Kings-Mavericks Matchup of the Game: Malik Monk vs. Kyrie Irving

After a short stint at home, the Sacramento Kings (26-26) head back out on the road to face the new-look Dallas Mavericks (28-25).

While the Mavs may be a new-look team after the Luka Dončić trade, they will be without the services of Anthony Davis for the foreseeable future, leaving them shorthanded on Monday night against the Kings.

With that in mind, this once again feels like a must-win game for the Kings, especially as the Mavericks are the team directly ahead of them in the standings. For the matchup of the game, we turn to one of the few players on the Mavs that could single-handedly beat the Kings.

Season Stats:

• Malik Monk: 18.0 PTS, 5.8 AST, 3.8 REB, 1.1 STL, 0.6 BLK, 44.4 FG%, 32.8 3P%

• Kyrie Irving: 24.1 PTS, 4.8 AST, 4.6 REB, 1.3 STL, 0.4 BLK, 47.5 FG%, 40.7 3P%

As the trade and Anthony Davis' injury steal all of the headlines, Kyrie Irving continues to quietly have yet another great season of basketball.

Irving should get the full star coverage from the Kings tonight, as he alone could carry the team to victory. Sacramento has shown the propensity to blitz star players and force role players to beat them, and with no clear number two star on the Mavericks, I expect them to make life as hard as possible for the shifty guard.

For the Kings, Malik Monk has struggled with his efficiency over the last four games. He's averaging 17.5 points but on 39.7% from the field and 29.2% from beyond the arc.

Monk is getting his first shot at the full-time point guard role, so it's not a surprise that there's been an adjustment period. He's never been the most efficient player but has always made up for it with big plays and his passing.

Monk getting his shooting percentages back up will be key for the Kings to make a run down the stretch as the postseason looms.

Stat predictions:

Malik Monk: 19 PTS, 8 AST, 3 REB, 1 STL, 1 BLK

Kyrie Irving: 17 PTS, 11 AST, 4 REB, 2 STL, 0 BLK

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