Mavericks beat the Kings 120-106 to advance to face the Grizzlies in the Play-In Tournament

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Klay Thompson scored 16 of his 23 points in Dallas’ dominant second quarter to get redemption for his dud in Sacramento a year ago, helping the Mavericks beat the Kings 120-106 on Wednesday night to advance in the Play-In Tournament.

One year to the day when Thompson missed all 10 shots in his final game for Golden State in a play-in loss in Sacramento, Thompson fueled the win with four 3-pointers in Dallas’ 44-point second quarter. That turned the game into a laugher and kept the Mavericks’ chaotic season alive for at least one more game.

“Human nature, when you end a season on a sour note like that you want to come out and prove people wrong,” Thompson said. "But I thought I did a good job to start the game of trying to dish, rebound, play defense. The shots came to me after that.”

Dallas advanced to play at Memphis on Friday night for the chance to get into the playoffs as the eighth seed in the West. The winner of that game will open the playoffs on Sunday at top-seeded Oklahoma City.

As for the Kings, soon after the game, the team and general manager Monte McNair agreed to part ways. A person familiar with the decision said the sides mutually agreed on the breakup. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team hadn’t announced the move.

The Mavs have undergone a rough season after trading young superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in a seismic trade that brought Anthony Davis to Dallas and vitriol from the fan base to the organization.

Star point guard Kyrie Irving went down with a season-ending knee injury shortly after that trade, ending any realistic hopes of another deep playoff run after making it to the NBA Finals last season.

“We've had a tumultuous season to say the least,” Thompson said. “The injury bug has struck us like I’ve never seen before. But we’re still here playing postseason basketball. We can really give the city of Dallas some hope, especially if we go to Memphis and repeat this type of performance.”

Dallas opened the second quarter with a 20-6 run fueled by back-to-back 3s from Thompson. Thompson hit two more 3s later in the quarter as the Mavs built the lead to 23 points at the half, removing any drama.

“We shot it very well, get stops on defense and were able to run,” said Davis, who led Dallas with 27 points. “Offense was clicking. We had what, 44 in the quarter? We played with a lot of pace and opened up the game."

DeMar DeRozan scored 33 points for the Kings, and and Zach LaVine added 20.

It was a disappointing ending to an underwhelming season for the Kings, who fired coach Mike Brown in December and traded star point guard De’Aaron Fox to San Antonio in February. It all led to Sacramento missing the playoffs for the 18th time in 19 seasons, raising questions about the team’s future.

“This is where I want to be,” interim coach Doug Christie said. "You guys know that. I need to finish what I started.”

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Sacramento Kings guard Devin Carter reacts after making a 3-point basket during the first half of an NBA play-in tournament basketball game against the Dallas Mavericks, Wednesday, April 16, 2025, in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson (31) shoots a 3-point basket next to Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray (13) during the first half of an NBA play-in tournament basketball game Wednesday, April 16, 2025, in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Dallas Mavericks forward P.J. Washington (25) shoots a 3-point basket over Sacramento Kings guard Zach LaVine (8) during the first half of an NBA play-in tournament basketball game Wednesday, April 16, 2025, in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Sacramento Kings interim head coach Doug Christie watches during the first half of an NBA play-in tournament basketball game against the Dallas Mavericks, Wednesday, April 16, 2025, in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd reacts during the first half of an NBA play-in tournament basketball game against the Sacramento Kings, Wednesday, April 16, 2025, in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis (3) moves the ball while defended by Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis during the first half of an NBA play-in tournament basketball game Wednesday, April 16, 2025, in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Dallas Mavericks forward P.J. Washington (25) dunks next to Sacramento Kings guard Zach LaVine (8) during the first half of an NBA play-in tournament basketball game Wednesday, April 16, 2025, in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Dallas Mavericks forward P.J. Washington, center, dunks next to Sacramento Kings guard Zach LaVine (8) during the first half of an NBA play-in tournament basketball game Wednesday, April 16, 2025, in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis (3) reacts during the first half of an NBA play-in tournament basketball game against the Sacramento Kings, Wednesday, April 16, 2025, in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson, center, passes the ball while defended by Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis (11) during the first half of an NBA play-in tournament basketball game Wednesday, April 16, 2025, in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson (31) reacts during the first half of an NBA play-in tournament basketball game against the Sacramento Kings, Wednesday, April 16, 2025, in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

ROME (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Saturday that the Vatican could be a venue for Russia-Ukraine peace talks, taking up the Holy See’s longstanding offer after Pope Leo XIV vowed to personally make “every effort” to help end the war.

