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Mavs stay hot, crown Kings for ninth straight win

Dec 5, 2010 - 9:27 AM Sacramento, CA (Sports Network) - Jason Kidd made two key free throws with 28.7 seconds remaining and Jason Terry stole the ball at the end of regulation, as the Dallas Mavericks surged past the slumping Sacramento Kings, 105-103, to record their ninth straight victory.

Kidd ended with eight points, five rebounds and five assists for the Mavericks, who haven't tasted defeat since November 19. Dirk Nowitzki tallied 25 points, five rebounds and five assists.

Terry came off the bench and scored 23 points for Dallas, which improved to 8-1 away from Big D this season. Caron Butler ended with 13 points and five boards for the victors.

Tyreke Evans donated 25 points, eight assists, and five rebounds for the Kings, who have dropped seven in a row. Donte Greene chipped in with 19 points for Sacramento, which got 17 points and 11 boards from DeMarcus Cousins.

The Kings haven't recorded a victory since November 19 -- their only win since November 1. They are 1-13 since opening the season 3-1.

"I told [my players] that if this is baseball, everybody goes through a slump. What they tell batters is to go up there and take their hacks," said Sacramento coach Paul Westphal.

"We don't have one player on this team that is living up to his lifetime shooting percentages across the board. Not one."

A pair of Beno Udrih jumpers gave the Kings a 99-90 lead with 5:25 remaining. Dallas, though, took over from there with an ensuing 15-2 run.

Terry got the burst started with a jumper and two free throws. Nowitzki then made a pair of jumpers around Evans' jumper to cut the gap to 101-98 with 2:14 to play.

Another Evans missed jumper allowed Tyson Chandler to make 1-of-2 from the foul line. Cousins was off the mark with a layup at the other end, and Jose Juan Barea grabbed the defensive rebound. His long pass to a streaking Terry resulted in a slam and 101-101 game with 1:13 left.

Cousins' missed hook shot led to a pair of Chandler foul shots. Nowitzki blocked Carl Landry's jumper at the opposite end of the floor, and Kidd made two free throws with 28.7 ticks remaining for a 105-101 lead.

A slam by Cousins made it a two-point contest. Sacramento still had a chance after Barea missed a pair of foul shots with 11.8 seconds left.

Landry was picked off by Terry as time expired.

Evans' three-pointer and jumper gave the Kings a 31-20 lead, and the home team held a 37-28 margin after 12 minutes of action.

Trailing by 12, 46-34, with 9:09 left in the half, Dallas put together a 14-4 run. Nowitzki tallied seven points during the flurry, which Shawn Marion capped with a layup to make it a 50-48 contest with four minutes left.

The Kings took a 55-54 edge in the locker room, and a tight third quarter resulted in an 80-80 game.

Game Notes

Dallas has won seven straight against the Kings...The Mavericks start a six- game homestand on Tuesday against the Warriors...Chandler had 10 points and seven boards...Udrih ended with 16 points and six assists...Dallas went 24- of-29 from the foul line.