DALLAS _ As their home-court mojo evaporated, the only thing the Mavericks could smile about Sunday evening was how the past met the future with Dirk Nowitzki and Luka Doncic on the floor together for the first time.
The fans were ready to begin their love-fest with Nowitzki for the remaining 50-odd games this season as he played for the first time this season at American Airlines Center and got a long standing ovation as he came in with 3:17 left in the first quarter.
When he got on the court with Doncic for slightly more than a minute in the second quarter, Nowitzki scored all three of his points and the Mavericks outscored the Sacramento Kings by four points.
Unfortunately for the Mavericks, the Kings' future looked just a little brighter than the Mavericks' did on this night.
The backcourt tandem of second-year point guard De'Aaron Fox and third-year shooting guard Buddy Hield was nothing short of electric. Both players torched the Mavericks for 28 points and the Kings stopped the Mavericks' 11-game home winning streak 120-113.
The home crowd showered Nowitzki with their love and respect and was treated to a 28-point, 9-assist night by Doncic.
But Hield, and especially Fox, were on another level for the Kings, who like the Mavericks have outpaced expectations through the first two months of the season.
Doncic was asked what it's going to be like to go against players like the ultra-quick Fox over the coming years.
"He's amazing, the way he plays and handles the game, just amazing," Doncic said. "I admire him. He needs to keep going like that.
"It's tough. He's tough to defend. I hope (to see him for a long time)."
The Mavericks had woken up Sunday morning in first place in the Southwest Division by percentage points over Memphis. However, their second loss in a row since Nowitzki's return from ankle surgery now leaves them at 15-13 heading into a road trip that will be against four winning teams that were a combined 28 games over .500 going into Sunday's action.
The Mavericks had no answers for Fox.
"(He) took his game to another level from last year," Nowitzki said. "He's going to be a problem in this league for a long, long time."
Fox was taken fifth by the Kings in 2017, four spots in front of Dennis Smith Jr., who sat out Sunday's game with a wrist injury.
Nowitzki was the bright spot, playing just over 8 minutes and finishing with four rebounds to go with his three points that came on a technical free throw and a mid-range jumper. He continues to slowly work his way back into the rotation, which will not be an easy thing for coach Rick Carlisle to manage.
"We've talked to the team about, and the second unit specifically about how we're going to approach it," he said. "There are some challenges with it, but we need to have as many available healthy guys as we can. Getting Dirk back healthy, in condition, in rhythm, is a plus for us. We'll get there. It all comes down to communication."
Said Nowitzki: "It's a good problem to have if you have a deep team and a bench that's playing really well and that's a game-changer. Obviously I hope I can help more than I hurt."
