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DALLAS -- Jason Kidd sprinted back in transition, jumped and swatted 6-foot-11 Donte Greene and swatted the ball off the backboard.

“I think I surprised both of us,” Kidd said.

What a pleasant surprise it was for the Mavs to see Kidd as spry as he’s been since the playoffs in his return from a four-game layoff to rest and rehab a strained right groin that had been nagging him all season.

Kidd had six points, seven assists, six rebounds, two blocks and one steal in his 22-minute stint in the win over the Kings. No, really, he had two blocks -- a third of his previous season total.

“For a guy that’s been out 10 days, it’s remarkable how he comes back and plays,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “Almost always plays well the first game back and has a real impact. It’s a sight for sore eyes to see him out there and see him moving well, not be in pain.”

There was certainly reason to wonder whether the 39-year-old Kidd would be able to come back and establish himself as an impact player in time to make a difference in the Mavs’ fight for a playoff berth, much less a postseason run.

After all, Kidd has missed 15 games this season while dealing with a variety of geezer ailments: back, calf and groin strains. And he’s averaging career lows in points (5.9), rebounds (4.0) and assists (5.2).

Kidd’s numbers against the Kings were encouraging considering that his minutes were limited, as the plan was to sit him the entire fourth quarter. His relative quickness and explosiveness was especially exciting to the Mavs.

“When somebody comes back off of injury, you don’t really look at the basketball he plays,” Dirk Nowitzki said. “You look at the movement. I thought he moved well. He actually drove a couple of times, he had a spin move going to the cup, he had a blocked shot, which I haven’t seen basically since he’s been here.”

Dirk laughed at that last little jab, but the Mavs certainly aren’t joking about the importance of a fresh, rested, healthy Kidd with the season on the line.

Ideally, Kidd could have gotten some rest down the stretch. However, the Mavs don’t have that luxury while battling for a playoff spot. Carlisle will carefully manage Kidd’s minutes in the upcoming stretch of seven games in 10 nights, but the Mavs need their leader during crunch time.

Kidd feels as ready as he has all season.

“Overall, this is probably the best I’ve felt,” Kidd said. “Saying that, I just wanted to be aggressive, get the ball in the paint, make some things happen and get a win.”

The Mavs need the wins to keep coming. It’s sure help if their gray-haired point guard can continue resembling the Kidd from his golden-haired days.

Follow along with our experts as they tweet and chat throughout tonight's Mavs-Kings game at American Airlines Center.

DALLAS -- The return of the Sacramento Kings to the scene where they put up a Mavericks opponent-low 60 points earlier this season brings up yet another streak that the Mavs will try to preserve tonight.

The Kings busted a 10-game overall losing streak to the Mavs with their 110-97 blowout win at Sacramento on March 9. Now they'll try to end a 15-game losing streak in Dallas that dates back to Feb. 27, 2003.

The Mavs have seen some notable streaks go down the tubes during this strange 66-game season that hits No. 58 tonight:

*A 14-game overall win streak and eight in a row at the AAC against Miami

*An 11-game win streak at Dallas against New Jersey

*A 10-game overall win streak against Phoenix

*A 10-game home win streak against the Clippers

*A seven-game home win streak against Indiana

The only streak that really matters, however, is the one that stands at 11 and the Mavs are desperate to take to it 12 -- and that's consecutive postseasons.

"If we don't play well, we're out,'' Jason Kidd said after Tuesday morning's shootaround. "It's easier said than done. But the big thing is it's for us to go and get. Hopefully we're up to the challenge.''

Records: Kings (19-38); Mavs (31-26)

Where: American Airlines Center

TV: KTXA/Ch. 21

Radio: ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM/1270 AM (Spanish)

What to watch: Kidd makes his return from a third injury this season. He missed the last four games with a strained right groin. With or without their floor general, the Mavs have not been an efficient offensive team this season. Kidd has put up career lows across the board -- 5.9 points, 5.2 assists, 4.0 rebounds, 34.6 field goal percentage and 33.5 3-point percentage. Does his return spark an offensive surge against a Kings team that has five road wins? The Mavs certainly need a jolt.

