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Terry helps Mavericks throttle Kings

Nov 30, 2008 - 6:45 AM By Tom Galland PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

SACRAMENTO, California (Ticker) -- Jason Terry continued his hot play and the Dallas Mavericks bounced back from a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers by burying the Sacramento Kings, 101-78, on Saturday.

Terry came off the bench to score 24 points and Dirk Nowitzki added 19 as the Mavericks pulled away in the second half to defeat the Kings for the eighth time in nine games.

Terry has averaged 26.6 per game over the last five games, converting 54 percent (54-of-100) from the floor, and providing plenty of spark off the bench.

"I'm just trying to give a consistent effort on both ends of the floor," Terry said. "I know what my team expects out of me, and that's to come in, score and be a factor. Everybody has a job to do on this team. Mine is to come off the bench, provide energy and scoring."

The Mavericks also received a big dose of energy from their superstar.

Nowitzki knocked the ball away from John Salmons, then outran his Kings counterpart and slapped the ball to Devean George for a breakaway dunk that put Dallas up 13 late in the third quarter.

"For years I saw Larry Bird make those kinds of plays," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. "If you're the one diving and putting your force behind the play, you will seldom be the one who gets injured. That was a defining play in this game. That was an effort play where you have a max (salary) player going down on the floor and it turns into a dunk. It's a huge momentum play."

"We were getting on Dirk because he got on the floor - giving him high fives," George said. "Your best player diving on the floor. We appreciated it and gave him a little (grief). We were like 'where did that come from?' "

George followed up with a three-point play moments later and Jose Barea buried a shot from the arc that put the Mavericks back in full control, 70-55.

There was plenty more to come for the team from the Lone Star State.

Terry buried a 21-foot jumper to close out the third, then quickly converted two jumpers in the fourth, capping a 10-0 run that put the Mavericks up, 80-57. The Kings would not challenge the rest of the way.

"We're not quite where we should be yet," Terry said after the Mavericks' sixth win in seven tries evened their record at 8-8. "We dug ourselves a hole (to start the season). It's growing pains. Next month we have a great stretch at home to get back to where we want to be."

Dallas returns home Tuesday against the Los Angeles Clippers, kicking off a seven-game homestand.

Any hopes of a rally by Sacramento was shot down by the Kings 0-of-15 performance from the arc. The last time the team shot at least 10 3-pointers and missed them all was an 0-of-13 effort on November 29, 2000, against the San Antonio Spurs.

"We just shot the ball so poorly," lamented Kings coach Reggie Theus, who saw his team drop its sixth straight overall and sixth consecutive at home. "It's tough when you shoot 35 percent and you're 0-for-15 form the three-point line."

The news for the Kings got worse when Salmons was taken to the locker room late in the third quarter with a strained left thigh.

"It's going to be day-to-day," said Salmons, who was held in to 13 points in 30 minutes. "(I'll) see how I feel tomorrow and go from there."

Sacramento missed 25 of its first 35 shots and found itself in a 39-24 hole 18 minutes into the contest. But the Mavericks cooled off after a hot shooting start - missing eight straight shots during a late second quarter stretch - and the Kings warmed up enough to cut the Dallas lead to 46-38 at the intermission.