Dennis Smith Jr. Dagger: Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving Can't Push Sinking Mavs Past Hornets
Cancun on three! One... two... three... Cancun!
That might not be what the Dallas Mavericks were actually saying or thinking before Friday night's game against the lottery-locked Charlotte Hornets, but they could've fooled us with the lack of effort they put forth in what ultimately ended in a 117-109 loss.
As has been the case all season for the Mavs, it was too little, too late when the game clock expired. Dallas made a big push in the fourth quarter, but falling down by 21 points in the third quarter proved too much to overcome. The sinking Mavs are now two games under .500 with a 36-38 and have, for the moment, fallen out of the play-in tournament range.
Former Mavericks guard Dennis Smith Jr., who told DallasBasketball.com last summer that he welcomed a Dallas reunion, nailed the dagger 3-pointer with 13.7 seconds left to give the Hornets an insurmountable lead. He finished with 13 points, five rebounds and nine assists in 30 minutes as a starter. He was also a team-best +12 on the night.
"That felt great," Smith said when asked about his big shot. "That felt great. As soon as I hit it, I looked over at the bench and said, 'Hold that.'"
Perhaps the Mavs are having some regrets with their personnel decisions from last offseason.
Luka Doncic led the way for Dallas, scoring 34 points to go with 10 rebounds and eight assists, but he also had five turnovers and shot just 2-9 from deep. Kyrie Irving pitched in 18 points on just 6-16 shooting overall, including 1-8 from deep.
P.J. Washington and Gordon Hayward were too much for the Mavs to handle, as they poured in 28 and 25 points respectively. The Hornets had seven players score in double figures, including all five starters.
The Mavs' defense had some decent moments late on Friday, but it wasn't enough to make up for the team shooting 9-36 from deep. Dallas, believe it or not, actually won the rebounding battle, 45-43, and also won the points-in-the-paint battle as well, 56-50.
In one of the more odd Mavericks stats of the season, they're now 1-8 in games where Tim Hardaway Jr. doesn't play.
Next up, the Mavs will take on the Hornets yet again, but this time it will be on the road in Charlotte. Although Dallas still technically has a chance to make something of this season, the vibes say this thing may very well be close to being over.
Hopefully, the Mavs haven't already made their summer vacation plans, but they sure are playing as if that's the case. We'll see if they can bounce back in Charlotte on Sunday.
Follow Dalton Trigg on Twitter.
Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Dallas Mavericks? Click Here.
Follow DallasBasketball.com on Twitter and Facebook.
Catch up on the latest Mavs Step Back Podcast episodes and be sure to SUBSCRIBE:
