Mavs-Hornets primer: No slip-ups allowed in these games

When you’re feeling ill, it’s always handy to have some good medicine.

And about the only thing more therapeutic than a game against the Charlotte Hornets is two games against them.

At least, that’s the way the prescription reads.

It may not be a cure-all. The Hornets are 23-51 and likely won’t move up or down in the lottery standings. Therefore, they can be expected to play hard and we know how the Mavericks sometimes have lapses against lower-level competition.

But the fact is that when you start looking at games that the Mavericks need to win in the final nine of the regular season, Friday’s meeting is at the top of the list. And Sunday afternoon’s rematch would probably be No. 2.

When you’re trying to creep up the Western Conference standings, you simply cannot afford to lose to teams who have been out of the playoff picture for months.

Giving the Mavericks another advantage is that the Hornets played Thursday night at New Orleans, where they wilted late and lost 115-96. So the Mavericks should be the fresher team.

But the Mavericks have often said it, and it’s true. They need only worry about themselves. If their collective health and mind are right, then they’ll take their chances against anybody down the stretch.

Another thing they need is for Luka Dončić to be on his best behavior. Their superstar point guard has been sitting on 15 technical fouls and one more will trigger a one-game suspension. He came close in the loss to Golden State, when he was jawing at the refs a lot.

Asked if that has an adverse impact on him, the Mavericks and treatment they get from officials, Luka said: “Yeah, for sure. It’s my fault. They’re humans. They make mistakes.”

He said he hopes to work on those emotional outbursts, but that now might not be the right time.

“Right now, it’s tough to focus on that,” he said. “We got (nine) games we got to win. But I think this summer, I got to think of what I’m going to do.”

Here’s what else to watch for as the Mavericks finish a quick two-game stay at American Airlines Center before embarking on their final trip of the season, a five-game marathon.

• The list of “worsts” that the Hornets have is impressive. They are worst in the league in overall offensive rating. They are worst in three-point percentage at .327. They are next-to-last in overall shooting (.455).
• Former Mavericks’ draft pick Dennis Smith Jr. has been solidly in the Hornets rotation and is averaging 8.6 points and 4.7 assists per game.
• Mavericks’ guard Kyrie Irving (right foot) and swingman Tim Hardaway Jr. (illness) are questionable. For the Hornets, guard LaMelo Ball (ankle) and center Mark Williams (thumb) are out. Ball was their leading scorer at more than 23 per game before he exited in the middle of the season.
• Rookie Jaden Hardy has scored 20 or more points in five of the last six games and has shot 22-of-48 (45.8 percent) from three-point range.
• Terry Rozier is their top healthy scorer at 21.1 per game, followed by Kelly Oubre at 20.3 per game.
• The Mavericks have lost five of their last seven games and are 7-11 since Kyrie Irving joined the team. They remain reliant on their shooting. They have hoisted the third-most three-pointers in the NBA, made the third most and their percentage is a respectable .317, ninth in the league. In addition, they are dead last in offensive rebounding percentage, so the odds of them scoring after a missed shot aren’t good.
• CHARLOTTE HORNETS (23-51) at DALLAS MAVERICKS (36-37)
• When: 7:30 p.m., Friday.
• Where: American Airlines Center, Dallas.
• TV: Bally Sports Southwest.
• Radio:1 FM, 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish).

Twitter: @ESefko