**What:** Charlotte Hornets (30-31) (13-16 home) vs Dallas Mavericks (21-30) (7-19 away)
**When:** 7:00pm Eastern
**Where:** Spectrum Center; Charlotte, NC
**How to watch:** FanDuel Sports Network, NBA League Pass
**Outfitting:** Hornets–Icon (teal), Mavericks–Association (white)
**Game Lines:** Hornets -12.5, Hornets money line -625, O/U 230.5
**Injuries:**
Hornets: Coby White-out (calf injury management)
Mavericks: PJ Washington-questionable (ankle), Klay Thompson-questionable (adductor), Cooper Flagg-doubtful (foot), Naji Marshall-out (finger), Marvin Bagley III-out (neck), Dereck Lively II-out (foot), Kyrie Irving-out (knee)
Who could have ever seen this coming? The Mavericks gave away one of the best basketball players in the world for an aging, oft-injured, worse player, and now their team is in shambles. They were gifted Cooper Flagg in the lottery, and he’s been as good as advertised, but there’s not much else happening here. The Mavs stole a couple of wins against fellow tankers the Nets and the Pacers. Outside of those two games, they’ve lost their last 13 games. The team that was built to win with defense predictably cannot shoot, and they balance that be being exactly average on defense. I guess that’s technically still defense-first. They shoot threes at one of the lowest rates in the league and also convert the ones they do take at one of the lowest rates in the league.
The Mavericks have been dangerous in transition, despite their overall offensive struggles. Now, to be fair, the two biggest drivers of that success are Naji Marshall and Cooper Flagg, neither of whom are expected to play tonight. Still, it should be the primary point of emphasis for the Hornets defensively. They need to get back in transition and make the Mavericks play in the half court, where they are one of the least efficient teams in the league. That also involves the Hornets taking care of the ball to limit fast breaks off steals and bad shots.
The Hornets have done exactly what they’re supposed to do through an easy stretch of their schedule. They’ve won four straight against beatable opponents and done so by at least 14 points in every contest. Ideally, they’ll handle business in quick fashion tonight so they can be fresh for a back to back on the road against the Celtics on Wednesday.
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