By Matt Rochinski, hornets.com
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Result
Dwight Howard continued to etch his name in the Charlotte record books, scoring 18 points and bringing down a game-best 23 rebounds in the Hornets 102-98 victory over the Mavericks on Saturday in Dallas. Howard set the franchise’s all-time, single-season rebounding mark, passing Larry Johnson’s 899 boards as Charlotte picked up its third-straight win. Kemba Walker scored a game-high 24 points and came up big for the Hornets on both ends of the court in the fourth quarter to help secure the win.
Turning Point
As impressive of an offensive threat that Kemba Walker is, his defensive effort can often be overlooked, but Walker got things done late on the offensive and defensive ends to give the Hornets the win. With 2:27 remaining in the contest and Charlotte clutching to a 95-91 lead, the Mavs tried to have Harrison Barnes post up Walker on the left block. The plan backfired as Walker was able to pick Barnes pocket and then his a stepback three on the right side with 2:05 remaining to push the lead to 98-91. After a Yogi Ferrell three cut the lead to 98-94 with 1:50 remaining, the Hornets could not convert on the other end and gave the ball back to the Mavs. Thankfully for the Hornets, Walker was there to step up on the defensive end again and drew an offensive foul on Dennis Smith Jr. to keep Dallas at bay. Following another Hornets empty possession, Nerlens Noel cut the lead in half on his tip in with 1:02 remaining. The two teams would trade buckets the next two possessions and when Jeremy Lamb’s jumper was off the mark with 18.4 seconds remaining, the Mavs had new life. Enter Walker for his third huge defensive play of the quarter. With 5.6 seconds remaining, Walker was able to poke the ball away for Smith Jr. at the top of the arc and get it to Marvin Williams, who was fouled and calmly stepped to the line to knock down a pair of free throws with 4.6 seconds remaining to secure Charlotte’s win.
Hornets Player of the Game (Pick up your Dwight Howard gear here)
Dwight Howard continues to rack up record-setting performances with the Hornets, finishing with 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting from both the field and the free-throw line while also hauling down 23 rebounds for his 45th double-double of the season, ranking him fourth this season in the NBA and passing Anthony Mason for the fourth-highest, single-season double-double total in franchise history. With his 23 boards, Howard also became the franchise’s all-time, single-season rebounding leader (903), passing Larry Johnson (899; 1991-92). Howard also became the first player in franchise history to record back-to-back 20+ rebound games on the road.
Mavericks Player of the Game
Rookie Dennis Smith Jr. led all Mavericks with 21 points on 8-of-17 shooting from the field, including 2-of-6 from long range while also dropping 3-of-4 free throws. He also handed out a game-high-tying six assists in 33 minutes of play.
Game Notes
The Hornets led the Mavs in rebounds (62-52) and second-chance points (10-6)… All 10 Charlotte players who saw action in this one scored at least two points. Kemba Walker led the way with 24 followed by Dwight Howard (18), Jeremy Lamb (14) and Malik Monk (11) in double-digit scoring… Charlotte was outshot from the field (39.6 percent to 38.0 percent) and free-throw line (73.7 percent to 69.0 percent) but was better than the Mavs behind the arc, connecting on 48.0 percent (12-of-25) of its shots from long range.
Quote of the Night
“I just thank God for allowing me to have good health. My body feels good so I’n going to give everything I’ve got to this game. You never know how life is so you have to take every moment and try to seize that moment. As long as I still have my health and the opportunity to play this game, I’m going to go out here and do everything I can to help this team win. I know we haven’t had the kind of season that we wanted, but you just have to seize the moment because you never know what can happen. I’m enjoying myself.” – Dwight Howard on another record-setting performance
Next Up<br
Charlotte returns home for a 7 p.m. on Monday against the Knicks. The game can be seen on FOX Sports Southeast or heard on WFNZ or on the official Charlotte Hornets mobile app.