Sacramento Kings Shine In Dallas, Win 114-109

The Sacramento Kings hung on to beat the Dallas Mavericks by a score of 114-109. The purple and white now improve to a record of 18-38 for the season.

Game Summary

The first quarter was a grand one for the Kings. Their offense immediately clicked due to the play of De’Aaron Fox who pushed the pace every time he had the ball in his hands. As a result, the Kings found themselves on top 29-16 to end the first quarter. Zach Randolph led all scorers with 11 points while Fox recorded four assists.

The theme of the first period carried on into the second. The Kings kept their foot on the accelerator as their offense had their way with Dallas’ defense. Specifically, Sacramento’s bench made their footprint in the quarter as they combined for 18 points in the total half. Basically, everyone on the Kings contributed positively in the quarter which resulted in the good guys being on top 62-44 going into halftime.

Although the Kings dominated in the first two quarters, they still needed to show that they can seal the deal. In the beginning stages of the third, Dallas was hot offensively which cut the Kings’ lead down to 12 points. The Kings, however, showed some growth as they were able to fight back and remain in control. With the help of Bogdan Bogdanovic, who scored eight points for the period, the Kings remained on top 88-71 to enter the fourth.

The Mavericks attempted to make a comeback in the final 12 minutes, cutting the Kings’ lead down to five at one point, but the Kings were able to hang on until the clock hit triple zeros, winning by a score of 114-109.

Final Thoughts

Overall, good game to see from the Kings as their roster collectively, especially the young guys, shined tonight. Although this victory does not help with their tanking, why does it matter? For the Kings to have a successful rebuild, a winning mindset needs to be developed from the start, and this team needs to experience winning as soon as possible for the culture of losing to finally change. Tonight was a step forward in the process, in my opinion.

The Kings will be on the hardwood tomorrow as they will face off against the Houston Rockets.