<\/p>\n
The Dallas Mavericks\u2019 bombshell mid-season trade for Kyrie Irving isn\u2019t going the way they planned \u2013 unless their plan was to lose enough games to miss the playoffs, that is.<\/p>\n
Things hit a horror new low today, losing 117-109 at home to the shorthanded (and tanking) Charlotte Hornets.<\/p>\n
It was their third straight defeat and could prove devastating in their hunt for a play-in berth.<\/p>\n
It was the upset of the season, according to the betting line. The Mavericks were 16-point favourites to win the game, the largest margin of the season.<\/p>\n
Sat, 25 Mar<\/p>\n
Saturday March 25th<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Watch an average of 9 LIVE NBA Regular Season games per week on ESPN on Kayo Sports on ESPN on Kayo Sports. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now ><\/a><\/b><\/i><\/p>\n They conceded 37 points in a dismal first quarter performance. A furious Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said of their effort to start the game: \u201cIt was awful. Dog s**t.\u201d<\/p>\n Fans booed the home team in the third quarter, but a demoralised Kidd said they were well within their rights, saying they: \u201cShould have been booed in the first quarter.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey (fans) had a right. They paid to see a better show.\u201d<\/p>\n MORE NEWS<\/b><\/p>\n Fresh Simmons diagnosis revealed as sad reality sinks in for Aussie<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n <\/b>Charges laid after Aussie basketballer \u2018sucker punched\u2019 in shocking scenes<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n Since Irving\u2019s first game on February 8, the Mavericks have gone 7-11. When Irving has played alongside the franchise superstar in Luka Doncic, Dallas has gone 3-7. Even more worryingly, in each of those seven losses they were within five points of their opponents in the final five minutes \u2013 meaning they crumble under pressure.<\/p>\n But the always-controversial Kyrie Irving had a stunning reaction when asked about the boos.<\/p>\n He said: \u201cSo what? \u2026 You obviously want to play well, but it\u2019s only five people on the court that can play for Dallas Mavericks. If the fans wanna change places, then hey, be my guest. Got years of work ahead to be great enough to be on this level.\u201d<\/p>\n The disastrous unravelling of the team has clearly hit Luka Doncic hard. He said: \u201cIt\u2019s really frustrating. I think you can see it with me on the court. Sometimes I don\u2019t feel it\u2019s me. I\u2019m just being out there, you know?<\/p>\n \u201cI used to have really fun smiling on court, but it\u2019s just been so frustrating for a lot of reasons, not just basketball.\u201d<\/p>\n Doncic had 34 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists, while Irving had 18p, 9r, 7a. PJ Washington led the Hornets with 28 points while Gordon Hayward added 23 in the absence of starters like Kelly Oubre and Terry Rozier.<\/p>\n The Hornets, with starters Kelly Oubre and Terry Rozier among their absentees, led much of the night, powered by 28 points from P.J. Washington and 23 from Gordon Hayward.<\/p>\n The Mavs, led by 28 points from Luka Doncic, cut a 21-point deficit to single digits late in the third quarter, but dropped their third straight game as they battle for a play-in berth.<\/p>\n Elsewhere, the Memphis Grizzlies clinched an NBA playoff berth in emphatic style, Luke Kennard leading a dazzling display from three-point range in a 151-114 rout of the Houston Rockets.<\/p>\n Kennard set a franchise record with 10 three-pointers \u2014 on just 11 attempts \u2014 as Memphis set a franchise record with 25 from beyond the arc.<\/p>\n Their 25 treys came on just 42 attempts. Eight Grizzlies players converted from beyond the arc and Kennard was the most ruthlessly efficient of all.<\/p>\n \u201cIt feels like every shot I take is going to go in,\u201d Kennard said after scoring 30 points.<\/p>\n Desmond Bane added 25 and two-time All-Star Ja Morant added 18 in a confident performance off the bench in his second game back from an eight-game NBA suspension for brandishing a gun at a nightclub.<\/p>\n Even against Western Conference stragglers Houston it was an impressive display.<\/p>\n \u201cSetting a franchise record as a team, setting a franchise record as an individual, for us, it\u2019s huge,\u201d said Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins after his team booked a third straight trip to the playoffs.<\/p>\n \u201cYou see the versatility,\u201d he added of Kennard. \u201cHe\u2019s out there knocking down shots, and he also has three assists, he\u2019s competing on defence.\u201d<\/p>\n Most importantly, Kennard said, it was the team\u2019s most complete game since his arrival.<\/p>\n \u201cPlaying hard, playing fast, communicating a lot better,\u201d he said. \u201cWe put it together for about a 48 minute game so it was a fun game. I love the way we played \u2014 we\u2019ve just got to build off that.\u201d<\/p>\n Curry rampage unable to stop Clippers | 00:58<\/p>\n The Boston Celtics kept the pressure on Milwaukee in the race for the Eastern Conference top seed with a 120-95 home victory over the Indiana Pacers.<\/p>\n The Celtics entered the night trailing the Eastern Conference-leading Bucks by two and a half games, with the Philadelphia 76ers a further half-game back, and all three-teams were in action on Friday.<\/p>\n Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 34 points \u2014 his 40th 30-point game of the season setting a franchise record as he surpassed the 39 40-point games posted by Hall of Famer Larry Bird in the 1987-88 season.<\/p>\n Jaylen Brown added 27 points and grabbed seven rebounds and Derrick White chipped in 22 points for the Celtics, who were coming off a six-game road-trip capped by a blowout win at Sacramento.<\/p>\n Tatum said the Celtics were determined to keep things rolling at home, against a Pacers team that \u201ckicked our butt\u201d on their last trip to Boston.<\/p>\n \u201cWe didn\u2019t forget that,\u201d Tatum said.<\/p>\n But even though they were aggressive from the outset, it wasn\u2019t until the third quarter that the Celtics took full control. They outscored the Pacers 32-21 and rolled from there.<\/p>\n