Recap: Youngins shine as Hornets sweep Mavericks, 110-104

Mar 26, 2023 - 7:32 PM

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Gordon Hayward scored 22, PJ Washington scored 21, and young guys across the roster made contributions as the Charlotte Hornets completed the season sweep of the Dallas Mavericks with a 110-104 win.

Since we missed the recap for the last game, the two teams were kind enough to repeat the first quarter for us. The Mavericks looked lethargic and disinterested while the Hornets came out hot from the field. Gordon Hayward scored 11 first quarter points and the Hornets jumped out to an early double digit lead. The Hornets limited the Mavs from deep and led by 14 going into the second.

The Mavericks, and more specifically Luka Doncic, woke up in the second quarter. Luka finally made his first field goal from the field, and that got him into a rhythm. He hit a couple of threes down the stretch to pull the Mavericks within single digits in the later parts of the first half. PJ Washington anchored the Hornets offensively with a couple of nice buckets inside to give him 12 first half points. James Bouknight made a cameo appearance as well and hit a three and made a nice driving layup in short succession. At the break, the Hornets led by eight.

Both teams contributed to a sloppy start to the second half which featured Kyrie Irving getting a fan decked out in Washington DC sports fan attire removed from the premises. Just typical stuff. Mark Williams, who was very good despite his lack of mention up to this point, entered double double territory early in the half. Bryce McGowens hit back to back threes around midway through the quarter to counter the increasingly hot shooting Mavericks. JT Thor followed that with a pair of his own. A bucket and a pair of free throws from Theo Maledon put the Hornets up eight heading into the fourth quarter.

The teams traded baskets in the early going of the fourth, but the Mavericks inched back into the game and had a chance to take the lead midway through the fourth. They took it on their second try. Gordon Hayward rectified that with six points in two possessions. The Mavericks took a timeout and called the play where they answered with two 3-pointers of their own to retake the lead. PJ Washington took it back with a three from the corner. A few possessions later, he found Dennis Smith cutting backdoor to put the Hornets up five with just over a minute to play.

After a Maxi Kleber three, Hayward found Mark Williams inside for a lay in. On the other end, Williams forced a miss on a Luka Doncic three. The Hornets rebounded and played the free throw game from there.

Mark Williams finished with 15 points and 16 rebounds and four huge points to help put the game away. JT Thor hit three 3-pointers. Bryce McGowens finished with nine points, four rebounds, and four assists. James Bouknight played and scored five points. Strong showings across the board.

The two wins over the Mavericks have pushed the Mavericks to the 11 seed in the West and out of the playoff picture. Not only that, but Luka Doncic picked up his 16th technical foul of the season in the third quarter, meaning he’s facing a one game suspension if it doesn’t get rescinded.

The Hornets, who have helped push the Thunder into the 10th seed in the last couple of days, will visit their new buddies in Oklahoma City on Tuesday.