The Dallas Mavericks are looking more and more like a team capable of making a run in the NBA playoffs.
That’s not the case for their next opponent as they head to Charlotte on Tuesday for the Hornets’ home finale.
The Mavericks (48-30) are riding a wave of success, winning 14 of their last 16 games, including three in a row. They’d like to avoid the play-in portion of the postseason, so winning in Charlotte would be a big step.
“That would help everybody,” Mavericks guard Luka Doncic said.
The Hornets (19-59) are trying to grasp a thrill or two before the season ends, along with the coaching tenure of Steve Clifford.
Charlotte will wrap up the longest homestand — eight games — in franchise history when Dallas visits. So far, the Hornets are 2-5 in those games, with two of the defeats coming by three-point margins.
It’s not easy playing teams that are motivated by enhancing their playoff positions.
“These games are big games for these teams,” Clifford said.
The Mavericks received 48 points from Kyrie Irving in Sunday’s 147-136 overtime home victory against Houston.
“We know the position we’re in,” Irving said.
Doncic, after scoring 37 points against the Rockets, is averaging a league-leading 33.9 points per game. He’s second in assists at 9.8 per game.
But the Mavericks star said it’s vital that there are multiple key contributors.
“We all trust each other,” Doncic said. “Trust is big.”
The Mavericks are 23-15 in road games. Three of their remaining four games are away from home.
The injury topic has been constant for the Hornets, but they got center Nick Richards back after he missed three games. Grant Williams remained in the starting lineup Sunday when Charlotte lost 121-118 to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
“I think we gave up nine points on offensive rebounds in like the last seven minutes of the game,” Clifford said. “We had better defensive possessions, but we got to get the ball.”
Williams collected 19 points to lead the Hornets in scoring for the second time since he was acquired in a February trade with Dallas, and Tre Mann shot 7-for-7 from the field on the way to 18 points.
“We’ve been playing better and better,” Clifford said. “A big part, frankly, is playing smaller. When we have Grant out there at the ‘5,’ we’re a totally different offensive team.”
Tuesday’s game will mark the last home contest of Brandon Miller’s rookie season.
“These last games are going to go by fast,” Miller said. “I know this is a long season. The main thing here is to stay focused, play every game as hard as you can. As a team, we got better every game.”
The Mavericks won the first meeting 124-118 on Nov. 5 at home, with Doncic providing a team-best 23 points. In that game, Charlotte’s LaMelo Ball had a triple-double that included 30 points, but he has been out for months with an injury.
After Tuesday, the Hornets wrap up their season with games at Atlanta, Boston and Cleveland.
–Field Level Media
