A Royal Pain
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Game 19 Notes- Sacramento Kings vs. Dallas Mavericks

By Tyler Nielsen

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The Sacramento Kings improved to 7-12 on the season after beating the Dallas Mavericks last night 112-98. Below are noteworthy statistics gathered from the Sacramento Kings community:

Last night was only the sixth time in 19 games that the Kings have been at full strength.

The Sacramento Kings are 6-5 when DeMarcus Cousins plays and 1-7 when he does not.

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The Kings had struggled to beat the Mavericks prior to this game. They had lost their last 21 of 23 before tonight’s win.

Prior to the game the Kings entered the game dead last in the NBA in points allowed per game at 109.1. Currently, they are the second worst defensive team in the league allowing 108.5 points per game.

It is nice having the big fella back. Cousins finished the game with 31 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists.  He struggled from the field but that’s expected after missing games. He did finish strong with 16 points in the 4th quarter.

Demarcus Cousins has scored 30+ points in six of his eleven games this season. He is currently averaging 28.2 points and 11 rebounds per game. It is not rocket science. When the big fella plays the Kings are a much better team.

The rest of the Kings showcased a well balanced offensive effort. Rajon Rondo finished the game with 21 points and picked up his 200th assist this season, leading the NBA in assists at 10.7 per game. No King in the Sacramento ERA has had more assists through 19 games than Rondo. Rudy Gay chipped in 20 points and Darren Collision added 15. Collison played extremely well and seems to be working his way back to the Darren fans love.

Nov 30, 2015; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Rudy Gay (8) dunks the ball against the Dallas Mavericks during the second quarter at Sleep Train Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

Omri Casspi continues to shoot the three ball well. He is currently top 10 in the NBA in three point percentage at 45.2%.

The Kings are currently fifth in the NBA in three point percentage at 37.4%. That stat is shocking considering how bad they were from deep last year.

Defense was a bright spot in this game. The Mavericks opened the game shooting 11/18 but the Kings were able to hold the Mavs to 42.9% for the rest of the game. They held the Dallas Mavericks to only 13 third quarter points on 22.7% from the field.

A big component of this game was the Mavericks inability to hit open threes. They missed 28 of 37 attempts from three point range.

The Kings only committed two turnovers in the second half which is extremely encouraging from a team that has struggled with turnovers for most of the season.

Marco Belinelli only took one shot attempt during this game who George Karl said after the game was under the weather.

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No Marco Belinelli for much of this game meant a Seth Curry sighting, who continues to showcase his shooting ability in limited minutes. On the season he is now 9/12 from the perimeter. Curry was the spark plug off the bench that got the Kings back into the game. This performance will hopefully warrant some more playing time from coach Karl.

Dallas coach Rick Carlisle went to hack-a-Rondo and it was effective, as Rondo finished the game shooting 7/14 from the line. It will be intriguing to see if more teams use this strategy when Rondo is on the floor.

Congratulations to Dirk Nowitzki who became the 13th player with 10,000 field goals made.  There are only three other active players supporting that stat: Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, and Tim Duncan.

Next: Big Second Half Leads To Kings Win vs Mavs

Tonight was a good win against a respected ball club. The Kings will look to build on this win by flying to Mexico City on Thursday to take on the Boston Celtics.

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