Hack-a-Rondo doesn't help Mavs as Kings take down Dallas
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - DeMarcus Cousins scored 16 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter, and the Sacramento Kings beat the struggling Dallas Mavericks 112-98 on Monday night.
Rajon Rondo had 21 points and Rudy Gay added 20 for the Kings, who had dropped six straight to Dallas and 21 of the previous 23 meetings. The Mavericks, which has dropped four of five, missed 28 of 37 attempts from 3-point range.
It was Rondo's first meeting with the Mavericks since last season's turmoil-filled tenure with the team that saw him shut down by coach Rick Carlisle in the playoffs. The two exchanged pleasantries before the game, but the Mavs' coach later employed a hack-a-Rondo strategy that saw the point guard shoot 7-of-14 from the line.
Rajon Rondo and Rick Carlisle before tonight's Kings Mavericks game #WBZ pic.twitter.com/HOqfTNIRX7
— Joe Giza (@JoeGiza) December 1, 2015
Dirk Nowitzki scored 13 points for Dallas, and became the 13th NBA player to reach 10,000 career field goals.
-with files from theScore