DALLAS (AP) - Even after scoring a season high in points, Dorian Finney-Smith wanted to talk about his defense.
The rookie had 17 points, leading six Dallas players in double figures as the Mavericks beat the Sacramento Kings 99-79 Sunday.
The Mavericks, who lost to Sacramento by 31 points at home 11 days ago, started fast. They made 11 of their first 15 shots and never trailed.
Later, some of his teammates teased him for passing up open shots.
“When I get a hand on a ball or a tip, it gets me going,” Finney-Smith said. “I try not to lose focus on what I bring to the table, and that’s defense. If I’m making shots, that’s a plus.”
Deron Williams, Harrison Barnes and Wesley Matthews each scored 15 for Dallas.
DeMarcus Cousins scored 33 for Sacramento. The Kings were minus second-leading scorer Rudy Gay, who missed his third consecutive game because of a strained right hip flexor.
A 10-0 Mavericks run early in the second quarter opened a 38-26 lead and the Kings never got closer than nine for the remainder of the game.
“We’ve got to come out and be the aggressor, that’s just plain and simple,” Cousins said. “We can’t get off to slow starts. We can’t let a team gain confidence. We’ve got to be the aggressors every night.”
It was barely 30 degrees in Dallas and the start time was moved up three hours to 3 p.m. - that avoided a conflict with the Cowboys, whose home game against Tampa Bay was originally scheduled for the daytime and later switched to night.
Following a 120-89 home loss to the Kings on Dec. 7, the Mavericks called a team meeting. They’ve won three of four at home since then and are 3-3 overall.
“We remember (the loss), but the biggest thing is that our demeanor has to be like this every night,” Matthews said.
TIP-INS
Kings: Cousins had 23 of Sacramento’s 44 points in the first half. … Ty Lawson was the only other Sacramento player in double figures, with 10 points.
Mavericks: The Kings scored just 14 points in the third quarter, a season low for a Mavericks opponent. … Williams had seven assists and passed current Dallas television analyst Derek Harper for 21st place on the NBA’s all-time assists list with 6,584.
HARRIS A HERO
Devin Harris had a season-high 14 points and seven rebounds for the Mavericks. He made a three-point play and a four-point play to cap a 12-2 Dallas run that gave the Mavs a 76-56 lead with 2:33 left in the third quarter.
Harris had missed the team’s first 16 games with a sprained right big toe.
“When he feels good physically, he moves with joy out there,” coach Rick Carlisle said.
LET IT BEE
Kings coach Dave Joerger called for a truce in an ongoing spat between Cousins and the Sacramento Bee newspaper. Cousins recently confronted a Bee writer after a column that referenced the arrest of the 6-foot-11 star’s brother.
“This guy is the face of our franchise,” Joerger said. “He’s done and said some things that he wishes he could do over. He has improved.”
“I’m not justifying anything that he’s done. What he did was excessive. But enough is enough,” he said.
TRIBUTE TO SAGER
The Mavericks joined the list of NBA teams to hold a moment of silence before their game in honor of TNT broadcaster Craig Sager, who died Thursday. Team owner Mark Cuban remembered Sager fondly before the game.
“Smiles are underrated,” Cuban said. “Nice is underrated. Getting people to smile every time - that’s something not a lot of people have been able to accomplish.”
UP NEXT
Kings: Home against Portland on Tuesday. The Trail Blazers beat the Kings 122-120 in overtime on Nov. 11 in Portland.
Mavericks: At Denver on Monday to start a four-game trip. Dallas plays six of its next seven on the road.
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