Hornets Beat Mavs, Net First Back-to-Back Ws Of Season

The Charlotte Hornets rode big man Al Jefferson from start to finish and the result was a 108-94 blowout victory over the Dallas Mavericks Thursday. The veteran center ended up with 31 points plus 9 rebounds to tow the Hornets to their first back-to-back wins of the season.

The Hornets, which opened the season at 0-3, also got a huge lift from Marvin Williams, who had a double-double of 17 points and 12 rebounds. Kemba Walker added 14 points and 7 assists.

Jeremy Lamb continued his good showing off the bench for the second straight game scoring 16 points on an efficient 7-of-11 shooting. In the Hornets’ 130-105 win over the Chicago Bulls last Tuesday, Lamb had 20 points on 9-of-10 shooting. Also off the bench, big man Cody Zeller added 11 points and 2 steals.

Charlotte led 27-23 after the first quarter but Dallas stuck around to cut the lead to 54-53 by halftime. The Hornets unleashed a 24-14 third quarter and cruised to the easy blowout win.

Four of five starters ended up in double-figure scoring for Dallas led by Deron Williams’ 15 points. Dirk Nowitzki and Zaza Pachulia chipped in 14 points each while Wesley Matthews had 11 points.

The Hornets hope to continue their good run when they face the San Antonio Spurs and Minnesota Timberwolves on the road Saturday and Tuesday, respectively. Meanwhile, the Mavericks will try to snap their two-game skid when they face the New Orleans Pelicans on a home-and-away series in their next two games.