Darius Acuff Jr. scored 25 points and the Sacramento Kings shot 52% from the field to beat the Dallas Mavericks 115-100 on Monday at American Airlines Center. The win snapped a six-game losing streak and improved Sacramento to 1-6, while Dallas fell to 4-3.
The Kings pulled away in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Mavericks 34-26 in the final period after the two teams traded the lead 17 times through three quarters. Dallas got 20 points from Daniel Gafford and 17 from Cooper Flagg, who added six assists but shot just 3 of 19 from the field.
Key Moments: How Sacramento Took Control
The game was tight for three quarters, with neither team building a lead larger than six points for Dallas or 19 for Sacramento. The teams were tied 19-18 after one quarter, and the score was 54-53 at halftime.
Sacramento’s defense tightened in the third quarter, holding Dallas to 21 points while scoring 27 of its own to take an 80-75 lead into the fourth. The Kings closed the game on their terms, forcing 16 Dallas turnovers that led to 19 Sacramento points.
Top Performers
Acuff led all scorers with 25 points on 10-of-21 shooting to go with five rebounds and six assists in 37 minutes. Malik Monk added 24 points and a team-high seven assists, and Zach LaVine scored 23 points while shooting 8 of 14 from the field and 5 of 9 from three. Precious Achiuwa grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds and posted a plus-15 rating in 27 minutes off the bench.
For Dallas, Gafford led the way with 20 points on 9-of-10 shooting and seven rebounds. Flagg finished with 17 points and six assists but struggled from the field, and Naji Marshall contributed five points and a team-high seven assists. P.J. Washington scored 12 points but shot just 2 of 9 overall.
What It Means
The Kings remain last in the Pacific Division standings at 1-6 but snapped a losing skid that had opened the season. Sacramento’s 52% shooting and 44% mark from three overcame 17 turnovers that helped keep Dallas within striking distance for three quarters.
Dallas dropped to 4-3 and sits fourth in the Southwest Division, 2.0 games behind co-leaders Houston and Memphis, who are both 6-1. The loss also snapped a four-game winning streak for the Mavericks, who shot just 41% from the field and 21% from three as a team. Sacramento now leads the season series 1-0.
What’s Next
Both teams return to action later in the week, with the Kings looking to build on their first win of the season and the Mavericks aiming to bounce back from their first loss since their four-game win streak began.
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