But with Mavericks big man Erick Dampier in his shadow, Udrih burst to the basket and snuck in a reverse layup that put the Kings ahead by eight points and led to their 102-95 win at Arco Arena on Sunday night that ended their five-game losing streak.

"I was sweating that (play) hard," Kings coach Kenny Natt said. "I just hate to see the ball (not) moving. I know the defense really set in, and that's why I've been really plugging these guys hard in practice ... The less dribbles, the more passing, the defense can't move as fast as a pass and keep up with the Basketball."

And surprisingly, the Mavericks -- who were playing without injured small forward Josh Howard -- simply couldn't keep up with the Kings. Dallas was in need of a get-right game of its own, having been routed 128-100 in Phoenix on Friday night after winning eight of its previous 10 games.

The Kings had lost 11 of their past 12 games, a sad scene that Carril was more than happy to help reverse. All involved were elated to have the Princeton coaching legend and former Kings assistant known for his offensive wisdom on their side again. And for one night, they played his kind of Basketball.

Six players scored in double figures, with Udrih (16 points, six assists) starting strong and earning his way onto the floor at the finish. Having sat in nearly every late-game stretch in recent weeks, he played the final 2:54. Swingman Francisco Garcia (17 points) hit 7 of 10 shots, including a three-pointer with 8:45 left that put the Kings up six.

Brad Miller, a player who could certainly draw the Mavericks' trade interest in coming weeks, showcased himself to the tune of 13 points, seven rebounds and five assists. The Kings had 24 assists and shot 50.6 percent from the field, including 8 of 16 from three-point range.

Kevin Martin had a team-high 21 points (12 in the third), including a 20-footer with 4:30 left that pushed the Kings lead to nine points during a 15-2 fourth quarter run. The stretch was capped by John Salmons, whose three-pointer with 3:54 remaining inspired the mild-mannered Natt to pump his fist in delight.

Salmons came up big again with 1:45 left in the fourth, driving right and spinning for a layup that put the Kings up eight. His shot had been the rare answer for the Mavericks' Jason Terry, whose 20-footer moments before was part of a relentless scoring night.

Terry had 25 of his 33 points in the second half, but the Kings held Dirk Nowitzki to 15 points on 6-of-18 shooting while Dallas was doomed by 3-of-20 shooting from three-point range.

"Coach (Natt) was talking about (ball movement) yesterday in practice," said Garcia, whose scoring total was his second-highest of the season. "The whole practice, we talked about (making) five passes, and that is what we did tonight."

The only new development for the Kings was the strong finish -- they had lost their past five games by an average of 5.6 points when late-game execution was so often disastrous.

"We've been working hard and coming close for quite a while now," Natt said. "Fortunately, tonight we were able to sustain it and hang in there."

The Kings' finish to the first half in which they trailed 55-49 wasn't quite as pretty as it was in the second. After a Miller jumper cut Dallas' lead to four with 45 seconds left, Martin's delayed start to the play led to a shot-clock violation that had Natt shaking his head. Brandon Bass hit a jumper with one second remaining on the other end to make him 4 of 4 from the field in the period, and the Kings walked off the floor with their heads hung low despite a strong start.

"You have to give them credit," Nowitzki said of the Kings. "Martin got hot in the third, and Garcia made some good shots. They played hard in the second half and made some tough shots."

Read the Kings blog at www.sacbee.com/kingsblog.