Sacramento Kings vs Dallas Mavericks: Match Preview and Predictions - 8th December 2019
Match details
Fixture: Sacramento Kings vs Dallas Mavericks
Date & Time: Sunday, 9 December 2019, 7:00 pm ET.
Venue: American Airlines Arena, Dallas, Texas
Last game results
Sacramento Kings (8-13): 104-105 loss to the San Antonio Spurs (Friday, 6 December 2019)
Dallas Mavericks (16-6): 130-84 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans (Saturday, 7 December 2019
Sacramento Kings Preview
The Sacramento Kings are 8-13 this season and are currently 12th in the NBA’s Western Conference. Friday night, the Kings suffered a tough overtime loss to the San Antonio Spurs after failing to build on several 4th quarter leads - including a 98-91 lead with about 1:30 seconds to play in regulation.
The Spurs’ Marco Belinelli tied the game at 100 with three seconds to play, and it was a mid-range jumper by Dejounte Murray that won the game in OT for the Spurs 105-104. Harrison Barnes had a double-double in the loss for Sacramento with 21 points and 10 rebounds, while Buddy Hield had 26 points.
Key Player - Buddy Hield
Buddy Hield will need to step up his play and point production for the Sacramento Kings, especially since his dynamic backcourt teammate DeAaron Fox has been sidelined with an ankle injury for 2-3 weeks.
For his part Hield, a fourth-year player, has been good for the Kings. He is averaging 21 points a game and had 26 in the loss Friday night to the San Antonio Spurs.
Kings predicted lineup
Corey Joseph, Buddy Hield, Richaun Holmes, Harrison Barnes, Nemanja Bjelica
Dallas Mavericks Preview
The Dallas Mavericks are second in the Western Conference at 16-6 as they look to make some noise when the 2020 playoffs begin. Saturday night, the Mavericks displayed their depth and quality by knocking off the New Orleans Pelicans 130-84.
All 12 Mavericks players who saw court time scored, and they were led by 26 from Luka Doncic. The Mavericks were potent offensively from start to finish, scoring 64 first-half points and 66 in the second half.
Key Player – Luka Doncic
At just 20 years of age, Doncic is likely to have a long and prosperous career ahead of him.
The Dallas Mavericks’ sophomore can do it all. Entering play Saturday night, Doncic was averaging a double-double on the season with 30.3 points, 10.1 rebounds and 9.2 assists per game, just shy of a triple-double. He got some much-needed rest Saturday night, playing only 26 minutes.
Dallas Mavericks predicted lineup
Tim Hardaway Jr., Luka Doncic, Kristaps Porzingis, Dorian Finney-Smith, Dwight Powell
Kings vs Mavericks match prediction
Under head coach Luke Walton, the Sacramento kings seem to be playing at a slower pace. In 2018-19 they were first in the NBA averaging 20.9 fast break points, and this season they are down to 11.9 per game ranking 22nd overall.
Despite Marvin Bagley and Richaun Holmes grabbing over 18 rebounds per game, seven of which are offensive boards, the Kings are not a good rebounding team and are averaging just 42.3 per game for 25th in the league.
The 20-year-old Doncic may be in the picture for several awards in his sophomore year. If the Mavericks continue to sit in the top four in the Western Conference and he continues to fill the stat-sheets, Doncic could be in line for receiving the Most Improved Player and League MVP.
The Mavericks are on a five-game winning streak, are 8-4 at home, and are 9-1 in their last 10 games. The Kings will have a tough time Sunday in Dallas, and we can expect a Mavericks victory.
Where to watch Kings vs Mavericks
You can stream the game live online with NBA League Pass. The game can be watched on TV on NBC Sports-California and Fox Sports-South West.