2020-21 Mavericks’ Flashback: December 30th vs Charlotte Hornets

The season is over for the Dallas Mavericks. Now, all eyes are on the offseason and August 2nd when teams can begin negotiating with free agents.

But we of all people know that waiting for the next big free agent to sign with the Mavericks can be stressful. And basketball should be fun. We also know the real Mavericks basketball junkies can’t wait until October when the 2021-22 season is supposed to start. This is why we’ll do flashback posts, to relive some of the fun and forgotten moments of the past season.

What happened

The Mavericks continued with their up and down performances early in the season. After a 51-point blowout at the Los Angeles Clippers in their previous game, the Mavericks lost their home opener in a disappointing fashion. The Mavericks lost 118-99 to the Charlotte Hornets. The game was decided after the Hornets went on a 14-0 run to start the second half, giving them a comfortable 25-point lead.

Fun moments

There weren’t many fun moments in this game as the Mavericks failed to match the Hornets' intensity. The Mavericks shot only 29 percent from the three-point range, while the Hornets made 44 percent of their threes. Maxi Kleber was a bright spot for the Mavericks early on in the first quarter when the game was still competitive. Kleber hit his first four three-point shots in the opening quarter and finished the game with 12 points. Two of Kleber’s four made threes were not his typical catch and shoot makes, he showed some flair with nice ball fakes.

Kleber’s hot shooting from beyond the arc was one of the positives of the first part of the 2020-21 season. Kleber was among the league leaders in three-point accuracy during the first part of the season. He shot 45.1 percent from the three in his 22 games before the All-star break. Kleber was bothered by various injuries in the second part of the season and shot only 38.5 percent from three in the post All-Star period. His three-point shooting accuracy regressed as the season progressed.

Nevertheless, Kleber still finished at 41 percent for the season, which was a career-high. Kleber increased his three-point percentage in each of his four seasons since he’s been in the NBA.

On to the next one!