The Charlotte Hornets routed the Dallas Mavericks, 129-108 on Saturday for their fourth consecutive win. The Mavericks were playing their fifth road game in eight nights and on a second night of a back-to-back.
The Hornets came out ready to go, taking a commanding 19-4 lead after hitting their first seven shots from the field, including five from downtown. The Mavericks were late to the party and were slow closing out on defense. Luka Doncic led the Mavericks back into the game with multiple threes and 14 total points in the quarter. Charlotte knocked down eight threes in the opening frame and had an 11 point lead after one, 35-24.
Doncic’s supporting cast battled back to take the lead late in the first half, 47-46. Jalen Brunson scored eight points during that stretch, while Doncic only notched two points in the quarter. The teams went back and forth, before Mavericks turnovers aided an 11-0 Hornets run to close the half. Kelly Oubre Jr. drilled a pair of threes and went two-for-two at the charity stripe during the surge. The Hornets led by nine, 61-52, heading into the locker room.
Doncic scored 15 points in the first six minutes of the third quarter. But coach James Borrego took a timeout to light a fire under the Hornets and they responded with a 28-8 extended run and found themselves up 102-80. The Hornets could not miss in the period, going 16-of- 23 from the floor and eight-of-13 from the great beyond. Miles Bridges had the play of the night with a buzzer-beating three. The Hornets had a comfortable 22 point lead going into the fourth.
Coach Jason Kidd and the Mavericks waved the white flag at the outset of the fourth quarter. Doncic did not play a single minute of the frame. The Hornets offense continued to cook, hitting another three. At that point the game had been decided. Dallas got ran out of the Spectrum Center.
“We are playing well, we are playing hard and we are playing together and that’s all I can ask for,” Hornets coach James Borrego said. “… Right now we have to sustain it and keep our foot on the gas.”
Bridges had a team-high 23 points, with eight rebounds, three assists, one steal and two blocks for the Hornets. PJ Washington scored 21 points with three rebounds. Terry Rozier added 18 points, had six boards, six dimes and one block. LaMelo Ball had a great all-around game with 17 points, four rebounds, seven assists, four steals and one rejection. Oubre had 17 points, six rebounds and one assist. The Hornets had seven players in double figures. They also shot 20-of-42 from three-point range.
Doncic had a game-high 37 points and a career high eight three-pointers for the Mavericks. He also had four boards and three dimes. Frank Ntilikina scored 12 points, with six rebounds and four assists. Brunson added 10 points, two rebounds, two assists and two steals. Marquese Chriss finished with 10 points, nine rebounds and one assist.
Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said his team’s play on defense over the last two games needs to improve.
“Sometimes when you rely on scoring when things are good there can be some slippage on the defensive end,” Kidd said. “We are trending down and we have to pay attention to that and get back to playing the way that we have in the past.”
The Mavericks host Karl-Anthony Towns and the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday. The Hornets host JC McCollum and the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday.
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