CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ Next month, the NBA will have All-Star weekend at the Spectrum Center. If the Mavericks end up having their backcourt of Luka Doncic and Dennis Smith Jr. representing them, they warmed up for the event in fantastic fashion Wednesday night.
It remains to be seen if one or both of them will make the Rising Stars Game, or in Doncic's case, perhaps the actual All-Star Game.
One certainty is they both looked deserving as the Mavericks vented more than a month's worth of frustration on the road with a 122-84 hammering of the Charlotte Hornets.
The Mavericks broke their nine-game road losing streak and boosted their record away from home to 3-16, which still ties them with Cleveland for the worst record in the league.
But, hey, you got to start somewhere. All Smith had to do was come home to help the Mavericks figure out how to win on the road.
Playing in his backyard, the Fayetteville, N.C., native got the Mavericks off to a hot start against the Hornets, who fell to 1-5 at home against Western Conference teams. By the end, they had won the battle with Charlotte star Kemba Walker. Smith had 18 points on just 10 shots, along with seven assists.
Doncic? He had 18 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. Was it a teaser for coming back next month as an All-Star?
"Time will tell," coach Rick Carlisle said. "He's having a terrific year. But look, we're in a team thing here and I'm just real reluctant to get into talking about individual stuff. We're slugging it out, we've had a lot of challenges on the road and we've just got to keep our eye on the ball and think about winning games."
Then he added: "Generally speaking, if you're having a great individual year, and your team is winning, you have a chance to make the All-Star team."
The first part of that equation is no problem. Doncic has been terrific, and consistent. When he had an off game on New Year's Eve in Oklahoma City, it was almost a shock to the system.
In Smith's case, all he did was get some 40 tickets for family and friends who made the 140-mile drive from Fayetteville, then treat them to 10 first-quarter points as the Mavericks had a season-high 42 in the opening period to go ahead by 16.
It was 24 at halftime and a 29-point lead after three quarters. Neither Smith nor Doncic had to play in the fourth quarter.
Smith joked about how good it was to be back in Carolina, saying his runny nose, mean cough, headache and fever all went back to normal when he touched down in Charlotte.
Smith said he thinks it would be great to come back to All-Star weekend in some capacity, although he's sticking to his guns about not being in the dunk contest for the second season in a row. But he did say making the Rising Stars Game is appealing.
"That would be cool," the point guard said. "We'll see how it goes. I'm glad they're having it here. That will be big for the state. I think a lot of people will come out for that.
"I hope I make the World vs. U.S. game."
Asked if he would dunk on teammate Luka Doncic if the format for the game remains the same as last year, Smith said: "I don't think Luka would jump."
