NBA: Kings see off Mavericks 115-100 as Acuff and Monk lead the way

Sacramento beat Dallas 115-100 on Monday 2 November at the American Airlines Center, in front of 18,967 spectators. The Kings took control of the game in the second half: 81-74 after three quarters, then 34 points to 26 in the final period. Darius Acuff Jr. scored 25 points and Malik Monk 24, with a +27 differential in 30 minutes.

The Kings thus record their first win of the season. According to CBS Sports, it ends a run of six defeats. On the Dallas side, Santi Aldama, Dereck Lively II, Tarik Biberovic and Sergio De Larrea were listed as out in the latest injury report. For Sacramento, the absentees were Dylan Cardwell, Maxime Raynaud, Ben Simmons and Keegan Murray. Kyrie Irving was also reportedly rested on the Dallas side because of his left knee. According to the same information, the Mavericks also see a run of three straight wins come to an end.

A first half with no clear leader

Dallas led 10-6 after roughly 3 minutes 43 seconds of play, then the two teams finished the first quarter at 18-19. The second quarter followed the same pattern: 34-32 to the Mavericks at 6:27 before the break. A 7-0 run took them to 38-32, their biggest lead of the night (6 points). The Kings regained the upper hand before half-time: 54-53 to them at the break.

Third quarter swings both ways

Sacramento opened the second half with a 9-0 run to lead 60-53. Dallas responded with a 7-0 run and came back to 62-62. The Mavericks even retook the lead, 65-64 midway through the quarter. The Kings then strung together another 7-0 run to go up 71-65. The game saw 17 lead changes, but the closing stretch of the period went Sacramento's way: 81-74 at the end of the third.

Dallas never close the gap

The Kings opened the final quarter with an 8-0 run, from 78-74 to 86-74. Dallas resurfaced with an 8-0 run of their own to get back to 87-94 at 5:59 to play. They got no closer. With 2:18 left, the scoreboard read 93-112, a 19-point gap, the biggest of the game.

Players of the game

For the Kings, Darius Acuff Jr. finished as top scorer with 25 points and 6 assists in 37 minutes, with 5 turnovers. Malik Monk, off the bench, added 24 points with 5 of 8 from three-point range and 7 assists. His +27 is the highest on his team. Zach LaVine contributed 23 points, including 5 of 9 from three-point range, in 28 minutes. Emanuel Sharp took 3 shots and made 3, all from three-point range, for 9 points and a +14 in 20 minutes. Nigeria-linked Precious Achiuwa provided 6 points, 10 rebounds and 3 assists in 27 minutes.

For the Mavericks, Daniel Gafford was the most efficient with 20 points on 9 of 10 shooting and 7 rebounds in 26 minutes. Walter Clayton Jr. also scored 20 points, including 4 of 5 from three-point range, coming off the bench. Cooper Flagg had a tougher night: 17 points, but only 3 shots made out of 19, with 11 of 11 from the free-throw line, 6 assists and 6 turnovers in 40 minutes. P.J. Washington made just 2 of his 9 shots, including 2 of 8 from three-point range, for 12 points.

Three takeaways

A gap that grew late. The Kings never led by more than 19 points, and that maximum came with 2:18 left. Much of the game stayed tight, with 17 lead changes.

Three-point shooting made the difference. Sacramento made 19 of 43 from three-point range (44%), Dallas only 7 of 33 (21%). Dallas did shoot 29 of 35 from the free-throw line, against 10 of 15 for the Kings.

Dallas lost the battle of shooting and rebounding. The Mavericks finished 32 of 78 from the field (41%), against 43 of 82 (52%) for Sacramento. The Kings also pulled down 42 rebounds to the Mavericks' 35. Dallas turned the ball over 16 times and Sacramento 20, which was not enough to turn the game around.

The SNA view

This game was decided from long range. Dallas made 29 free throws and produced solidly inside (Gafford 9 of 10, Morez Johnson Jr. 5 of 5), but they hit just 7 of their 33 three-point attempts, including 0 of 4 for Flagg and 2 of 8 for Washington. Sacramento had five players on 9 points or more and found a decisive bench: Monk, Sharp and Leaky Black (12 points with 4 of 6 from three-point range) finished at +27, +14 and +5. Dallas lost because their outside shots did not drop, and the 3-of-19 shooting from their player with the second-most minutes did not help.

What next

Dallas move to 4-3 and sit 9th in the Western Conference in the 3 November standings. The Mavericks travel to face the San Antonio Spurs on 5 November at 3:30am (Brazzaville time). Sacramento are 1-6 and remain 15th in the West. The Kings host the Lakers the same day at 4:00am (Brazzaville time).