Key matchup: DeMarcus Cousins vs. Brendan Haywood
The Kings' young, 6-foot-10, 270-pounder has seven double-doubles in his last 11 games. He can be a scoring a machine and it will be up to big-bodied Haywood to play well enough to stay on the floor more than 11 minutes he played against Marc Gasol at Memphis on Saturday. Cousins has averaged 22.5 points and 15.2 rebounds in the last 11 games, although the Rockets found a way to hold him to nine points and eight rebounds Sunday.

Injuries: Kings -- G Francisco Garcia (concussion) is questionable; F Marcus Thornton (bruised left calf) is questionable; G John Salmons (sore right hip) is questionable. Mavs -- G Jason Kidd (strained right groin) will play.

Up next: Mavs at Golden State Warriors, 9:30 p.m. Thursday

DALLAS -- Jason Kidd missed the last four games with a right groin strain that he says has bothered him all season. But as he heads into tonight's return, a must-have game against the Sacramento Kings, Kidd, 39, said he feels great.

"It's been all season and so we just felt that give it some time to rest and see how that responded, give a week and see if I can go," Kidd said after Tuesday morning's shootaround. "That helped and so I'm ready to go."

Coach Rick Carlisle said Kidd's floor time likely will be more limited than the 30-minute cap that Kidd's been under more or less all season. Considering the groin injury has nagged him since December, is Kidd concerned that it could flare up again as the Mavs kick off eight games over the next 12 days?

"No, I feel great, so the rest definitely helped," Kidd said. "If I wasn't ready to go I would still be sitting out, so we're ready to go."

As for Delonte West, who twice twisted his left ankle last Friday, he participated in Tuesday's shootaround and will continue to play through the pain. West, also dealing with his still-healing right ring finger, logged 30 and 25 minutes in the last two games and he appeared to be a bit gimpy during portions of Saturday's loss at Memphis.

Carlisle again noted that a lot of players would not have suited up in either game.

DALLAS -- The Dallas Mavericks have nine games left in the regular season. The next one is Tuesday at home against the Sacramento Kings.

"Huge game for us," guard Jason Terry said. "There’s no bigger game for us this season."

Entering Monday's games, five teams -- Houston, Dallas, Denver, Phoenix and Utah -- are separated by 2 1/2 games and in contention for the final three playoffs spots in the Western Conference. The Mavs hold the tiebreaker against all of them, but they'll still have to take care of their own business with six of nine games on the road during this final kick.

There are multiple times during the final 18 days of the regular season when the five contenders play one another. The standings are bound to change from game to game and final seeding might come down to April 26, the final night of this 66-game regular season.

Here's a look at the remaining schedules for the five teams:

And you thought last week was important? This week very well could mean make or break. Postseason or golf season.

Four games in six days. Three on the road.

"Every game now is going to be of even more significant importance," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. "We know that. We don’t need to overstate it."

Sorry, coach.

But after a horrific 1-3 week -- with two losses coming at home -- at this juncture of the season, alarm bells are raging. Adding to the distress is that there is still no knowing when Jason Kidd (strained right groin) will return.

The new week starts Tuesday at home against the Sacramento Kings, a team that walloped Dallas a month ago. In fact, each team on the schedule this week -- which ends with a nationally televised Sunday matinee at Staples Center against the Los Angeles Lakers -- has handed the Mavs at least one loss.

Saturday's loss at Memphis probably means the Mavs won't move any higher than the sixth seed. But danger lurks from behind, and any slip-ups could put the title defense on permanent ice.

"Everybody’s sweating it out," Jason Terry said. "All we can do is control us. We’ve got to win the games."

Tuesday: vs. Sacramento Kings (19-37), 7:30 p.m.
TV/Radio: FSSW/ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM; 1270 AM (Spanish)
What to watch: The Kings plastered the Mavs in Sacramento in the middle game of that horrid back-to-back-to-back. If they walk out of Dallas with a victory, put Dallas on full meltdown alert. The Kings, 2-8 in their last 10 games, have won five road games -- three fewer than Portland had when the Blazers came through last week and left with an overtime win. The Mavs have been making a habit of calling recent games critical or must-win. Well, this one really is.

