Kings 122, Mavericks 98
In a crucial game amidst a tense Western Conference Playoff race, Sacramento came ready to play in Dallas. The two squads came into tonight’s locked up in the standings, although the Kings had the upper hand with the tiebreaker already clinched in their favor.
A plethora of Kings showed up with good games tonight, but Keegan Murray was arguably the best of them all. Murray dropped an efficient 18 points (6/10 FG, 4/8 3PT), 5 rebounds and 3 assists. His play on both ends set the tone for Sacramento, who was outstanding as a team on that end of the floor tonight. Of course, it has to be acknowledged that Dallas was already down several key players, including Anthony Davis and Daniel Gafford. As if that wasn’t enough, Kyrie Irving exited the game early with a knee hyperextension, adding to the long list of injury concerns for the team from Texas.
Despite the injury to Irving, Dallas was able to make things uncomfortable for Sacramento through halftime. Kai Jones, who was just signed to a 10-day contract, was about as effective at the center spot as Dallas could have hoped for and was part of why the Mavs were able to stick around for so long. Jones finished with 21 points, missing just one of his 10 field goal attempts, and 9 rebounds on the night, as he posed a challenge Sacramento had not prepared for. Dallas made several overtures at a potential run to grab the lead but they never went all the way through with it. Nonetheless, Dallas was able to hold the Kings to just a 10 point lead at 60-50 by the half.
Zach LaVine, who had 22 points (8/12 FG, 4/5 3PT), led a 14-0 run by the Kings out of the half, and they never looked back from there. Dallas’ terrible injury luck continued as Jaden Hardy suffered an injury in the quarter and did not return to the game. The short-handed Mavericks were held to just 66 points over three quarters by the Kings, another example of the newfound defensive effort for the team. It seems Sacramento is forming the identity of a tough-nosed, solid defensive veteran team with this collection of guys post-trade deadline. The offense has been following suit and it has looked progressively better over recent weeks as guys have learned what their spots are and where their teammates will be with LaVine here. This type of play seems very sustainable – they may not be beating world beaters but Sacramento’s game has had a certain swagger and vibe to it that we haven’t seen in quite a while.
Last season, it was Dallas coming to the Kings’ home floor and punking them in a pair of crucial games towards the end of the season. Acknowledging all of the injuries to Dallas, it was good to see Sacramento take care of business in similar fashion this time around. With the win, the Kings improved to 32-28 (19-10 under Doug Christie).
The typical raucous and bouncy American Airlines Center sounded more like a funeral in this one. Understandable considering the seasons those fans have endured, but it seemed symbolic. This could be the defining moment where the Kings surpassed Dallas in the standings, once and for all on the season.
Kings Scribe 
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