CHARLOTTE, N.C. – After a year’s absence, the Dallas Mavericks are officially back in the NBA playoffs.
Earlier on Tuesday at the Spectrum Center, Luka Dončić registered his 21st triple-double of the season and the Mavs polished off the Charlotte Hornets, 130-104. Coupled with the Los Angeles Clippers’ 105-92 triumph over the Phoenix Suns late Tuesday night, the Mavs were able to clinch one of the Western Conference playoff spots and avoid the dreaded play-in tournament.
The win was the 15th in the past 17 games for the Mavs, who will take their 49-30 record into Wednesday night’s contest in Miami.
Dončić had 39 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists, and was 13-of-25 from the floor, including 8-of-17 from beyond the three-point line. Indeed, he was like a man on a mission as he exploded out of the gate and scored 19 of the Mavs’ first 29 points and personally outscoring the Hornets in the first quarter, 21-18.
“Luka is a special talent and made incredible shots, but he was able to get a lot of those off offensive rebounds by (Daniel) Gafford or their wings,” former Mavs forward Grant Williams said. “They set the tone from the start.”
Dončić was 7-of-12 from the field in the first quarter, including 5-of-9 from distance as the Hornets had all sorts of problems trying to keep up with him. He also scored nine straight points at one juncture in the first quarter.
And by the time Tim Hardaway Jr. fired in a three-pointer at the 1:48 mark of the first quarter, the Mavs had built a comfortable 36-14 lead.
Meanwhile, Dončić became the Mavs’ single-season scoring leader, surpassing Mark Aguirre, who tallied 2,330 points during the 1983-84 season.
Dončić has scored 2,332 points so far this season.
“He’s going to re-write the record books for the Mavs and also the NBA,” coach Jason Kidd said. “For him to pass Mark is incredible, because Mark is a legend for the Mavs.”
The single-season scoring record, Dončić said, means a lot to him.
“This is the franchise that drafted me,” he said. “They gave me the keys. I’m glad I’m here in Dallas.”
For their part, the Hornets found out that Doncic also has established some legendary status for himself after he picked up 27 points in the first half, when the Mavs led, 69-47.
“(Dončić) was 
great,” Hornets coach Steve Clifford said. “He made five threes, I believe, in the first quarter. I think four of them were just isos.
“We’re playing from a hole. To me, we never really, really got going in the game. We made a run at it, but we didn’t play with nearly the intensity level that we have been.”
The Mavs definitely played with some high intensity, and have now won 24 road games this season. That’s the most road games they’ve won since they were winners 28 times away from home during the 2010-11 season when they captured the NBA championship.
In the meantime, the basket must have looked like an ocean to Dončić as he kept pouring in one shot after another.
Dončić negotiated so many breath-taking no-look passes against the Hornets that a Charlotte reporter was curious enough to ask him if he already knew his teammates were going to be at the right spot when the ball arrived.
“I see if somebody is there or not,” Dončić said. “I see it, man. It’s that simple.”
The Mavs were ahead by as many as 27 points before the Hornets showed some life and made a mini-run and chopped the deficit to 100-89 with 9:10 remaining in the game. Hardaway 16 points) squashed the rally with a bucket, Kyrie Irving (18 points, nine assists, three blocks) buried a three-pointer, and Gafford powered home a pair of dunks.
Then, by the time Doncic scored on a reverse layup and lobbed a pass for a dunk by Derrick Jones Jr., the Mavs had seized complete control of the game again, increasing their lead to 121-97 with 4:08 left.
The Mavs shot 53.8 percent, outrebounded the Hornets, 55-39, and distributed a whopping 35 assists. In addition, the Mavs got 10 points and six rebounds off the bench from Maxi Kleber.
So, what worked so well for Gafford, who was a perfect 12-for-12 from the field and collected 26 points and seven boards?
“Honestly, just being active, in my opinion,” he said. “(I was) setting screens and getting out quick.
“One through five, they were trying to blitz, of course, when it came to Luka and Kyrie. So, I was in the right place at the right time and making plays out of the pocket.”
The Mavs were adamant that they weren’t going to let happen against the Hornets what happened to them Sunday against Houston when they fell behind by 22 points before rallying for a dramatic 147-136 win in overtime.
“We just got to come out and handle business,” Gafford said. “These type of teams, they’re not going to let down. They’re going to come out and try to throw a punch.
“Houston threw a punch at us for sure, and it was a dogfight from the beginning of the game to the end. We didn’t want that to happen tonight, so we just came out with a different mentality to come out and just handle business.”
And because the Mavs handled their business, they are guaranteed to get several days of rest next week while the play-in tournament takes center stage.
X: @DwainPrice
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