Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan combined for 42 points and the Sacramento Kings took advantage of a knee injury sustained by Kyrie Irving to run away from the host Dallas Mavericks 122-98 on Monday.
Irving left the game for good with 2:35 remaining in the first quarter after it appeared he hyperextended his left knee on a drive to the basket.
The Dallas star remained in the game to shoot two free throws, making both, but then never left the line until helped to the sidelines and eventually the locker room.
He finished with seven points.
The Kings took care of business from there, seizing a 60-50 lead by halftime before distancing themselves from their fellow Western Conference playoff hopeful with a 34-16 surge in the third period. LaVine had eight points, Malik Monk seven and Jonas Valanciunas six during the pull-away.
LaVine led all scorers in the game with 22 points, making eight of his 12 shots and four of his five 3-point attempts. En route to their fourth straight win — their third in a row to start a four-game trip — the Kings outshot the hosts 52.2 percent to 45.5 percent overall and 47.1 percent (16 of 34) to 26.9 percent (7 of 26) from beyond the arc.
Keegan Murray also drained four 3-pointers for the Kings.
Murray totaled 18 points and Monk had 13 to go with a game-high eight assists. Valanciunas went for 14 points, a game-high-tying nine rebounds, three assists and two blocks. Valanciunas was filling in for Domantas Sabonis, who strained his left hamstring on Saturday and is sidelined indefinitely.
Trey Lyles aided the cause off the Sacramento bench with nine points, nine rebounds and six assists.
Dallas’ top six scorers were all reserves. Kai Jones led the way with 21 points, while Naji Marshall added 18, and Spencer Dinwiddie and Max Christie had 10 apiece. Jones pulled down nine boards, while Marshall and Dinwiddie had six assists each.
No Mavericks starter played more than 25 minutes. Irving’s seven points led the quintet.
The loss completed a 1-2 homestand for Dallas.
–Field Level Media
