The Dallas Mavericks (34 - 18) defeated the Sacramento Kings (17 - 31) 101 - 78 Thursday at the Sleep Train Arena. Dallas was playing its second game in as many nights and was without Dirk Nowitzki, but was able to band together to notch its 34th win of the season to keep pace in the West. J.J Barea got the start at point guard for the injured Rajon Rondo and played very well. In 32 minutes, Barea had 15 points and five assists. The Mavericks played suffocating defense, allowing just 35 points in the second half and holding Sacramento to just 37% from the field and 14% from three - point range for the game. Dallas let a big lead over Golden State slip away Wednesday, but was determined to not let a similar lead slip away against Sacramento. The Mavericks bench players made huge contributions in this game, namely Charlie Villanueva and Richard Jefferson. Tyson Chandler continued his dominance on the boards, pulling down 16 rebounds to go with his 16 points. The Mavericks are now 8 - 4 in the second game of back - to - backs. Dallas is idle Friday before returning home to host Portland. Sacramento was unable to take advantage of Dallas' depleted lineup and dropped its second game in a row. Darren Collison exited the game with an abdominal strain and is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Friday. Jason Thompson moved into the starting lineup, but was held scoreless in 18 minutes of action. The Kings will travel to Utah to take on the Jazz on Saturday.
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 "PlayerStat(G,'J.J. Barea') has 5 Assists ,has 32 Minutes played ,has 15 Points ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Jason Thompson') has 18 Assists ."]