DALLAS — American Airlines Center fans were euphoric, but surely there was an element of shock mixed with the joy.
Exactly who were these Mavericks who jumped to a 10-0 lead over Charlotte and scarcely let up, ultimately winning 120-96 behind Kristaps Porzingis’ 24 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks and a rare hot shooting night as a team from 3-point range?
It had been quite a while since the home fans witnessed in person any Mavericks victory, let alone a dominant one. How long? Nearly a month.
Dallas had lost five straight home games. Its most recent win in AAC was way back on Nov. 15. Not coincidentally, Monday’s win gave the Mavericks their first two-game winning streak since, yes, Nov. 15.
Moreover, a Mavericks team that in its previous six games had bricked its way to 58-of-218 (26.6%) 3-point shooting made 19 of its 41 3-point attempts (46.3%) against the Hornets – including 5 of 11 by Tim Hardaway Jr., who entered the night shooting 32.4% from deep this season.
“It feels amazing, that’s all I can say,” Hardaway said.
The fact that it happened against a Charlotte team that only recently got back five players from COVID-19 scarcely mattered to a Mavericks team that was without Luka Doncic for the second straight.
And Dallas practically was playing on fumes, on the second night of a back-to-back and its fifth game in seven days. It was hard to tell, though, from the energy with which the Mavericks played and the fans remained engaged throughout, chanting for Boban Marjanovic’s entry throughout the fourth quarter until getting their wish.
The Mavericks also got Trey Burke’s best performance of the season, 22 points off the bench, as well as 15 points from Dorian Finney-Smith.
Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said he has been reminding his team that “when the ball touches the paint something good happens,” and his team finally seems to be getting the message.
One night after outscoring Oklahoma City in the paint, 50-20, Dallas drove the lane early and often, scoring 12 of its first 14 points one possessions when it either “touched the paint” or shot from it.
The Mavericks finished with “only” 32 paint points on Monday, but 57 of their 120 points came on 3-pointers and many of those were set up by penetrations and dishes.
Again replacing Doncic in the starting lineup, Jalen Brunson had 13 points and eight assists in just 25 minutes, one night after his 18-point, nine-assist game against the Thunder.
Brunson at one point against the Thunder scored 10 consecutive points, saying afterward he felt uncomfortable taking that many consecutive shots.
“Because he’s doing something that he hadn’t done before,” Kidd said. “But he’s capable of doing and that’s just going to give more value. I’m his agent right now, so he’s going to get paid more money.”
Kidd of course was alluding to the fact that Brunson can become a free agent at season’s end.
