Leading the entire way behind 39 points from Dirk Nowitzki and a triple double from Jason Kidd, the Mavericks beat the now 25-55 Sacramento Kings 126-108 on Saturday night.
The win improves the Mavs’ road record to 26-14, the best in the Western Conference. The Nuggets’ loss to the Spurs gives the Mavs sole possession of second place in the conference for now.
In 31:42 minutes on the second night of a back to back, Kidd had 11 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds. He got the 10th rebound, the final piece he needed, less than a minute into the fourth. An excellent passer, Kidd assisted on baskets from Nowitzki, Erick Dampier, Caron Butler, Edcurdo Najera and Jason Terry.
Thirteen foul shots helped Nowitzki along to his 39-point total. On his fifth shot from the line, his 60th consecutive made free throw, Nowitzki tied his own team record, which now stands at 68 after his perfect shooting for the entire game.
For the game, Nowitzki shot 12 of 20 on field goals and 2 of 2 from long range. After having 15 at halftime, Nowitzki scored 22 of his 39 in the third quarter thanks to jump shots, a 3-pointer and three trips to the free throw line, where he is shooting 91.4 percent for the season. What an encore after scoring 40 of the Mavs’ 83 points in their Southwest division-clinching win over the Trail Blazers on Friday.
The Mavs’ bench provided a huge lift also as it provided 48 points compared to the Kings’ 23 from their bench. Terry’s 25 was the difference. Terry was 8 for 14 shooting, 6 for 6 on free throws and 3 for 4 from beyond the arc. Terry led the way as the Mavs landed 13 of 21 3-point attempts. Kidd, Nowitzki, Butler and DeShawn Stevenson, who started for Shawn Marion, each finished with a pair. Marion missed his third straight game with a strained right oblique muscle.
Stevenson’s assignment was to guard Tyreke Evans, possibly the leading Rookie of the Year candidate. He didn’t do a spectacular job as Evans scored 27 points and tallied eight rebounds. Carl Landry, previously with the Houston Rockets, has performed well against the Mavs’ this season and continued that with 30 points as the Kings’ leading scorer. In December, during a collision with Nowitzki, some of Landry’s teeth ended up in Dirk’s elbow.
The Mavs’ wrap up the final road trip of the season Monday at the LA Clippers before coming home for the regular-season finale against the Spurs on Wednesday.
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