Thursday: at Golden State Warriors (22-33), 9:30 p.m.
TV/Radio: TNT/ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM; 1270 AM (Spanish)
What to watch: Monta Ellis resides in Milwaukee now, but that doesn't make the Warriors any less dangerous on their home floor, regardless of their 12-16 mark. Golden State will be coming off a game at Portland the night before so Dallas should have a bit of an edge physically as it begins a back-to-back.

Friday: at Portland Trail Blazers (27-30), 9:30 p.m.
TV/Radio: ESPN, FSSW/ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM; 1270 AM (Spanish)
What to watch: This game will prove a significant test for Dallas coming off Thursday's game at Golden State. In two meetings in Dallas, the teams have needed three overtimes to settle things. Portland evened the season-series last week when LaMarcus Aldridge drained a buzzer-beater in overtime. In those two games, the Seagoville native has clobbered his hometown team to the tune of 29.0 points on 48 percent shooting and 12.0 rebounds, including 6.0 on the offensive boards. The Blazers might be below .500 overall, but they are tough at home with a 19-10 record.

Sunday: at Los Angeles Lakers (35-22), 2:30 p.m.
TV/Radio: ABC/ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM; 1270 AM (Spanish)
What to watch: First-round playoff preview? Possibly. The Mavs are looking for their first win in four games against the team they swept in the second round last season. The Lakers are 23-6 at Staples but they've been vulnerable recently, losing to Oklahoma City and Houston while pulling out close calls against New Jersey and New Orleans. Kobe Bryant (shin) missed Saturday's game at Phoenix, a 125-105 loss, and the Lakers have not given a timetable for his return. While Kobe had his first big night in the Lakers' 109-93 win at Dallas last month with 30 points when Shawn Marion was out with his own injury, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum and newcomer Ramon Sessions, have inflicted wounds.

The Dallas Mavericks need solutions, not excuses.

Talking about how tough this stretch of schedule is won’t do the Mavericks any good as they prepare to play the butt end of a back-to-back-to-back and their ninth game in 12 nights.

The Mavs have lost six of their first eight games since the All-Star break, getting embarrassed by the Kings on Friday night. They won’t get well Saturday against the Golden State Warriors by whining about how tired they are.

“I’m not going to give into that,” coach Rick Carlisle said after the 110-97 loss to the Kings that wasn’t as close as the score indicates. “I want to see us come out and play a more efficient game before I give in to that kind of excuse. I just don’t buy it. You know, there’s another opportunity tomorrow. We’ve got to get ourselves iced up, get to the bus, get on the plane, get to Oakland and that one’s going to be upon us quickly.

“But we’re going to stay upbeat. We’re going to keep fighting.”

If you want to point to the scheduling grind as a problem, you have to at least acknowledge the poor level of competition during the Mavs’ miserable stretch. They’ve lost to three of the West’s four worst teams (Suns, Kings and Hornets) and a Nets squad that is near the bottom of the East.

"I don’t know about the frustration level, but it’s time for change," Jason Terry said. "You can only look at something for so long and you’re getting the same result. So at what point are you going to change or are you going to ride it out?

"I’m here. I’m here to do my job. As far as somebody else, I can’t speak for them, I got to speak for myself. If it sounds selfish, it is what it is. We’re not a team out there right now. It shows, so until we become a team and play together on both ends of the court we’re not going to be very good.”

A few more notes from the Mavs’ sixth straight road loss:

1. Turnovers set tone: The Mavs took a lead -- their only one -- with a bucket on their first possession. Then they committed four turnovers in the next four minutes, resulting in seven Sacramento points. The Mavs never recovered from that sloppiness, finishing with 17 turnovers that the Kings converted into 28 points. “It’s the thing that’s been biting us lately, the turnovers, and we’ve got to do a better job with it,” Carlisle said.

