Luka Doncic, Mavericks Spoil Hornets Home Finale

The Hornets drop to 19-60 on the season.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - It was a homecoming and a going away party all in one on Tuesday night as the Charlotte Hornets welcomed back P.J. Washington for Steve Clifford’s last home game as head coach, also being the final home game of the 2023-24 season.

It didn’t take long for the Mavericks to control of this one, or should I say Luka Doncic? The Mavs’ superstar outscored the Hornets (18 pts) in the first quarter with 21 points, hitting shot after shot regardless of whether he was wide open or heavily contested.

Clifford burned through three timeouts before the Hornets’ defense finally started to make some adjustments in their coverage of Doncic by throwing a double team at him nearly every time he possessed the ball. 

The Hornets started to make a little bit of a comeback in the opening minutes of the fourth, cutting the deficit to eleven before Dallas opened things back up, going on to win 130-104.

Best of the Night: Brandon Miller

Miller was also honored tonight, receiving his third consecutive Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month award before the game. He had another efficient night shooting the ball going 6/15 from the field and 4/8 from three.

Worst of the Night: Rebounding

Steve Clifford recently mentioned how this has been an issue for the Hornets all year and once again, it reared its ugly head. Nick Richards struggled for much of the night getting a body on Daniel Gafford and others before finally coming to life in the fourth quarter, but more so on the offensive end. It’s one of the biggest reasons the Hornets have not been competitive this season.

Stat of the Night: Another loss...the 60th.

With tonight's loss, it marks the fifth time in franchise history that the Hornets have lost 60 or more games in a season. 1988-89 (20-62), 1989-90 (19-63), 2004-05 (18-64), and 2012-13 (21-61) teams were the other seasons in which they lost at least 60 games.

Next up: Hornets at Hawks, Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. EST.