Chimezie Metu connected on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer on an inbounds play that began with 3.8 seconds remaining Wednesday night, giving the Sacramento Kings a 95-94 victory over the visiting Dallas Mavericks.
Metu got his shot at being a hero after the Kings, down by two points, chose not to foul the Mavericks on their final possession, which started with 27.8 seconds left.
Dallas committed a 24-second violation, giving the Kings the ball, after a timeout, in their frontcourt.
De’Aaron Fox passed to Metu, who drilled his third 3-pointer of the game to give Sacramento its second home win in two nights. The Kings beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 117-111 on Tuesday.
After the Wednesday game was tied at 88 and 90 in the final 4:03, Fox gave Sacramento a two-point lead on a coast-to-coast layup with 1:22 remaining.
The Mavericks, coming off a win Monday at Portland, subsequently put themselves in a position to capture a second straight. They got a tying hoop from Jalen Brunson with 1:10 left, a Kristaps Porzingis block on a Richaun Holmes interior attempt with 45.0 seconds remaining and two Porzingis free throws for a 94-92 lead with 33.2 seconds to go.
Sacramento’s Harrison Barnes couldn’t connect on a potential game-tying drive, setting up interim Kings coach Alvin Gentry’s decision not to foul, which paid off in the end.
Fox paced a balanced Sacramento attack with 16 points. Barnes and Davion Mitchell followed with 14 each, Tyrese Haliburton had 12 to go with a game-high 10 assists, and Metu and Marvin Bagley III scored 11 apiece.
Metu also found time for a game-high eight rebounds.
Jalen Brunson had a game-high 25 points to go with a team-high six assists and Porzingis chipped in with 24 points to complement a team-high seven rebounds for the Mavericks, who will stay in Sacramento and get a rematch Friday night.
Dorian Finney-Smith added 11 points for Dallas. Isaiah Thomas, a former King making his Mavericks debut, contributed six points in 13 minutes off the bench after signing with the team earlier Wednesday.
–Field Level Media
