There was a reason to stick around for the fourth quarter at Arco Arena on Saturday night, even if it had nothing to do with the home team.

Long after the Kings were out of contention once again, not only losing to Dallas 101-78 but doing so with more than enough mental blunders to disappoint the announced 12,650 in attendance, there was Bennett Salvatore and Luis Grillo.

In a lighter moment on "Winter Whiteout" night, the team's mascot held mistletoe between the two officials during a timeout. Much to the delight of those who remained, they provided a mock smooch that lightened the mood and even sparked mass laughter.

But there was nary a giggle from the Kings afterward, as the team that lost for the sixth consecutive time at home, sixth consecutive overall, and ninth time in the last 10 games found nothing funny about its latest subpar play. Least amused of all was swingman Francisco García, who showed signs of progress in his second game back from a right calf strain but who is undeniably disappointed with what he's seeing on the whole.

"It's ugly out there," he said with only teammate Jason Thompson remaining in the locker room long after the final buzzer.

"We've got to get this thing together. We can't keep losing like this. It's not happening."

The Kings had not lost six in a row at home since late in the 1997-98 season and are nearing the franchise record for consecutive home losses of eight (set twice).

Kings coach Reggie Theus saw his team miss all 15 three-point attempts, shoot a season-low 34.8 percent from the field, with García hitting just 2 of 9, rookie small forward Donte' Greene hitting 3 of 12 in his starting role and swingman John Salmons having a rare off-night (5 of 13). The Mavs were just 43.4 percent from the field, but Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry, Devean George and Brandon Bass combined for 66 Dallas points.

Late in the second quarter, the Kings looked well on their way to a repeat of Friday night against Utah. Just as they had finished the half strong to tie the Jazz, they put together a 12-0 run in the second quarter to cut Dallas' lead to three with 1:47 to go.

But the momentum came to a humbling halt moments later.

When a Beno Udrih pass to Salmons above the arc was picked off by Gerald Green, Udrih opted against running back on defense and instead gesticulated with Salmons. Green rebounded uncontested after missing a layup, then laid it back in as the crowd booed louder than it has all season.

The fans would be disappointed again soon thereafter, when veteran forward Mikki Moore argued his way into a technical with 40 seconds left that helped the Mavs take a 46-38 halftime lead.

In a climate in which the team's fan base has certainly been trained to expect struggles, it made it clear these types of failures would not be excused.

"I thought we were running another play, and I got a little angry," Udrih explained. "I got it back and scored. … I know (the fans) are our sixth man, and we've got to go out and play hard. This team doesn't always look the way it should."

Dallas all but ended it by closing out the third quarter just as it had the second, with a Terry jumper capping a 9-2 run that put the Mavs up 76-57.

Nowitzki had set the sort of tone the Kings had avoided midway through the period, when he raced Salmons for a loose ball and dove to the floor. He found George for a dunk, and Salmons – ironically – had strained his left thigh on the play and said he is unsure if he'll play Tuesday.

"That was a defining play of this game," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said.

Read the Kings blog at www.sacbee.com/kingsblog.