Sacramento Kings 122, Dallas Mavericks 120

by PegNews wire

Photo not provided by the Sacramento Kings

The Mavs' Ruy Lopez opening was no match for the Kings' Persian Gambit defense. Well played, sirs.

The Dallas Mavericks put up 40 points in the fourth quarter Monday night against the Kings, but still fell a single basket short in a 122-120 loss in Sacramento. In a see-saw game that saw multiple lead changes, 11 players scoring in double digits and a final minute that seemed to take half an hour, the Mavs came up short, their seven-game winning streak snapped.

Surprisingly for such a high-scoring game, neither Dirk Nowitzki nor Josh Howard took control of the game, as both players attempted just ten shots apiece. Dirk finished with 21 points, including going 8-for-8 on free throws, while Howard had 11 points in 25 foul-plagued minutes.

The Mavericks were led by sparkplug Devin Harris, who had 25 points and 9 assists, and kept the game close by hitting nearly all of his baskets. Harris finished with an 8-for-10 performance, including some key baskets in the final minutes.

Jason Terry also co-led the Mavericks in scoring, with 25 points and 7 assists. Terry was an impressive 3-for-4 from the three point line, helping the Mavs shoot 65% on three's.

Posted by Todd M.