Vince Carter Shines As Dallas Mavericks Trounce Sacramento Kings 123-100
On Wednesday night in Dallas, the Mavericks managed to beat the Sacramento Kings 123-100; it was their third victory over the Kings this season. The main reasons the Mavericks won were a great performance from Vince Carter and good ball-handling that allowed Dallas to maintain possession and avoid turnovers.
Feb 13, 2013; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle yells instructions to his team during the second half of the game against the Sacramento Kings at the American Airlines Center. The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Sacramento Kings 123-100. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle explained that ball-control was one of the main things he had hoped to see from the team and something they had been working on:
"“You got to keep pushing the ball and in the case of tonight, we got to do it without turning it over. I think ball security is the number one thing tonight. The number two thing, it’s more like a 1A, is transition defense.”"
As for a turning point in the game, the Dallas Mavericks began to take control of the game toward the middle of the second quarter. Dallas started to get aggressive, which brought them to free throw line often. Once they were at the line, they had no trouble making the shots to eventually bring them to a 59-44 lead over the Kings at the half.
The top performers in the game were Vince Carter, Dirk Nowitzki, and Darren Collison for the Dallas Mavericks and DeMarcus Cousins and Tyreke Evans for the Kings. The top scorer of the night was Vince Carter with 26 points.
“He’s such an important guy for us,” Carlisle said of Carter. “He’s doing a lot of things in a lot of areas its not just the shot making and the playmaking he’s doing a lot of things defensively for us.” Vince Carter was unstoppable in his 3-point game going 6-9 and scoring three 3-pointers in a row during the third quarter to pass Larry Bird’s record for all-time career points (21,794). Carter commented on his 3-pointers and the achievement:
"“Once I hit the first two, it’s was on after that. When you pass one of the greats to play the game, it’s a good feeling.” Feb 13, 2013; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks power forward Dirk Nowitzki (41) makes a jump shot over Sacramento Kings point guard Jimmer Fredette (7) during the first half at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports"
In other good news for Dallas Mavericks fans, Dirk Nowitzki showed some progress by taking multiple jump shots despite his healing knee injury. Coach Carlisle is impressed with Dirk’s recovery, stating: “I see it everyday. I see what he’s done, what he’s gone through, the extra work. He’s done amazing work to get to the point he is at now.” Nowitzki was right on track with his free throws, going 4-4 and adding to his average 89.6% accuracy from the free throw line; he also scored 17 points.
Darren Collison also played well for the Mavericks. He scored an impressive 16 points in the first half, although he ended the game with just 18 points. Head coach Ron Carlisle is impressed with Collison’s progress. “He’s an improved player and he is improving game by game,” Carlisle said.
Tyreke Evans was the best player for the Kings, scoring the most points on the team in tonight’s game (23). Evans also went 7-7 in his free throw game, throwing for 100% accuracy, something he hasn’t done for 2 games. Cousins performance in the game was just as expected in comparison to the last time the teams met, scoring 17 points.
Feb 13, 2013; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks shooting guard O.J. Mayo (32) is fouled by Sacramento Kings small forward John Salmons (5) during the first half at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Despite being one of the top scorers for the Dallas Mavericks, O.J. Mayo was surprisingly not very relevant in the game. Mayo scored just 10 points in the game, and he went 0-7 in his 3-pointers. In his three previous games, Mayo was averaging over 50% on his 3-point accuracy. The Mavericks can’t expect to win too many games with such poor shooting from Mayo.
In the third quarter, the score began to tighten up, but the Dallas Mavericks were able to pull through in the end thanks to excellent shooting from Vince Carter. His 3-pointers in the third gave the Mavericks a more comfortable lead to start the fourth quarter.
In the fourth quarter, the Mavericks took control just like they did in the second quarter. As the final buzzer sounded, the Mavericks lead by 23 points, beating the Kings 100-123.
The Dallas Mavericks now have a full week off from playing; they will take on the Orlando Magic next week on Wednesday, February 20 at home.