The Dallas Mavericks tend to take care of business when they play Charlotte, winning 24 of the last 26 in the matchup. After being bought out from the New York Knicks, veteran forward Amar’e Stoudemire joined Dallas in hopes of playing for a title contender. In his debut, he clocked only 11 minutes, but made the most of his time, dropping 14 points, going 4-4 from the line, and grabbing 3 rebounds.

The Hornets kept within striking distance for the majority of the game, but the Mavericks out paced them. As the game dwindled down, Monta Ellis came through and did his usual 4th quarter take over to give Dallas the win. He went for 23 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists.

Richardson Jefferson got the start in place of the injured Chandler Parsons, who will miss the next 2 games. He got his 2nd double double of the season, going for 10 points and 10 rebounds, along with a vintage slam dunk that you would probably see all over SportsCenter, if he weren’t called for an offensive foul.

A stat that might go unnoticed is the Mav’s point guard Rajon Rondo and his shooting percentage, he went 4-8 from the field, and if you know anything about Rondo and his shooting, that is the weakest part of the game. He worked with Dirk’s shooting coach, and maybe his recent games are a sign of things to come.