If you look up “low-hanging fruit” in the dictionary, a picture of the Charlotte Hornets probably accompanies the definition.
The Hornets have been easy pickings of late for anybody who steps on the court against them.
Until Thursday night, when they were anything but easy to harvest.
The Mavericks had to work long and hard to finally overcome the pesky Hornets for a much-needed 103-96 victory to start their three-game home stand at American Airlines Center. They now have won six of their last seven home games, stretching to before the All-Star break.
But it wasn’t the sort of drubbing Charlotte has been getting recently. They had losses by 14, 53, 42 and 36 points leading up to their visit to Dallas.
And yet, they were leading the Mavericks 60-57 in the third quarter and were tied in the fourth quarter. The Mavericks could not get any traction offensively.
But the duo of Kyrie Irving and Moses Brown pulled them out of the doldrums that seemed to engulf them all night.
Brown’s showing in his first start for the Mavericks since signing a 10-day contract last week was nothing short of game-saving.
“It was very impressive, especially going against Mark Williams,” Irving said of Brown. “It was a great matchup to watch when they were challenging each other. But he rose to the occasion, Moses, and added some interior presence for us.”
It was Brown’s dunk that put the Mavericks up 80-71 early in the fourth quarter as he was on his way to 20 points and 11 rebounds. Williams had 26 points and 16 rebounds.
“He was great,” coach Jason Kidd said. “Moses gave us a spark, gave us a big (presence) at the rim. We needed someone at the rim and he did a really good job for us.
“He’ll probably get another 10-day from someone. And give him credit for coming out as a pro and helping us find a way to win. The next game is his last game and hopefully he can play as well as he did tonight.”
From someone? The reason Saturday will, in all likelihood, be Brown’s final game with the Mavericks is because they have exhausted their financial options. They are hopeful that their health improves in the coming days and weeks.
But there is little doubt that Brown earned his contract simply with his game on Thursday.
“I haven’t started for this team, haven’t played for this team all year, so coming in I just wanted to be a good fit, setting good screens, getting guys open,” Brown said. “It was a big deal today. It feels good. I’m thankful for my coaches and teammates for giving me the opportunity.”
Brown’s rebounding helped the Mavericks avoid a complete disaster on the boards. They were getting beat badly for three quarters, but won the glass 10-9 in the fourth.
Still, this was no picnic. The Hornets tied the game at 85. A 9-2 Mavericks blitz pushed them ahead 94-87 with 4 minutes to go. Again the Hornets responded with two buckets in the paint. And the Mavericks could not convert on their end leaving them up 94-91 with 2:22 to go.
Irving saved the day with a steal, then an offensive rebound that led to Klay Thompson’s three-pointer. When Irving took the next possession to the rim for a floater, the Mavericks were up 99-91 and could finally exhale as they stopped their losing streak at two games.
Irving led the Mavericks with 25 points and Thompson tacked on 18. Dante Exum had 12 points off the bench.
The Mavericks now have played 60 games this season and are 32-28. They are in competition with Sacramento, Golden State, Minnesota and the Los Angeles Clippers for spots six through 10 in the Western Conference standings.
As of Thursday, only two games separated those five teams.
So the Mavericks can ill afford to give away games that they should win. And in Charlotte, they faced a team that has been blown out consistently since the All-Star break. In their four games before Thursday, they lost by an average of 36.3 points.
“We knew no matter who’s in uniform, they’re going to play hard,” Kidd said. “They’ve had a stretch here that hasn’t been good and they’re pros. And so, give them credit. They came out and played hard after this past week.
“You can be beat on any given night. The week we’ve been through, I thought Kai and Klay did a great job of leading this group.”
X: @ESefko
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