Kings lose big to Mavs 132-96 in crucial game as playoffs near
Luka Doncic scored 26 of his 28 points in the first half and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Sacramento Kings 132-96 on Tuesday night for their fifth straight win.
Doncic added 11 rebounds, six assists and three steals as the Mavericks moved into sixth place in the Western Conference, a game ahead of the Kings, with both teams trying to avoid the play-in tournament. Both teams play each other again in Sacramento on Friday night.
Kyrie Irving had 24 points and eight assists, and Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 22 off the bench.
De'Aaron Fox led the Kings with 18 points but was held to 6-of-18 shooting. Keegan Murray added 17.
Domantas Sabonis had 12 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists for his 55th straight double-double, tying Jerry Lucas for the longest streak in franchise history, including before the NBA-ABA merger. Sabonis holds the record for most consecutive double-doubles since the merger in 1976-77.
Doncic scored 19 points in the second quarter to help Dallas build a 58-53 lead at the half.
The Mavericks used a 22-4 run to push the advantage to 89-65 with 4:31 left in the third quarter. Dallas led by 39 in the fourth, outscoring Sacramento 74-43 in the second half.
The Mavericks shot 55.4% and made 22 of 39 3-pointers for a season-best 56.4% beyond the arc.
Sacramento was limited to 38.9% shooting and fell to 0-9 when failing to reach 100 points.