourth-quarter points in a frantic rally, wasn’t enough.
The Mavericks aren’t halfway to the 2024-25 NBA season yet, but they will feel like students whose semesters’ grades will be earned in the next stretch of games, starting with the road game against the Trail Blazers on Saturday. This was Kyrie Irving’s thought process, as Irving was the subject of the question if he’d play on back-to-back nights in Portland. In short, Irving’s response was all excuses go out the window.
The Mavericks will ring in the New Year with their four-game road trip’s finale against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. Central. The Rockets hosted the Miami Heat at the Toyota Center on Sunday night but ultimately dropped a 104-100 decision. Dillon Brooks led the Rockets with 22 points and four rebounds. Houston fell to 21-11, while Miami improved to 16-14.
