SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — De’Aaron Fox scored 33 points, and the Sacramento Kings beat the short-handed Dallas Mavericks 110-100 on Monday night to give Doug Christie his first win as the interim head coach after the Kings fired Mike Brown last week.
The Kings went on a 17-2 run to end the third quarter and take an 83-77 lead. Sacramento started the fourth on an 11-4 run, extending the lead to double digits on a 3-pointer by Trey Lyles.
Lyles had 14 points off the bench. DeMar DeRozan also had 14 points, and Domantas Sabonis had 17 points and 17 assists.
Dallas led by 18 in the first quarter before the Kings cut it to 60-56 at halftime.
The Mavericks were without Kyrie Irving (shoulder), Klay Thompson (illness), Dereck Lively II (hip) and Naji Marshall (suspension), in addition to Luka Doncic being out for at least the next month with a calf strain.
Spencer Dinwiddie and PJ Washington both had season highs for the Mavericks. Dinwiddie scored 30 points and Washington had 28.
Takeaways
Mavericks: The Mavericks were without their top three scorers but kept the game close until the fourth.
Kings: Sacramento snapped a six-game losing streak, fending off an 18-point, first-quarter deficit and early boos from the home crowd for a desperately needed win.
Key moment
Trailing by nine in the third quarter, the Kings turned around what had been a listless performance. They had four offensive rebounds on one possession that ended with Sabonis' tip-in to cut the lead to 75-74 and energize the crowd.
Key stat
After allowing the Lakers to shoot 60% from the field on Saturday, the Kings held the Mavericks to 40 second-half points.
Up next
Both teams play on Wednesday, with the Kings hosting the Sixers and the Mavericks visiting the Rockets.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
Eric He, The Associated Press
