Mavericks' three-game win streak snapped by Kings
DALLAS (AP) -- Rajon Rondo had 18 points and 12 assists in his first game at Dallas since an ugly split with the Mavericks last season, and the Sacramento Kings ended a 22-game regular-season losing streak on his old home floor with a 104-101 victory Thursday night.
Booed almost every time he touched the ball, Rondo was the steady hand the Kings needed late. He missed a January loss in Dallas when Sacramento blew a lead in double-overtime to keep alive the Mavericks' longest home winning streak against one opponent.
DeMarcus Cousins had 22 points and 13 rebounds as Sacramento snapped a four-game losing streak with just its fifth win in the past 17 games.
Chandler Parsons scored 28 to lead the Mavericks, who had a three-game winning streak snapped in the finale of a six-game homestand, their longest of the season.
Deron Williams had a buzzer-beating 3-pointer in double-overtime of the January win for Dallas, which Rondo missed with back spasms. With Rondo on the floor this time, the Kings kept a safe distance until they started missing free throws in the final seconds.
But Dallas never got a chance to tie, even after Marco Belinelli missed two free throws with a 102-99 lead with 10 seconds left. Parsons and Wes Matthews lost the ball while both were going for the rebound, and Darren Collison ended up with possession, with several players sprawled on the floor chasing the loose ball.
Collison made both free throws after Williams fouled him with 4.2 seconds left.
Rondo, essentially banished from Dallas during a first-round playoff series loss to Houston after clashing with coach Rick Carlisle, said before the game he hoped for cheers but probably knew better and said the boos wouldn't bother him. They didn't, and he helped direct Sacramento's first regular-season win in Dallas since Feb. 27, 2003.
Dribbling out the final seconds of the first half with the crowd booing, Rondo easily beat Williams to the rim for a 50-45 lead. Rondo scored six points in the fourth quarter and helped maintain a double-digit lead before Parsons hit a couple of 3s to spark a comeback.
Belinelli had a pair of 3s in the fourth quarter and finished with 16 points. Collison, another former Dallas point guard, scored 14.
Dirk Nowitzki had 16 points but missed all five of his 3-pointers as the Mavericks went 7 of 29 (24 percent) from beyond the arc and ended a three-game streak of shooting at least 50 percent.
TIP-INS
Kings: Sacramento did have a playoff victory in Dallas since its last regular-season win. It came on April 26, 2004, during a five-game series win in the first round. ... Ben McLemore was 2 of 7 from 3-point range and had 10 points as the Kings shot 28 percent (7 of 25) from 3.
Mavericks: The 22-game home winning streak was the second-longest active streak in the NBA behind San Antonio over Golden State (32 games). ... Dallas had scored at least 120 points in each of three straight home wins for the first time since March-April 2004.
UP NEXT
Kings: At San Antonio on Saturday.
Mavericks: At Denver on Sunday.
