Mavericks Face Kings Without Star Anthony Davis, Relying on Young Talent
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Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd is bracing for a tough test on Saturday as his team faces the Sacramento Kings without star center Anthony Davis. The 7-foot-6 Davis left Thursday's 126-116 loss to the Golden State Warriors with right groin spasms and is likely to miss the final two games of the Mavericks' road trip. In Davis' absence, Dallas struggled to contain Golden State's offense, which dominated the boards 49-41 and secured 13 second-chance points. The Mavericks' bench was led by P.J. Washington and Cooper Flagg, who combined for 37 points and 11 rebounds. Flagg, making his second consecutive NBA debut at a new arena, scored a game-high 27 points. The Mavericks will face a Kings team that has been adjusting to life without Domantas Sabonis, who has been out for 16 games with a partial meniscus tear in his left knee. Sacramento has gone 4-12 in those games, but rookie center Maxime Raynaud has shown promise, averaging 14.3 points and 9.6 rebounds in his first eight starts. The Kings are also dealing with injuries, as Keegan Murray sat out the second half of their recent 136-127 loss to the Detroit Pistons with a strained right calf. Sacramento will look to break even on their four-game homestand, which has included a 125-124 overtime win over the Houston Rockets. With Davis out, the Mavericks will rely on their young talent to step up and lead the team to victory. Kidd expressed confidence in his team's ability to adapt, saying, 'We just couldn't get a stop when we needed to. This is a good game for us to learn from.'
