The Mavs, who had just lost to the Nuggets, came back to defeat the Hornets by a slim margin on Sunday.

ATLANTA — On Sunday, the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Charlotte Hornets 124-118 to start the first leg of a back-to-back, increasing their record to 5-1. After suffering their first defeat of the year at the hands of the Denver Nuggets, the Mavs retaliated. 

The Mavs have struggled with poor performance in the first quarter of games this season, starting with a -25 scoring differential. The Mavs trailed by as many as 15 points at one point in the half and were outscored 54-37 after taking an early 13-8 lead. 

To take the ball out of the hands of the Mavs’ superstars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, the Hornets insisted on double-teaming them, particularly when Dallas used lineups that required varying their playing time. The team’s floor spacing options had trouble making plays off the catch in the first half. 

With 3:01 left in the second quarter, Nick Richards finished a finish that gave the Hornets their greatest lead of the game at 56-44. Charlotte led 62–50 at the half, maintaining a double-figure lead. 

The Hornets scored 42 points to 18 in the paint in the first half of the game, often going up against little opposition on drives and drop-off passes. Doncic, the NBA’s top scorer coming into Sunday’s game, was held to only eight points on 2-10 shooting overall, including 0-6 from beyond the arc but 4-5 from free throw range as Dallas shot 6-26 from three-point range. 

The Mavs had trouble getting much momentum right after the half. At 6:55, P.J. Washington scored a breakaway basket after Doncic committed a mistake while attempting to pass the ball to Lively, giving the Hornets a one-point lead once more, 71-60.  

Charlotte Hornets, Dallas Mavericks, and Luka Doncic

Superstar Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks gets a double-team from the Charlotte Hornets.

Midway through the third quarter, the Mavs pulled within six points thanks to a finish attempt by Irving that was confirmed to be a goaltend after the Hornets’ attempt to have it overturned by signaling for a challenge was upheld. 

A small-ball team led by Irving, Jaden Hardy, Josh Green, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Dwight Powell scored a 7-0 run to cut the Mavs’ deficit to only 81-80 with 1:35 remaining in the third quarter. Dallas kept up the pressure on Charlotte, trailing only 84-83 going into the fourth quarter. 

After a break, which included play, Dallas led 94–92 over Charlotte after Doncic had stripped Nick Richards. After setting the tempo, Hardy passed the ball to Green, who dribbled to Hardaway in the corner for a catch-and-shoot three. Doncic produced plays out of ball screen maneuvers to spearhead the offense, while Hardy persisted in hitting the paint aggressively in an attempt to get free throws. 

Throughout the fourth quarter, both sides traded blows; the Mavs went from leading by six to tying the game in the span of a few possessions. With three makes in the frame, Grant Williams’ outside shooting proved crucial, but Dallas’ defense was unable to produce enough stops on a regular basis to generate space.

With only a three-point deficit, the Hornets had a chance to tie the game, but a five-second foul with 8.1 seconds left proved to be too costly. To make matters worse, Irving was awarded a free throw attempt to extend the Mavs’ lead to four points after LaMelo Ball was called for an away-from-play foul. Dallas scored four free throws to seal the victory, forcing Charlotte to play the foul game. 

Monday at Amway Center will mark the Mavs’ return to play as they take on the Orlando Magic.