Preview: Dallas At Sacramento
When: 10:00 PM ET, Monday, November 30, 2015
Where: Sleep Train Arena, Sacramento, California
Rajon Rondo is enjoying a career resurgence as a member of the Sacramento Kings after bottoming out during a brief stint with the Dallas Mavericks last season. Rondo will get a chance to face some of his former teammates when the Kings host the Mavericks on Monday.
Rondo averaged 9.3 points and 6.5 assists in 46 games for Dallas last season but clashed often with head coach Rick Carlisle and left the team after the second game of the playoffs last spring, citing a back injury. The mercurial point guard signed a one-year deal with Sacramento over the summer in an effort to restore his value and is doing just that, averaging 12.4 points, a league-leading 11 assists and 7.3 rebounds. The Mavericks quickly turned the page by adding another point guard attempting to restore his value in Deron Williams, who is proving to be a fine fit for Carlisle’s offense. The former star led the way with 22 points as Dallas knocked off Denver 92-81 on Saturday to snap a three-game slide.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, FSN Southwest (Dallas), CSN California (Sacramento)
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (10-7): Dallas had eight players attempt at least six shots on Saturday, led by Williams’ 7-of-15 effort. “We need to have a balance, but it’s great to have that guy that can go get you a shot, that can go make a play, that can get to the rim and get to the free-throw line,” Carlisle told reporters of his new point guard. “(Williams) has been doing a great job, and he’s getting better game by game.” The Mavericks will be attempting to snap a three-game road slide on Monday and are 5-5 away from the home fans.
ABOUT THE KINGS (6-12): Rondo could not drag Sacramento past the undefeated Golden State Warriors in a 120-101 loss on Saturday and is not especially looking forward to the meeting with the Mavericks. “Dallas was just a pit stop in my career,” Rondo told the Sacramento Bee. “I was there for less than five months. It was a blur. I have some good relationships in that organization but it wasn’t my best.” Beating his former team would be easier if star center DeMarcus Cousins, who has missed the last three games with a back injury and is day-to-day, is able to return.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Mavericks have taken six straight in the series, including a 101-78 win in their last trip to Sacramento on Feb. 5.
2. Kings G Darren Collison is averaging 13 points in the last three games.
3. Dallas G Wesley Matthews is 12-of-57 from 3-point range over the last seven games.
PREDICTION: Mavericks 103, Kings 97