2. Carter comes up empty: Vince Carter’s 18-point performance against the Suns appears to be an aberration. He was scoreless in 17 minutes in Sacramento, the second time he’s failed to produce point in the last four games. He has also had two-point and three-point outings since the All-Star break. If Carter can’t get it going again, Carlisle will have to seriously consider making a change at the starting shooting guard spot when Delonte West returns from a fractured right ring finger. West is expected to miss at least another week.

3. Jet puts up numbers: Jason Terry responded to his crunch-time benching in Phoenix by scoring 23 points on 10-of-18 shooting. That’s the most points Terry, whose road splits have been awful, has scored away from the AAC this season. There was no indication of lingering hostility between Terry and Carlisle. However, Rodrigue Beaubois, who missed two shots while Terry watched with the game on the line in Phoenix, had a heated conversation with Carlisle while walking to the bench after being pulled from the game in the fourth quarter.

How it happened: Plain and simple, this was a pathetic performance by the Dallas Mavericks.

Crunch-time execution, which has strangely been the defending champions’ Achilles heel recently, had nothing to do with it. The Mavs’ key players were riding pine for the last six minutes, having been run off the floor by the lottery-bound Kings at Power Balance Pavilion.

A Sacramento squad that the Mavs held to a franchise-record-low 60 points in the teams’ last meeting had seven players score in double figures.

Sacramento point guard Isaiah Thomas, the last player selected in this year’s draft, was the most efficient King. He had 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting and five assists with only one turnover in 24 minutes. Thomas was 4-of-6 from 3-point range, including three 3s in the third quarter while Sacramento turned the game into a rout.

A night after being benched in crunch time, Mavs' sixth man Jason Terry led all scorers with 23 points on 10-of-18 shooting, which could be considered a bright spot in one of the Mavs’ worst outings since the season’s first couple of games.

What it means: The Mavs’ miserable tailspin continues. They’ve lost seven of their last nine games to fall to seventh in the Western Conference standings. Dirk Nowitzki called the loss in New Orleans a week ago “the low of the lows,” but the Mavs managed to sink even lower by not even being competitive against the Kings in Sacramento.

Bold play of the game: Thomas recovered a loose ball on the left wing after a deflection, stared at Jason Kidd as the shot clock was ticking down and launched a 3-pointer with 5:26 remaining in the third quarter. That pushed the Kings’ lead back to double digits and started an 8-0 Sacramento run, which included another Thomas 3.

Stat of the night: The Mavs, who had the league’s best road record the last two seasons, have lost six in a row away from the American Airlines Center. That is the Mavs’ longest road losing streak since Nov. 1999.

Follow along with our experts as they tweet and chat throughout the game.

The Mavericks can always count on a win over the Kings, right?

The Mavs have won the last 10 meetings with the lottery-bound Kings and 26 of the last 31. Dallas set a slew of franchise defensive records during a 99-60 win at the American Airlines Center on Jan. 14, the last time they faced the Kings.

PODCAST
Mavs coach Rick Carlisle speaks on his relationship with Jason Terry, what went wrong for the Mavs in their loss to the Suns and what to expect for the rest of the road trip. Listen

But nothing is easy these days for the Mavs, who have lost six of their last eight games and are playing for the eighth time in 11 days since the All-Star break. The Mavs, who had the best road record in the league the last two seasons, have lost five in a row away from the AAC.

The Kings are also surprisingly competent in Sacramento. They are 9-6 in Sactown, having played the fewest home games in the NBA this season.

Records: Mavs (23-18); Kings (13-26)

When: 9 p.m.

Where: Power Balance Pavilion

TV: FSSW/NBA TV

Radio: ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM/1270 AM (Spanish)

What to watch: How will Jason Terry respond to being benched for crunch time for the second time in five games? Terry has been terrible on the road all season, averaging 11.8 points on .338 shooting. However, his benching in Phoenix appeared to have much more to do with effort -- or lack thereof -- than production. Coach Rick Carlisle called timeout immediately after Terry’s failure to box out led to a putback dunk by Phoenix’s Shannon Brown, and Terry didn’t take off his warm-ups the rest of the night.

