SACRAMENTO – The last time this much carnage was inflicted on northern California, the gold rushers were taking everything they could find that was worth anything.
This time, it was the Mavericks leaving this place barren.
They put the worst kind of hurt on the Sacramento Kings with a blowout win on Tuesday, then a gut-wrenching stab to the home team’s heart on Friday night.
It was a wonderful few days in Sac-Town, if you were a Maverick.
On Friday, they won their sixth consecutive game. They got it despite trailing by 15 points in the first half and by 10 early in the fourth quarter.
Kyrie Irving got hot, as he is prone to do in the fourth quarter. He’s been the most lethal fourth-quarter scorer in the NBA the past two seasons.
And then there was Dante Exum. He was 1-of-5 from the field, including three missed shots in a row. Then, when the Mavericks ran a penetration play for P.J. Washington, he delivered a kick-out pass to the corner for Exum, it was a gamble.
But what isn’t in a close game? Exum drilled the three-pointer, putting the Mavericks up 106-103 with 28 seconds left. It was another affirmation that the Mavericks are more than just Irving and Luka Dončić.
“We’re just playing great team basketball,” Dončić said. “We made some moves at the trade deadline. Our defense is getting better and better every game. Today was a rough game for us. To win back-to-back games in Sac is difficult. And we did a great job with that.”
The Mavericks truly have learned from the early, sometimes-agonizing parts of the early season. They have settled on a rotation. They have faith in their teammates. And a shot like Exum’s is only going to build on that confidence.
Here’s what else we learned from Friday’s win over the Kings, which put the Mavericks two games ahead in the race for sixth place in the Western Conference, which would mean avoiding the play-in tournament:
Journey of a thousand miles: In some ways, it was fitting that the Mavericks’ helped define their regular season with two wins in Sacramento. A little over a year ago, Irving and Dončić played their first games together against the Kings. Things were choppy, to say the least. Now, they look like a smooth-running machine. “A long, long way,” Dončić said about how far the pair has come in little over a year. “This training camp, we had some practices together (and felt) it would be way easier for us to function better. And I think it shows, especially now. I think we’re both happy and we’re both doing some good things on the floor and we have great teammates. So I think this team is special.” Said coach Jason Kidd: “The journey those two have been on. The start wasn’t what we wanted. But sometimes, you have to fail to be successful. It’s all right to fail. As long as you learn and continue to keep working. They’ve turned the corner. The chemistry is at a high level between those two.”
Kyrie to the rescue: On a night when Dončić took just 14 shots from the field (and also 14 from the free-throw line), perhaps because he was dinged up on both legs, Irving took charge in the fourth quarter. He was four-of-four from the field and had 14 points. They came when the Mavericks turned a 92-82 deficit into a 103-101 lead. “Our resolve, after the shots don’t go in, what does the next play look like,” Irving said of the Mavericks’ attitude. “We’re just paying attention to those details. We just try to do the right things for each other. And continue to feed each other that positive energy. It goes a long way.”
Coach’s viewpoint: The Mavericks are 44-29 with nine games remaining. The sixth seed is theirs for the taking. And if they can keep their winning ways, moving up is within reach. Of course, after mastering the Kings this week, the next test won’t be any easier. They must visit Houston on Sunday and the Rockets have only won 11 in a row. But what’s happened to the Mavericks in the last month is a remarkable change in one respect: They aren’t afraid to play rough-and-tumble basketball. “We’re going to be physical,” Kidd said. “That’s just the nature of who we are. We’ve embraced that. The way the game is being called, we got to embrace it. We’re not going to complain about it. We’re going to play the way the game is being officiated. And physicality is at a high. If this is the way it’s going to be officiated, then that’s the way we’re going to play. Until the whistle is blown, we got to play through it (excessive contact). I think the guys have done an incredible job of embracing the physicality and not complaining and just playing basketball at a high level.”
Western Conference update
Team (seed) Record Games left (H-R)
Minnesota (1) 51-22…….….6-3
Oklahoma City (2) 51-22……….4-5
Denver (3) 51-23…………4-4
LA Clippers (4) 46-27……….6-3
New Orleans (5) 45-28……….5-4
Dallas (6) 44-29……….4-5
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Phoenix (7) 43-31..……..4-4
Sacramento (8) 42-31……….5-4
LA Lakers (9) 41-33……….3-5
Golden State (10) 39-34…….…4-5
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Houston (11) 38-35………4-5
X: @ESefko
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