Fresh off the heels of perhaps their worst loss of the season against the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night, the Sacramento Kings have a chance to bounce back from that loss and get revenge against a Western Conference opponent on Friday.
The Kings entered the fourth quarter with a nine-point lead, but the game was over quickly, as yet another win by Dallas pushed Sacramento further out of the playoffs and closer to an NBA play-in situation.
Thanks to a hot game (61% FG) in Game 4, the Mavericks came from behind to win 107-103, clinching the regular season series and eliminating any chance of the Kings tying Dallas in the standings.
With nine games remaining on the regular season schedule, Sacramento (42-31) trails the sixth-seeded Mavs by two games and the Phoenix Suns by 0.5 games for the eighth seed in the standings. It will be the weekend. .
It was a disappointing result for the Kings, as they needed to win at least one of the two games against Dallas, both of which were played at the Golden 1 Center.
Instead, Sacramento will enter the final two weeks of the season with hopes of earning a No. 7 seed and home court in the play-in tournament at worst.
EXUM 3 moves Dallas up to 3.
NBA TV 27.5 left 🚨
📲 https://t.co/mggFMzSeDR pic.twitter.com/3QeT1Dm5kR
— NBA (@NBA) March 30, 2024
Kings vs. Mavericks Summary and Key Points
Sacramento got off to a slow start in Tuesday's game and lacked energy, but they didn't make the same mistake again in Friday's rematch.
The Kings showed speed and aggression from the start, outscoring Dallas with a 27-14 opening run thanks to two unlikely scorers in Harrison Barnes and Keon Ellis. With De'Aaron Fox experiencing another slow start on offense and Malik Monk (right knee) out for the remainder of the game, Sacramento got a boost as Barnes and Ellis each scored 11 points in the first quarter.
Thanks to contributions from Barnes (17 points in the first half), Ellis and De'Aaron Fox (10 points in the second quarter), the Kings led by as many as 15 points in the first half and won 60-51. Lead to a break.
On Tuesday, the Mavericks shot 56 percent from 3-point range, setting a new season high. This time, Dallas only made 5 of 17 attempts (29%) from deep in the first half as Sacramento continued to dominate for the first 24 minutes of the game.
Rough HB and One 💪 pic.twitter.com/0PruK4flLD
— NBCS Kings (@NBCSKings) March 30, 2024
The Mavericks made a move early in the third quarter, cutting the Kings' lead to four points, but Sacramento responded.
With Monk out, head coach Mike Brown filled the slot with defensive specialist Kessler Edwards as the favorite for the Sixth Man Award, but defense wasn't the only thing Edwards brought to the table Friday. .
Edwards, who entered the season with just 14 triples in 46 games, knocked down both of his attempts from deep in the third quarter and helped the Kings maintain space between themselves and Dallas.
Edwards' boost off the bench, along with strong play from Davion Mitchell on both ends of the floor, helped Fox and Domantas Sabonis as Sacramento took a nine-point lead into the fourth quarter.
It looked like the Kings were on track to win, but as we've learned this season, nothing will come easy for the Sacramento Kings in 2023-24.
The Mavericks opened the fourth quarter on a 21-10 run to take their first lead of the night with just over six minutes left, and the writing was on the wall heading into the final crunch period.
A brutal second-half turnover and a mix-up between Harrison Barnes and De'Aaron Fox secured the victory for Dallas. pic.twitter.com/4lggFISTsd
— Brenden Nunes (@BrendenNunesNBA) March 30, 2024
Dante Exum's go-ahead triple with 27 seconds left gave Dallas a three-point lead, but the Kings fumbled on that end of the floor, finishing 34-21 on Barnes' open triple miss and game-clinching turnover. Mavericks quarter.
Coach Fox said of his team's failure to contain Dallas in the fourth quarter, “We can't allow 34 points in the fourth quarter.'' “You don't win a lot of games when you're down 13 points in the fourth quarter.”
Sacramento had chances late, and Fox, Burns and others missed the lead multiple times in the closing minutes.
The Kings didn't score a single point with 2:35 left in regulation, but the Mavs continued to feed Exum for shots from deep. After missing the first two exhibition games, the former top-10 pick rewarded Sacramento's defense with a game-winning triple that silenced the sold-out crowd at Golden 1 Center.
In the fourth, Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving shot 7-of-21 (33%) from the field for the Kings, and the duo combined for 21 points in the final period. This is the same score as Sacramento as a team.
The ball is high, Kai 🤚 pic.twitter.com/aUzwQrd1Ak
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) March 30, 2024
After the loss, head coach Mike Brown expressed displeasure with the free throw differential, noting that the game was not played consistently.
Dallas finished the night with 33 free throw attempts, while Sacramento made 12 from the foul line. “It was a close ball game, 33-12,” Brown said. “That's not consistency.”
Overall, it was a tough night for the Kings. The Kings will wait for information on Malik Monk's knee injury before setting their sights on Sunday's all-important game against the sub-.500 Utah Jazz.
notes and statistics
- Domantas Sabonis He recorded 56 consecutive double-doubles against Dallas, setting the longest career double-double streak in franchise history. He surpassed Jerry Lucas, who played in 55 consecutive games in two seasons from January 2, 1968 to November 6, 1968.
Latest injury information
Malik Monk Mavericks star Luka Doncic injured his right knee during the first quarter after appearing to fall on his feet after an attempt near the basket. Monk walked to the locker room under his own power but did not return for the remainder of the game. More information regarding Monk's injury will be revealed before Sunday's game between Sacramento and Utah.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski: kevin harter (Dislocated left shoulder and torn labrum) Will miss the rest of the season. Hürtel will undergo surgery and is expected to be back in time for the start of the 2024-25 season.
trey lyles He suffered a sprained MCL in his left knee on March 12th and will be re-examined next week.
When is the next Sacramento Kings game?
Sacramento will take on the Utah Jazz on Sunday afternoon at Golden 1 Center, continuing a five-game homestand.
The Kings only have three games remaining against teams with sub-.500 records, and the matchup with Utah is a prelude to a tough stretch, with Sacramento's next three opponents holding winning percentages above .600. It turns out.
Be sure to tune in to Sactown Sports 1140 for all of our Kings vs. Jazz coverage starting at 4:30 PM PT. game night before tipoff at 6pm PT from downtown Sacramento.
Future schedule
- Sunday March 31st – Sacramento Kings vs. Utah Jazz – 6:00 PM PST
- Tuesday, April 2nd – Sacramento Kings vs. Los Angeles Clippers – 7:00 PM PST
- Thursday, April 4th – Sacramento Kings @ New York Knicks – 4:30pm PT
- Friday, April 5th – Sacramento Kings @ Boston Celtics – 4:30pm PT
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