The Dallas Mavericks will attempt to halt a seven-game road losing streak when they visit the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night.
One of the losses during the stretch came in Sacramento when Dallas lost 113-107 to the Kings on Dec. 27. The Mavericks are 3-12 on the road.
Dallas ended a four-game overall slide with Saturday’s 110-104 home victory over the Houston Rockets.
Anthony Davis recorded 26 points and 12 rebounds, and Max Christie scored 24 points on 10-of-13 shooting for Dallas.
“We came out with good energy, great intensity and it feels good to get the win,” Davis said after the victory.
The Mavericks are 10 games below .500 with the midway point of the season just five games away.
Dallas is currently on the outside of the Western Conference play-in spots with the Los Angeles Clippers speeding upward right behind them.
Of sudden concern to the Mavericks is the play of rookie Cooper Flagg.
Flagg topped 20 points in seven of eight games from Dec. 12-27 before his production dropped significantly.
In the past three games, he is averaging 12.3 points on 14-of-47 (29.8%) shooting, including just 1 of 10 from 3-point range.
Mavericks coach Jason Kidd allowed that Flagg might be hitting the rookie wall.
“You got to embrace it. That’s just a mental thing,” Kidd said. “For the great ones, they touch it. They don’t run from it. They find a way to go over it or through it or around it.
“It’s not going to move. Understanding that, embrace it and just like playing point guard, it’s going to be uncomfortable. But he’s responded in a positive way and he’s going to find a way to get off the rookie wall.”
Flagg led Dallas with 23 points in the recent setback in Sacramento. Russell Westbrook and Keon Ellis scored 21 apiece for the Kings, who have won their last four meetings with the Mavericks.
Sacramento hasn’t won a contest since the win over Dallas. The Kings have lost five straight games and own the third-worst record in the NBA.
Sacramento has dropped the five contests by an average of 24.6 points, including a 41-point whipping from the Clippers on Dec. 30.
The Kings fell 115-98 to the visiting Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday. Sacramento trailed by as many as 26 points.
Westbrook, who scored a team-best 21 points, said he saw signs of good play as his club whittled down the margin of defeat.
“We showed the standards we are supposed to play with,” Westbrook said. “I think you see a big difference in how it’s supposed to be, what it’s supposed to look like and we’ve got to be able to do that on a night-in and night-out basis. We’ve got to scrap our way out.
“Proud of the way we responded, but, unfortunately, we didn’t come out with the win.”
Zach LaVine (sprained left ankle) returned from a nine-game absence to score 20 points in 36 minutes off the bench against Milwaukee.
But the Kings lost Keegan Murray to injury in the third quarter. He had 12 points in 27 minutes before departing, and he will miss Tuesday’s game with a left ankle sprain.
Keon Ellis (left thumb) played just five minutes before exiting in the first half, but he’s not on the injury report and is expected to be available.
–Field Level Media
