It appears that all the momentum the Mavericks had after their big trade has disappeared. After falling to the Hornets 115-99 in New Orleans Monday night, Dallas has lost 2 straight and 3 out of 4 after a 13 game winning streak.
Why the sudden poor play? The most obvious answer is on the side of the ball the trade was supposed to make the biggest difference on. The defense of late has been nothing short of pathetic and that is with both Brendan Haywood and Erick Dampier in the lineup.
Both have not been the same players they were before their respective injuries and it showed again against the Hornets. Once again the Mavs allowed an opponent to shoot over 50% and allowed the Hornets 96 points in the final three quarters. After establishing an early 15 point lead the Mavs fell apart not just on the defensive end but on offense as well.
Despite shooting the ball well Dallas was hampered all night by turnover problems and each of those 18 giveaway seemed to immediately lead to Hornets baskets.
Also of concern was the Mavericks lack of free throw attempts as the team only went 7-13 for the game. The Mavs are primarily a jump shooting team but should still be shooting a lot more throws especially because they shoot such a high percentage.
Of course there is still time to correct to all these problems but I suggest they start as quickly as possible since that big matchup with Denver looms less than a week away.
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