The Dallas Mavericks were back in action in Sacramento Saturday night against the Kings trying to stretch their winning streak to four games but fell short, losing 128-133 in overtime.
It was a close one at the Golden 1 Center, as neither team ever trailed more than four points in each quarter played.
Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving played together for the first time since the Mavs acquired Irving in a trade with the Brooklyn Nets.
Doncic told ESPN that it felt great to play with Irving.
“Amazing, only our first game together, but I think it’s so fun to play with this guy,” Doncic said. “He’s an amazing basketball player and I think it’s going to be really fun and today, first game, it was really fun, too.”
Mavericks coach Jason Kidd spoke to reporters after the game at the post-game press conference and gave his thoughts about the new dynamic duo.
“It was just natural there was nothing forced, but again this was a great game for us as much as we would like to be on the winning side. Just to play late with the game tied or going back and forth, just understanding the dynamic of those two and to be able to play off of each other late, you know, I think that’s going to just make this that much better,” Kidd said.
What to Know
– Doncic returned to the court against the Kings after nursing an injury to his heel.
– Irving is on a streak, having made 100% of his free throws in the last two games played as a Maverick.
By The Numbers
– Doncic finished the night with 27 points and nine rebounds but turned the ball over six times against Sacramento.
– Kyrie Irving finished the game with 28 points shooting just 52% from the field and was just 40% beyond the arc Saturday night in the loss to the Kings.
– Irving also finished with seven assists and seven rebounds and remained perfect at the free-throw line.
– Mavs guard Josh Green finished the game by adding 23 points.
– De’Aaron Fox had a big night leading the Kings to victory, scoring 36 points and netting two crucial free throws in overtime.
– Domantas Sabonis shot 80% from the field, scoring 22 points with 14 rebounds to finish the game with yet another double-double, pushing the streak to 44.
– The King’s bench contributed 42 points in the win over the Mavs.
Who Said
Kidd speaking to reporters on Irving and Doncic commented, “I thought it was good, you know, for the first time for those guys to play minutes together, I thought it was, it was really good.”
Kings coach Mike Brown spoke to ESPN about the win, praising his team.
“Heck of a job by our guys,” Brown said. “Defensively, we did a pretty good job in second halves. … We had a lot of great individual performances.”
Up Next
The Mavericks look to get back in the win column as they host the Timberwolves Monday night.
Tip-off begins at 7:30 p.m.
