The Sacramento Kings held a lead for over 43 minutes of action during Tuesday night’s matchup against the Dallas Mavericks.
Unfortunately for the Kings, there are 48 minutes during an NBA game.
Sacramento suffered a second-half meltdown against Dallas, one that let a double-digit lead slip away during the final minutes of regulation en route to a 100-98 loss at Golden 1 Center.
The Kings (8-29) have lost six straight games and are now a season-worst 21 games under the .500 mark.
With the loss, Sacramento remains just a half-game ahead of the New Orleans Pelicans for the worst record in the Western Conference.
Entering play on Wednesday, the Kings are tied with Indiana and New Orleans for the best odds of securing the top pick in the 2026 NBA Draft (14%).
Brandon Williams’ CLUTCH 3-pointer is enough to give the Mavericks the road win! pic.twitter.com/XGEuEkDEkn
— NBA on NBC and Peacock (@NBAonNBC) January 7, 2026
Sacramento Kings vs. Dallas Mavericks takeaways
The Sacramento Kings have been plagued by injuries since training camp, and the news regarding Keegan Murray’s ankle was the latest blow to a rotation that was already thin at the forward positions.
Sacramento may have been without Murray for Tuesday’s late-night matchup against Dallas, but Zach LaVine’s return to the starting lineup helped pace an impressive start for a Kings offense that entered play with the NBA’s worst offensive rating.
LaVine’s quick start (nine points in the first quarter) was the driving force behind a 35-point opening frame for Sacramento, one that gave them an early ten-point lead after shooting six-of-ten from downtown.
First-overall pick Cooper Flagg gave the Mavericks a lift by scoring nine points over the first few minutes of the second quarter to chip into the Kings’ lead, but Sacramento’s impressive pace was the difference during the first half.
LaVine and Russell Westbrook scored 11 points each during the first 24 minutes of play, with both star guards doing most of their damage in transition. The Kings outscored Dallas 22-5 in fast-break points during the first half while also winning the turnover battle seven to 11.
A successful opening half was capped off with an exclamation point by a rare Precious Achiuwa coast-to-coast slam, one that may very well be Sacramento’s dunk of the year to this point.
PRECIOUS. ACHIUWA. 🤧
Nasty.
Tap to watch: https://t.co/nT0VTHYRUK pic.twitter.com/D1NzSjKmwa
— NBA (@NBA) January 7, 2026
If you thought things seemed to be going a little too well for the Kings, you were right.
Dallas fought back in the third quarter, outscoring Sacramento 30-20 to cut the deficit to two heading into the fourth, setting the stage for a close finish in front of a national audience on NBC and Peacock.
The Kings held a lead for over 40 minutes on Tuesday, but the Mavericks would finally take the lead–their first since leading 14-13 during the first quarter–with less than five minutes remaining in regulation.
DeMar DeRozan hasn’t been his usual self in close games, lacking the Clutch Player of the Year runner-up pedigree he had a few seasons ago, but the future Hall of Famer came up big for Sacramento in crunch time against Dallas.
DeRozan drilled a triple and mid-range on consecutive possessions to give the Kings a one-point lead with 40 seconds to go, but Mavs guard Brandon Williams’ go-ahead attempt from deep came up nothing but net to put Sacramento in a one-point hole.
Outside of DeRozan’s five-point burst, the Kings had poor late-game execution, especially in the final moments.
Both Dennis Schroder and Russell Westbrook had chances to regain the lead, but each player’s attempts were well off the mark, allowing Dallas to draw a foul and head to the free throw line.
Although the Mavericks missed both free throws, Sacramento failed to create a good look at the horn as DeRozan’s prayer came up empty, sending the Kings to their sixth-straight loss.
Both Dennis Schroder and Russell Westbrook got 3PAs as they were down 2 with seconds remaining.
Neither were close. pic.twitter.com/n70KyEsT7q
— Brenden Nunes (@BrendenNunesNBA) January 7, 2026
“Just have to have better execution,” DeRozan said of his team’s shot selection during the final seconds. “Just being more organized. We don’t give ourselves a chance to get good looks off. I think that’s what it is.”
Sacramento was all over the place during the final minutes of the fourth, but this game turned on its head as soon as the halftime break ended.
The Kings’ 12-point lead was all but erased in the third, and Dallas turned up the heat even more in the fourth quarter by holding Sacramento to 34 percent shooting from the field and one-of-eight (12%) from three-point range.
A strong start on the offensive end (35 points in the first) was the lone bright spot for the Kings, as they failed to replicate that success the rest of the way, especially in the fourth.
“I definitely think there was some shot selection that we could have done better,” head coach Doug Christie said. “There has to be an ability to close games. We have to have the patience to have good shot selection in those moments.”
Notes
Rookie center Maxime Raynaud scored 14 points and grabbed nine boards on six-of-seven shooting from the field during the losing effort. Raynaud is ranked sixth among rookies in games with 10+ points and 5+ rebounds.
Zach LaVine scored 20 points (8/19 FG) for a second-straight game in his return from an ankle injury.
DeMar DeRozan finished with a game-high 21 points (8/18 FG) to go along with five assists and two steals.
After outscoring Dallas 22-5 in fast-break points during the first half, Sacramento lost that battle 14-5 in the second half.
Sacramento Kings Injury Updates
Forward Keegan Murray exited Sunday’s game after injuring his ankle and did not return. An update on Murray will be provided later this week.
Center Domantas Sabonis, who has been sidelined since November 16th due to a partially torn meniscus in his left knee, will miss at least another 2-3 weeks of action.
When is the next Sacramento Kings game?
The Sacramento Kings will travel down I-80 East on Friday night for a matchup against Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center.
Sacramento defeated the Warriors by a final score of 121-116 on November 5th at Golden 1 Center, a game that did not feature Curry, Draymond Green, or Jimmy Butler due to injury.
Be sure to catch all of the Sacramento Kings vs. Golden State Warriors action right here on Sactown Sports 1140 AM, with pregame coverage beginning at 5:30 PM PT on Game Night before a 7:00 pm PT tip-off from downtown San Francisco.
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Upcoming Sacramento Kings schedule for the 2025-26 season
Friday, January 9th – @ Golden State Warriors – 7:00 PM PT
Sunday, January 11th – vs. Houston Rockets – 6:00 PM PT
Monday, January 12th – vs. Los Angeles Lakers – 7:00 PM PT
Wednesday, January 14th – vs. New York Knicks – 7:00 PM PT
Friday, January 16th – vs. Washington Wizards – 7:00 PM PT
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