By Shane Skeary, hornets.com
Summer League Central | Gallery: Hornets vs Mavericks
THE RESULT
Roberto Nelson knocked down a game-winning, three-pointer as time expired to give the Hornets their first victory of the 2014 Samsung NBA Summer League, defeating the Dallas Mavericks, 82-81, on July 16 in Las Vegas.
TURNING POINTS
The Hornets led by as many as 17, but this one was decided in the final seconds. Down 81-79 with 7.9 ticks left, Josh Davis inbounded to Roberto Nelson who dribbled the length of the floor to the left wing. With two defenders draped all over him, Nelson sunk a desperation three-pointer to win the game for Charlotte and advance to the next round.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Charlotte bested Dallas from the field overall, shooting at 40.3 percent clip, while the Mavs shot just 36.8 percent. Dallas did hold better percentages from three (40.0 percent) and from the stripe (70.0 percent) than Charlotte (37.5 and 66.7 percent)… The Hornets ball-control issues continued as they turned the ball over 21 times while forcing just 17 Mavericks turnovers… Led by Noah Vonleh (10), Charlotte was able to exert their dominance on the boards, outrebounding Dallas, 40-34… The Hornets slashing and interior-minded scoring philosophy resulted in 39 free throw opportunities, nine more than the Mavericks (30). The Hornets had four players in double figures for the first time in the 2014 Samsung NBA Summer League: P.J. Hairston (18), Noah Vonleh (14), Cody Zeller (13) and Roberto Nelson (11).
HORNETS PLAYER OF THE GAME
Noah Vonleh’s confidence continues to grow with each game as he finished with his second double-double of the summer. He tallied 14 points, a team-high 10 rebounds and two blocked shots in the win for Charlotte.
MAVERICKS PLAYER OF THE GAME
Gal Mekel paced the Mavericks with a team-high 17 points on 5-of-7 shooting. Mekel added five rebounds and six assists in 29 minutes for Dallas.
GAME NOTES
The Hornets improve to 1-3 in the 2014 Samsung NBA Summer League, while the Mavericks fall to 2-2… Rookie P.J. Hairston continues to fill it up for Charlotte as he finished in double-figures for the third-straight game. He had a team-high 18 points, converted on 8-of-9 free throw attempts and added five rebounds… Cody Zeller notched double-figure scoring for the second-consecutive game, scoring 13 points and added five rebounds before fouling-out late in the fourth quarter… Roberto Nelson finished in double-figures for the first time with 11 points and shot 3-of-5 from long range, including his game-winner for Charlotte… Dallas forward Ivan Johnson was ejected in the fourth quarter following a technical foul.
NEXT UP
The Hornets will take on the New Orleans Pelicans at 4:30 p.m. EST on July 17 at Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas in the second round of the 2014 Samsung Summer League Tournament.