Preview: Mavericks return home from West Coast trip to host lowly Hornets

The Dallas Mavericks went 0-2 in their recent West Coast trip early in the week, dropping games to the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers. They'll now hope to get back on track as they return home to face the Charlotte Hornets, a team that is on a historic losing streak recently.

Dallas' most recent loss to the Lakers on Tuesday night was an emotional one, as they dropped 107-99 in their first matchup against Luka Doncic since he was traded away. Kyrie Irving put up 35 points, and Klay Thompson had 22, but no one else really showed up, as the team shot just 35.7% from the floor. They made enough threes to stay in the game, and the game was tied at 91 with six minutes to play, but the offense faltered after that.

Charlotte is dropping games like never before. They've lost the last three games by an average of 43.7 PPG, becoming the first team ever to lose three straight games by 35+ points. LaMelo Ball even played in two of those games. So life isn't going well for the Hornets as they're entering the final game of nine straight on the road, three games before the All-Star Break and six since.

The Hornets actually won the first matchup between these teams in Charlotte on MLK Day in January, one of just 14 wins they have this season. Dallas can't afford to get swept by the Hornets if they want to be in a solid position for the postseason.