Block party: Sabonis extends double-double streak, Doncic stymied as Kings swat Mavericks
The bad feelings from the Kings’ four-game losing streak earlier this month have been replaced by optimism amid a new string of wins.
Sacramento’s latest victory came Saturday night at American Airlines Center in Dallas, where they took advantage of a lethargic and depleted Mavericks team on their home floor for the second time this season.
The Kings won, 120-115, behind another strong performance from De’Aaron Fox and a good defensive plan against Luka Doncic, the NBA’s second-leading scorer.
Sacramento led by as many as 23, but the Mavericks cut it close at the end, requiring a tough right-handed layup from Fox with 52.1 remaining that kept the lead at eight and later three after a series of events that included a pair of missed free throws from Malik Monk and an eight-second violation.
But the Kings held on despite turning the blowout into a white-knuckle finish.
“Just being able to push the pace, I think that’s why we had a lead like that,” Fox said. “In the last six minutes ... you obviously want to continue to play to win more so than playing not to lose. But, obviously, when you have a lead like that, it’s just natural that you want to waste some time. But we have to be able to finish the game better than that.”
The ending was reminiscent of Sacramento’s disastrous Jan. 17 loss in Phoenix when head coach Mike Brown’s team was outscored 32-8 over the final 8:22.
The Kings on Saturday led 101-81 with 9:56 remaining. They were outscored 34-19 the rest of the way, but this time they held on.
“We turned the ball over two or three times, and every time we turned it over, they capitalized on it,” Brown said. “I thought they had a couple of offensive rebounds that we could have come up with. ... It’s a sign of a really good team in Dallas, but they were desperate. They had nothing to lose.
“When you’re in (their) position, you’re shooting the ball with a lot more confidence because, we’re going to lose anyway, so I’m going to let that thing fly. So there’s not as much pressure when you’re in the situation that they were in.”
Fox scored 21 points in the first half, whirling with a series of fadeaway jumpers and mid-range shots, while his teammates filled in the gaps with a balanced offensive performance. Fox finished with 34, his 16th game with at least 30 points, while all five starters were in double figures. Sabonis extended his double-double streak to 27 games.
Perhaps more importantly, the Kings tried a variety of defensive looks against Doncic, 24 hours after a historic 73-point performance in Atlanta. Doncic finished with 28 points, 17 assists and 19 rebounds, but the Mavericks struggled to find an offensive rhythm with Kyrie Irving sidelined for a third straight game with a thumb injury. Dallas finished shooting 44% from the floor. Doncic went 9 of 26 from the field and 1 of 9 from 3-point range.
Murray was asked about what went through his mind when he knew he was going up against a player that scored 73 points the night prior.
“It’s exciting, just to have that challenge and have that goal,” he said. “Fox was joking, ‘just don’t let him put 70 on your head tonight.’ So it was my goal to keep him under 70. I think we did that well.”
Dallas stayed in the game by having advantages in second-chance points (19-9) and fastbreak points (21-17). The Mavericks outscored the Kings 40-26 in the fourth quarter.
Sacramento set a new season high with 10 blocked shots. The Kings had nine blocks at halftime, matching their previous season high against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Nov. 10. Keegan Murray led the way with three while adding 15 points. Sabonis had 17 points and 11 rebounds. Barnes, coming off back-to-back 30-point games, continued his string of solid play with 20 points while going 4 of 7 from 3-point range.
Doncic played Saturday after being listed as questionable with right ankle soreness coming off his 73-point, 10-rebound, seven-assist performance Friday night in a win over the Atlanta Hawks. Doncic played 45 minutes and hit 25 of his 33 shots against the Hawks.
Asked before the game about slowing Doncic down, Kings coach Mike Brown signaled there isn’t just one way.
“Oh, man, you gotta constantly try to change things up,” Brown said. “You can’t give him the same look, because he’s extremely smart. He’s got a great feel, so if you give him the same look over and over and over and over again, he’s going to exploit it. So, giving him different coverages, putting different bodies on him, try to make him work.
“You’re not stopping him. Sometimes (it’s) picking him up fullcourt, make him work bringing it up, make him work in transition, try to make him work on the other end. He’s such a great scorer, and he does it like you said, in a unique way, that he’s hard to slow down.”
The Kings entered Saturday ranked 18th defensively, allowing 116.3 points per 100 possessions. They’ve continued to rely on Murray to guard the opponents’ best scorers. In the second quarter, he blocked back-to-back shots from Doncic, who was issued a technical foul after arguing he should have been awarded free throws.
Brown was true to his word and threw an slew of defenders at Doncic.
Murray, Fox, Huerter and even backup guard Davion Mitchell took turns on the five-time All-Star. Brown went deep into the bench when he called on Kessler Edwards to guard Doncic at the end of the third quarter.
The Mavericks cut the lead to eight inside three minutes left in the fourth quarter after Sacramento flirted with a 20-point lead for the bulk of the second half.
Sacramento with three straight wins improved to 26-18 after entering the night as the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference. Dallas fell to 25-21, holding the eighth spot.
The Mavericks, playing for a second straight night, had Doncic but were missing a other rotational players, including Irving. Dallas was also without reserve big man Dwight Powell, guard Dante Exum and forward Derrick Jones Jr. Maxi Kleber was available after dealing with a toe injury.
Mavericks’ injuries meant former Kings center Richaun Holmes got into the game in the first quarter, marking the second time he has faced his former team. Sacramento traded Holmes and the No. 24 pick in last June’s NBA draft for cash considerations after Holmes spent four seasons with the Kings. Holmes finished scoreless in eight minutes.
Saturday was the second time the Kings played in Dallas while the Mavericks were on the second night of a back-to-back. The Kings beat the Mavericks 129-113 on Nov. 19, a night after the Mavericks played in Milwaukee.
Upcoming schedule
Jan. 29 at Memphis Grizzlies
Jan. 31 at Miami Heat
Feb. 2 at Indiana Pacers
Feb. 3 at Chicago Bulls
Feb. 5 at Cleveland Cavaliers
