Whoever the Mavericks meet in the playoffs is going to be a tough matchup.
But the good news is it won’t be Sacramento.
For the second time in little more than a week, the Kings pounced on the Mavericks from the start and persevered for a victory that could only be labeled as painful for the Mavericks.
With a skeleton roster because of injuries, the Mavericks fell behind by 18 points in the first quarter, then made a nice rally, but eventually fell 113-106 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
It was a different sort of game than the 121-107 Kings’ win in Dallas on April 18.