Luka Doncic's Dallas Mavs Pull Off 15-Point Comeback in Win Over Charlotte Hornets

Coming off a loss against the Nuggets, the Mavs rallied back to achieve a narrow victory over the Hornets on Sunday.

DALLAS — Beginning the first leg of a back-to-back, the Dallas Mavericks won 124-118 against the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday, completing a 15-point comeback and improving to 5-1. The Mavs responded following their first loss of the season at the hands of the Denver Nuggets. 

To begin the season, the Mavs have experienced problems with underwhelming performance in the first quarter of games, entering with a -25 scoring differential on the season. After leading 13-8 early on, the Mavs were outscored 54-37 for the remainder of the half and trailing by as many as 15 points at one point. 

The Hornets insisted on sending double-teams to the Mavs' superstars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving to force the ball out of their hands, especially when Dallas played lineups that involved staggering their playing time. In the first half, the team's floor spacing options struggled to make plays off the catch. 

After Nick Richards completed a finish with 3:01 remaining in the second quarter, the Hornets took a 56-44 lead, establishing the then-largest lead of the game. Charlotte sustained a double-figure advantage entering halftime by being up 62-50. 

Often without facing much resistance in the on drives and drop-off passes, the Hornets produced a massive 42-to-18 scoring advantage in the paint in the first half of the game. Dallas shot 6-26 from 3-point range, while Doncic, the NBA's leading scorer entering Sunday's game, was limited to only eight points on 2-10 shooting overall and was 0-6 from deep but 4-5 on free throws. 

“The primary cause is [that] we don’t listen. I feel that’s the biggest issue on that," Williams said of giving up 72 total points in the paint on the night. "We knew what the game plan was, and we knew they were going to put pressure on us in the paint in that first half. They popped out like 30 or 40 points in the paint. [So], we have to do a better job of executing the game plan. 

"The coaches put us in a great position. They do a phenomenal job of making sure we are ready and prepared every single night. So, we have to do a better job of making sure we listen to those guys and really come out and make those guys we’re playing against do something they’re not used to doing.”

The Mavs struggled to create much momentum initially after the break. A turnover from Doncic when trying to get the ball inside to Lively led to a breakaway finish for P.J. Washington, putting the Hornets back up 71-60 at the 6:55 mark.  

Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic draws a double-team from the Charlotte Hornets / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

A finish attempt by Irving that was confirmed to be a goaltend after the Hornets' attempt to get it overturned by signaling for a challenge was upheld, bringing the Mavs within six points midway through the third quarter. 

A 7-0 run was achieved by a small-ball lineup that consisted of Irving, Jaden Hardy, Josh Green, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Dwight Powell, cutting the Mavs' deficit to just 81-80 with 1:35 left to play in the third period. Dallas continued to apply pressure to Charlotte, entering the fourth quarter trailing just 84-83. 

“[In] the third quarter, we played the way we have, if you take out the Denver game, with the pace on the defensive side,' Kidd said. "Pregame, we talked about it with you guys (the media): the rebounding. We outrebounded them. I thought the message the guys heard before the game [was] carried out. We missed shots, and it happens. [It’s] a win. It's an ugly win. This group is growing in front of our eyes.

"[We] struggled offensively, but they didn't give in. You've got to give that group in the locker room a lot of credit. In that second half, we could have easily folded and started thinking about Orlando, but I thought the guys did a great job. DP [Dwight Powell], [with the] offensive rebounds. We shot the ball in that second half. We were 8-14 from 3. There was a lot of good stuff in that second half, which was cool to watch."

Dallas took a 94-92 lead over Charlotte with a timeout, including play, beginning with Doncic stripping Nick Richards. Hardy pushed the pace before throwing it ahead to Green, who made a jump pass to Hardaway in the corner for a catch-and-shoot 3. Hardy continued to frequent the free throw by aggressively attacking the paint, and Doncic made plays out of ball screen actions to lead the offense. 

“When you have 77 [Luka Doncic] and 11 [Kyrie Irving], [winning in the clutch] is an easy thing," Kidd said. "We talked about last year. As much as we wanted for things to happen right away, you've got to go through the process of growing pains and getting to know one another. The other side of that, we've spent a lot of time on in-game situations, and everybody's very comfortable. 

"Those two, again, we ran one play, and Luka dominated the ball, but I thought Kai [Kyrie Irving] did a great job of being open in the corner. Those are shots that we all know that he can knock down. If he didn't shoot it, he drives it to be able to finish or make a play for someone. I thought our quarterback was great, and our receivers were great with that."

Both teams traded blows throughout the fourth quarter, with the Mavs going from being up six to being tied in the pain of a few possessions. Grant Williams' perimeter shooting proved essential, with three makes in the period, but Dallas' defense could not consistently get stops to create separation.

The Hornets had a chance to tie the game, trailing by just a three-point margin, but a five-second violation with 8.1 seconds remaining proved too costly. Making matters worse, LaMelo Ball was called for an away-from-play foul, giving Irving a free throw attempt to put the Mavs up by four. Charlotte was forced to play the foul game, but Dallas made four free throws to clinch the victory. 

Doncic finished with 23 points, 12 rebounds, and nine assists, just one assist shy from a triple-double. He didn't produce to his regular highly efficient standard, shooting only 8-19 from the floor and 1-9 from beyond the arc, with four turnovers. 

The Mavs finished with seven double-figure scorers, but beyond Doncic, Kyrie Irving registered 18 points and 10 rebounds. Grant Williams scored 18 points with four made 3s. Dereck Lively II racked up 15 points and 14 rebounds, with one emphatic block. Tim Hardaway Jr. added 16 points but was 5-17 from the floor and 5-12 from 3. Jaden Hardy had 14 points and four boards, while Dwight Powell had 10 points, five rebounds, and three assists.

Dallas heated up from the perimeter in the second half, shooting 8-16 (50.0 percent), but finished converting at just a 14-42 (33.3 percent) clip on the night. There were plenty of timely makes, while the Hornets shot just 8-30 (26.7 percent) from deep. Charlotte's major paint advantage didn't prove to be enough. 

There was a lot of production that came from LaMelo Ball despite a slow start in the scoring department, totaling 30 points, 10 rebounds, and 13 assists. They had Gordon Hayward and P.J. Washington both finished with 20 points, while Hayward also added four boards and eight assists. Mark Williams added 19 points and 10 rebounds. 

The Mavs return to action on Monday when they face the Orlando Magic at Amway Center.