3 Studs, 2 duds in Mavericks' comeback win against Hornets

After a rough loss to the Denver Nuggets on Friday night, the Dallas Mavericks got back in the win column. In a lopsided game, the Mavericks beat the Charlotte Hornets by a score of 124-118.

The Mavs were down by double-digits for the majority of the game, but they showed great resilience to get their fifth clutch win of the year.

Each member of the Mavericks' starting lineup recorded one block in the win.

3 Studs, 2 duds in Mavericks' comeback win against Hornets

With a poor shooting night from Luka Doncic, multiple Mavericks off the bench made sure to light a spark.

Here are your 3 studs and 2 duds from the win.

Honorable Mention: Jaden Hardy

In a game where few Mavs were producing on the offensive side of the floor, Jaden Hardy made sure to step up in a season-high 15 minutes.

Hardy also finished the night with a season-high in points and rebounds. In the win Hardy dropped 14 points and four rebounds.

Early in the fourth quarter, Hardy caught a pass from Tim Hardaway Jr. and drove to the basket hammering it on Nick Richards for the and-one opportunity.

Hardy has clearly proven to Jason Kidd that he deserves minutes. If he wants to run a fast pace offense, he is the man to have on the court.

5. Stud - Kyrie Irving

In 34 minutes of play, Kyrie Irving put up his first double-double of the season with 18 points and 10 assists.

Irving was second in plus-minus behind Hardy with a plus-8.

Although Kyrie got off to a hot start offensivley, it was his facilitating in the second half that had the AAC crowd rolling.

Irving dropped off two consecutive dimes to Hardy and Dwight Powell that would keep the Mavs within striking distance of winning last night’s game.

Mavs fans have been hoping for Irving to take control of scoring the ball more, but he has really taken the role of being a leader, defender, and facilitator for this team.

Irving is one of the key reasons as to why the Mavericks have a record of 5-0 in clutch games this season.

The Doncic-Irving duo has been continuously shutting critics up with their clutch game finishes this season. With the way the Mavericks have started off this season, they have began to earn the respect of being title contenders.

4. Dud - Derrick Jones Jr.

After having one of his best career starts to a season, Derrick Jones Jr. had an off night.

Jones Jr. saw the floor for 17 minutes and shot 0-2 from the field with just one assist.

The lengthy guard did play phenomenal defense on LaMelo Ball in the first half, but the most important thing for the Mavs to have on the floor was their offensive weapons. Jones Jr. was one of the main reasons as to why Ball only had 2 points and shot 1-6 from the field in the opening half.

In his last two games, Jones Jr. has managed to shoot 1-4 from behind the arc. He is clearly a better player when he’s attacking the rim, rather than constantly settling for catch-and-shoot 3-pointers. Jones Jr. is 19-38 from the field this season and is shooting a career-high 34.8 percent from three.

If Jones Jr. continues to struggle and not produce offensively for the Mavericks, expect him to have a defense-only role for this team.

Josh Green has been productive on both sides of the floor lately which could possibly mean a change in the starting lineup soon.

Expect DJJ to have a big role in tonight’s game versus the Orlando Magic, one of the hottest teams in the NBA. If he can accept the role of having to guard the best player on the opposing team each game, Jones Jr. will have no issues staying in the rotation.

3. Stud - Grant Williams

Grant Williams has made a clear case for being one of the most underrated offseason pickups in the NBA this past summer.

In a game where the Mavericks struggled from three, shooting a scrappy 33.3 percent combined, Williams was able to step up at times needed.

In his big-time performance against Charlotte, Williams had 18 points and shot 4-5 from behind the 3-point line. Williams, known for his catch-and-shoot talents, also attacked the rim multiple times to get a few buckets for the Mavs.

Late in the fourth quarter is where Williams shined as he knocked down three clutch threes.

Williams is showing continuous signs of growing chemistry with Luka Doncic. He’s starting to learn his role more and more each game while also being one of the team's vocal leaders.

In his short time of being a Maverick, Williams has proven to be a key player for this team on both sides of the floor. With being one of the NBA’s top 3-point shooters and having to guard one of the best players on each team the Mavs face, Williams will be a big factor in the team's success.

Williams has struggled in the past against the Magic, so it will be interesting to see if he can keep up the hot start to the season tonight.

2. Dud - Tim Hardaway Jr.

Although Tim Hardaway Jr. had 16 points in the Mavericks' win, he forced many bad shots in the first half that would help get the Hornets off to a good start.

Hardaway Jr. shot a team high of 12 3-pointers in the victory, while only making four.

One of the key reasons Kyrie Irving hasn’t been able to create for himself offensively is due to the fact Hardaway Jr. forces many untimely shots.

Hardaway Jr. would hit a clutch three late in the game off of a soaring pass from Josh Green, but that would be his only highlight of the night.

After having a hot start to the season, Hardaway Jr. has struggled to find his shot. If his shots aren’t going down, then he will have a very minimal role for this team. With him being the team's third leading scorer this year, Hardaway Jr. will need to find a way to step up.

With Jaden Hardy finding a rhythm in the last two games, expect Hardaway Jr. to be under pressure in the matchup tonight against the Magic to keep his normal minutes in the rotation.

If Hardaway Jr. can find a little more consistency in his shot and get good looks, he will help lessen the work load from Doncic and Irving.

1. Stud - Dereck Lively II

In just 6 games this season, Mavs fans have high hopes that they’ve finally found their franchise center.

Dereck Lively II had 15 points, 14 rebounds and shot 7-9 from the field in the Mavs' win.

The former Blue Devil was all over the floor tonight making big time plays for the Mavs to help secure the win.

Lively II has only been a Maverick for a minimal amount of time, but he has already developed a lethal connection with Doncic and Irving. He has made a statement in these first six games of the season of being a lob threat and rim protector.

Even though the team shot poorly from three, Lively II showed again in last night's performance that he’s a very underrated facilitator. Lively II had multiple kick outs to his teammates for threes that weren’t able to fall out of the short roll.

Lively II was clutch down the stretch of this game as he put up four points and four rebounds in the fourth quarter.

Since the Mavericks won the NBA Finals in 2011, the main worry has been whether or not they could find an elite big man. Lively II has shown his potential so far this season and has proven the Mavs will have a very bright future for years to come at that position.

Lively II will be facing his first career back-to-back game as the Mavs will face the Magic tonight.

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