Speaking to reporters in Rome before meeting with Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, the Vatican point man on Ukraine, Rubio said that he would be discussing potential ways the Vatican could help, “the status of the talks, the updates after yesterday (Friday) and the path forward.”

Asked if the Vatican could be a peace broker, Rubio replied: “I wouldn’t call it broker, but it’s certainly — I think it’s a place that both sides would be comfortable going.”

“So we’ll talk about all of that and obviously always grateful to the Vatican for their willingness to play this constructive and positive role,” he said at the U.S. Embassy in Rome.

The Vatican has a tradition of diplomatic neutrality and had long offered its services to try to help facilitate talks, but found itself sidelined during the all-out war, which began on Feb. 24, 2022.

Pope Francis, who often angered both sides with his comments, had entrusted Zuppi with a mandate to try to find paths of peace. But the mandate seemed to narrow to help facilitate the return of Ukrainian children taken by Russia, and the Holy See also was able to mediate some prisoner exchanges.

Leo, who was elected history’s first American pope on May 8, took up Francis’ call for peace in Ukraine in his first Sunday noon blessing as pope. He appealed for all sides to do whatever possible to reach “an authentic, just and lasting peace.”

Leo, who as a bishop in Peru had called Russia's war an “imperialist invasion," vowed this week personally to “make every effort so that this peace may prevail.”

In a speech to eastern rite Catholics, including the Greek Catholic Church of Ukraine, Leo begged warring sides to meet and negotiate.

“The Holy See is always ready to help bring enemies together, face to face, to talk to one another, so that peoples everywhere may once more find hope and recover the dignity they deserve, the dignity of peace,” he said.

The Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, repeated the Vatican’s offer to serve as a venue for direct talks, saying the failure of negotiations in Istanbul to reach a ceasefire this week was “tragic.”

“We had hoped it could start a process, slow but positive, toward a peaceful solution to the conflict,” Parolin said on the sidelines of a conference. “But instead we’re back to the beginning.”

Asked concretely what such an offer would entail, Parolin said that the Vatican could serve as a venue for a direct meeting between the two sides.

“One would aim to arrive at this, that at least they talk. We’ll see what happens. It’s an offer of a place,” he said.

“We have always said, repeated to the two sides that we are available to you, with all the discretion needed,” Parolin said.

The Vatican scored what was perhaps its greatest diplomatic achievement of the Francis pontificate when it facilitated the talks between the United States and Cuba in 2014 that resulted in the resumption of diplomatic relations.

The Holy See has also often hosted far less secret diplomatic initiatives, such as when it brought together the rival leaders of South Sudan in 2019. The encounter was made famous by the image of Francis bending down to kiss their feet to beg them to make peace.

Perhaps the Holy See's most critical diplomatic initiative came during the peak of the Cuban missile crisis when, in the fall of 1962, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev ordered a secret deployment of nuclear missiles in Cuba that were soon detected by U.S. spy planes.

As the Kennedy administration considered its response, with the threat of nuclear war looming, Pope John XXIII pleaded for peace in a public radio address, in a speech to Vatican ambassadors and also wrote privately to Kennedy and Khruschev, appealing to their love of their people to stand down.

Many historians have credited John XXIII’s appeals with helping both sides step back from the brink of nuclear war.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaks to the media during a meeting with President of the Conference of Italian Bishops, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi at the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See in Rome, Saturday, May 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, and President of the Conference of Italian Bishops, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, pose for a photo at the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See in Rome, Saturday, May 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, and President of the Conference of Italian Bishops, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, meet at the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See in Rome, Saturday, May 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, and President of the Conference of Italian Bishops, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, pose for a photo at the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See in Rome, Saturday, May 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)