The Mavericks lost a shocking gross game to the Kings on Saturday afternoon, 113-107 in Sacramento. Cooper Flagg led the Mavs with 23 points, six rebounds, and five assists. The Mavs had five guys finish in double figures, with PJ Washington finishing with 17 points, Klay finishing with 14 points, and Daniel Gafford and Naji Marshall finishing with 11 points each. The Kings won the game on the backs of Russell Westbrook and Keon Ellis, who each scored 21 points apiece. Maxime Raymond had 19 points to go
along with six rebounds, as he dominated the Mavericks’ front court the entire day.
Dallas fell behind early in the first half as Sacramento controlled the opening quarter, led by Russell Westbrook, who led all players with 12 points and set the tone as the primary playmaker. Daniel Gafford was Dallas’ most effective scorer in the Dallas quarter, providing interior finishes and leading the team in points early, but perimeter shooting and turnovers stalled momentum. The second quarter saw Sacramento extend the lead through balance and efficiency, with Makur Raynaud emerging as the Kings’ leading rebounder and paint Kings during the period. At the same time, Westbrook continued to lead all players in assists. For Dallas, P.J. Washington paced the Mavericks in second-quarter scoring with aggressive drives and trips to the free throw line, yet defensive breakdowns and second-chance points allowed Sacramento to carry a 59-44 advantage into halftime.
The Mavericks showed more fight in the second half, beginning with a third-quarter push led by Cooper Flagg, who was Dallas’ leading scorer in the period behind confident three-point shooting and downhill attacks. P.J. Washington anchored the defense in the third, leading the team in rebounds and blocks. Still, Sacramento consistently answered as Keegan Ellis led all players in third-quarter scoring with multiple threes while Westbrook remained the game’s overall scoring leader. In the fourth quarter, Dallas received a scoring boost from Jaden Hardy, who led the Mavericks in points during the final frame, while Flagg continued to contribute across the box score. Still, Sacramento’s depth proved decisive, with Ellis and Dennis Schröder leading the Kings in fourth-quarter scoring and Precious Achiuwa controlling the glass late. Despite improved effort after halftime, Dallas never fully closed the gap, as Sacramento’s early dominance and steady second-half execution secured the win, 113-107. Let’s get into the numbers
21: Mavericks turnovers
The cause of death for the Mavericks tonight was their turnovers, especially in the first quarter. During the opening period, the Mavs committed six turnovers, including four during the Kings’ dominant 22-3 run, giving the Kings a 27-12 lead. The kings maintained a double-digit lead for basically the rest of the game until the end of the fourth quarter. 14 of the Mavericks’ turnovers came from the starting group, including five from Cooper Flagg and three from Max Christie, both of whom are among the team’s primary ball handlers. Empty possessions, especially down the stretch, not only lost the Mavs this game, but have been a common theme when the Mavs have lost to one of these worse teams early. The King scored 28 points off the Mavericks 21 turnovers. That was the game.
21: Cooper Flagg 2nd half points
Cooper Flagg had one of the shakier games of his pro career and yet still managed to hit his averages of the month thanks to a monster second half. After getting held to two points on only two free throws and 0-for-3 from the floor, Flagg made it his personal mission out of halftime to get the Mavs back into the game. Coming out of the half, Flagg exploded, knocking down three 3-pointers, attacking the rim for two layups, and adding two free throws, accounting for the majority of Dallas’s offensive production during its early third-quarter push. Flagg continued his dominant month of December, where he has been averaging around 24.1 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 4.5 APG, 1.3 BPG, and 1.0 SPG, highlighted by a historic 33-point, 9-rebound, 9-assist near triple-double against Denver on Dec. 23, and a 27-point Christmas Day game where he became the youngest player with 25-plus points, rebounds, and assists in a Christmas game
11: How many players played for the Mavs
The Mavericks played all 11 available players today, including Moussa Cisse, D’Angelo Russell, and Jaden Hardy, all of whom saw stretches of playing time. This came with the newest Anthony Davis soreness injury, a new Brandon Williams calf contusion, and the continued absences of Kyrie Irving, Dante Exum, and Derrick Lively. Still, it feels bizarre to think they would need to go 11 deep to beat the Kings without Zach LaVine and Domantas Sabonis, while also holding DeMar DeRozan to less than 10 points. Still, Jason Kidd had trouble maintaining consistency in effort, particularly in his backcourt, throughout the afternoon. Ryan Nembhard, Russell, and Hardy were each put into action over and over again, allowing Russell Westbrook and Keon Ellis to knock down open shots. While the Mavericks very clearly need to pick a direction with this team and the way they are playing, they clearly need front-court help more than anything.
