Kings, Mavs playing out string
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The Sacramento Kings, winding down their 12th straight losing season, will host the Dallas Mavericks at the Golden 1 Center on Thursday.
The contest will mark the third one in Sacramento since the police shooting death in the city that has sparked protests. They're 1-1, but the chief headlines have gone beyond the final score.
In a 104-93 loss to the Boston Celtics on Sunday, the Kings (24-50) garnered attention for wearing black warm-up T- shirts bearing the name of shooting victim Stephon Clark and the words "Accountability: We are One" on the front and "#StephonClark" on the back. They have not said whether they will do so again.
"It's out of love and concern, and what they're feeling," Kings coach Dave Joerger told the Sacramento Bee. "I'm always going to support the players, even if I agree or disagree in any different things. I think that's one, and two, that we do it together."
The Kings have three games remaining in a six-game homestand that matched their longest of the season and only four more home games total. They've not won more than two in a row at home all season and have only 13 wins there all season, the second-fewest in basketball.
None of those wins have come against Dallas, a team that Sacramento has won two of three against this season overall. The Mavericks (22-51) are one of only two teams in the Western Conference (Golden State is the other) that the Kings sport a winning against.
Sacramento also comes in with a 6-7 mark in its past 13 contests, its best 13-game run all season.
"No matter you win, you lose, nothing changes. You're out of the playoffs," Kings rookie guard Bogdan Bogdanovic told the Bee. "It's not like you don't have motivation, but when you win you don't feel that feeling of an important win."
The Mavericks are rolling toward the lottery -- they were tied with the Orlando Magic for the fourth-worst mark in the league before Tuesday's games. Dallas has lost five straight, the latest a 102-98 home defeat against the Charlotte Hornets, cemented by a late turnover from rookie guard Dennis Smith Jr.
"In a season like this, where wins have been hard to come by and we're out of the playoffs, these experiences are extremely valuable," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle told the Dallas Morning News. "Everyone learns from the end of this game. We had some mistakes, and we had some really good plays. We've got to reinforce the good and correct the stuff that needs correcting."
Carlisle returned to using Dirk Nowitzki and Dwight Powell in the big-man roles a week ago, according to the Morning-News, and Harrison Barnes has benefitted. Barnes, playing in his usual smaller forward role, has averaged 24.3 points on 48.7 percent shooting in Dallas' past four games.
Nowitzki has been bothered by tendinitis in his knee, but Mavs.com reported that he is expected to play against Sacramento. Nowitzki, the NBA's all-time scoring leader among active players (31,139 points), has averaged 21.8 points and 8.0 rebounds in 65 previous games against the Kings.
