Mavs-Hornets preview: Stopping a skid before it starts is priority No. 1

When the Mavericks visited Denver Friday night, Nuggets’ coach Michael Malone had a great observation that the Mavericks need to take to heart.

Malone said that, when you have big goals, you don’t let one loss turn into a streak of two or three games lost. Or more.

You snap it before it goes viral.

So the Mavericks lost for the first time this season when the Nuggets nicked them 125-114. Now, it’s time to respond.

And while they are stinging from a loss for the first time, there were positives to take away from the Denver game as they head into Sunday’s early start (6:30 p.m.) against Charlotte.

Namely, Josh Green and Jaden Hardy.

Those were the two spark plugs that got the Mavericks going in the third and fourth quarters and kept alive a glimmer of hope that they could steal a victory.

“Those guys did a great job of providing energy and effort,” said Sean Sweeney, who was the acting head coach while Jason Kidd was dealing with an illness. “They gave us a boost. Those guys both did a good job of trying to get up the floor and as our pace improved, we saw some improvement offensively as well.”

Green has been a part-time starter, but with Kyrie Irving back, he’s being counted on to lead the second unit off the bench.

He had 13 points and five rebounds in 27 minutes off the bench against the Nuggets. And he was a tempo changer in the second half.

So was Hardy, who has been eased into this season but has not played badly when getting the opportunity. He had six points, three rebounds and three assists in 14 minutes against the Nuggets.

Look for that combo to get more opportunities, especially in the upcoming back-to-back situation when fatigue becomes a factor. By Monday night, the Mavericks will have played three games in four days and will have lost two time zones along the way.

Here’s what else to look for Sunday night when the Mavericks play Charlotte:

• The Hornets will be on the second night of back-to-back games, but they will be coming in on a terrific high. They squeaked out a 125-124 victory at Indiana on Saturday night for their second win of the season.
• They have one of the best young (and largely underrated) centers in the league in Mark Williams, who had 27 points and seven rebounds against the Pacers. The 7-footer out of Duke preceded Dereck Lively II by a couple of years and has blossomed into a top-tier big man.
• The Hornets also have a vibrant backcourt in LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier, plus forward Brandon Miller, the second overall pick in the 2023 draft, has been a solid contributor off the bench.
• This will be the first of 13 back-to-back sets for the Mavericks this season as they will visit Orlando on Monday night. The Mavericks have lost three in a row to the Hornets, including last year’s game at AAC when Charlotte won 117-109.

CHARLOTTE HORNETS (2-3) at MAVERICKS (4-1)

When, where: 6: 30 p.m. Sunday, American Airlines Center, Dallas.

TV: Bally Sports Southwest.

Radio: 97.1 FM The Freak; 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish).

X: @ESefko