SACRAMENTO - The Mavericks weren't as explosive as they were against the LA Lakers one night earlier.
But then, teams don't need explosive to beat Sacramento these days. Simply showing up will do. The Mavericks fashioned a rather mundane 101-78 win over the Kings at ARCO Arena to split a two-game California excursion. It was rarely pretty.
But don't tell that to a team that has fought its way back to .500 after a 2-7 start. The Mavericks did what they set out to do Saturday - control the game against a bad team and nudge their record to 8-8 as they return to Dallas for their longest homestand of the season.
This evening wasn't about the continued hot shooting of Jason Terry - 24 points for an average of 26.6 points in his last five games. It was about another big game by the Mavericks' rapidly improving bench (62 points) and some strong defense.
The play that exemplified this victory came in the third quarter, when Dirk Nowitzki punched the ball away from Kings guard John Salmons, beat him down the court and hurled himself to the floor to flip the ball to Devean George for a layup.
It was the sort of effort that allowed the Mavericks to carry a 19-point lead into the final period, a lead that mushroomed to 23 points.
The Mavericks spent Saturday night in Sacramento. Once they set foot in Dallas today, they won't leave again for 16 days.
The homestand tips off Tuesday night against the LA Clippers. The Mavericks will play seven games at home before hitting the road again.
Only three of the teams scheduled to visit American Airlines Center have winning records on the road this season.
"The early schedule is challenging, and in many ways, an extended homestand is challenging too," coach Rick Carlisle said "You like the fact that you're home in front of your fans. You're going to have some energy in the building, on the one hand. On the other hand, it doesn't mean you're just going to walk out there and win games.
"It's an opportunity for us. Again, we've got other concerns with health and things like that that we've got to try and get resolved before we play on Tuesday."
The Mavericks' resolve is to use the homestand to push above .500 for the first time this season. Nowitzki called the upcoming stretch huge.
"We want to really make a nice little push and get over .500," Nowitzki said.
