Charlotte Hornets: The 3 Keys to Success in Order to Beat the Dallas Mavericks
Key #2: Win in the Paint!
Let’s all reminisce on the spectacular game against the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets are not known for their big man play, which is one of the reasons why they went and got DeAndre Jordan last season. This is also why they felt like they needed to get two big-name players in Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant.
The Hornets outrebounded 52 to 46 and they outscored the Nets in the paint by a score of 64 points to a measly 26 points. This was one of the keys to their success in beating the Nets. There was no doubt in my mind that the Nets were going to launch the three-ball, all that mattered was that we rebounded the missed shots. And that’s what the Hornets did. Not only did they do that, but they absolutely bullied the Nets down low.
It says a lot about the Dallas Mavericks when their lead rebounder is Luka Dončić, especially when they have two pretty good Big Men, Boban Marjanović and Kristaps Porziņģis. It’s nothing personal against Dončić, it’s just that if he gets shut down, who else will pound the boards?
It’s going to be a little more difficult to out rebound the Mavs and outscore them in the paint. They have those two very good big men and they like to play in the paint more than the Nets do. The Hornets are also without Cody Zeller, and PJ Washington may not be 100% due to a sprained ankle that he suffered in the win against the Nets.
Washington dominated the boards in that game and was scrappy. Something the Hornets need in this game against the Mavs. If Washington is not 100%, that means the task of winning the paint lands on the shoulders of Bismack Biyombo. He has been consistent this year but he is going to need to be a lot more than consistent. He needs to be dominant!
Will this be the game that we see a lot of Vernon Carey Jr.? Maybe, maybe not. However, I do think that if Washington is struggling because of his injury, it would not be a bad idea to throw Carey Jr. in there to see how he does. He’s got to learn sometime.
The Hornets’ bigs have a lot cut out for them with this one. Let’s see if they are up to the task. The game may depend on it.