DALLAS _ With the Kings offense gone cold and chances of a shocking win over the Mavericks seemingly waning, Sacramento's biggest play Sunday night was a rebound.
Richaun Holmes hauled in a loose ball after a shot from Dallas' Luka Doncic hit the front of the rim with 4.4 seconds left. After a timeout following Holmes' rebound, the Kings immediately hit Nemanja Bjelica cutting to the hoop for an easy basket and Sacramento stunned Dallas 110-106.
The Kings offense went cold in the final six minutes, scoring just two points before Bjelica's bucket. Sacramento led by 20 points at halftime and by 16 points with 6:30 to go.
Then came a flurry of buckets, both inside and outside, as Dallas clawed back into the game while Bjelica rested on the bench. His final two points both stuck a dagger in the Mavericks' hearts and gave Bjelica 30 points to go with seven rebounds and four assists. Buddy Hield enjoyed a hot shooting night, hitting 10 of 15 and 5 of 6 from 3-point range to finish with 26 points.
It felt like the Kings could kick the ball and it would go through the hoop in the first half. With time waning, Bogdan Bogdanovic's shot skipped off the front rim, bounced off the back glass and dropped in. He cocked his head to the side and smirked. Not exactly according to plan but whatever.
Richaun Holmes had Mavericks defenders shaking their heads with three thundering putback dunks and an alley-oop for 12 points at the break. Hield was scalding, hitting 7 of 10 shots, including 3 of 4 from 3-point range, for 18 points. And Bjelica hit 7 of 7 shots, including two 3-pointers.
As a bonus, the Kings had just three turnovers and no player had more than a single foul.
The last time the Mavs won a game they trailed by 20 or more at halftime was Dec. 30, 2008. Tim Hardaway Jr. hit 10 of 13 shots for 29 points as the Kings defense focused on slowing Doncic, who had 27 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.
