DALLAS (AP) — P.J. Washington Jr. scored 28 points and Gordon Hayward added 25 as the undermanned Charlotte Hornets built a 21-point lead and held on to beat the Dallas Mavericks 117-109 on Friday night.
The Hornets, who were eliminated from the Eastern Conference playoff race last week, earned a split of a back-to-back after losing by 19 points on Thursday night at New Orleans and finishing with only seven healthy players.
Charlotte led 114-109 with 20.7 seconds left when Dennis Smith Jr., a former Dallas first-round draftee, hit a 30-foot 3-pointer as the shot clock wound down.