Key Highlights
- They’ve lost 14 of 16. Charlotte, playing on the first night of a back-to-back, got tremendous production from its bench, with the backups shooting 12 of 21 from 3-point range. Grant Williams made four 3s, Josh Green and Sion James had three each and Pat Connaughton had two. Charlotte was whistled for a season-high 31 fouls and Dallas went to the free throw line 42 times, making 31.
- However, the Mavericks made only 3 of 22 shots from beyond the 3-point arc and could never get on track offensively in the second half making just 11 field goals. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Hornets built a 57-48 lead at halftime after holding the Mavs to 42.5% shooting from the floor, but extended the lead to 22 in the closing seconds of the third quarter when James buried a 3-pointer from the corner. A capacity crowd of 19,519 showed up at the Spectrum Center hoping to see a rematch of the Jan.
- 30 head-to-head showdown between Kon Knueppel and Cooper Flagg, the top two candidates for NBA Rookie of the Year.
- Flagg scored 49 points in that game, but Knueppel had eight 3s and 34 points and the Hornets won 123-121. But Flagg was ruled out ahead of the game with a midfoot strain and Knueppel suffered through one of the worst games of his young career, finishing 1 of 7 from beyond the 3-point arc for 13 points. Up nextMavericks: At Orlando on Thursday night. Hornets: At Boston on Wednesday night.
- ___AP NBA: https://apnews. com/hub/NBA.