Irving, Gafford Combine for 64 Points, But Mavericks Stumble in Clutch Moments Against Hornets
The Dallas Mavericks (23-20) fell 110-105 to the Charlotte Hornets (11-28) Monday night at Spectrum Center despite controlling the paint and standout performances from Kyrie Irving and Daniel Gafford. Irving’s 33 points and Gafford’s career-high 31 points, 15 rebounds, and seven blocks weren’t enough, as turnovers, poor perimeter shooting, and untimely mistakes undercut their efforts.
Already without Luka Dončić until early February, the Mavericks continued to suffer from unfortunate injury luck. Dereck Lively II (right ankle sprain) was downgraded from questionable to out, Quentin Grimes (back spasms) was a late scratch and played without Jaden Hardy (right ankle sprain), Dwight Powell (right hip strain), and Danté Exum (right wrist surgery). As injuries have mounted, Dallas has gone 4-10 since losing against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Christmas Day.
“It would be nice at this point in the season to have everyone healthy,” Irving admitted. “I’ve missed 10 games, and that’s not something I set as a goal for myself coming into the season. I want to play as many games as possible. But with my MRI coming back on my back and D. Live going down, Luka going down, J. Hardy going down, and other people missing games, it’s unfortunate.”
While it’d be easy for the Mavericks to ponder what could have been had certain key players not gotten injured during this recent stretch of games, Irving made clear that nobody in the league is going to lay down their guard against them. It’s up to those who are healthy to step up and get the job done.
“It hurts emotionally to see some of our guys down, but no one’s going to feel bad for us,” Irving emphasized. “Everyone wants to beat us, and rightfully so. We have to respond and remain mature. We’ve given a lot of young guys opportunities to grow and learn. It’s part of the league when injuries occur. We’re doing a good job trying to find a way to gel.”
The Mavericks struggled from beyond the arc, shooting a mere 18.8%. Making matters worse, their 15 turnovers led to 23 points for the Hornets. Additionally, Charlotte capitalized on their opportunities from beyond the arc, hitting 17 out of 39 three-point attempts for a 43.6 percent shooting rate. With LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges each scoring 23, a total of six players scored in double figures for Charlotte.
“It’s just the statistics of basketball. Sometimes the basketball goes in, and other times it feels like a very far shot from the three-point line,” Irving said about the Mavericks’ poor shooting in Charlotte. “I was one of the ones on the receiving end of that shocker where the basketball didn’t feel as good. I felt like I had a good rhythm going, but it’s about all of us feeling good and all of us contributing. We’ve got to stay aggressive. No matter what’s happening behind the three-point line, we’ve got to stay attacking.”
Spencer Dinwiddie and Klay Thompson were each held to seven points, while the bench combined for 14. P.J. Washington scored 13 but took 15 shots to do it. Maxi Kleber and Kessler Edwards went scoreless across 23 minutes. Outside Irving and Gafford, Dallas shot a combined 15 of 49 (30.6%) from the floor, suggesting a real need for consistency in the supporting cast. However, one bright spot was Olivier-Maxence Prosper, who added six points and eight rebounds with plenty of hustle plays.
Dallas Mavericks Take Control Early
Aside from a 5-0 start, the Mavericks struggled to convert on jump shots, missing consecutive threes before getting on the board again. It took almost two minutes for them to score through Washington, and they made free throws. Dallas had multiple lengthy stretches of failing to score in the first quarter.
The Hornets held an 11-10 lead when Moussa Diabate checked in for Mark Williams, who got into early foul trouble but still managed to finish 13 points, 13 rebounds, and three blocks on the night. Going from a traditional center to having a thin 6-foot-9 option at the five made Charlotte vulnerable when Gafford returned to action with 4:05 left. Dallas went from trailing 16-14 to closing the period with a 27-24 advantage. Gafford closed the frame with a team-high eight points.
“Yeah, I’m frustrated when you get a game like that, but you don’t come out with a win,” Gafford said. “It’s pretty frustrating, but I don’t really want to, you know, be too selfish. You know, I felt like we did a lot of things great out there on the floor to put us in a position to win the game.”
