De’Aaron Fox produced one of the most brilliant performances of his career, but a difficult road trip ended in bitter defeat for the Kings on Saturday afternoon in Dallas.
Fox tied his career high with 44 points, but that wasn’t enough as the Dallas Mavericks stormed back from a 19-point deficit to beat the Kings, 114-113, at American Airlines Center despite the absence of Luka Doncic.
Dorian Finney-Smith made two clutch 3-pointers in the final 1:14, including one from the corner that put the Mavericks up by three with 3.8 seconds remaining. Justin Holiday scored on a put-back as time expired after Harrison Barnes missed a 3-pointer that would have sent the game to overtime.
“It’s frustrating to lose any game, but we had the lead in this game,” Fox said. “They junked it up a little bit in the second half. They probably got to all the 50-50 balls and they made winning plays.”
Spencer Dinwiddie scored 36 points for the Mavericks (39-25), who have won 23 of 30 to move within a game of the Utah Jazz for the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference. Jalen Brunson had 23 points to help Dallas win without Doncic, who was held out due to a sprained toe after scoring 41 points in a win over the Golden State Warriors on Thursday.
Domantas Sabonis had 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting with 10 rebounds and six assists for the Kings (24-42), who are 4 1/2 games out of the final play-in spot in the West with 16 games remaining. Trey Lyles added 11 points and six rebounds. Richaun Holmes returned after missing five games due to back soreness, posting six points and six rebounds in 16 minutes.
Fox went 18 of 31 from the field, 3 of 4 from 3-point range and 5 of 6 at the free-throw line, matching his career high of 44 points against the Golden State Warriors on March 25, 2021. Fox has played well since early January, but he has taken his game to another level recently. Over the last 11 games, Fox has averaged 28.3 points and 6.1 assists while shooting 51.5% from the field, 36.5% from beyond the arc and 76.5% at the line.
“I think he’s been doing exactly what he did tonight,” interim Kings coach Alvin Gentry said. “He’s been attacking the basket. He’s been making plays for other people. He’s been able to finish at the basket. … He’s been into the ball and doing a good job defensively for us also.”
Mavericks coach Jason Kidd was asked about Fox and Sabonis during his pregame news conference.
“They’re good,” Kidd said. “They’re young. Sabonis can score. He can play in the high post. He can play in the post. They got a really good player in the trade, and then Fox is playing at a high level now, handling the ball, being able to get to the basket, and doing the things that he’s capable of. He just seems comfortable. Those two are going to cause havoc for a long time and so Sacramento is excited to have those two. With that being said, we’ve got our work cut out tonight because they’ll put a lot of pressure on our defense.”
Fox and Sabonis combined for 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting over the first eight minutes to help Sacramento open up a 21-11 lead. The Kings led 36-26 at the end of the first quarter and staged a 12-2 run to take a 53-34 lead in the second.
Sacramento led 65-51 at the half, but Dallas wasn’t done. The Mavericks cut the deficit to five late in the third quarter and took a 95-94 lead on a bucket by Dinwiddie with 9:50 remaining in the fourth.
Fox delivered a series of tough baskets to help Sacramento reestablish a seven-point lead with 2:55 to play, but the Kings couldn’t finish. They went 1 of 6 from the field over the final 2:14 and Fox missed a free throw that would have tied the game with 12 seconds remaining.
The Kings outscored the Mavericks 66-44 on points in the paint, but the Mavericks had a 19-12 advantage in points off turnovers.
“Obviously, it’s a real tough loss,” Gentry said. “I thought we played great for most of the game. We have to do a better job of managing our turnovers. We turned it over at a crucial time tonight.”
