The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Charlotte Hornets, 124-118, at American Airlines Center on Sunday night.

The Hornets (2-4) surprisingly came out of the locker room the hotter team, scoring over 30 points in each of the first two quarters on the way to a 12-point halftime lead. However, the Mavericks (5-1) came out of intermission a different team, eliminating all but one point from their deficit during the third quarter to set up an intriguing final period. Dallas finally pushed ahead of Charlotte with a Tim Hardaway three-pointer with 9:17 remaining and never trailed again, although the visitors did forge a 96-96 tie just before the halfway point of the fourth quarter. The hosts then closed out the victory with a trio of Kyrie Irving free throws in the closing seconds.

LaMelo Ball led the Hornets with a 30-point, 13-assist, 10-rebound triple-double that also included a steal and a block. Gordon Hayward and P.J. Washington posted 20 points apiece while recording eight assists and four rebounds, respectively. Mark Williams generated a 19-point, 10-rebound double-double. Nick Richards posted 12 points, nine boards, one assist and one block.

Luka Donic paced the Mavericks with a 23-point, 12-rebound double-double that also included nine assists and one block. Irving turned in 18 points, 10 assists, three rebounds, one steal and one block. Grant Williams matched Irving's scoring and also tallied four boards, three assists and one block. Tim Hardaway netted 16 points. Dereck Lively II managed a 15-point, 14-rebound double-double that included one assist and one block. Jaden Hardy supplied 14 points and four boards. Dwight Powell registered 10 points, five rebounds and three assists.

The Hornets return home to host the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night, while the Mavericks visit the Orlando Magic on Monday night.