Kings Beat Mavericks 115-100 as Acuff Leads Sacramento to First Win of Season

The Sacramento Kings beat the Dallas Mavericks 115-100 on Monday, November 2, 2026, earning their first win of the season in emphatic style on the road. Darius Acuff Jr. led Sacramento with 25 points, Malik Monk added 24 points and seven assists, and the Kings shot 52.4 percent from the field and 44.2 percent from three-point range to end an 0-6 start that had left them at the bottom of the Western Conference.

Key Points

• Final score: Sacramento Kings 115, Dallas Mavericks 100, at American Airlines Center in Dallas on Monday, November 2, 2026.
• Darius Acuff Jr. led Sacramento with 25 points, five rebounds and six assists in 37 minutes.
• Malik Monk scored 24 points with seven assists and five three-pointers; Zach LaVine added 23 points, including five three-pointers.
• Sacramento shot 52.4 percent from the field and 19 of 43 from three-point range, against 41 percent and 7 of 33 for Dallas.
• The Kings improved to 1-6 with their first win of the season; Dallas fell to 4-3 after a second straight home defeat.

What Happened

Sacramento set the tone from the opening quarter, winning the first period 19-18 and then sharing a high-scoring second quarter 35-35 to reach half-time level on the scoreboard in terms of momentum, if not quite on the scoreboard itself. The Kings had trailed for much of the early season, and their 0-6 record had weighed on a team that had struggled to find rhythm. On Monday, the rhythm arrived early and never really left.

The third quarter was where Sacramento took control. The Kings won the period 27-21, stretching a narrow lead into something Dallas had to chase, and then closed the game out in style, winning the fourth quarter 34-26. By the final minutes, the outcome was no longer in doubt, and Sacramento's bench was able to enjoy a win that had been a long time coming.

Acuff was the steady hand throughout. His 25 points came on 10-of-21 shooting, with five rebounds and six assists, and he played 37 minutes, the most of any King. Monk provided the spark, scoring 24 points on 9-of-14 shooting, including five three-pointers, and adding seven assists with just one rebound, a line that showed how much of his game on Monday was about creating for others as well as scoring himself.

LaVine gave Sacramento a third 20-point scorer, with 23 points on 8-of-14 shooting, including five of nine from three-point range. Leaky Black added 12 points with four steals and four three-pointers, while Domantas Sabonis contributed nine points, seven rebounds and four assists on a perfect 4-of-4 from the field. It was, in short, a team win, with contributions from every part of the rotation.

Dallas, by contrast, could not find its shooting touch. Daniel Gafford led the Mavericks with 20 points and seven rebounds on 9-of-10 shooting, and Walter Clayton Jr. added 20 points, but Cooper Flagg, who played 40 minutes, shot just 3 of 19 from the field, including 0 of 4 from three-point range, for 17 points, most of them from the free-throw line, where he went 11 of 11. P.J. Washington added 12 points but shot 2 of 9, and the Mavericks as a team made just seven three-pointers all night.

Kings Beat Mavericks: Shooting That Ended the Wait

The Kings beat the Mavericks because they finally shot the ball the way their roster suggests they can. Sacramento made 43 of 82 field goals, a 52.4 percent mark, and 19 of 43 three-pointers, a 44.2 percent mark that is elite by any standard. Dallas, meanwhile, shot 41 percent overall and just 21.2 percent from three-point range, making seven of 33 attempts. In a modern NBA game, a 12-three-pointer gap is almost impossible to overcome, and on Monday it proved to be exactly that.

Background and Context

Dallas had entered the game at 4-2, with a roster built around Flagg's all-round game and Gafford's efficiency inside. Flagg's 17 points on Monday came despite a difficult shooting night, and his 11-of-11 free-throw shooting showed his ability to find other ways to score. But the Mavericks' perimeter shooting, which had been a strength, deserted them at the worst moment, and Sacramento punished every miss with a transition opportunity or a clean look of its own.

Reactions

In Dallas, the reaction will be frustration at a missed opportunity. The Mavericks had a chance to improve to 5-2 at home against a winless team, and instead they were beaten by 15 points, outshot from three-point range by a wide margin, and outplayed in the second half. How Dallas responds in its next game will say a lot about whether Monday was an off night or the start of a worrying trend.

Why It Matters

This result matters for Sacramento because it changes the shape of the Kings' season. At 1-6, the Kings are still near the bottom of the West, but they are no longer winless, and they have a blueprint for how they can win: shoot efficiently, share the ball, and get contributions from the bench. If they can repeat even part of Monday's shooting performance, more wins will follow.

What Happens Next

Sacramento will look to build on this win and turn one victory into a run, with its next games offering a chance to climb back toward the pack in the West. Dallas, meanwhile, must rediscover its perimeter shooting quickly, because the next opponent will have watched Monday's film and seen exactly how to beat the Mavericks: pack the paint, dare them to shoot, and make them pay on the other end.

Frequently Asked Questions

What was the final score of Kings vs Mavericks?

Sacramento won 115-100 at American Airlines Center in Dallas on Monday, November 2, 2026.

Who led the Kings in scoring?

Darius Acuff Jr. led Sacramento with 25 points, five rebounds and six assists.

How many points did Malik Monk and Zach LaVine score?

Monk scored 24 points with seven assists and five three-pointers; LaVine added 23 points, including five three-pointers.

What are the teams' records now?

Sacramento improved to 1-6 with its first win of the season; Dallas fell to 4-3.

How did Sacramento shoot from three-point range?

The Kings made 19 of 43 three-pointers (44.2 percent), against 7 of 33 (21.2 percent) for Dallas.

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