Mavericks 119, Kings 96
DALLAS -- The Dallas Mavericks rode a smothering second quarter to an easy 119-96 victory Monday night over the Sacramento Kings at American Airlines Center.
The Mavericks (11-10) won their third in a row to inch over .500 for the first time since Nov. 21. The Kings (7-13) had their three-game winning streak snapped. They lost their 17th consecutive regular-season game in Dallas.
O.J. Mayo led the Mavericks with 19 points, and Chris Kaman added 18. Dallas coach Rick Carlisle used nine players for at least 19 minutes but none more than 29. Derek Fisher, Dahntay Jones, Darren Collison and rookie Jae Crowder also scored in double figures for the Mavs.
DeMarcus Cousins and Francisco Garcia scored 25 each for the Kings, with Garcia knocking down seven 3-pointers. Sacramento tried to make things interesting in the third quarter, as Garcia's sixth trey of the evening cut what was a once a 28-point deficit to 77-66.
The Mavericks were back up 88-70 by the end of the third, and they coasted from there. Dallas is 7-3 at home this season.
A tight game began to get away from Sacramento late in the first quarter and only got worse in the second. The Mavericks opened up their first double-digit edge less than two minutes into the second and pushed it to 61-33 during a 32-4 run.
The Kings didn't score in second quarter until there was 6:10 left. Dallas took a 65-43 lead into halftime, notching team bests for points scored and points allowed in a first half this season.
Both teams did come out firing during an up-tempo first quarter, combining for nine 3-pointers. The Mavs had a 7-0 spurt late in the period to take a 36-29 advantage into the second.
Mayo and Kaman each scored 10 points in the first quarter for Dallas. The Kings' scoring in the period came entirely from the starting five, with Aaron Brooks leading the way with eight points.
NOTES: Dirk Nowitzki received the Naismith Legacy Award at halftime from Jim Naismith, the grandson of basketball inventor Dr. James Naismith. The award honors players, coaches and other individuals or organizations for their role in furthering the values of honor, respect and integrity. "We want to recognize folks that have had significant contributions to the game of basketball," said Damon Fogal, CEO of the Naismith Legacy Foundation. "It's the first time we've given this award to an international player. Dirk has had a huge impact in the world of basketball across the globe." Nowitzki hopes to be cleared to practice in a week or so. He's been out all season after knee surgery. ... Kings guard Tyreke Evans (knee) and Mavericks forward Shawn Marion (groin) were out. ... Dallas center Chris Kaman started despite dealing with a sprained left ankle. ... Sacramento's skid at Dallas is the third-longest active road losing streak in the league. The Kings' last road victory against the Mavericks came in 2003.
