The Dallas Mavericks slide down the Western Conference continued after an injury-stricken Mavs fell 105-110 to the tanking Charlotte Hornets. Kyrie Irving was the only star available for the Mavericks but his 33-point performance couldn’t vault the Mavs to a win tonight against LaMelo Ball and the Hornets.
Kyrie spoke at length about LaMelo after the game, expressing his happiness at Ball having a healthy season while highlighting his skill.
“Glad that he’s healthy this year and he’s able to show the world who he is. He’s got good pedigree, man. He comes from a family that has pros… They have a tight-knit group, I feel like that’s always led to him being as confident as he is as a young player, playing against older guys and having brothers that beat up on him a little bit. … I wanna see that young guy reach his potential even more so and answer a lot of the doubters and naysayers that say, ‘He can’t win.'”
Kyrie Irving showing love for LaMelo Ball postgame following the Mavs' loss to the Hornets today:
"Glad that he's healthy this year and he's able to show the world who he is. He's got good pedigree, man. He comes from a family that has pros… They have a tight-knit group, I… pic.twitter.com/d1nYNprAAv
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) January 20, 2025
LaMelo put up 23 points (8-21 FG), seven rebounds, and nine assists in the win, leading a balanced Hornets effort. Miles Bridges also had 23 points (8-15 FG) while Nick Smith Jr. scored 19 points (7-13 FG). Mark Williams had 13 points (5-14 FG) and 13 rebounds, while Cody Martin had a well-rounded 10 points (4-8 FG), seven rebounds, and seven assists.
Kyrie led the Mavericks with 33 points (11-24 FG) but had little support outside a career-high night for Daniel Gafford with 31 points (12-15 FG), 15 rebounds, and seven blocks. PJ Washington scored just 13 points (5-15 FG) and was the only other Maverick to score in double-digits.
This might boost LaMelo’s bid for the 2025 All-Star Game but won’t help the Hornets start a Playoff push. The franchise is 11-28 this season and still managed just a five-point win against a Mavs squad without Luka Doncic, Dereck Lively II, Quentin Grimes, Jaden Hardy, Dante Exum, and Dwight Powell.
The Mavericks are the No. 7 seed in the West with a 23-20 record, just 1.5 games ahead of the 11th seed Golden State Warriors right now. Luka is expected to remain out until the end of the month while Dereck Lively currently has no timetable on a return after suffering an ankle sprain.
The situation could go from bad to worse for the Mavericks, especially if they can’t continue with their plans to acquire the currently injured Herb Jones from the New Orleans Pelicans. It would indicate the Mavericks are virtually punting their hopes for a potential championship run after looking like one of the best teams in the NBA when they were healthy through November and December.
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