SACRAMENTO, Calif. 76ers Jerseys 2020 . -- With go-to scorer Dirk Nowitzki having an off night, the Dallas Mavericks relied on other offensive options to hold off the Sacramento Kings. Monta Ellis scored eight of his 23 points in the fourth quarter and the Mavericks kept their playoff position with their third straight win, a 93-91 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Sunday. The Mavericks won for the fourth time in five games to maintain seventh place in the Western Conference. It was the fifth straight road win for Dallas, which concludes its four-game road trip Tuesday in Utah. "Every game is a playoff game right now," Dallas reserve centre DeJuan Blair said. The Kings defeated Dallas at home earlier this season and their three straight losses have been by a combined nine points. So with Nowitzki getting 15 points on 5-of-17 shooting, the Mavericks had to look elsewhere for a reliable scorer. It was Ellis who stepped up in a tight fourth quarter. He made a crucial 3-pointer and converted all three free throws when Dallas was clinging to its slim lead down the stretch. Ellis made a 3 at the 3:04 mark of the fourth quarter and converted a three-point play to give the Mavericks a 90-84 lead with 1:51 left. "Monta saved the day in the fourth quarter," Nowitzki said. "He made that huge 3 and then he had the and-one (three-point play) on a pick and roll. He was phenomenal in the fourth quarter." Rudy Gay had 32 points and tied a career high with eight assists for the Kings, DeMarcus Cousins added 28 points and 10 rebounds, and rookie point guard Ray McCallum had eight points and nine rebounds. The Kings played their sixth straight game without starting point guard Isaiah Thomas (right quadriceps contusion), who is averaging 20.7 points and 6.4 assists per game. "The Kings match up tough against us," said Blair, who had six points and nine rebounds in 17 minutes. "They have played us three tough games." Vince Carter scored 17 points and Jose Calderon hit four 3-pointers and added 14 points for the Mavericks, who made 13 threes. Nowitzki, who shot 64 per cent and averaged 28.7 points in his previous three games, missed eight of his first 10 shots. Following a timeout early in the third quarter, Nowitzki hit a 19-footer and soon after made a 3-pointer. "Obviously, their backs are up against the wall right now. They know they need every game they can get to get into the post-season," Gay said. "We went into this game knowing that we didnt have anything to lose. They are going to play a lot of teams that dont have anything to lose. For them to stay competitive, its going to be tough for them." The Kings fouled Ellis intentionally and he made two free throws to put Dallas in front 92-87 with 24 seconds left. McCallums layup and two free throws by Gay pulled the Kings to within one point. But Nowitzki hit one of two foul shots and Cousins was short on a baseline jumper in the closing seconds that would have sent the game to overtime. "I still think we had an opportunity to make something happen," Cousins said. "But I am kind of disappointed in myself for settling for a shot like that. I could have gotten a lot better shot than that." The teams swapped misses before Gays three-point play pulled the Kings within three points with 26 seconds left. Cousins made a driving shot in traffic to put Sacramento ahead 77-75 with 6:51 to go in the fourth. Consecutive 3s by Carter and another by Shawn Marion put Dallas ahead 84-79 with 4:20. Trailing for much of the third quarter, Ellis had three transition baskets and Calderon made a 3 to help Dallas outscore the Kings 11-4 in the final 3:15 to take a 68-65 lead into the fourth. "We knew it was going to be a dog fight, but the good thing is we stayed together," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. "The Kings are pretty tough, but we came through. Every game has such a high level of importance. We need to play much better than tonight." NOTES: Cousins had 14 of his 16 first-half points in the first quarter. The Kings led 48-45 at the half. ... Dallas shot 29 per cent in the second quarter and was outscored 24-16. ... Ex-King Peja Stojakovic, a three-time All-Star in Sacramento, sat courtside next to Kings owner Vivek Ranadive. ... Derrick Williams scored 31 points in an earlier home wins against the Mavericks, but had only five in the rematch. Fake 76ers Jerseys .com) - The Pittsburgh Penguins will try to complete a sweep of the Washington Capitals when the clubs cap a quick home-and-home series Tuesday night in the Steel City. Stitched 76ers Jerseys . The thunderous cheers quickly changed to an appreciative chant: "Ma-son! Ma-son! Ma-son! Headed to New York with new life, Mason sure earned this curtain call. https://www.cheap76ers.com/ . In the other Group A game, the Czech Republic stunned Canada, 5-4 in a shootout. Dominik Simon scored the deciding goal in the tiebreaker. The United States scored its first three goals on power plays. "Overall, I love to see the power-play goals we were able to get tonight," said U.Heading into the current season of The Ultimate Fighter, Cody Bollinger was pinned as a considerable favorite to win the show. His resume was nothing short of impressive, a 14-2 (1 NC) record including nine finishes. The 22-year old started competing in mixed martial arts at the age of 15 due to a love of wrestling at an early age. "I started wresting at the age of four and to stay in shape in the (wrestling) off-season, they had jiu-jitsu (and other disciplines). I ended up being decent at it and I really enjoyed it," said Bollinger to TSN.ca. "After I finished wrestling I took (MMA) more seriously and thats basically where it all started." The results were inspiring. Through his first 14-fights, the California native had amassed a successful 12-1-1 record and in 2012, received a phone call from the Bellator Fighting Championships. Not only did the promotion want to sign him, they also wanted him to compete in their upcoming featherweight tournament. "I was excited man, I felt I worked really hard and I was finally getting the opportunity to show off some of skills that I have." However his stint with the promotion was short- lived, as Russian powerhouse Shahbulat Shamhalaev would finish Bollinger in the first round during their quarter-final matchup