Mavericks Deal Barnes To Kings While Beating Hornets 99-93

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — Harrison Barnes stayed on the bench in the fourth quarter after news broke that the Dallas Mavericks forward had been traded to Sacramento.

The seventh-year player lingered on the floor a few extra moments after the game to chat up some Charlotte opponents, then walked through a throng of fans who seemed to want to say goodbye after seeing all the social media activity on their phones during the second half.

The makeover of the Mavericks continued even as parts of the blockbuster trade that brought Kristaps Porzingis from the New York Knicks were making their Dallas debuts. Porzingis isn't playing this season as he recovers from a knee injury.

Rookie sensation Luka Doncic scored 19 points in his third triple-double, Dorian Finney-Smith had 15 points and 10 rebounds and the Mavericks made another move by dealing Barnes while beating the Hornets 99-93 on Wednesday night.

"That's really the first time I've witnessed it," Hornets forward Nicolas Batum said of seeing someone traded during a game. "During practice, on the plane, bus, stuff like that, yes, that happened to me. But during the game? I have not witnessed that being live."

Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 12 points in his first game since leaving the Knicks. Trey Burke went scoreless in four minutes while Courtney Lee didn't play.

Barnes, who was traded for Kings forwards Zach Randolph and Justin Jackson, played most of the third quarter before reports of the deal surfaced, scoring seven of his 10 points. He wasn't available in the locker room after the game.

Dirk Nowitzki started realizing something was up when Barnes didn't replace him early in the fourth quarter as usual with the 40-year-old playing a limited role in his record 21st season with the same franchise.

Since Nowitzki credited Barnes for being a positive influence in his two-plus seasons with the Mavericks, he wasn't surprised that Barnes stuck around after word of the trade got out.

"He's a better man than me," said Nowitzki, who scored eight points. "Everybody else would have bounced out. He's just a genuinely good dude and he's obviously got bonds with some of these players here for life. That's the kind of guy he is."

Kemba Walker had 30 points and a season-high 11 rebounds for the Hornets, who got swept by Dallas after losing to the Mavericks by 38 points at home about a month ago.

With NBA Commissioner Adam Silver watching from not far behind the Mavericks bench, Doncic had a spinning layup for a 3-point play with Dallas leading by two and answered a bucket by Batum with a 3 to push the lead to six.

The first teenager with multiple triple-doubles, Doncic had 11 assists and 10 rebounds on a rough shooting night (5 of 20, including 2 of 10 from 3-point range).

Batum, who finished with 14 points, got the Hornets within three with a 3-pointer before Finney-Smith answered from long range for a 97-91 lead in his second career double-double.

Social media reacted heavily after the news broke that Barnes was traded and that he appeared to have found out during the game. Various media outlets tweeted pictures and video of Barnes on the Mavs' bench as the reports of the trade came in.

NBA star LeBron James gave his take on the trade on Instagram, blasting those who criticize players for wanting to request a trade from a team or wanting to leave for better opportunities via free agency.

(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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