CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ The Mavericks must have remembered that overtime loss in Dallas, because they made sure immediately Saturday to extinguish the Charlotte Hornets.
On a day when two veterans _ Marvin Williams and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist _ were released, the Hornets were pummeled at home, 116-100.
Seth Curry had a huge game for the Mavericks (32-21), making his first 10 shots and finishing with a team-high 26 points off the bench.
Devonte' Graham also scored 26 points to lead the Hornets (16-36).
Hornets shooting guard Malik Monk (19 points) should get plenty of playing time for the rest of this season. On Saturday, he was the aggressive version who attacked the rim relentlessly. That was good for making eight of his first 13 shots, including a couple of big dunks.
As unreliable as the Hornets' defense is, offense like Saturday's to start a game _ particularly at home _ is just brutal. The Hornets ended the first quarter shooting 4 of 24 from the field and 2 of 10 from 3-point range. They also didn't get to the foul line once in the first quarter. Why would the Mavericks feel the need to foul?
With Williams and Kidd-Gilchrist being bought out Saturday, the youth movement grows even more. The Hornets moved rookies Caleb Martin and Jalen McDaniels to Charlotte from the G-League Greensboro Swarm.
Coach James Borrego indicated pre-game this call-up is likely more than a one-game thing. Both played in the first half. With Cody Martin recovering from a concussion (and likely out again Monday in Detroit) and Nicolas Batum out with an illness, there were minutes to fill.
The only players on the Hornets' roster who didn't play in the first three quarters were Dwayne Bacon and Willy Hernangomez. Get used to fluid lineups as the rest of the season is about experimentation.