at Bellator 76. Shamhalaev would go on to win the tournament and Bollinger would be released from his contract. "Unfortunately it didnt go the way I planned, some things happened and I had a pretty crappy fight," said Bollinger. "Overall it was a good experience and it made me a better fighter. They ended up releasing me and I went back to work for a while. Then I found out about (The Ultimate Fighter) and tried out for the show." "Bam Bam" was actually a big fan of the UFC reality series ever since his head coach won the show back in 2005. "Joe Stevenson was actually on Season 2 and hes my godfather. Ever since that season I was like Im going to be on that show one day." Prior to trying out for the show, Bollinger had never fought at bantamweight (135lbs). All of his 16-fights were in the featherweight (145lb) division and his natural weight is around 155-160 pounds. On this ground-breaking 18th season, it would be the first time in the series history that the UFC would be casting both male and female bantamweight fighters. "We really focused on getting down to 136lb and winning the fight to get into the house," said Bollinger That is exactly what happened, phase one was complete as the Millennia MMA product defeated Rafael De Freitas in his opening bout to earn his spot in the house. He made quite the impression as Coach Miesha Tate made Bollinger her first overall pick. "After that we were so focused on making weight the first time and getting into the house, I never really thought about (the weight cut) being a lot different in the house. Every week, twice a week Im going to have to be cutting down to within five pounds." But there were other challenges ahead that the father of one didnt anticipate. "Everyone else in there was a natural (bantamweight); it was really different from me to the other guys and girls." Fast forward to the ninth episode this season and these challenges would confront Bollinger head-on. Scheduled to fight Team Rouseys Anthony Gutierrez, Bollinger was already struggling to make weight. "When I (Dropped down to) 145 pounds I had hit 4% body fat, so I knew it was going to be the hardest thing in my life." His coaches Miesha Tate and Bryan Caraway tried to help Bollinger make the weight, motivating and working with him in the sauna as he endured the brutal process. This was the biggest opportunity of his career and clearly he didnt want to miss out. With an uphill battle ahead, Bollinger ultimately failed; only getting down to 141 pounds and telling UFC Pressident Dana White the unfortunate news that he didnt make the 135lb weight requirement. Philadelphia 76ers Shirts. . He was subsequently kicked off the show and extremely devastated. "I didnt expect it to be that hard." The catalyst for his release he believes was the unanticipated elements that he didnt factor into account, prior to earning a spot in the house. "Youre taken out of your element; youre put in pretty much isolation with people you dont even know. Then you have to do interviews, pictures and other crazy stuff. It all adds up and I didnt adjust well enough." But it wasnt all bad news in the end for the California native. To the surprise of many, after the episode aired it was revealed that Bollinger had signed a multi-fight deal with the Las Vegas based World Series of Fighting promotion. Many questioned if making this announcement prior to the conclusion of this seasons The Ultimate Fighter would have any legal implications. "We worked something out, I talked to Dana White off camera and the conversation was completely different than what they showed on camera. It worked out to where they released me when the episode aired so I was able to announce it right away." Bollingers situation is a unique circumstance because when a fighter loses on the show, they must remain in the house and train with their team until the end of the season (due to potential injuries). Because Bollinger got kicked off, he became a free agent. "It worked out well, instead of punishing me - and making me wait. (The UFC released me) right away which was really awesome of (Dana White)." The biggest question coming off his weight-cut woes on the Ultimate Fighter is will he still be competing at 135lbs? "Im staying at bantamweight, I can make the weight as long as I got the time and Im at home at my camp. I can make the weight no doubt." Surprisingly Bollinger opted not to pursue a contract with Bellator, whom he not only previously competed for, but whom also has a major television deal with Spike TV. "I talked to a couple promotions and from the get go (WSOF) stood out, not only financially, the terms of the contract, the number of fights and re-singing and all that." While no opponent has been announced for his WSOF debut in January, there are plenty of rumors floating around, including 25-year old Carson Beebe. "I think (Beebe) is a great match up, I like Carson Beebe we trained together at Jacksons MMA. If I end up fighting him, its a great matchup." Another name hitting the rumor mill is knockout artist Tyson Nam (12-5), who holds a first round stoppage over current Bellator bantamweight champion Eduardo Dantas. "If that fight does happen, I think its going to be an exciting war and I think I can finish that fight impressively." Should that fight take place, Bollinger thinks he can handle the 30-year old in all aspects of the fight game. "I can take that fight anywhere, Im confident in my hands and my striking ability. And if he does rock me I dont see anyone who can outwrestle me at 135lbs." Looking back at the whole experience on The Ultimate Fighter, Bollinger is disappointed but has no regrets. He believes the competition is there in WSOFs bantamweight division and hes found a home to continue his MMA career. "As long as they can keep providing the competition, Im happy where Im at. I wouldnt change the situation (Im in) right now; I would go through it all again." For those fans and pundits who are critical of Bollinger becoming the latest Ultimate Fighter castoff missing weight, he has these final words. "You guys deserve your opinion, if somebody else had missed weight I would have said the same thing. I never missed weight in my life, unfortunately it was the one time it was completely unacceptable." Follow Cody on Twitter @CodyBollinger ' ' '