Dallas Mavericks at Charlotte Hornets
· National Basketball AssociationHornets rout Mavericks 117-90 for 5th straight victory and .500 record
LaMelo Ball added 15 points and nine assists to help the Hornets (31-31) reach .500 for the first time since Oct. 28 when they were 2-2.
Brandon Williams had 18 points for the sputtering Mavericks. They’ve lost 14 of 16.
Charlotte, playing on the first night of a back-to-back, got tremendous production from its bench, with the backups shooting 12 of 21 from 3-point range.
Grant Williams made four 3s, Josh Green and Sion James had three each and Pat Connaughton had two.
Charlotte was whistled for a season-high 31 fouls and Dallas went to the free throw line 42 times, making 31. However, the Mavericks made only 3 of 22 shots from beyond the 3-point arc and could never get on track offensively in the second half making just 11 field goals.
The Hornets built a 57-48 lead at halftime after holding the Mavs to 42.5% shooting from the floor, but extended the lead to 22 in the closing seconds of the third quarter when James buried a 3-pointer from the corner.
A capacity crowd of 19,519 showed up at the Spectrum Center hoping to see a rematch of the Jan. 30 head-to-head showdown between Kon Knueppel and Cooper Flagg, the top two candidates for NBA Rookie of the Year. Flagg scored 49 points in that game, but Knueppel had eight 3s and 34 points and the Hornets won 123-121.
But Flagg was ruled out ahead of the game with a midfoot strain and Knueppel suffered through one of the worst games of his young career, finishing 1 of 7 from beyond the 3-point arc for 13 points.
Regular Season Series
CHA wins series 2-0
Recent Plays
| 4th 0.0 |  |
End of Game | 90 - 117 |
| 4th 0.0 | |
End of the 4th Quarter | 90 - 117 |
| 4th 18.1 |  |
shot clock turnover | 90 - 117 |
| 4th 37.6 | |
Grant Williams defensive rebound | 90 - 117 |
| 4th 43.2 |  |
John Poulakidas misses 14-foot pullup jump shot | 90 - 117 |
Statistics
 DAL |
 CHA |
|
|---|---|---|
| 28-74 | FG | 42-88 |
| 38 | Field Goal % | 48 |
| 3-22 | 3PT | 20-51 |
| 14 | Three Point % | 39 |
| 31-42 | FT | 13-19 |
| 74 | Free Throw % | 68 |
| 42 | Rebounds | 49 |
| 7 | Offensive Rebounds | 13 |
| 35 | Defensive Rebounds | 36 |
| 19 | Assists | 32 |
| 7 | Steals | 11 |
| 4 | Blocks | 7 |
| 14 | Turnovers | 14 |
| 1 | Team Turnovers | 1 |
| 15 | Total Turnovers | 15 |
| 1 | Technical Fouls | 1 |
| 1 | Total Technical Fouls | 1 |
| 0 | Flagrant Fouls | 0 |
| 7 | Points Conceded Off Turnovers | 9 |
| 12 | Fast Break Points | 10 |
| 46 | Points in Paint | 42 |
| 19 | Fouls | 31 |
| 2 | Largest Lead | 27 |
| 1 | Lead Change | 1 |
| 1 | Percent Led | 95 |
Charlotte Hornets Injuries
| NAME, POS | STATUS | DATE |
|---|---|---|
| Brandon Miller, F | Out | May 6 |
| PJ Hall, C | Out | Apr 9 |
Dallas Mavericks Injuries
| NAME, POS | STATUS | DATE |
|---|---|---|
| Cooper Flagg, F | Out | May 20 |
| Brandon Williams, G | Out | Apr 12 |
| Marvin Bagley III, F | Out | Apr 12 |
| P.J. Washington, F | Out | Apr 12 |
| Caleb Martin, F | Out | Apr 12 |
Game Information
Location: Charlotte, NC
Attendance: 19,519 · Capacity:
2025-26 Southwest Standings
| TEAM | W | L | PCT | GB | STRK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 San Antonio |
62 | 20 | .756 | - | L1 |
 Houston |
52 | 30 | .634 | 10 | W1 |
 New Orleans |
26 | 56 | .317 | 36 | L2 |
 Dallas |
26 | 56 | .317 | 36 | W1 |
 Memphis |
25 | 57 | .305 | 37 | L8 |
2025-26 Southeast Standings
| TEAM | W | L | PCT | GB | STRK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Atlanta |
- | 36 | L1 | 0.5609756 | 46 |
 Orlando |
1 | 37 | L1 | 0.5487805 | 45 |
 Charlotte |
2 | 38 | W1 | 0.5365854 | 44 |
 Miami |
3 | 39 | W2 | 0.5243902 | 43 |
 Washington |
29 | 65 | L10 | 0.20731707 | 17 |
NBA News
Knicks warn of stepped-up security for fans amid Trump's G3 attendance
The New York Knicks are warning fans to bring as little as possible to Game 3 of the NBA Finals and encouraging them to arrive at least two hours before tipoff as part of enhanced security measures with President Donald Trump attending the game.
Taylor Swift's courtside Cavs ECF seat goes up for bidding
The Grammy Award-winning artist and her soon-to-be-husband Travis Kelce attended Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers.
NBA championship and Finals MVP odds: Knicks are big title favorites after taking 2-0 lead on Spurs
The Knicks' incredible playoff run continues, as they are up 2-0 on the Spurs and head to New York as big championship favorites.
2026 NBA Finals: Important plays, lessons from Knicks-Spurs Game 2
Is it time to panic for San Antonio? Let's break down Knicks-Spurs Game 2 from all angles, then look ahead to a massive Game 3 in New York.
2026 NBA Finals: Biggest takeaways from Knicks-Spurs Game 2
NBA insiders break down the biggest takeaways from Game 2 of the NBA Finals and look ahead to the rest of the Knicks-Spurs showdown.