Being the last remaining team without a win in the NBA certainly isn’t a good feeling, but it’s one Sacramento Kings fans have been used to for years. To lose a game is one thing, but to give up 130+ points in three consecutive games, that just goes to show how deep the Kings' problems are. And they just keep adding up. Zach LaVine just injured his elbow in the Grizzlies loss, and he is now questionable to play on Monday. Darius Acuff Jr. has been a net positive with three games of 30+ points, and he’s averaging an insane 24 field goal attempts per game. It’s not about the offense though for the Kings, and until this team shows effort on the other end, they’ll continue losing games.
With three wins in a row and four in their last five games, the Dallas Mavericks are on the complete opposite side of the spectrum. Not a lot of people saw them taking down the Houston Rockets, but they did exactly that, coming back from double digits last Friday. This team has been tremendous in containing opposing fast breaks, allowing the fifth-fewest fast break points per game (11.8). During this win streak, that number is at just 5.7 per game, and that might just be the winning formula they’ve been searching for for so long. However, there is a slight worry ahead of this game and that is on the injury front. Kyrie Irving is day-to-day with a knee issue, but I am hoping he had a chance to rest and heal up over the weekend as the Mavericks played their last game three days ago.
Sacramento has been an absolute disaster defensively and there seems to be very little urgency on its part to change that. Teams are averaging 23 ppg on the break against them (30th), and the Kings also allow 39% of opponent threes to go in (27th). With all those numbers in mind, I am backing the Cooper Flagg-led Mavs to have a field day scoring here.
Kings vs Mavericks prediction: Mavericks team total over 121.5 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.
