Kings beat injury depleted Mavericks to snap losing streak 72 hours after firing coach
The Kings ended a six-game losing streak with a 110-100 victory over the shorthanded Dallas Mavericks on Monday at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, giving Doug Christie his first win as interim coach.
De’Aaron Fox had 33 points, six rebounds and six assists for the Kings (14-19), who fired coach Mike Brown on Friday and had not won a game since Dec. 12.
Spencer Dinwiddie scored 30 points for the Mavericks (20-13), who were missing five of their top eight rotation players, including Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson.
The Kings will return to action Wednesday when they play host to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Stat leaders
Domantas Sabonis had 17 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists for Sacramento. DeMar DeRozan, Malik Monk and Trey Lyles scored 14 points apiece.
P.J. Washington scored 28 points for Dallas. Quentin Grimes had 11 points and seven rebounds.
Halftime report
The Mavericks led by as many as 18 points while going 7 of 8 from 3-point range in the opening period. Washington caused all kinds of problems for Sacramento, scoring 19 points while going 6 of 8 from the field and 4 of 4 from beyond the arc.
The Kings came back to take the lead on a layup by Sabonis, but they trailed 60-56 at the halftime break. The Kings had a 32-18 advantage on points in the paint and a 9-2 advantage in second-chance points, but they were outscored 24-12 from the 3-point line and 16-8 at the free-throw line.
Second-half surge
The Kings trailed 75-66 following a basket by Grimes with 4:56 to play in the third quarter, but a series of hustle plays turned the tide.
The Kings cut the deficit to one on a basket by Sabonis after grabbing four offensive rebounds on a single possession. They took the lead on a basket by Fox after Lyles drew a charge at the defensive end. The Kings outscored the Mavericks 17-2 over the final 4:35 to take an 83-77 lead into the fourth quarter.
Sacramento went up 97-83 on a 3-pointer by Fox with 7:31 to play. The Kings led by 12 when Fox went to the bench with his fifth foul with 6:59 remaining. The Mavericks got within eight with 45 seconds remaining, but by then it was too late.
Up next
The Kings will continue their homestand when they entertain the 76ers on Wednesday.
The 76ers (12-17) had won three in a row going into Monday’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers. They have won nine of 12 after going 3-14 to start the season.
Tyrese Maxey is averaging 26.0 points and 5.4 assists. Joel Embiid has appeared in only 10 games, averaging 22.4 points and 6.8 rebounds.
Upcoming schedule
Jan. 1 vs. Philadelphia 76ers
Jan. 3 vs. Memphis Grizzlies
Jan. 5 at Golden State Warriors
Jan. 6 vs. Miami Heat
Jan. 10 at Boston Celtics
This story was originally published December 30, 2024 at 10:14 PM.
