Apr 16, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis (3) dribbles the ball against Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray (13) during the first quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images / Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images
The Dallas Mavericks started their postseason on Wednesday night as the 10th seed in the NBA’s Play-In Tournament, playing the Sacramento Kings on the road. The winner moves on to play the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday, the loser’s season ends.
Dallas was mostly healthy, only playing without Kyrie Irving and Olivier-Maxence Prosper. With Irving out, Dallas went with a big lineup of Naji Marshall, Klay Thompson, P.J. Washington, Anthony Davis, and Dereck Lively II, while the Kings started Zach LaVine, Keon Ellis, DeMar DeRozan, Keegan Murray, and Domantas Sabonis.
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The teams traded buckets to start the game, flip-flopping the lead in the opening minutes. But after the Kings took a 7-6 lead on free throws from DeMar DeRozan, the Mavericks went on a 9-0 run, getting two shots from Naji Marshall in the left corner and a putback dunk from P.J. Washington. Zach LaVine ended the run with a three early in the clock.
Sacramento tied the game soon after on their own 7-0 run as Trey Lyles hit a three from the left wing, and DeRozan eventually gave the Kings a lead with a three in traffic. A Devin Carter three from the left corner would force a timeout from Jason Kidd as the Kings had a two-point lead. Brandon Williams checked into the game after being a game-time decision and tied the game soon after with a three from the left wing, though. Keegan Murray got to the basket for a tough left-handed finish through traffic, and that would give the Kings a 29-27 lead heading into the second quarter.
Apr 16, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson (31) celebrates with teammates after scoring a basket during the second quarter against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images / Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images
Brandon Williams hit back-to-back threes to start the second quarter as the Mavs used an 8-0 run to take a six-point lead. Klay Thompson finally got on the board with a three that bounced around and went home. P.J. Washington hit a runner in the lane on the next possession that pushed the lead to eight, the largest lead of the game. Free throws by Dante Exum made it a 10-point lead, then Exum found Naji Marshall in transition to make it 12, forcing a timeout from the Kings.
But Thompson continued his hot streak, knocking in two more threes and some free throws to give him 14 points in the second quarter. His 16th point of the quarter pushed the lead to 15 as the Mavericks created some real breathing room. Anthony Davis finally woke up beating the defense down the floor for a layup and then hit his first three of the game to make it a 20-point lead before the half. He then knocked down a second straight three as the Mavs took a 71-48 lead into halftime. The KIngs had more turnovers than field goals in the second quarter.
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The Mavericks started the second half with a high-low lob from Anthony Davis to Dereck Lively II to push the lead to 25, and it eventually got up to 26. DeMar DeRozan started to show signs of life to keep Sacramento’s offense afloat, and the Kings finally found a little momentum with a quick 6-0 run to get the lead down to 20, forcing a timeout from Jason Kidd.
Zach LaVine got the lead to 18, waking up from a sluggish first half, with a driving layup, and a dunk from Devin Carter cut into the lead further. But that’s as close as the lead would get for a while, as Dante Exum hit a three from the left wing in transition to push the lead back into the 20s. The Kings got it down to 16 again before PJ Washington was the beneficiary of a lucky bounce and nailed a three from the corner to stop the bleeding. DeMar DeRozan hit one of his signature elbow jumpers in the closing seconds, but Brandon Williams got to the free-throw line to give the Mavs a 99-81 lead heading into the final frame.
Apr 16, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Zach LaVine (8) reacts after scoring a basket during the second quarter against the Dallas Mavericks at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images / Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images
Williams got the lead back to 20 two minutes into the fourth, but Sacramento kept trying to get themselves back in it. But when Anthony Davis hit a bank shot falling away from the free-throw line, that made it hard to do for the Kings. From there, the Mavericks were able to coast to the finish and win 120-106.
Anthony Davis led the way with 27 points and 9 rebounds, but Brandon Williams (17 points) and Klay Thompson (23 points, 5/7 3PT) were the difference-makers. P.J. Washington (17 points, 9 rebounds) and Dante Exum (11 points) were also in double figures.
DeMar DeRozan did what he could, finishing with 33 points, but Zach LaVine struggled more than his 20 points would indicate. Domantas Sabonis was also mostly a no-show despite his 11-point, 13-rebound double-double. And no one else was in double figures for the Kings.
The Mavericks will have one more game to try to get into the playoffs. On Friday night, they’ll travel to face the Memphis Grizzlies. Ja Morant’s injury status will be the thing to watch for that game.
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