Though that doesn’t necessarily look dominant on paper, when you look at the rebounding quarter-by-quarter, you can tell the Kings really wore the Mavericks out in the second and third quarters. The Kings out-rebounded the Mavericks in this one 53-48, and their advantage on the offensive glass was 14-11. Here are four stats that tell the tale of how Sacramento was able to control the game and pull away late. Dallas also had no answer for Kings point guard DeAaron Fox, who finished the game with 30 points and seven assists. Sabonis led all scorers with a season-high 32 points, pulled down 13 rebounds and dished six assists, dominating the Mavs’ frontcourt for all of his 35 minutes played.
Dallas looked gassed on its home court toward the end of the third quarter after battling back from an early seven-point deficit to take a one-point lead after one and from a nine-point deficit in the second quarter, to draw within 70-65 at halftime. It was the Mavericks’ second loss in a row, the first time this year Dallas has dropped two straight, and it came on the second night of a back-to-back stint, after Saturday’s 132-125 loss at the Milwaukee Bucks. The Mavericks rolled out the red carpet for Domantas Sabonis and any other Sacramento King with ideas about driving through the lane Sunday, offering little in the way of defensive resistance in a 129-113 loss at the American Airlines Center.
