SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- After the first 24 minutes against the Dallas Mavericks on Monday, the Sacramento Kings went to the locker room muttering many of the same things they muttered most of the season.

"I felt, we felt, that our defensive effort just wasn't where it needed to be," Kings center DeMarcus Cousins said. "It just wasn't."

In the second half, the defense went to a place the Kings would like to see a lot more. The result was a 112-98 win over the Dallas Mavericks at Sleep Train Arena that featured small-ball, an impressive effort by the other Curry and the return of Cousins.

"The energy and effort," Cousins said when asked what changed in a second half that saw the Kings hold the Mavericks to 35 percent shooting and 40 points. "We played with some urgency."

The defensive effort was the best in a half by the Kings (7-12) this season and helped them end a six-game losing streak to the Mavericks that dated to Dec. 9, 2013. The Kings were allowing 109.1 points and 47 percent shooting by their opponents in their first 18 games, both marks the worst in the NBA.

"When we make stops, everybody seems comfortable with how we play offensively," Kings coach George Karl said.

Cousins scored 31 points and grabbed nine rebounds in his return to the lineup after missing three games with back spasms. He made 10 of 24 shots from the field and also made all 10 of his free throws as the Kings improved to 6-5 when he plays.

"Cousins had a monster night," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. "He's a force in there, and we couldn't slow him down."

The free throws gave Cousins 1,798 in his career, moving the sixth-year moved past Kevin Martin (1,791) into second on Sacramento's all-time list. He is more than 800 away from tying Mitch Richmond atop the list.

Sacramento forward Rudy Gay scored 20 points and added seven rebounds, and guard Rajon Rondo had 21 points and five assists in his first game against Dallas since his turbulent 46-game run with the Mavericks last season.

Forward Chandler Parsons led Dallas (10-8) with 14 points, while forward Dirk Nowitzki and center Zaza Pachulia added 13 apiece. Pachulia pulled down 10 rebounds. Guard Devin Harris had 11 points, while guards Wesley Matthews and Deron Williams each scored 10 for Dallas.

Nowitzki also became the 13th player in NBA history to reach 10,000 field goals when knocked down a step-back jumper from 12 feet with 2:25 left in the first.

Kings guard Darren Collison finished with 15 points, forward Omri Casspi added 10, and guard Seth Curry scored eight in a season-high 18 minutes for Sacramento. Karl played Collision, Curry, Collision and Rondo together for heavy minutes in the second half, and the small lineup led to open shots and helped contribute to 16 Dallas turnovers.

"It's kind of what I've been waiting on, an opportunity to play some meaningful minutes," Curry said. "The last few games, we've been kind of going through the motions and haven't been playing with a lot of energy, so I just tried to come out there and bring what I bring."

With the small lineup, the Kings played their best defensive quarter of the game to take a 76-71 lead into the final period. Sacramento held Dallas to just 13 points on 5-for-22 shooting in the third, its best defensive period of the season.

"We're just not making shots right now," Carlisle said. "We've got to stay the course and keep on firing."

Sacramento's small lineup began to turn things around in the second quarter after Dallas forged a 41-27 lead. The Kings' guards caused chaos, and the Mavericks missed 12 of their final 16 shots of the first half and turned over the ball four times in the final six minutes as the King sliced their lead to 58-54.

Sacramento then opened the second half with a 20-6 run to take control.

NOTES: Kings G Rajon Rondo, who leads the NBA with 10.7 assists per game, managed just 6.5 assists per contest during his 46-game stint with Dallas a season ago that he told reporters before the game "wasn't my best." ... Dallas G Deron Williams, signed to replace Rondo, is averaging 5.6 assists in Dallas' first 18 games, nearly three below his career average, but has made 48 of 51 free throws (94.1 percent). ... C DeMarcus Cousins, who returned to the floor Monday, has missed 31 of Sacramento's 88 contests since Nov. 28, 2014. Dallas F Dirk Nowitzki, now in his 18th season, has missed only 31 contests in his entire career. Nowitzki needs to play six more games to reach 1,288 and move into the top 20 on the all-time list. ... Dallas G J.J. Barea missed his second game in a row with a right ankle sprain.