NBA: Mavs halt road skid, increase Kings' losing streak to 6

Brandon Williams hit the go-ahead 3-pointer in the final minute and scored 14 of his 18 points in the second half to help the Dallas Mavericks secure a 100-98 road victory over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night.

Cooper Flagg contributed 20 points, eight rebounds, and six assists as Dallas ended a seven-game road losing streak. Anthony Davis added 19 points and 16 rebounds, helping the Mavericks claim their second consecutive win.

Naji Marshall scored 15 points with seven rebounds, Max Christie added 11 points, and Daniel Gafford contributed a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds. Despite never leading by more than two points, Dallas managed to close out the tight contest.

For Sacramento, DeMar DeRozan led the way with 21 points, but his 29-foot 3-pointer just before the buzzer bounced off the back rim. Zach LaVine scored 20 points, Maxime Raynaud added 14 points and nine rebounds before fouling out, while Dennis Schroder had 11 points and nine assists. Russell Westbrook also chipped in 11 points. The loss marked the Kings’ sixth consecutive defeat.

The Kings had learned earlier Tuesday that sharpshooter Keegan Murray would be sidelined for at least three to four weeks with an ankle injury sustained in Sunday’s loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Sacramento briefly took a 98-97 lead on DeRozan’s 17-foot jumper with 40.4 seconds remaining. Williams, receiving a pass from Flagg, was left unguarded and drained a crucial 3-pointer with 33.3 seconds left, giving Dallas the lead they would not relinquish.

Dallas finished the game shooting 40.6% from the field and 8 of 27 from three-point range, while Sacramento shot 42.4% overall, including 9 of 31 from beyond the arc.

The Mavericks took their first lead since the middle of the first quarter when Marshall scored on a fastbreak layup for an 88-87 advantage with 4:19 remaining. He later hit a 3-pointer, and Williams followed with a pull-up jumper to extend the lead to 95-93. DeRozan responded with a trey to give the Kings a one-point edge with 1:13 left, but Flagg answered with a short jumper to put Dallas up 97-96 with 54.7 seconds remaining.

Earlier in the game, Schroder’s layup with 15 seconds left in the third quarter allowed Sacramento to lead 78-76 going into the final period. LaVine and Westbrook each scored 11 points as the Kings led 58-46 at halftime, while Davis posted a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds for Dallas.

—Field Level Media/Reuters