Mavericks blitz past Hornets

CHARLOTTE  – Monta Ellis led six players in double figures with 18 points as the Dallas Mavericks won for the fourth-straight time, 107-80 over the Charlotte Hornets on Nov. 17.

The Mavericks (8-3) earned their third-straight blowout win as they led by as much as 33 points Monday night. Dallas led by 58 against the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday in a 53-point win then led by as much as 26 in their 131-117 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday.

Tyson Chandler had an array of easy baskets, with four dunks early on to his way to 14 points on a perfect 7-of-7 from the field. He nearly missed his sixth double-double of the season with nine rebounds.

Dallas went up eight after the first quarter then outscored the Hornets 35-19 in the second to go to halftime with a 24-point lead.

At one point in the first half, the Mavs had assisted on 17 of 19 shots, finishing with 32 dimes on 43-of-84 shooting (51 percent). Jameer Nelson dished out a season-high eight assists while adding 11 points. He had five dimes in the first and finished 3-of-4 from downtown.

After going down 5-0 to start, Dallas made its next four baskets. Ellis led with nine in the quarter as both teams didn’t score in the final 1:30 with Dallas taking a 32-24 lead into the second.

Dirk Nowitzki hit a 27-foot 3-pointer with 11:08 in the second quarter to give the Mavericks their largest lead thus far at 37-26. Nowitzki finished with 13 points and sits at 27,002 for his career, joining Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan as the only players to score 27,000 points with one team. Nowitzki is now 312 points away from passing Elvin Hayes for eighth all time.

The Mavericks would go up 40-26 after Al-Farouq Aminu made a three, assisted by Devin Harris, with 10:22 left in the first half. Harris would leave the game with lower leg soreness and wouldn’t return.

Dallas would end the final half of the second on a 19-7 run to go up 67-43 at the break. It gave the Mavericks their fourth 20-point halftime lead of the season, most in the NBA.

After going up 26 to start the third, the Hornets went on a 9-0 run that forced a timeout from Rick Carlisle. The Mavericks came out and countered with an 11-0 run to go up 80-52 with 4:43 left in the quarter.

Chandler Parsons, who finished with 17 points, made two free throws immediately after to give the Mavs their first 30-point lead. They would score the final four points to take an 88-61 lead into the fourth.

The Mavericks now have led by 30 points in four games, most in the league (Golden State is next in line with two such games).

Greg Smith entered and made a layup with 8:30 left, giving the Mavericks their largest lead of the game at 96-83.

Dallas would go up 30 a few more times before winning its first of two road games. The Mavs face the Washington Wizards in D.C. on Nov. 19.

The Mavericks held the rebounding advantage 50-35, led by Aminu’s game-high 11. Dallas’ 32 assists were balanced all around as J.J. Barea dished out seven while Parsons added six. Harris had five in 10 minutes before leaving. Dallas scored 50 points in the paint and turned the ball over just seven times, well under its average of 11 per game. The Mavericks held the Hornets to 24 points in the paint and didn’t allow a single fast-break point.

Gerald Henderson was the lone bright spot for Charlotte (4-7), scoring 18 points on 8-of-14 shooting. Kemba Walker added 11 while Lance Stephenson finished with six points, six boards and seven assists. Al Jefferson started 3-of-4 for six points, but missed his final eight attempts for the Hornets, who lost for the second time in as many games and fourth in five games (all against the West).

Charlotte has really struggled in losses, scoring just 87.4 points in seven losses, compared to 107.3 points in four wins.

The Hornets will go back on the road to face the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday in Lance Stephenson’s return. Stephenson played his first four seasons with Indiana before signing a three-year contract with Charlotte as a free agent in the summer.

Dallas is 8-2 in its last 10 trips to Charlotte and 23-2 in the past 25 meetings. The Mavs came into the match up having lost two of the last three, after winning the previous 21.

The No. 1 offense in the NBA missed out on its average of 109.5 points per game, but held the Hornets to 80 points, second fewest allowed by Dallas this season and well under its 100 per game average (18th in the league). The Mavs improved to 3-1 against Eastern Conference teams.

Through all their offensive surges, the Mavericks defense may be getting better, as they’ve allowed just 89 points in their last three games.