The Dallas Mavericks lost to the Sacramento Kings 113-107 Saturday afternoon in what was undoubtedly a matchup between two basketball teams.
The Kings got a combined 61 points from Keon Ellis (21), Russell Westbrook (21 and nine assists), and French rookie Maxime Reynard (19) as Cooper Flagg led all scorers with 23 points and PJ Washington chipped in 17 points and four blocks.
The first quarter of the Mavericks’ sixth game in 10 nights was an ugly affair rife with live-ball turnovers, easy transition
buckets off of said turnovers, and clanked three-pointers on their end. The Kings reeled off an early 22-3 run led by 11 points from Keon Ellis alone to build a 25-12 lead midway through the period. The lead began to gradually shrink before ballooning again as PJ Washington started to drive with purpose, only to be countered by…math. Despite shooting 5-of-13 from three in the first half, the Mavs only shot 36% from the field overall (17-of-47) and had twice as many turnovers (8) as the Kings (4) through two quarters.
However, the Flagg then rose. Cooper Flagg opened the third quarter with 15 points in the first six minutes, going 5-for-5 from the field (including a trio of three pointers!) and cutting the Kings’ lead to three points. Unfortunately, the turnovers resumed for Dallas, and the lead quickly ballooned back to 12 following a 9-0 run capped by a Keon Ellis relocation three.
As the lead toggled back and forth from manageable to out of reach throughout the fourth quarter, the Mavs never quite managed a long enough string of defensive stops and turnover-free offensive possessions to break through and reclaim the lead for themselves. They ended the game with 21 turnovers (10 more than the Kings), took 17 fewer shots (87) than Sacramento (104), and lost by six points despite shooting 3% better from the field (46% to 43.3%).
Three points of interest in this game:
Turnovers, turnovers, turnovers
In a game where Sacramento destroyed the Mavericks in points off turnovers, 28-11, every Maverick who played double-digit minutes except for Klay Thompson had a turnover, most of them live-ball variety. Despite Ryan Nembhard hitting the ground running in shoring up Dallas’ turnover problems before his insertion into the rotation, the Mavs have been back to their more turnover-prone ways of late, and it cost them what should have been a reasonably easy game to manage today. Cooper Flagg (5), Nembhard (2), Daniel Gafford (2), and Max Christie (3!!!) have to do a much better job keeping the ball out of harm’s way and avoiding lazy passes and bobbled catches in the half-court.
Cooper 3s are here (hopefully to stay)!
In his last three games, beginning with a 4-for-6 eruption from three in a 33-point, nine rebound, nine-assist masterclass against Denver, Cooper Flagg has shot 8-of-13 from deep with makes consisting of a mix of pull-up jumpers and catch-and-shoot looks. Much like his lone year at Duke, Cooper’s confidence appears to be growing from the one area of the floor he has yet to be reasonably efficient, and that’s both a welcome sign for Mavericks fans and a frightening one for the rest of the league.
Lose, baby…lose?
After losing back-to-back games to Golden State and Sacramento, the Mavericks currently have the eighth-worst record in the league. They are a half game and one and a half games ahead of the Charlotte Hornets and Brooklyn Nets, respectively, for the seventh and sixth-best odds at the first pick in the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery. While Sacramento currently occupies a fourth-best odds slot that Dallas will likely never slide down, even in what should be considered a mildly embarrassing loss, the Mavericks may end up the winners for those searching for a silver lining following this game.
The Mavericks will suit up for the final time in 2025 on Monday night in Portland to take on the Trail Blazers.