Key matchup: Kings C/PF DeMarcus Cousins vs. Mavs big men -- If Haywood can’t play for the third consecutive game, the Mavs could have a big problem on their hands. Ian Mahinmi, who is prone to foul trouble, would have to spend most of the night banging with the skilled, 6-foot-11, 270-pound Cousins. Fresh-from-the-D-League Sean Williams is a great leaper who played with excellent energy against the Suns, but he’d also be giving up about 35 pounds to Cousins, who averages 16.2 points and 11.4 rebounds per game.

Injuries: Mavs – G Delonte West (fractured right ring finger) is out, C/PF Brandan Wright (concussion) is out, C Brendan Haywood (sprained left ankle) is questionable; Kings – PF J.J. Hickson is questionable.

Up next: Mavs at Golden State Warriors, 9:30 p.m. Saturday

Three games in three nights and Jason Kidd is ready to roll. In all three.

"That’s what the plan is," Kidd said. "Why not? We’ve got to try to win all three of these games."

Why not? Because ever since the schedule came out, everyone's speculated which of the three games Kidd would sit out for his own survival. Because in two weeks, he'll turn 39 and by the time he gets through Thursday night's game at Phoenix, Friday's at Sacramento and takes the floor in his hometown of Oakland for Saturday's tip against the Warriors, he'll be playing his fifth game in six nights and ninth in 12. He'll practically be ready to keel over.

"I feel good," Kidd insisted after Tuesday's win over the New York Knicks in which he dropped a season-high 15 points with six assists and four rebounds in 32 minutes, just his fourth 30-minute endeavor in the last 13 games.

A clean sweep against three of the Western Conference's bottom four teams would certainly turn momentum on this current 2-4 stretch in the nine-in-12. Overall, the Mavs have lost six of nine. But, Tuesday's home win over the Knicks served as a huge bounce-back from Monday's tough loss at Oklahoma City.

The Mavs, playing without centers Brendan Haywood (sprained left ankle), who may or may not play Thursday, and Brandan Wright (concussion), who did not make the trip, took the action to the Knicks. One night after getting to the free throw line just 10 times, and complaining about it, the Mavs got there 30 times Tuesday.

They built a big lead, played solid defense and rallied to withstand a New York flurry.

"In the midst of what we're going through right now in terms of frequency of games," coach Rick Carlisle said, "this is as good a win as we've had in a long time."

And it was as good a game as Kidd has played in a long time, as if he was inspired by playing against 23-year-old sensation Jeremy Lin, who grew up in Palo Alto following Kidd's career. Averaging career lows by far, 5.4 points and 5.6 assists, Kidd hit double-digits for just the third time all season and it was just the fourth time he made at least three 3-pointers and the sixth time he made at least half of his 3-point attempts in a game.

And now comes the grinder of three games in a row, something Kidd hasn't done since the lockout-shortened 1999 season with Phoenix, which he vaguely remembers.

"We played all three Texas teams," he said.

Almost. The first of two trifectas started at home against Denver and then went to Houston and San Antonio. How'd he hold up then as a seven-year vet? How do two triple-doubles sound in the first and third games to go 2-1? And check out the three-game averages: 18.7 points, 11.3 assists and 10.6 rebounds. Here's the most remarkable number: Kidd averaged 40.7 minutes.

Those games came in the opening couple weeks of the 50-game season.

The second triple-header came along in late March, starting the day after he turned 26. They were Kidd's 27th, 28th and 29th games of the season. This set seemingly took more of a toll as his stat line went from 23-10-7 to 13-8-8 to 11-6-6 in an average of 40.0 minutes a game.

Tonight's game will be Kidd's 31st of the season and his 15th since returning from a strained right calf, his second injury of this hyper-drive, 66-game schedule. He won't play nearly as minutes as back in the day. But, what about one more triple-double for old-time's sake?

"The body feels good," said Kidd, halfway through his 18th season. "So we’ll see what happens with these three."

