Mavericks look for first home win as they host Hornets

What did the Hornets do over the offseason?

The Charlotte Hornets shipped Lance Stephenson out after a failed one year experiment and added a few nice pieces. First, they brought in Wes Matthews' old Trail Blazers running mate, Nicolas Batum. They acquired Spencer Hawes for Stephenson, and signed Jeremy Lin, who Michael Jordan thinks is the team's biggest acquisition. They also traded for Tyler Hansbrough and Jeremy Lamb, who was just signed to a three-year extension. The Hornets also selected Frank Kaminsky with the tenth selection in the draft.

Along with Stephenson, the team lost Noah Vonleh, Gerald Henderson and Bismack Biyombo this offseason. They are also without Michael Kidd-Gilchrist for the season due to a shoulder injury.

Which Mavericks player might be due for a big game?

The Hornets have given up big nights to opposing wings. Dwayne Wade opened the year dropping 20 points on them. Kent Bazemore followed that up with 19 and 20 points in back to back games, and Jimmy Butler had 26 against them for the Bulls. With all that said, Wes Matthews is getting stronger and more comfortable game by game and could be in for a breakout game.

What's the biggest matchup to watch?

The battle of the benches. Plenty has been made about the Mavs "lack of depth" and this is a great opportunity for the reserves to make a positive impact. Jeremy Lin, Jeremy Lamb and Spencer Hawes combined for 48 points in their win against the Bulls. As a whole, the Hornets' bench scored 71 points in the 130-105 blowout win. The Mavs got just 39 points in the late Toronto loss. The Mavs need more from Devin Harris, J.J. Barea, and others while Chandler Parsons, Matthews, and Deron Williams continue to recover.

How to watch

Tipoff is 7:30 p.m. CT and will be on FSSW locally, and NBA League Pass otherwise (online or cable).