Dallas Handles Kings

The Dallas Mavericks sent a powerful playoff message to the Sacramento Kings.

Nick Van Exel scored 14 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter as the Mavericks became the only opponent to win twice at Arco Arena this season, ending the Kings’ 11-game winning streak with a 113-100 victory Sunday night.

Raef LaFrentz had 21 points and 13 rebounds, and Steve Nash had 21 points and 13 assists as the Mavericks (56-24), playing without injured All-Star Dirk Nowitzki, moved into a tie for the lead in the Midwest Division with San Antonio, which holds the tiebreaker.

Chris Webber had 19 points and nine rebounds for the Kings (60-20), whose biggest home loss of the season dropped their league-leading home record to 35-5.

After Michael Finley shot the Mavericks to a big first-half lead, new Dallas acquisitions LaFrentz and Van Exel combined for 24 of Dallas’ 28 points in the fourth quarter as the Mavericks simply ran away from the Kings for their seventh victory in nine games.

If these teams meet in the second round of the playoffs, Dallas will carry a significant psychological edge. The Mavericks have won five of the last six meetings, and they turned the latest win into a rare blowout loss for the Kings.

In a game befitting the NBA’s two highest-scoring teams, Dallas matched its up-tempo style with a physical defensive effort against Webber.

Vlade Divac had 18 points and nine rebounds for the Kings, who clinched their first Pacific Division title and the NBA’s best record with a victory over the Clippers on Friday night.

Since San Antonio took three of four games from the Mavericks in the season series, Dallas must finish a game ahead of the Spurs to claim the division title and the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference playoffs.

Both teams finish the season with games against Phoenix and Utah.