What we learned as Russell Westbrook, Keon Ellis power Kings’ win vs. Mavericks originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SACRAMENTO – The Kings have been playing a lot like the weather lately. Gloomy, depressing and not much reason to go outside.
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The sun broke through the clouds Saturday, and ironically or not, the Kings followed suit and lit up the Mavericks, dropping a 113-107 hammer on Dallas at Golden 1 Center.
Russell Westbrook led the way with another monster game (21 points, five rebounds, nine assists). Keon Ellis, back in the starting rotation for the first time in two months, added 21 points with five 3-pointers. Maxime Raynaud had 19 points and six rebounds.
The Kings only trailed once in the first half and went on a 20-10 run in the third quarter after the Mavericks pulled within 68-60. Ellis made a pair of threes and scored eight points as part of the run.
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The win was Sacramento’s fourth straight over Dallas and upped Doug Christie’s record to 35-48 since taking over as coach when Mike Brown was fired last season.
Coincidentally, Christie’s first win for the Kings came against the Mavericks nearly a year ago to the day, with De’Aaron Fox leading the way with 33 points.
Fox is gone, but the Kings’ backcourt once again proved too much for the Mavs to handle.
Here are the takeaways from Saturday:
Russ Chasing Milestones
Westbrook already was one of the greatest point guards in NBA history before signing with the Kings, and the 37-year-old added another layer to his Hall of Fame resume in front of the G1C crowd Saturday.
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Westbrook surpassed legendary Los Angeles Lakers star Magic Johnson (10,141) for seventh place on the NBA’s all-time assist list. Westbrook now has 10,149 career assists.
Westbrook also inched closer to another historical milestone and is now nine points shy of tying Dominique Wilkins (26,668) for 16th all-time.
Keon Gets The Start
Keon Ellis might be the second-most popular player among Kings fans, and he got a chance to show out in front of the home crowd while making his second start of the 2025-26 NBA season and first since Oct. 26.
Ellis had a nice game (21 points on 8-of-15 shooting with three steals and two blocks), but his most impressive play might have been a running block he had against Max Christie. Christie appeared to have an open look before Ellis raced over to knock the shot away.
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Ellis has had an up-and-down campaign, partially due to the way he has been used this season. It will be interesting to see what the Kings plans are for him for next season.
Raynaud, Interior D Step Up
Ever since losing Domantas Sabonis to a knee injury, the Kings have been very vulnerable when defending the paint. That changed a little bit against the Mavericks, with Raynaud providing a nice spark in the key.
Making his ninth straight start, the rookie played steady all afternoon in 27 minutes. It helped that Dallas was without Anthony Davis, but Raynaud has been making steady progress all season no matter who he has faced, although he did miss an easy bunny in the third quarter.
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Given where the team is in the standings and where Sabonis is in his recovery, it would make sense for Sacramento to shut the big man down for the remainder of the schedule and give him a full offseason to heal. At the same time, that would open the door for Raynaud to get increased minutes on the court to continue his path on the learning curve.
