The Dallas Mavericks lost another player -- and won yet another game.
Sixth-man Jason Terry scored 24 points and the Mavericks pulled away in the third quarter to beat the Sacramento Kings 101-78 on Saturday night.
One night after ending a five-game losing streak against the Lakers, the Mavericks won again on the road. Josh Howard missed his fifth straight game because of a sprained ankle, and Jerry Stackhouse was back in Dallas nursing an injured heel that has kept him inactive the last eight games.
Antoine Wright was injured and didn't play in the second half, but the Mavericks kept getting production from their backups. Dallas' reserves outscored the Kings' backups 64-32 to help the Mavs win for the sixth time in seven games.
"Those (bench) guys are getting a feel of the rotation and what is expected of them," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. "If you look around the league the teams that are successful are those with benches that can give you 30 to 40 points a night."
Terry is getting that total nearly by himself of late. He has scored 20 or more points in five straight games. Against the Kings, he made two 3-pointers and was 10-of-21 from the field.
"I know what the team expects, I need to score and be a factor," Terry said. "Coming off the bench doesn't bother me at all."
With the Mavericks up by 19 points after outscoring the Kings 30-19 in the third quarter, Terry started the fourth quarter with a pair of jumpers and Dallas built its lead to 25 points.
Dirk Nowitzki had 19 points and eight rebounds to help the Mavericks even their record at 8-8 with their sixth road win of the season. Reserve Devean George scored all 13 of his points in the second half.
Beno Udrih had 13 points, nine assists and seven rebounds and John Salmons had 10 points for Sacramento. The Kings have lost six straight and nine of 10. The Kings also have dropped six in a row at home for the first time since 1998, two shy of the franchise record.
Sacramento missed all 15 3-point attempts and shot 35 percent. It was the first time in eight years the Kings have not made 3-pointr while having 10 or more attempts.
"It was obviously a pretty tough night, we just shot the ball so poorly," Kings coach Reggie Theus said.
Nowitzki provided the game's most inspirational play. With the ball rolling toward the Kings' basket in the third quarter, Nowitzki beat Salmons to the play, diving on the floor and tipping it toward a trailing George, who made the uncontested basket.
"I used to see Larry Bird do that for years, it was the defining play of the game," Carlisle said. "It was an effort play by Dirk, a huge momentum play."
Ahead by eight points at the half, Dallas got its offense going again in the third quarter following a 17-point second period. George played a big role, scoring 10 points as the Mavericks took a 76-57 lead into the fourth.
"I was just trying to get in the rhythm of the game and contribute," George said. "I want to come in and bring energy, that's my role."
The Kings are playing without scoring leader Kevin Martin. He has missed 12 straight games because of an ankle injury, and could possibly return Tuesday night when the Kings meet Utah at home.
"We definitely need to win, period, but we definitely need a home win," said Salmons, who strained a groin and said he wasn't sure if he could play against Utah. "Somehow we need to pull together."
It's been a rough stretch for the Kings, who played for the fifth time in seven days. The schedule seemingly gets more favorable for the Kings, who play only three home games over the next 12 days. But they face a tough lineup of Western Conference teams in Utah, Denver and the Lakers.
Notes:@ Wright strained his left groin and didn't play in the second half. ... Francisco Garcia, playing in his second game since missing the first 17 with a sprained ankle, scored six points in 17 minutes. ... Brad Miller missed 4-of-5 shots and scored six points for the Kings.