The Dallas Mavericks begin Week 2 of the stretch from you-know-where. Last week will seem like a leisurely weekend compared to this one with five games in six nights -- including the lone back-to-back-to-back of the season to cap this thing. It all starts tonight at Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City, which is a tidy 15-1 at home.

When this nine-games-in-12 nights stretch, an unprecedented stint in franchise history, started last Tuesday, Dirk Nowitzki was asked how he can possibly look at that schedule and not have a bad attitude toward it.

"I have that attitude," he said. "It is brutal."

At least they'll visit the Oklahoma City Thunder about as rested as they're going to be having had a day off after Saturday's 102-96 victory. Although Nowitzki and the starters had to return to prevent a catastrophic embarrassment as a 23-point lead slipped away in the fourth quarter, Nowitzki and Jason Kidd still logged fewer than 30 minutes.

This is the last of four meetings this season. OKC holds a 2-1 advantage, but the sense from the Mavs' side is that they were darn close to taking all three. Kevin Durant won the first game in OKC on a buzzer-beating 3, and the Thunder took control late in Dallas against a depleted Mavs' roster.

Entering this game, OKC is 7 1/2 games ahead of the Mavs (22-16) in West standings. So what's Dallas' plan as it crosses the Red River for the last time in the regular season?

"We're going to hope they miss," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. "They're killing people."

There's something else to consider this week. While the Mavs will have one day of rest over the next six, four of their five opponents will have had at least one night off.

Here's a look at the week ahead:

Tonight: at Oklahoma City Thunder (29-8), 7 p.m.
TV/Radio: FSSW, NBA TV/ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM; 1270 AM (Spanish)
What to watch: The Thunder try to become the second team in the league and the first in the West to notch 30 wins. They'll also be glad to be back home for the first time since Feb. 23, when they beat the Lakers by 15 heading into the All-Star break. OKC went 2-1 on the road trip, dropping Saturday's game at Atlanta while pulling out a pair of close ones at Philadelphia and Orlando by a combined seven points.

Tuesday: vs. New York Knicks (18-19), 7:30 p.m.
TV/Radio: FSSW, NBA TV/ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM; 1270 AM (Spanish)
What to watch:Tyson Chandler will be dreaming about his championship ring Monday in Dallas while the Mavs are playing at the Thunder and then making the short flight back home. Chandler is the final member of the title team to pick up his ring. He did a number on his former teammates a couple weeks ago with 14 points, 10 rebounds and three blocked shots in a Knicks win during full-on Linsanity. This time around the Mavs will get to see old friend Carmelo Anthony as well. The Knicks were on their way to moving over .500, but a late Paul Pierce 3-pointer tied Sunday afternoon's game and Boston won it in overtime. So, that's two teams in a row the Mavs will face that are coming off losses.

Thursday: at Phoenix Suns (16-20), 9:30 p.m.
TV/Radio: TNT/ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM; 1270 AM (Spanish)
What to watch: The Suns start the week coming off two impressive home wins against the Timberwolves and Clippers to even their home record at 9-9. After losing four in a row, Steve Nash's Suns have won four of five. And they really are Nash's Suns. The 38-year-old All-Star could demand a trade to a contender, but that's not his style and it looks like he'll ride out the final year of his contract in the desert. From there who knows? Well, we do know, courtesy of ESPN.com's Marc Stein that the Mavs will look to reunite Nash and Nowitzki if their top plans of signing Deron Williams or Dwight Howard or both doesn't pan out. This one should be tough on the Suns with a date at OKC the night before.

Friday: at Sacramento Kings (12-24), 9 p.m.
TV/Radio: FSSW, NBA TV/ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM; 1270 AM (Spanish)
What to watch: The last time these two teams met in Dallas, the Kings set a record for futility by a Mavs opponent by scoring 23 points in the first half and 60 for the game. Think they'll remember that? The Kings' 12 victories are more than only New Orleans in the West, and we all know what the Hornets did to the Mavs last week. While the Mavs will surely be feeling fatigue by this point, the Kings will have the luxury of a night off after playing at home.

