The Sacramento Kings De’Aaron Fox (5) drives on the Dallas Mavericks Luka Doncic (77) in the first half at the American Airlines Center in Dallas on Sat Jan 27, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The Sacramento Kings (26-18) sure made this game interesting and not in a good way. They had a 20 plus lead in the fourth quarter but let it slip away and squeaked by in this game 120-115 defeating the Dallas Mavericks (25-21). 

Game recap: They have made this a habit lately. They take nice leads only to let their opponents back into the game. The bottom line is that a win is a win but Sacramento does keep their fans on the edge of their seats at times.

The Kings came out strong in the first half winning the opening quarter 29-25 and extending their lead at halftime leading 63-49. Sacramento won the second quarter by ten points 34-24.

Sacramento continued to extend their lead and after the third quarter led 94-75. The Kings appeared to have this game under control until the final minutes of the fourth quarter. In the final quarter, the Kings had a 23-point lead that the Mavericks erased. 

With two minutes left in the game Sacramento had a 114-108 lead. The final was 120-115 in favor of the Kings but Sacramento did let the Mavericks back in this game. They had just enough to pull this one out. 

The Kings had won their third game in a row after having lost four game in a row. Sacramento has now won the first two games of a season-long seven-game road trip. Winning on the road especially against teams like the Mavericks and the Warriors are impressive wins. The Kings were able to contain Luca Doncic in this matchup one night after he scored a franchise record 73 points.

Post game notes: Saturday the Kings traveled to Dallas to take on the Mavericks. The Kings are coming off a huge one-point win over the Warriors Thursday night 134-133 in a real nail-biter. Harrison Barnes had a monster game finishing with 39 points in that game. The Mavericks won a close game Friday night beating the Hawks 148-143.

Every starter for Sacramento scored double digits with Fox finishing with 34 points. Barnes had another strong showing with 20 points.

The Kings continue their road trip visiting Memphis Monday night in a match-up with the Grizzlies. Tipoff for this game is scheduled for 5:00 PM.