Mavericks at Kings
The Dallas Mavericks looked like they would easily extend their winning streak to four straight and post their most impressive win of the season at Golden State on Wednesday before falling apart. The Mavericks will try to turn the page quickly and avoid back-to-back losses when they visit the Sacramento Kings on Thursday. The Kings can relate after dropping a 25-point decision to the Warriors on Monday.
Sacramento has lost nine of its last 10 games and was completely lost on the defensive end in the 121-96 home loss to Golden State while getting very little from its reserves. The Kings are getting strong individual work from DeMarcus Cousins but the constant defensive focus on the All-Star is having a negative effect on his shooting percentage. Cousins will get a tough battle on Thursday from Dallas center Tyson Chandler, who was one of the consistent bright spots against the Warriors with 21 points and 17 rebounds.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, FSN Southwest (Dallas), CSN California (Sacramento)
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (33-18): Dallas jumped out to a 24-4 lead and was up by as much as 22 points in the first quarter on Wednesday before the perimeter defense against Stephen Curry and company began to break down in a 128-114 loss. The Mavericks surrendered an average of 86.3 points in three straight wins before struggling on that end on Wednesday. J.J. Barea made his second straight start at point guard in place of Rajon Rondo (broken nose, orbital fracture) and figures to get the nod again on Thursday.
ABOUT THE KINGS (17-30): Sacramento has not beaten a Western Conference opponent since knocking off Oklahoma City at home on Jan. 7 and is staring at a stretch with four of six on the road after finishing up with the Mavericks. Cousins is battling through an ankle issue and has failed to reach 50 percent from the field in any of the last three games, though a strong second half led to a 10-of-21 effort on Monday. Cousins suggested after the game that guard Ben McLemore, who scored 18 points on only nine field-goal attempts and cooled in the second half against Golden State, should become a bigger part of the offense.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Mavericks have taken five straight in the series, including a 108-104 overtime triumph on Jan. 13.
2. Sacramento F Rudy Gay has scored 20 or more points in each of the last four games.
3. Dallas F Al-Farouq Aminu is 9-of-14 from the field in the last two games.