While Dallas tried to bully Charlotte with its size advantage, LaMelo Ball was getting loose from beyond the arc to make the defense pay, scoring 20 points in the first half. Mile Bridge added another 10, while Nick Smith Jr. and Diabate were close with eight.
Ball scored the final seven points of the opening half, helping the Hornets go from trailing by seven to being tied 55-55 at the break. This stretch included consecutive made threes for the Hornets’ star guard. He was aggressive, finding opportunities to create his shot off the bounce and making the most of it.
“He’s one when he gets over half court it can go,” Kidd said of Ball’s shooting. “He could have two guys on him, and he could shoot it. He’s shooting the three at a high clip. He is one that puts a lot of pressure on your defense.”
Both Teams Trade Runs After Halftime
The Mavericks had enough of Ball breaking loose to score, resulting in an emphasis on blitzing him to get the ball out of his hands. Dallas tried to get by with an early low man engaging the short roller when necessary, but Charlotte was executing well enough from the perimeter, so this strategy proved unsuccessful.
“I would say they just kept putting up shots. Honestly, you know, we tried to make them drive as much as we possibly could,” Gafford explained. “That word lapses when it came to a lot of defensive stuff on our end, but
Building on their momentum entering halftime, the Hornets scored seven straight points to extend their lead to 12-0. Charlotte was playing fast and capitalizing on the Mavericks’ empty possessions, creating chances to push the ball.
However, it didn’t break the game open, as Dinwiddie scored or assisted on seven straight Mavericks points to keep it a three-point game after assisting Gafford for a floater. As Dallas attempted to change the momentum, Smith drilled back-to-back threes, keeping Charlotte ahead 67-62 with 8:20 left in the period.
Dallas fired back with a 6-0 run led by Gafford and Irving getting to the rim, resulting in a 68-67 advantage after Gafford’s dunk at the 6:32 mark. In response, Charlotte heated up from beyond the arc again, with Bridges sinking a few threes as the Mavericks continued to emphasize getting into the paint.
Irving’s aggression showed an apparent increase, looking to score and attack the paint in the second half, especially as Charlotte continued to drain shots from beyond the arc. He scored eight consecutive points in one stretch, often pushing the ball quickly and working to get downhill to make a play. Washington capped off the sequence by finishing a transition dunk after a steal, affording Dallas an 82-75 advantage with 1:48 remaining in the quarter—but it didn’t last.
The Mavericks continued to leave shooters open on the perimeter, but Josh Okogie made them pay with a three-pointer. Charlotte then created a 5-0 run when LaMelo Ball connected with Cody Martin on a pass, leading to a dunk. Suddenly, Dallas was up just 83-82 entering the fourth quarter.
Execution Failure in Late Game
Williams scored multiple times in the paint to get Charlotte back on top by three. Dallas didn’t score until the 10:02 mark of the fourth quarter when Gafford threw down an emphatic putback dunk after Dinwiddie missed a shot. Both teams traded hits in what was shaping up to be a matchup that’d go down to the wire.
Green stole a pass from Thompson, leading to a breakaway dunk, putting the Hornets ahead 94-90. Irving did his best to wash this away, converting from three 14 seconds later, getting fouled on a three and making each free throw, then recording a steal of his own, creating a finish. It didn’t stop there. Irving drew a shooting foul after Bridge missed a three, leading to another perfect set of free throws.
Amid that flurry from Irving, he spearheaded a personal 12-0 run that propelled the Mavericks to a 110-94 lead with 6:21 remaining in the game. However, the Mavericks’ offense stalled after that, allowing the Hornets to close the game on a 16-5 run. Excessive turnovers and inadequate defensive rebounding contributed to the Mavericks’ downfall.
The game swung in the Hornets’ favor late in the fourth quarter when Smith hit a crucial three-pointer to regain Charlotte’s lead. With a 105-102 advantage and 4:16 left to play, the Hornets closed it out by answering Irving’s split free throws by Ball beating a blitz by hitting Williams in the short roll for a dunk.
