Kings' skid reaches five with loss to Mavericks

DALLAS – The Dallas Mavericks have something the Kings are still searching for.

It's what Kings coach Keith Smart calls "know-how."

Know-how comes with experience, and the Kings are gaining theirs the hard way – by losing.

The Kings dropped their fifth consecutive game, 110-100 to the Mavericks on Tuesday night at American Airlines Center.

Dallas took control with a 12-3 run that started with 11:23 left in the second quarter, turning a 29-25 Kings lead into a 37-32 deficit. The Kings never led again.

Smart said the Mavericks' know-how off the bench turned the game in their favor. Dallas' reserves supplied 54 points.

Smart believes games like Tuesday's will pay off for his team in the future, but for the present it's another loss.

Dallas All-Star forward Dirk Nowitzki had only 15 points on 4-of-14 shooting. But the defending NBA champion Mavericks (32-26) had plenty of other contributors in ending a two-game losing streak.

"They have guys that have know-how," Smart said. "They understand what they need to do, can make some plays."

The Kings trailed 92-87 with 6:40 to play when their knack for untimely turnovers surfaced on three consecutive possessions and allowed the Mavericks to move ahead 97-87.

"They did a good job, got the game close," Smart said of his team. "And just a few little details of turning the ball over and maybe some quick shots. But that's what you get sometimes with a team that's learning how to win and close out quarters."

In their previous three games, the Kings (19-39) had failed to reach 100 points. But guard Marcus Thornton, who returned from a four-game absence caused by a bruised left calf, said they looked more like the running team they had been before that offensive downturn.

Kings center DeMarcus Cousins broke out of a three-game scoring slump with a game-high 25 points to go with 18 rebounds and a career-high six steals. In his previous three games, he totaled 32 points.

Cousins recorded his 34th double double, the most by a King in a season since Chris Webber had 45 in 2002-03.

"He's growing," Smart said of Cousins. "He's going to be a great player in our league. He's learning how to be patient and look for where double teams are coming."

But with the losing streak growing, Cousins still wasn't pleased with his game.

"Not really, because we still lost," he said. "We lost at the end of the day."

Smart welcomed back Thornton, who had 16 points.

"He brought to the team what he always brings," Smart said. "That toughness, that ability to stretch the floor, he brought everything, but he still had a little rust on him. But overall he made our team look again how we had been playing before we had his injury and John Salmons' injury."

Thornton said he had no problems moving but admitted he's not his old self just yet.

"I wanted to go out and play my best, but I knew that wasn't going to happen," Thornton said. "Missing four games in this league is like missing an eternity. I've got to stick with it and be ready for New Orleans (tonight)."

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