Hornets extend winning streak to season-best 3 at Mavs' expense

LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges each scored 23 points and the Charlotte Hornets notched their first three-game winning streak of the season, defeating the visiting Dallas Mavericks 110-105 on Monday afternoon.

Nick Smith Jr. finished with 19 points and Mark Williams scored 10 of his 13 points in the fourth quarter after missing stretches because of foul trouble for Charlotte, which hit 17 shots from 3-point range. Reserves Moussa Diabate and Cody Martin each added 10 points for the Hornets.

Kyrie Irving's 33 points and Daniel Gafford's season-high 31 points were tops for the Mavericks, who managed to score only five points in the last six minutes. Dallas was 6-for-32 (18.8 percent) on 3s.

A 10-0 run gave the Mavericks a 100-94 lead with less than 6 1/2 minutes remaining. Smith's 3-pointer put the Hornets in the lead at 105-102.

The Hornets were up 107-103 on Williams dunk at the 2:59 mark, and then the offenses hit rough patches.

Gafford scored off an offensive rebound with 1:31 remaining. That was the only field goal for Dallas in the last 5 1/2 minutes.

Ball went 1-for-2 on free throws with 13 seconds to play before Klay Thompson was off the mark on a potential tying 3-pointer for the Mavericks. Charlotte's Josh Green sealed the outcome with two free throws.

Williams grabbed 13 rebounds and Ball handed out nine assists. Seven of the Hornets' 11 victories have come in home games.

Irving scored 10 points in the third quarter, and the Dallas lead was 83-82 entering the fourth quarter.

Gafford entered the day averaging 11.7 points per game, but he went above 25 points for the second time this season -- both in a three-game stretch. His performance in the lane also put Williams in foul trouble.

The score was knotted at 55-55 at halftime, with Gafford at 21 points and Ball at 20. Ten of Charlotte's 19 first-half goals were 3-pointers, with Ball sinking five of those.

--Field Level Media