Hot shooting and rebounding dominance proved too much for Dallas to overcome in its lone preseason game at the American Airlines Center.

The Charlotte Hornets turned American Airlines Center into a shooting gallery Saturday night, drilling 16 three-pointers to hand the Dallas Mavericks a 120–116 loss in their lone home preseason game.

Charlotte raced to a 30–13 advantage late in the first quarter and held off several Dallas runs behind 48.9% shooting and a 54–37 rebounding edge. The defeat dropped the Mavericks to 1–1 heading into Monday’s matchup in Salt Lake City against the Utah Jazz.

Head coach Jason Kidd said the Hornets’ approach reminded him of a familiar offensive blueprint.

“They’re like Boston — they’re trying to shoot a lot of threes,” Kidd said. “You gotta be able to rebound the ball. If you give them second opportunities in this league, even though it’s preseason, you’re gonna get hurt.”

Kidd said Dallas’ early defensive lapses defined the opening minutes.

“Slow start. It happens,” he said. “They jumped on us, but I like what that second group did. They cut into the lead. When you’re learning your team, there are going to be different lineups as we go forward just to see how people handle it.”

The Mavericks allowed the Hornets to shoot 41% from beyond the arc, something Kidd said must improve if the team hopes to establish consistency.

“They were shooting threes, and we thought it was going to be a three-point contest,” he said. “They made them — we didn’t. We gotta be better on both ends. You can’t give up that many open threes or twos in this league; it’s gonna be tough.”

Dereck Lively II said the defensive struggles came down to discipline rather than effort.

“We know they’re going to hit shots no matter if it’s the first quarter or the fourth,” Lively said. “We just have to be solid and disciplined — both in our rotations and on the ball.”

Lively, who had 10 points and six rebounds, said the Mavericks are emphasizing communication and fundamentals.

“It’s really just about us not watching the ball, tagging, coming back in, and sticking to our fundamentals,” he said. “There are times when the ball’s flying around, but we’ve got to stay solid and stick to our game plan.”

Rookie Cooper Flagg continued his strong preseason with 11 points, three rebounds, four assists, and three steals in 24 minutes. He made an early impact with two assists and two steals in the first two minutes, showing energy that impressed his head coach.

“Another good night on both ends, offense and defense,” Kidd said. “He made plays for his teammates, was able to knock down shots, and defensively came up with some big plays.”

Flagg admitted he still needs to cut down on turnovers — including a pair of behind-the-back passes that missed their mark.

“I think it was solid,” Flagg said. “The second half, I got lost a little, watched too much. The turnovers weren’t great, but there’s room for improvement.”

He said experimenting with creativity is part of his adjustment process.

“That’s part of it — trusting your game and instincts,” he said. “They probably weren’t great passes, but I’m just trying to have fun, be creative, and experiment a bit.”

Lively said he appreciates Flagg’s aggressiveness even when it leads to mistakes.

“No matter if he’s making mistakes or the right plays, he’s always out there trying to make his teammates better,” Lively said. “I’m glad to have him backing me up.”

Flagg also connected on a highlight-reel lob from D’Angelo Russell, energizing the crowd in his first appearance at American Airlines Center.

“It opens the floor,” Flagg said. “If we can really figure out that two-man game, teams will have to bring help or live with our guards making plays. It just goes back to using our size and taking advantage of it.”

Klay Thompson led Dallas with 14 points on 4-of-7 three-point shooting, while Naji Marshall added 13 and Anthony Davis and PJ Washington each scored 12. For Charlotte, Miles Bridges and LaMelo Ball each tallied 20 points, and Ryan Kalkbrenner posted 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Kidd said the focus now shifts to lineup adjustments and defensive execution.

“We’ll keep looking at different combinations to see what gives us the best way to start games,” he said. “If we can get better starts, we’ll go with that group.”