The Mavericks suffered a 6-game, 5-loss streak! Irving and Gafford both scored 30 but still couldn't win, Thompson missed the equalizer for consecutive games with single-digit scores.
On January 21st, Beijing time, the NBA regular season continued. In today's focus game, the Mavericks lost 105-110 to the Hornets on the road, with their record becoming 23 wins and 21 losses.
Facing the Hornets, who are only ranked third from the bottom in the East, the Mavericks led by 3 points in the first quarter under Irving's leadership. In the second quarter, the Hornets' Ball scored 10 points alone to lead the team to level the score. In the second half of the game, the two teams were very close, with the Mavericks leading by 1 point into the final quarter. Irving scored 14 points alone in the fourth quarter, but the Hornets' overall offensive performance was more outstanding, leaving the Mavericks in a passive position at the end of the game. With Thompson's equalizing three-pointer missing and Josh Green making two free throws, the Mavericks ultimately lost on the road.
Two players from the Mavericks scored over 30 points today, namely Irving and Gafford. Irving made 11 of 24 shots, 3 of 8 three-pointers, and 8 of 9 free throws, totaling 33 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists. Among them, he scored 14 points alone in the fourth quarter, while the entire Mavericks team only scored 22 points. Gafford, who has recently been embroiled in trade rumors, almost dominated the Hornets' interior, making 12 of 15 shots to crazily score 31 points, 15 rebounds, 3 assists, and 7 blocks. However, despite such performances, they still could not lead the team to victory.
In comparison, Thompson's performance was too mediocre. Throughout the game, Thompson made only 2 of 5 shots for a total of 7 points. This is the second consecutive game in which he scored in single digits, as well as the third time in the past four games. He also missed the equalizing three-pointer at the last moment.
After today's loss, the Mavericks' record became 23 wins and 20 losses! In the past five games, they have lost four games. At the same time, the Mavericks have suffered a six-game losing streak on the road! Looking back further, this is the ninth loss in the past 12 games for the Mavericks.
According to the schedule, the Mavericks will face the Timberwolves at home on January 23rd. This game will be an important battle for positioning. Can the Mavericks win? Let's wait and see.