Inside Report: Minus Larkin, Mavs rally to win summer league opener

LAS VEGAS — It was a rough start for the Dallas Mavericks' summer league squad Saturday, but the end result was just what the doctor ordered.

One day after the team announced that first-rounder Shane Larkin will likely be sidelined three months due to a fracture in his right ankle suffered during Friday's practice before heading to Las Vegas, the Mavericks' summer squad went to work against the Sacramento Kings without the cat-quick point guard. And despite a sluggish start while falling down by as much as 14, the Mavericks (1-0) would rally to claim a 76-73 victory.

"We showed some resolve hanging in there and continuing to battle and finding a way to win. All those things are good," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said after watching the action from the stands while defensive coordinator Monte Mathis patrolled the sideline.

Using a starting lineup of rookie point guard Gal Mekel, Josh Akognon, second-year pro Jae Crowder, Christian Watford and big man Bernard James, the Mavericks looked to get off to a fast start. But, despite early offensive production from Akognon and Crowder, the Mavs would trail 21-16 after the opening period.

The Dallas defense would continue to struggle containing the Kings' athleticism in the second stanza while Akognon tried to keep the Mavs in the game with his outside shooting. And after finding themselves in a double-digit hole, the Mavericks faced an uphill climb while heading into the intermission down 39-32, despite Akognon's 12 first-half points.

"We fell back so far, but the sense of urgency kicked in for us," Akognon foreshadowed. "My immediate thinking goes to scoring ... to get us back into the game, so that was my mindset."

With Akognon and Crowder leading the charge, it wouldn't take long for the Mavericks to find themselves tied with the Kings at 41-all after Mekel's driving score. However, the Kings would again begin to pull away before second-rounder Ricky Ledo and lead guard Justin Dentmon brought the Mavs to within five, 56-51, entering the fourth.

Playing his first competitive basketball in over a year after sitting out his lone season at Providence, Ledo continued to assert himself in the final period. Akognon took matters from there, tying the game once again at 61-61 on a 3-pointer before the Kings called for a timeout with 6:13 remaining.

The backcourt duo then connected as Mekel found a cutting Akognon to earn a trip to the foul line, where he calmly connected on both to give the Mavericks a 69-68 edge with 3:23 left to play.

Dallas wouldn't look back after Crowder's clutch fadeaway jumper broke a 71-all tie, before Mekel split a pair of free throws to make it a three-point game with 25.1 ticks remaining on the game clock. And despite two free throws by Kings guard Ray McCallum, the Mavs would hold on down the stretch thanks to clutch strokes at the charity stripe by Mekel and a late defensive stand.

Leading the way to the win was Akognon, who tallied up 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting and 3-for-6 from 3-point range.

"I mean, this is the kind of stuff he does. He's been averaging over 30 a game in China for years," Carlisle said of Akognon's offensive outburst. "He's an experienced scorer and he's resourceful and he knows how to get the ball in the basket. Today, he mixed it up. He was outside, he was driving and he got to the free throw line, so he did a nice job."

"I mean, that's my whole career. That's the reason I'm playing pro basketball," Akognon echoed. "A lot of the times they're going to tell me to keep shooting anyway, so my confidence is very high. It's weird. Even if I'm missing shots, I still feel like I'm making them. That's the blessing and the curse with me, but it did feel great to go in and my coaches and teammates were behind me. It felt good."

Crowder, meanwhile, added 16 points to go along with eight rebounds and Mekel pitched in 14 points. The Mavs' 41.4 percent shooting also bettered the Kings' 35.1 percent, while James' team-best nine rebounds wasn't enough to keep the Dallas team from losing the battle on the boards, 41-37.

The Mavericks will now get right back to work, returning to action Sunday to face the Charlotte Bobcats.

Click here for the complete summer league roster and schedule.