Buddy Hield, Kings surprise Mavericks
FILE – Buddy Hield #24 of the Sacramento Kings dribbles the ball against the New Orleans Pelicans at Golden 1 Center on January 17, 2021 in Sacramento, California. Ezra Shaw/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by EZRA SHAW / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
Buddy Hield finished with 27 points and six rebounds and shot 6-for-10 from 3-point range to lead the Sacramento Kings to a 111-99 victory over the host Dallas Mavericks on Sunday night.
The Kings (27-37) swept the season series against the Mavericks (36-28), winning all three matchups since April 18. Those losses are Dallas’ only defeats over its past nine games.
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Sacramento picked up its second consecutive upset win over a Western Conference playoff contender, following up its win over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Marvin Bagley III had 23 points and nine rebounds, and Delon Wright delivered 14 points off the bench. Richaun Holmes also had 17 points and seven rebounds.
Article continues after this advertisementThe Kings prevailed, but lost rookie Tyrese Haliburton with 7:30 to go in the third quarter to a left knee injury. Haliburton pulled up while dribbling across midcourt and collapsed, clutching his knee. He would later be helped by trainers to the locker room.
According to a report from ESPN, Haliburton was scheduled to undergo an MRI on Monday morning and the team is optimistic he may have avoided serious injury.
Haliburton, who finished with 11 points and five assists, entered the game averaging 13 points, 5.3 assists and three rebounds per game.
Terence Davis’ 3-pointer on Sacramento’s first possession of the fourth quarter gave the Kings their largest lead at 90-72. Dallas cut the deficit in half with a 13-4 run sparked by Doncic and Jalen Brunson.
The Mavericks pulled to within five points with 4:02 left, but Wright scored four points in a row to stretch Sacramento’s lead back to eight and eventually pull away.
Luka Doncic led Dallas with 30 points, six rebounds and six assists. But the Mavericks struggled shooting from long distance, making only 6-of-35 attempts from 3-point range.
Jalen Brunson totaled 17 points while Dwight Powell had 13 points and seven rebounds and Josh Richardson added 11 points.
Frustration boiled over late as Dallas coach Rick Carlisle and Doncic were ejected after receiving their second technical fouls with 31.8 seconds left.
