The Dallas Mavericks need to sort what is happening out as soon as possible, and the second an open door in three days against the Charlotte Hornets comes Sunday evening at Charlotte, N.C.
The Mavericks (36-38) are returning off to-back home misfortunes, including a significant botched open door Friday against the modest Hornets.
Despite playing without guards Terry Rozier (foot) and Kelly Oubre Jr. (shoulder strain), Charlotte (24-51) prevailed 117-109 against Dallas on Friday night.
However, the Hornets’ outcome was not unexpected.
At halftime, the Mavericks trailed the Hornets by 69-55, demonstrating their lack of urgency. In the first half, Dallas shot just 18.8% from three-point range on three of 16 attempts.
At the start of NBA play on Saturday, the Mavericks were in 11th place in the Western Conference, leaving them out of the play-in tournament.
Home fans booed the Mavericks on Friday and Kidd didn’t protest the disappointment.
Kyrie Irving, a guard for Dallas who had a sore foot earlier in the week, scored 18 points on Friday. Before being traded to the Mavericks, Irving played for the Brooklyn Nets and scored 28 and 33 points in games against Charlotte earlier this season.
The Hornets got a joined 53 focuses from P.J. Washington and Gordon Hayward on Friday. While the team used a improvised roster, they helped set the tone.
With 13 points and nine assists, Hornets guard Dennis Smith Jr. made significant contributions against his former team.
With 8:30 remaining, the Hornets extended their lead to 97-96, but a Smith 3-pointer with 5:56 remaining capped a 10-0 run that saw them win.
With yet another Sunday, it was just another chance for the Hornets to evaluate their player development.
