Mavericks at Kings
The Sacramento Kings are hoping point guard Darren Collison will make a difference when they host the Dallas Mavericks in their second meeting of the season Tuesday night. Collison missed the first game against Dallas because of a shoulder injury and the Kings committed 17 turnovers in the second half while blowing a 24-point lead in the eight-point loss on Nov. 11. Collison is averaging 16.6 points and six assists on the season and shooting 58.2 percent from the floor in the last eight games.
The Mavericks got blown out by the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday afternoon and they’ll be trying to avoid their first three-game losing streak of the season. They should feel good about their chances after winning 19 of the last 21 regular-season games against the Kings, but at least Sacramento isn’t playing in Dallas, where the Kings have lost 21 straight to the Mavericks. Dallas point guard Rajon Rondo scored 29 points on 12-for-19 shooting against his former team, the Boston Celtics, on Jan. 2, but has combined for 14 points on 7-for-37 from the floor in the four games since.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, FSN Southwest (Dallas), CSN California (Sacramento)
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (26-12): Monta Ellis spent his first 6 1/2 NBA seasons in Northern California as a member of the Golden State Warriors, including his two best scoring years from 2009-11, when he averaged 25.5 points and 24.1 in back-to-back seasons. Ellis took at least 20 field goal attempts in eight of 15 games in December but has been more selective lately, shooting the ball between 15 and 17 times in each of the last six games, while still scoring at least 16 in each outing. One area that's gone south against Sacramento in Ellis' career is his 3-point shooting, converting 24.6 from beyond the arc in 26 career games, his second lowest mark against all NBA opponents.
ABOUT THE KINGS (16-21): Rudy Gay did a little bit of everything in the last game against Dallas, producing 26 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, but also tying his career high at the time with seven turnovers. He since bettered that with eight turnovers New Year’s Day against the Minnesota Timberwolves but has cleaned things up with just seven giveaways in the last four games, including none in Sunday’s win against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Gay’s scoring has remained consistent as he has scored at least 20 in six of the last eight games.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Dallas has two three-game losing streaks in the last two years and hasn’t lost four in a row since January 2013.
2. The Mavericks held the Kings to 60 points three years ago Wednesday, which remains a franchise record for fewest points by an opponent.
3. Kings C DeMarcus Cousins came into the week ranked third in the NBA in scoring (23.9) and third in rebounding (12.3), the only player ranked in the top five in both categories.
PREDICTION: Mavericks 104, Kings 98