Upset! Big Eyebrow lost 24 points on the court and was short of points. The No. 1 pick led the team to a disappointing loss. Ball had 20 points and 6 assists with three goals.

On October 12, the NBA preseason continued. The Mavericks faced the Eastern Hornets at home. In the Mavericks' first preseason game 5 days ago, they defeated the Thunder by 17 points. Of course, there are two major prerequisites. First, the Mavericks led the Thunder by 32 points during the game; second, the Thunder's regular nine-man rotation did not appear. In fact, that game was just for Flagg and Nongmei to get a feel for the game and develop a tacit understanding. Judging from the predictions given by the US media, the Mavericks are expected to hit the playoffs in the new season, but the main premise is that Irving will return to the team around the All-Star Weekend. Before that, the team also faced some problems with lineup adaptation and playing style compatibility. There is no shortage of blue-collar centers around Nongmei to do the dirty work, but Flagg also needs room to grow.

The biggest problem for the Mavericks is that the core members of the team: Big Eyebrows + Irving, including Clay, are all older and suffering from injuries. It is difficult to achieve both wanting results and cultivating Flagg. As for the Hornets, the lineup on paper for the new season is indeed good, with Ball leading the way with three goals, and paired with Brandon Miller, who was second in the rankings in 2023. The Jazz also sent Sexton to the Hornets this summer. Counting Miles Bridges, the Hornets actually have the strength to compete for playoff tickets in the Eastern Conference, which is not very competitive. But in the first two games of the preseason, the Thunder lost consecutive games. The team did not have a decent center and lacked height all day long. But it was such a seemingly unsuspicious game that brought the Lone Ranger back to reality, especially the thick eyebrows.

Briefly review the game. The Mavericks starting lineup: Russell + Clay + Flagg + Big Eyebrow + Lively; the Hornets starting lineup: three-goal Ball + Miller + Sexton + Bridges + Karl Kobrenner. At the beginning, Clay counterattacked with a three-pointer + a heavy dunk with thick eyebrows. Flagg's pass was really something! However, the Hornets quickly regained their composure. Bridges opened up the three-pointer, and Sexton opened up his military-trained thick eyebrows. Bridges continued to call out thick eyebrows. The thick eyebrows could not be guarded at the fourth position. He thought it was really easy to leave the basket, but in fact the number of rounds he was targeted increased. After that, Ball started raining three-pointers, Miller tipped in + Bridges' weak-side three-pointer, and the Hornets instantly opened up a 13-point gap! In the second half, Miller and Bridges blossomed inside and outside, but when the eyebrows came off the court, the Mavericks counterattacked.

Under the leadership of Flagg, Christie teamed up with Washington to fire from the outside. The team launched a 16-0 climax. In the first quarter, the Hornets temporarily led the Mavericks 34-31. At the beginning of the second quarter, Flagg and Clay continued to score. After Flagg's two-handed dunk successfully led the score, Russell and Washington added the icing on the cake. When the thick eyebrows returned, the Hornets launched a second wave of offensive climax. The Mavericks made more mistakes and could not keep backcourt rebounds. Kidd didn't dare to let Flagg rest for too long, so he quickly replaced him in about 2 minutes. Fortunately, the score was stalemate, with the Hornets leading the Mavericks 61-59 at halftime. Flagg performed really well, he was proficient in stealing, assisting and scoring! In the third quarter, Thick Eyebrow finally relied on a throw to score, but Bridges' matchup was perfect!

Thick Eyebrow was also convicted of a first-level crime for stepping on Miller! Miller scored consecutive three-pointers, and the Hornets opened up a 15-point gap in an instant. The thick eyebrows were very embarrassed, losing points continuously as long as they were on the court. Fortunately, Lively scored 6 points in a row to stop the bleeding. In the second half, the two sides maintained a gap of about 8 points and fell into a tug-of-war. Both teams put on substitutes in the fourth quarter, and in the end the Mavericks lost to the Hornets 116-120 at home! According to Hornets data, Bridges had 20 points, 11 rebounds and 2 assists, Ball had 20 points, 3 rebounds and 6 assists, Miller had 15 points and 5 assists, Karl Kobrenner had 14 points, 10 rebounds, and Sexton had 12 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists. Facing the Mavericks' tall lineup, the Hornets grabbed 54 rebounds, including 15 offensive rebounds. The Mavericks had a total of 37 rebounds.

Mavericks data, thick eyebrows 12 points and 4 rebounds, Klay 14 points, Flagg 11 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals, Marshall 13 points, Washington 12 points and 3 assists, Lively 10 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists. First of all, Flagg did play at the level of the No. 1 pick. Although he made a lot of mistakes, he was the offensive engine of the Mavericks and the main gate on the defensive end. He repeatedly completed steals and instigated counterattacks to drive teammates to score. The best stage of the Mavericks' performance was when Flagg led Washington + Marshall + Lively and several young people who could rush and jump. Several other veterans are obviously unable to keep up with the rhythm. Flagg is in the starting lineup, and there is actually a certain ball conflict with Big Eyebrow and Russell.

The key lies in thick eyebrows. Everyone knows that he doesn't want to play the fifth position. The Mavericks have two big insiders, Lively and Gafford, and they no longer have to play the fifth position with thick eyebrows. However, it is too laborious to chase people in the fourth position with thick eyebrows, and it is easy to be moved back and forth. The key is Flagg and Big Eyebrow. In fact, they need a defensive blue-collar help around them, but they are both the core of the team's offensive end. Thick Eyebrow played 24 minutes and lost 24 points on the field. What is certain is that this will not be his normal situation in the new season. But there are also big hidden dangers. If this trend continues, thick eyebrows will face more potential groin strains and knee injuries in the new season. This is much more serious than the plantar fasciitis encountered when playing at the fifth position.