Saturday: at Golden State Warriors (14-20), 9:30 p.m.
TV/Radio: FSSW, NBA TV/ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM; 1270 AM (Spanish)
What to watch: It's a good thing these aren't the Warriors of old, oh, like last season. Mark Jackson's team is more defense-focused and offense has dropped off to 97.6 points a game, which in this strange season is still good for seventh in the league. As for that defensive focus, well, Golden State is just one of five teams allowing 100 or more points a game (100.3). So, basically, Jackson has stifled the Warriors' high-scoring offense while not really making up for it at the other end. Still, the Mavs will be so ready to get home at this point that this is bound to be a struggle from the start. And you can't overlook the Warriors' true advantage in this one: Monta Ellis and company will have had two days off.

DALLAS -- Jason Terry badly wanted the home sweep, and now he and the Dallas Mavericks are halfway there. Up next is the struggling Sacramento Kings, the first team to fire their head coach -- which might be just as well for former Mavs assistant Paul Westphal.

No doubt the Kings have talent, but they are young and raw and the Mavs will look to make them their fifth consecutive victim before heading out on a four-game road trip that will including the Lakers and Clippers, then the Utah Jazz and New Orleans Hornets.

"We approached the game [Friday's 102-76 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks] with tenacity because playing back-to-back at home is an opportunity," coach Rick Carlisle said. "You've got a chance to play two in two nights with two potential wins."

The Mavs will be well-rested. No starter logged more than 22 minutes. Point guard Jason Kidd is also expected to make his return against the Kings after watching the team win four in a row without him.

Records: Kings (4-8); Mavs (7-5)

When: 7:30 p.m.

Where: American Airlines Center

TV: FSSW

Radio: 103.3 FM ESPN; 1270 AM (Spanish)

What to watch: After four consecutive wins, the Mavs will switch up the lineup again as Jason Kidd is expected to return to the starting lineup, which would then likely return Delonte West to shooting guard and Vince Carter to the bench. Carter has been effective as a starter and had 16 points in Friday's win over Milwaukee, with 11 points coming on several nice penetrations in the first quarter. With the lineup returning to its former state and the struggling Kings coming to town after losing at Houston on Friday night, can the Mavs jump on Sac the way they took the Bucks out early?

Key matchup: DeMarcus Cousins vs. Brendan Haywood
Cousins is coming off his second four-point game of the season Friday night at Houston, so expect the 270-pound, tempermental big man to want to get something going early against Mavs center Brendan Haywood, who has been holding his own this season without Tyson Chandler. Cousins, in his second season, won a battle of wills against the fired Westphal and now has some proving to do. He's had some solid outings, including four consecutive double-doubles prior to the clunker in Houston. He played just 18 minutes in that one, so Haywood can't expect the big man to be dragging tonight.

Injuries: Kings -- F Marcus Thornton (left thigh contusion) - is questionable; F Chuck Hayes (dislocated left shoulder) is out. Mavs -- G Jason Kidd (lower back) is probable.

Up next: Mavs at Los Angeles Lakers, 9:30 p.m., Monday

It's not every day you start the week with a visit to the White House. The reigning NBA champion Dallas Mavericks are in Washington D.C. and will meet President Barack Obama today before taking off for Detroit and the first multi-city road trip of the season.

Dallas, 0-3 in one-nighters to Oklahoma City, Minnesota and San Antonio, will attempt to get their first road victory as well even their record (4-5) for the first time. They will do so with Jason Kidd having left the White House to return to Dallas to rehab the lower back injury that will keep him out at least these next two games.

"The first road win is more important than anything," Jason Terry said. "Get out here on the road and really have some fun and enjoy doing what we do because, again, it’s about taking steps along this long journey that we’re on. Winning your first road game is a step towards where we’re headed."

