The Dallas Mavericks beat the Charlotte Hornets 111-96. Hornets concluded their NBA preseason record of 2-3 overall and 1-1 on the road. Dallas, on the other hand, concluded the exhibition with a record of 4-2 overall and 1-2 on their home court. Without Nicolas Batum, Kemba Walker and Dwayne Bacon led the Mavericks in getting the victory. The swingman Batum has suffered a torn ligament in his left elbow and was reported to miss 8-to-12 weeks of games. With the news of his injury, it is now questionable whether Batum will get a substantial role in the upcoming campaign.
Mavericks’ Harrison Barnes played a decent game on Friday, but it was not enough for his team to overcome the Hornets. The Hornets ended up outscoring the Mavericks in most of the quarters, putting yet another game in the win column.
Kemba Walker scored 18 points
The NBA All-Star Kemba Walker ended the game with Friday’s victory against the Mavericks with 18 points, four rebounds, and four assists. The 27-year old veteran hit on 7-of-14 from the field and played a total of 27 minutes floor time.
Walker was reported to have been hit on his cheek in Monday’s preseason game against the Heat and was listed as questionable to return. But Walker indeed made a return on Friday and showed a well-played performance.
The Hornets will begin the season proper next week Wednesday against the Atlanta Hawks.
Walker now enters his seventh season in the NBA league. Since his debut, he averaged 18.4 points, 0.4 blocks, 1.4 steals, 5.4 assists, and 3.9 rebounds per game.
Dennis Smith played despite suffering a sprained ankle
The NBA rookie Dennis Smith played on Friday despite having an injury on his ankle.
Smith suffered a sprained ankle during last week’s preseason game against the Hawks. The 19-year old rookie hurt his ankle while his leg tied up with a defender on a drive to the basket. Despite having a slight injury, Smith still played last night against the Hornets. He played a decent game contributing, 10 points, two rebounds, and nine assists.
Smith now enters his first season in the NBA league. He was selected this year (June 22) as the ninth overall pick in the NBA draft by the Dallas Mavericks. On July 15, he signed a rookie contract with the Dallas Mavericks. During his college career, Smith recorded 17.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 2.2 steals per game in under 25.9 minutes of action, which earned him All-Summer League first team honor.
