Mavs Home Struggles Continue in 123-120 Overtime Loss to Hornets

The Dallas Mavericks suffered their worst loss since November in a 123-120 loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday.

DALLAS - Luka Doncic passed Jason Kidd for his franchise-record 10th triple-double of the season, and the 18th of his career, scoring 39 points to go along with 12 rebounds and 10 assists.

It wasn't enough, however, as the Mavericks fell to the Charlotte Hornets 123-120 on Saturday, continuing their struggles inside the friendly confines of the American Airlines Center. 

“I made terrible decisions,” Luka said in placing blame. “We could have won it.”

The absence of Kristaps Porzingis and Tim Hardaway Jr. obviously played major roles in this loss and in the Mavs' most recent struggles, with the team sitting 1-2 with losses to Oklahoma City and now Charlotte without their second and third options at their disposal. 

Despite that, the Mavericks played well enough to win the game, taking as much as a 12-point lead in the fourth quarter, before that lead slipped through their fingers in the midst of a 21-9 Charlotte run that sent the game to overtime. 

Maxi Kleber would set a career-high with 24 points on 8-of-14 shooting and 6-of-12 from beyond the arc, while Dorian Finney-Smith added 15 points, and Seth Curry added 12 off of the bench. J.J. Barea and Dwight Powell also added 11 points apiece. 

As a team, however, the Mavs shot just 47-percent from the field and 30-percent from three and were out-rebounded 53-41 by the Hornets. 

In the OT  period, the Mavericks never had control, watching helplessly as the Hornets offense sliced through their defense to the tune of 20 points in the five-minute overtime period. 

The loss, which is their worst loss record-wise to an opponent since their November 14 loss to the New York Knicks, knocks the Mavs back 10-8 at home on the year, and 22-13 overall. 

Dallas will continue the long home stretch, as they remain at the AAC for the next four games, beginning with the Chicago Bulls on Monday night. The Mavs will then turn their attention to the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday, before matchups against the Lakers on Friday, and the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday. 

“We’ve got to look at it, correct some things, go from there and get ready for Monday,” Carlisle said. “Chicago coming in here is ...  a hard, fighting team, a lot of resolve, a couple of great young players with [Zach] LaVine and [Lauri] Markkanen. [Wendell] Carter’s a hell of a player and a lot of other good players, too. We’ve got a lot of work cut out for us.”