Here's a quick glance at this week's games against four teams that are a combined 11-23:

Tuesday: at Detroit Pistons (2-6), 6:30 p.m.
TV/Radio: FSSW/103.3 FM ESPN; 1270 AM (Spanish)
What to watch: The Mavs will be hanging out in the greater Auburn Hills area Monday night while the Pistons will look to snap a three-game skid in Chicago. Detroit is off to a ragged start, ranking last in the league in scoring (84.3 ppg) and near the bottom (along with the Mavs) in field-goal percentage (41.7). Dallas will have had two days to rest some weary legs and although it b without point guard Jason Kidd (lower back), this game represents a major opportunity to get to .500 before playing at Boston the following night.

Wednesday: at Boston Celtics (4-4), 7 p.m.
TV/Radio: ESPN/103.3 FM ESPN; 1270 AM (Spanish)
What to watch: Talk about walking into a buzz saw. Dallas will close out a back-to-back against a Celtics team that will have not played since an 87-74 loss at Indiana on Friday. That's four consecutive nights without a game and the Celtics, who also have Paul Pierce back in the lineup, will have gone since Jan. 1 and 2 without a back-to-back, so figure which team should have the energy factor working in their favor.

Friday: vs. Milwaukee Bucks (2-7), 7:30 p.m.
TV/Radio: FSSW/103.3 FM ESPN; 1270 AM (Spanish)
What to watch: Bucks center Andrew Bogut hasn't played since Jan. 2 to tend to a personal matter. Since then, Milwaukee has lost four consecutive games and five in a row overall. Dallas won't underestimate this team, however, after the Bucks ended the Mavs' 12-game in streak at the AAC in the early portion of last season. Bogut had 21 points and 14 rebounds in that game. Brandon Jennings is pacing the Bucks so far this season, averaging 20.0 points a game, although he is shooting just 41.1 percent, and 5.6 assists. Milwaukee will come to town after playing in Detroit the night before.

Saturday: vs. Sacramento Kings (3-6), 8 p.m.
TV/Radio: FSSW/103.3 FM ESPN; 1270 AM (Spanish)
What to watch: Second-year center DeMarcus Cousins won a battle of wills with former Mavs assistant coach Paul Westphal, making Westphal the first coach this season to be shown the door. The Kings boast a young and talented -- albeit raw -- roster that includes Marcus Thornton (19.4 ppg), Tyreke Evans (15.8 ppg) and Jimmer Fredette (9.4 ppg). The Kings are 0-3 on the road and this game will be their fourth in five nights and fourth of a five-game road trip.

ESPN.com Insider John Hollinger's computers have never really liked the Dallas Mavericks much. And after two blowouts on their home court to start the this shortened season? Well, Hollinger is ready to write off the defending champs, who have looked anything but in back-to-back losses to the Miami Heat and Denver Nuggets.

Here's what Hollinger has to say:

I can't tell you definitively who will be winning the championship this year, but I can tell you one team that won't be.

Yes, I'm the one who usually cautions you about sample size, and yes, I'm writing off the defending champions after two games.

Before I pile on further, let's backtrack for a second. In general, early-season results are tricky because everybody wants to make grand proclamations from one-game samples, even though that's usually a terrible idea.

Take the Los Angeles Lakers, for instance. They lost two close games, both coming without star center Andrew Bynum, and are 0-2. In the big picture, all this means is that they're 0-2. Losing by one at home to the Chicago Bulls and by nine on the road to the Sacramento Kings isn't a big enough departure from our expectations to meaningfully adjust them. (Although it would be nice if they could rebound a missed free throw.)

But there's an exception to the rule. At this time of year, people sometimes ask me whether there's anything I look for to draw conclusions from early-season games. Actually, there is because it can help us draw conclusions very quickly, from a much smaller sample than normally required:

Home-court blowouts

In particular, home teams that are at full strength (or reasonably close to it) yet are still run off the floor.

There's a reason for this: Good teams are virtually never blown out at home, and, conversely, bad teams virtually never win blowouts on the road. So we have fairly strong information, already, that the Miami Heat and Denver Nuggets are teams with which to be reckoned.

As for the Dallas Mavericks, we can make an even stronger statement: Championship-caliber teams virtually never lose at home like this even once. They sure as heck never do it twice in a row.

To read Hollinger's full Insider report, click here.