MyDallasMavs: Mavs Crush Hornets in Last Game of the Regular Season

The Mavs stepped onto their home court for the last game of the regular season Wednesday night to play the New Orleans Hornets. Dallas was looking to secure 2nd seed with a Lakers loss or secure 3rd with a Lakers win. They were also looking to end the season on a four-game winning streak.

Early in the night, this was a potential first-round playoff series, but at the end of the night, Mavs' fans were wishing it was true. Although the Mavs won, 121-89, the Lakers won as well, securing the Mavs into 3rd seed playing Portland in the first-round.

Stojakovic missed this game due to personal reasons. Carlisle decided to start Stevenson in place of Roddy as shooting guard.

For the Hornets, David West is also out for the rest of the season with a torn ACL.

In the first quarter, the Mavs fell behind early as Belinelli's great shooting put the Hornets up. Marion reached a career milestone, after getting a steal to become the 5th person to get 1,500 steals and 1,000 blocks in a career, along with Julius Erving, Hakeem Olajuwon, Karl Malone, and Kevin Garnett. The first quarter was a constant battle but Barea hit a 3-pointer to give the Mavs a 28-27 lead to end the first quarter.

In the second quarter, the Hornets were sinking baskets left and right while Dirk tried to keep the Mavs in the game. Roddy left the game for the locker room after he came down awkwardly on his ankle. The Hornets were able to take a 61-58 lead going into the half, despite Dirks 19 first-half points.

Without David West, the Mavs were able to take control inside, outscoring the Hornets 24-18 in the paint. With Jack's 16 first-half points, New Orleans outshot Dallas 57.5%-48.7%.

In the second half, Roddy didn't return after spraining his left food; X-ray's were negative but his return is unknown.

The Mavs started the third quarter on a 7-0 run to gain the lead. Dirk led the Mavs while Stevenson and Chandler played great defense, leading to stops and opportunities on offense. Kidd started to get hot from beyond the arc and Dallas cruised to an 86-74 lead to end the third.

Nowitzki almost outscored the Hornets by himself in the third quarter; he scored 12 points as Dallas outscored the Hornets that quarter, 28-13. The Mavs went 5-12 from 3-point range while the Hornets shot 4-16 from the floor in general.

Jason Terry, the only Mav to play in all 82 regular-season games, took control in the fourth quarter as he did in many previous games. Terry joined Kidd in great shooting from 3-point range, and led the Mavs to a lead as large as 32. Dirk sat out the rest of the quarter, while the Dallas bench continued to hold their lead. Dallas held onto the lead till the end, winning it 121-89.

Dirk finished with a game-high 32 points. Kidd had 12 points, shooting 4-6 from 3-point range, and 8 assists. Marion and Haywood both finished with 10 points each. Barea had 14 points and 8 assists, while Terry racked up 13. Corey Brewer also added 11 points off the bench to be the Mavs' 7th player in double figures.

Jack led the Hornets with 22 points while Belinelli finished with 14. Pondexter and Landry both finished with 10 a piece while CP3 only finished with 7 points (2-9 shooting), 8 assists, and 3 turnovers. In the last four games, he's averaged only 7.3 points while shooting just 30.6%.

The Mavs outshot the Hornets 54.8% to 43%. They also out-rebounded them 42-35 and had a 24-10 edge in fast-break points.

The season series is now tied 2-2 and the Mavs lock in on 3rd seed. They will face the Portland Trailblazers in the first round. This will be a tough match-up and they will need to play like they played against the Hornets if they want to have a chance.

Their first playoff game will be Saturday night at 9:30pm ET at the AAC.