“ I think it was just a couple of mental mistakes that we had, and they took that to their advantage and just made sure that they scored on the other end of transition,” Gafford said. “They’re one of the best transition teams, I would say, in the league, especially when they make guys turn the ball over. So that was one of the things that we talked about in our game plan: they’re going to get out and run.”
Dallas trailed by four until Gafford finished at the rim, but a bad pass from Irving that went out of bounds set up a possession for Ball to make a free throw with 13.0 seconds. Irving felt he should have taken his time and made a more accurate pass to prevent the turnover, but overall, the team needed to stay in attack mode throughout the final moments instead of easing up a bit.
“We started rushing a little bit. The pressure picked up, but we made some good plays too, just didn’t finish and convert,” Irving said. “Our late-game execution has to be better. We also had a chance to go up three or go up one when I had that turnover down the stretch. I just have to make a great pass, take my time, and trust my teammates. I’ll take accountability for the majority of the game—just those timely turnovers. I was trying to thread the needle. I just gotta be a better leader out there so we can stay organized. Games like tonight are a good learning lesson. We had control of that game, but we just need to keep our foot on the pedal.”
After Ball’s free throw, the Hornets were up 108-105. He then missed the subsequent free throw, keeping the possibility alive for the Mavericks to tie the game and potentially push it to overtime. However, Thompson’s three-point attempt didn’t connect with just five seconds left on the clock, and Green secured the rebound after the ball went through Kleber’s hands. After being fouled by Kleber, Green sank two free throws with only 1.2 seconds left, effectively sealing the victory for Charlotte.
“I thought he had a great look,” Kidd said of Thompson’s potential game-tying shot. “We talked about how we were going to go, and I thought the guys did a great job. The pace was good, Klay had a good look back rim, and then I thought Maxi had a great look at getting the offensive rebound, but unfortunately, it went through his hands. But it was a good look by Klay.”
Dallas Mavericks Still Balancing Injuries
The Mavericks, now 23-20, look to bounce back in their upcoming game against the Timberwolves on Wednesday. Dallas continues to battle with the challenges that come with ongoing injuries, but the team remains confident in the bigger picture.
“The last 12 games haven’t been the best reflection of who we are, but we’re still working towards the same goals,” Irving said. “We just have to do our best with who we have in the lineup now and keep feeding each other confidence.”
The Mavericks have plenty to resolve as they prepare for an upcoming three-game series against the Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Boston Celtics. Finding offensive consistency from the supporting cast on the perimeter around Irving will be vital.
“Every night, we get the best of the best. That’s what I signed up for as a competitor. You can’t take your foot off the gas pedal,” Irving said. “These teams are coming in to win. The win-loss records are pretty close right now, but for those of us in the Western Conference, it doesn’t really start until after the All-Star break. That’s when teams start positioning and getting healthy. We’ve got to be ready for anything.
“We’re in a unique position injury-wise, but it’s no time to make excuses,” Irving continued. “We have to grow through this stretch, and hopefully, three months from now, we’ll reflect on this and have different opinions. For me, I’m putting my best foot forward and supporting my guys, who’ve supported me all season.”
Since scoring 25 points against the Denver Nuggets on Jan. 12, Thompson has averaged 8.3 points while shooting 37.5% from the floor and 31.8% from deep in four games. Given he’s attempting the third-most shots per game on the season for this Mavericks team, his impact carries a lot of weight. Not having Dončić makes it more challenging for Thompson, but Irving is confident he will find a rhythm soon.
“He just has to not overthink it. He’s a very mature player, very mature person. His preparation is how he’ll handle it, and we’re here to support him,” Irving said of Thompson. “My job as his teammate is to put him in a position to succeed. You’re going to go through lulls during the season, but that’s healthy. We all want to shoot 100%, but it’s just not feasible. Our expectations are high, and sometimes that pressure leads to stress. Klay has had some good looks, but teams are playing him aggressively. He’s got to work a little harder to get his shots off, and we have to be in a position to help him.”
It will not get any easier for the Mavericks as they continue to attempt to stay afloat amid Dončić’s injury absence, while other injuries occur. The upcoming injury report will be necessary to monitor as short-term injuries to players like Lively and Grimes could see positive developments on the horizon.
