The Charlotte Hornets (37-28) look to extend their seven-game winning streak against the stumbling Dallas Mavericks (33-33) at the Time Warner Cable Arena. Action gets underway at 7:00 pm ET on Monday, Mar. 14 and can be seen on FSW and FxS.
The Hornets were victorious over the Rockets 125-109 on Saturday. Kemba Walker was the game’s leading scorer with 26 points on 11-for-16 shooting. The Mavericks, meanwhile, are coming off a 112-105 loss to the Pacers on Saturday. Dirk Nowitzki led the game in scoring with 30 points.
Walker and Nicolas Batum have played at a high level over the last five games for the Hornets. During that stretch, Walker has averaged 28.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 0.6 steals, and 4.0 three-pointers, while Batum has recorded 17.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 1.0 steal, 1.2 blocks, and 2.0 three-pointers a game. Nowitzki has been hot for the Mavericks. In the same five-game span, he is averaging 24.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.8 steals, and 2.0 three-pointers.
The Mavericks may not find many second-chance opportunities in this matchup. They’re ranked 29th in the league in offensive rebounding (offensive rebound percentage of 20.2%), whereas Charlotte is best in the NBA on the defensive glass (defensive rebound percentage of 79.9%).
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Hornets won the first game 108-94. Al Jefferson was the game’s leading scorer with 31 points.
The Hornets have gone 37-28 Straight Up (SU) and 35-29-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They have gone 37-28 SU and 35-29-1 ATS against teams from the Western Conference. The Hornets are a high-volume three-point shooting team with 10.0 made per game, one of the highest marks in the NBA. An area where the Hornets are particularly strong is defensive rebounding where they average 34.9 defensive rebounds per game, fifth in the NBA. Not making mistakes with the ball is a staple of Charlotte’s offense, which average a league-low 12.2 turnovers per game.
On the other side, Dallas has a SU record of 33-33 and an ATS record of 33-31-2. Most recently, Dallas is 7-3 ATS over the last 10 games. The Mavericks convert their free throws at a high percentage, ranking fourth in the league at .791. When it comes to making good decisions with the ball, not many are better than the Mavericks. They have one of the top assist-to-turnover ratios in the league at 1.79.
With the Hornets’ last win against Dallas, Charlotte is still behind in the head-to-head record over the last 10 meetings, 3-7 SU. The teams are even ATS, with a 5-5 record.
Predictions: SU Winner – Cha
Notes
Both Dallas and Charlotte rank zeroth in points per game and points allowed per game respectively. Dallas scores 0.0 points per game, while Charlotte gives up 0.0.
Dallas and Charlotte are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per away game and points allowed at home respectively. Dallas puts up an average of 0.0 points on the road, while Charlotte gives up 0.0 points at home on average.
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Mavericks are 20-4 on the season. When the Hornets score fewer than 100, they are a subpar 7-22.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Mavericks are just 13-29 this season. Charlotte is an exceptional 30-6 when registering triple digits.
The Mavericks have an offensive rating of 104.9 (ranked 10th), while the Hornets rank ninth for their defensive rating of 102.2.
Charlotte has an average field goal percentage of 43.7%. Dallas is a poor 14-26 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Charlotte Hornets and the Dallas Mavericks both rank higher in average effective field goal percentage when compared to their field goal percentages. Charlotte is 28th and 14th in the league for FG% and EFF% respectively, while Dallas is 21st and 12th in these categories.
Charlotte makes an average of 21.4 assists per game (ranked 19th). Dallas ranks higher in assists with 22.1 (ranked 15th).
The Charlotte Hornets average 5.3 blocks per game for a rank of 11th. The Dallas Mavericks rank lower (30th), earning 3.5 blocks each game.
Charlotte is ranked 27th when it comes to offensive rebounding. Dallas ranks eighth in defensive rebounds.
The Charlotte Hornets make an average of 7.2 steals per game. The Dallas Mavericks are 22-20 when they allow 7 or more steals.
