Final: Hornets 109, Mavs 101
Box Score | Highlights
Behind the Box Score
The Hornets shot 55 percent in the second quarter to the Mavs’ 47.8 percent, but Dallas was still able to outscore Charlotte efficiency-wise in the frame, thanks to forcing four turnovers. The Hornets have been the best turnover team in the NBA offensively for years now — meaning they avoid turning it over better than anyone else — but Dallas was able to force them into many more mistakes than usual in the second quarter, which brought the club a 50-48 halftime lead.
Deron Williams’ roll allowed the Mavs to play perhaps some more pick-and-roll than usual tonight. Dallas used 24 such possessions in the P&R, per team analytics, and scored 32 points in those situations. That’s a 1.33 points per possession mark, which is really good.
Notebook
Good players can score. Stars can score in many different ways. We’re beginning to see Harrison Barnes make that distinction. The 24-year-old has been able to face up and knock down a combination of pull-up jumpers and dribble-drive layups, but tonight the Mavs’ go-to guy mixed in several counter-moves to beat his defender, which in most cases was top-notch perimeter defender Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. Barnes finished with 29 points on 10-of-21 shooting, including draining all seven of his free throws. He’s getting better and better, and it’s been a lot of fun to watch.
Deron Williams continued to have a positive effect on the offense in this one. He finished with double-digit assists for the second game in a row, the second such time he’s done that as a Maverick. D-Will became just the fourth Maverick ever to record back-to-back 12-plus-assist games, joining only Jason Kidd, Steve Nash, and Derek Harper. That’s some incredible company. Needless to say, it was a strong follow-up to his 15-assist, one-turnover showing against Chicago on Saturday: Tonight, he compiled a 15-point, 13-assist line.
Jonathan Gibson had probably his best game since his 26-point outburst in Orlando. The rookie point guard scored 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting, including connecting on three 3-pointers in four tries. He added a pair of assists against only one turnover. With both Seth Curry and J.J. Barea out due to injury, Gibson is going to see all of the backup point minutes behind Williams. The Mavs could certainly use as much scoring as possible, so if Gibson can continue to produce like this moving forward, he could be a very useful substitute for this team. It doesn’t take a guy like him long to get rolling.
What’s Next
The Mavs (4-16) play the Sacramento Kings (7-13) on Wednesday at American Airlines Center at 7:30 p.m. Central.
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