
by Charlie O. Mallonee
Two NBA Draft Lottery teams met on the court in Dallas on Tuesday night. The Sacramento Kings and Dallas Mavericks are both looking ahead to next season right now because neither team will be a playoff contender.
The Kings were playing the second of three games on the road before the All-Star Break. Sacramento lost their first road game in Minneapolis on Sunday night. The game in Dallas was the first contest of a “Texas Two-Step” that finishes with a game versus the Rockets in Houston on Wednesday night.
The Kings shocked the Mavericks by handing them a 114-109 loss on their home court to sweep the season series in Dallas. That is the first time that has happened since 2003.
Sacramento jumped out to a 29-16 lead in the first quarter and led the Mavs 65-44 at the half.
Dallas finally woke up in the third quarter behind the play of Harrison Barnes and closed the gap to 17 points. The Kings held an 88-71 lead after three quarters.
Dallas dropped in 38 points in the fourth quarter behind J.J. Barea’s 12 points and Dirk Nowitzki’s 10 point effort. The Kings recorded just 26 points in the final period. The Mavericks outscored the Kings 65-49 in the second half.
Sacramento ran out of gas in the fourth period but they were able to hang on for the win. It was their quick start out of the gate that allowed the Kings to win the game. The Mavericks outscored the Kings in the third and fourth quarters but it was not enough to overcome Sacramento’s strong early start.
This was the Kings 10th road win of the season.
Star PerformersÂ

Kings
- Once again – it was one of the “old guys” who starred for the Kings as Zach Randolph scored a game-high 22 points. Z-Bo hit 10-of-15 shots from the field and went 2-for-3 from 3-point range. He also grabbed seven rebounds and dished out three assists.
- Kings rookie (Euro veteran) Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 19 points hitting 8-of-17 from the floor with three of those baskets being 3-pointers. Bogie also hauled in five rebounds and dished four assists in almost 34-minutes of playing time.
- Rookie point guard De’Aaron Fox scored 11 points and distributed seven assists while playing just over 31-minutes in the game. Fox also recorded four rebounds and had one steal in the contest.
- Special recognition goes to the Sacramento starting five who all scored in double-digits versus Dallas.
Mavericks
- J.J. Barea was the man for Dallas in the game as he posted a double-double. Barea scored 19 points and handed out 13 assists in the game. Five of his baskets were 3-pointers.
- Harrison Barnes had a slow start but you are not going to keep a talent like Barnes silent. He posted 18 points, five rebounds, two assists and one steal in the game.
- Rookie point guard Dennis Smith Jr. put up 17 points while handing out three assists and recording three rebounds.
- Dwight Powell scored 18 points coming off the bench.
Prime Numbers
Sacramento (18-38)
- The Kings shot 54-percent (47-for-87) for the game. They hit 12-of-29 (41.4-percent) shots from 3-point range.
- Sacramento went 8-for-12 (66.7-percent) from the free throw line.
- The Kings handed out 30-assists while committing only nine turnovers which resulted in 17 points for the opponents.
- There was only one lead change in the game and the Kings largest lead in contest was 26 points.
Dallas (18-40)
- The Mavericks hit 38-of-83 (45.8-percent) shots from the floor. The went 15-for-40 (37.5-percent) from long-range.
- Dallas tried to get healthy from the free throw line by hitting 18-of-23 chances from the charity stripe.
- The Mavericks recorded 29 assists while committing only nine turnovers which became seven Sacramento points.
- Dallas was outscored in the paint 56-38 by the Kings
Up Next
Sacramento
The Kings will complete their “Texas two-step” on Wednesday night when they play the Rockets in Houston. Then, it’s All-Star Break time for the men in purple and black (baby blue and red depending on uniform choices).
Dallas
The Mavericks are on their All-Star Break as of now. They will return to action on February 23rd in LA against the Lakers.

