3 takeaways from Mavericks hanging on to beat Hornets at home

The Dallas Mavericks let the Charlotte Hornets hang around a little too long, considering they were missing LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, and a lot of other key pieces. But Dallas won 103-96, getting back on track after losing two straight on the West Coast earlier in the week.

Moses Brown came in big for the Mavericks as they were missing Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively II, Daniel Gafford, Caleb Martin, and P.J. Washington, as Brown put up a double-double. That helped counter a double-double from Charlotte's Mark Williams, as they found a lot of success on the inside (more on this later).

But it's hard not to be a little disappointed by this win since the Hornets came into Thursday's contest losing their last three games by at least 35 points. A win is a win, and point differential doesn't matter when it comes to the postseason, but some better effort early could've been useful.

Here are three takeaways from Thursday's win.

1. The pros and cons of Moses Brown

Dallas Mavericks center Moses Brown (9) celebrates with Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) against the Charlotte Hornets during the first half at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Moses Brown put up 20 points, 12 rebounds, three steals, and two rebounds while shooting 9/14 from the floor. Brown was the recipient of a lot of easy chances at the rim, but he also did a little creating himself, something that was fun to see. But Charlotte ate against Dallas' drop coverage with Brown with the high screen and letting Mark Williams take the 5-to-7-foot pop shots. The Mavericks are just holding on until their main pieces in the frontcourt return, and it can get a lot worse than what Moses Brown did.

2. It was one of those irritating Spencer Dinwiddie games

Dallas Mavericks guard Spencer Dinwiddie (26) passes the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers in the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

To Spencer Dinwiddie's credit, no one expected him to play as much as he has been this season, and he's been good for a minimum signing. But he has some extremely frustrating games. This was one of those. Early on, he was satisfied trying to draw fouls from the three-point line that just led to easy offense for Charlotte on the other end. But Dallas doesn't have anyone else who can run the backup guard minutes since Jaden Hardy hasn't played like an NBA player recently.

3. Kyrie Irving should not be this relied upon against the Charlotte Hornets

Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) reacts after shooting against the Charlotte Hornets during the second half at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Kyrie Irving is awesome. This is not a complaint about him. This is about everyone around him until Anthony Davis and company return. Irving was +21 on Thursday night in a game that the Mavericks won by seven... against the 14-44 Charlotte Hornets, the second-worst NBA team in the NBA. Jaden Hardy was -8 in 2:34, and Dwight Powell and Kessler Edwards were each -5. In fact, every player on the bench was a net negative. It shouldn't be too much to ask some bench players to be at least even against the Hornets.

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