It wasn’t Kristaps Porzingis’ night.
Porzingis shot 3-for-14 from the floor and entered a pushing match with Moe Harkless, Kings striker, in the 121-107 loss to the Mavericks on Sunday.
With Sacramento leading Dallas 71-54 in the third quarter, Harkless and Porzingis exchanged words before stepping in. Porzingis then pushed a smiling Harkless. Both players were assessed technical errors.
It was an ugly loss for the Mavericks, who are struggling to get out of the play-in portion of the postseason. Dallas ranks seventh in the series – two games behind the Blazers – the top six teams in each conference have secured a place in the playoffs. The Kings had lost nine games in a row before Sunday night’s surprise strike.
Like Porzingis, Harkless spent time with the Knicks. He was acquired at the trading season last season from the Clippers as part of the Marcus Morris transaction.