Hornets (14-23) at Mavericks (22-12)
Time: 7:30 p.m. CT
Place: American Airlines Center, Dallas
TV: FSSW
Radio: ESPN, 103.3 FM, Univision, 1270 AM (Spanish)
About the Mavs: They have had a lot of success against the Hornets. They had a 14-game home winning streak against Charlotte snapped three years ago, but have won 15 of the last 18 at AAC . . . Injuries will require some next-man-up situations as Tim Hardaway Jr. (left hamstring) and Kristaps Porzingis (right knee) have been ruled out . . . This will be the second of a six-game home stand that started with a 123-111 win over Brooklyn on Thursday. The Mavericks will face another opponent with a sub-.500 record on Monday in Chicago, but the stretch gets much tougher after that with the Nuggets, Lakers and Sixers visiting . . . Luka Doncic continues to dominate in many different ways. He has 10 games of 30 points and 10 rebounds, as well as 10 games of 30 points and 10 assists. That’s in addition to his nine triple doubles, of course . . . The Mavericks will be trying to go 11 games over .500 for the second time this season. They were 21-10 before losing the last two games on the pre-New Year’s road trip.
About the Hornets: They are lacking at the offensive end of the court, ranking just 28th in points scored (103.9 per game) and 25th in shooting percentage (.435) . . . What the Hornets do have is one of the scrappiest backcourts you may never have heard about. They acquired Terry Rozier in the offseason and have groomed Devonte Graham, who is in his second season, into a rising star. Graham averages 18.8 points and 7.8 assists per game while shooting 39.1 percent from 3-point range . . . The Hornets were solidly in the Eastern Conference playoff hunt until a recent seven-game losing streak, which they stopped on Thursday with a 109-106 win at Cleveland. In that game, the Rozier had 30 points and the Hornets won in spite of allowing the Cavaliers to shoot 50.6 percent from the field . . . The Mavericks need to get their offense rolling early. The Hornets surrender just 103,3 points in their wins but give up 115.1 in their losses.
Twitter: @ESefko
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