Charlotte Hornets: Slow Start Leads To Loss Against Dallas Mavericks
Both the Charlotte Hornets and the Dallas Mavericks were coming into tonight’s game with pretty impressive win streaks, four games for the Hornets and three games for the Mavericks. While this game was not necessarily a “must-win” for the Hornets, it was definitely a game they would have liked to pick up.
Unfortunately for the Hornets, it was them who saw their winning streak come to an end. The Hornets did again what they always do when they lose a game, they did not play an entire 48 minutes of basketball, once again taking a quarter off. The Hornets came out of the gate flat, losing the first quarter 32 to 16. For what it’s worth, the Mavericks started the game red hot. The Mavericks played like they were looking for revenge, and that’s exactly what they got.
When the Hornets played the Mavericks the first time, I wrote an article about the 3 keys to success in order to beat the Mavs. In that first meeting, the Hornets did all three of those keys, and yes, you guessed it, they won the game! If you’re interested in viewing the article, check it out below.
The three keys to success were: take the game out of Luka Dončić’s hands, win in the paint, and win the turnover battle. The Hornets did none of these in their second meeting, and lost the game badly.
Luka Dončić led Dallas in scoring and earned a double-double. He scored 34 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, and he was one assist away from earning himself a triple-double, sharing the ball for a basket 9 times. The Mavericks out rebounded the Hornets and they also had less turnovers. The Hornets played a completely different game than they did in their first meeting.
The Hornets once again showed that they are in desperate need for an upgrade in the paint. Either Cody Zeller needs to hurry along his recovery, or the Hornets need to make a trade in order to get another center. Bismack Biyombo is not getting it done. Biyombo scored 5 points in 24 minutes of play and he only had 9 rebounds.
One bright spot about this, is that Vernon Carey Jr. finally got on the scoring sheet. He scored 3 points in only a minute of playing time, going 1 for 1 from the field and 1 of 2 from the free-throw line. I believe that this was the game that showed the Hornets’ front office that they need to seriously address the lack of depth they have in the center position.
In the third quarter, Gordon Hayward left the game and did not return. It was reported that he suffered a left hip strain, and he did not return to the game. This was a bummer because the Hornets were starting to make a comeback, cutting the lead to only 9 points.
Terry Rozier had another solid night, leading the team in points. He scored 18 points, hitting 44.4% (8/18) from the field, including 40% (2/5) from the three-point line. PJ Washington and Gordon Hayward were tied for second in team scoring, both scoring 16 points.
PJ Washington had a pretty impressive night, earning himself a double-double. He shot 35.3% (6/17) from the field, including 28.6% (2/7) from three. He went 2 for 2 from the free-throw line, and he grabbed 10 rebounds.
Gordon Hayward went 33.3% (5/15) from the field, which included 50% (3/6) from beyond the arc, and he went 75% from the free-throw line, hitting 3 out of 4. Devonte’ Graham had another tough night. While he was third in team scoring with 12 points, he looked rough out there. Here’s to hoping that he is just in a funk, and that this is not something that will continue to be a reoccurring theme.
LaMelo Ball had a rookie night. He only scored 4 points, going 25% (2/8) from the field, including 0% from both the three-point line and the free-throw line. Miles Brides also only scored 4 points, going 22.2% (2/9) from the field and 0% from three.
The Charlotte Hornets don’t have much time to reflect on this game, as they travel to Tampa Bat to play the Toronto Raptors tomorrow night. If they start tomorrow night’s game anything like they started this one against the Mavericks, expect more disappointment. Here’s to hoping the Hornets come out of the gate ready to play! Bring on the Raptors!
