Russell Westbrook passed basketball Hall of Famer Magic Johnson on the NBA’s all-time assist list as the Sacramento Kings defeated the Dallas Mavericks, 113-107, on Dec. 27 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
Westbrook led the team with 21 points and nine assists, including 5-of-9 from 3-point distance. Keon Ellis also scored 21 points and five made 3s. The Kings got a huge boost from rookie center Maxime Raynaud, who had 19 points, six rebounds and two blocks on 60% shooting from the field.
‘I’m truly blessed and thankful to the man above for just allowing me and gifting me with a talent to go out and play basketball,’ Westbrook said to reporters. ‘It’s an honor. Magic is one of the greats. … Growing up in inner-city Los Angeles you know Magic did a lot for the underserved and he continues to do a lot. It’s something that I kind of modeled and wanted to make sure the philanthropy side was done.’
He added: ‘For him that is something that I’m grateful for, to be able to pass him because he’s such a legend in so many different ways.’
Another career milestone for Westbrook was passing the 2,000th steal mark in his career, where he sits at No. 15 behind Mookie Blaylock. He’s third among active players behind LeBron James and Chris Paul.
It’s something he never thought would be possible.
‘That’s why I don’t want to take credit. I can’t even imagine,’ Westbrook said. ‘I grew up wanting to play football. … I always knew if given an opportunity to be somebody I would take full advantage of it. That’s why every time I step on the floor I don’t take anything for granted. I don’t take plays (off) or anything for granted because this was given to me not just for basketball but to use a platform to be able to help and inspire people.’
He continued: ‘So I hope the way I play the game, I hope the way people see me competing, yes the record’s great but I hope it inspires other people and people across the world to do great things in their lives as well.’
Rookie Cooper Flagg led the Mavericks with 23 points. P.J. Washington had 17 points and four blocks on the afternoon. Sharp shooter Klay Thompson had 14 points off the bench and Naji Marshall chipped in with 11.
While the Kings improved to 8-23 on the season, the Mavs fell to 12-21.
Here are highlights from the Kings and Mavericks game on Saturday, Dec. 27:
Kings vs. Mavericks highlights
1st quarter highlights
Keon Ellis got the start today after seeing his game action and playing minutes become sporadic.
Ellis opened the quarter with 13 points, making his first four shots including back-to-back 3-point buckets on passes from veterans Russell Westbrook and DeMar DeRozan.
Westbrook passed Magic Johnson on the all-time assists leaders list to become No. 7 in NBA history. He had five points and four assists in the first quarter to help the Kings jump out to a 17-point lead.
The Mavericks, who went on a responding run, found themselves down 31-23 at the end of the period.
2nd quarter highlights
The Kings kept their pressure up defensively. Offensively, guys continued to share the ball and attack the Mavericks defense.
Guys who came off the bench entered the game ready to play. Despite his name swirling in trade rumors, Malik Monk came off the bench to provide a spark for the Kings.
Monk made a mid-range step-back, had active hands-on defense that turned into easy buckets whether for him or teammates filling the lane on fastbreaks. He scored four points in nine minutes.
The Mavericks were afforded scoring efforts from multiple players. P.J. Washington led Dallas at the half with nine points, Naji Marshall tallied seven, Daniel Gafford and Max Christie each had six.
Sacramento had three players in double-figures at half: Ellis (13), Westbrook (12) and rookie center Maxime Raynaud (11). Kings led 59-44 at half.
3rd quarter highlights
Both teams opened the second half trading baskets. Westbrook and Raynaud continued to add to their totals, but Dallas would not go away quietly, opening the third quarter on a 11-7 run the first three minutes.
The Mavericks poured on and looked to mount a comeback, cutting the deficit to three with 6:05 in the third quarter behind output from Dallas rookie Cooper Flagg, who scored 15 of his 17 points in the third period.
The Kings came out of that timeout and made consecutive threes, got stops defensively and took back control of the game, going on a 9-0 run to put Sacramento up 80-68 with 3:20 left in the third quarter.
The Kings led at the end of the third quarter, 88-77, following a Jaden Hardy 24-foot three-point step back jump shot with 1.2 seconds left.
4th quarter highlights
Kings’ rookie center Dylan Cardwell, proving to be an energy guy for Sacramento, opened the fourth quarter with a big block at the rim defending a dunk attempt from Dwight Powell.
Cardwell, a couple of plays later, threw down an alley-oop jam on a pass from Dennis Schroder and turned to fire up the crowd and his teammates as he ran back on defense.
Rookie forward Nique Clifford has seen more playing with the absence of Zach LaVine and Keegan Murray, both out with injuries. Clifford provided a spark off the bench with eight points, nine rebounds.
The Mavericks outscored the Kings in the second half, 63-52, but Sacramento was able to hang on for the win.
Kings: Keys to victory review
- Lean on veterans: The veterans have been giving their all for Sacramento, showing the young guys how to be professional and play through the adversity of losing games. DeMar DeRozan has averaged 25.8 points, 4.8 assists and four rebounds for the Kings in his last five games. Russell Westbrook, who has had a double-double in four of his last five games has averaged 16.6 points, 7.4 rebounds and seven assists in that span. Westbrook: 21 points, 9 assists.
- Youth movement and energy: The Kings have begun to shift into allowing their young players to get some playing experience, whether due to injury or through signs of promise they’ve shown in practice and games. The team needs to continue to allow the development of Maxime Raynaud, Nique Clifford and Dylan Cardwell. It might not result in many short term wins, but the real victory will be the players the Kings grow to become in the future. That starts now. Raynaud: 19 points, 2 blocks; Cardwell: 8 rebounds, 2 blocks, +4; Clifford: 8 points, 9 rebounds.
- Defensive pressure and transition: The Kings have looked more active defensively in recent games, and it’s started with their intensity on the end which turned into transition baskets on fast breaks. Look for the Kings to keep those hands and feet active, something head coach Doug Christie preaches. Kings defense forced 19 turnovers, and had 16 steals and 7 blocks.
- Team buy-in, stay ready: Some of the guys on the team have seen their minutes chopped. Once key rotation players such as Malik Monk and Keon Ellis have seen their playing time become sporadic and inconsistent compared to what their accustomed to. It’s huge for team morale that whether they play five minutes or 45 minutes, they remain bought in and stay ready for their name to be called. Ellis: 21 points, 5 made 3’s in 32 minutes as a starter; Monk: 7 points, provided energy in 19 minutes.