RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME FLOW

DALLAS (AP) _ Dirk Nowitzki scored 20 points and Cedric Ceballos added 19 as the Dallas Mavericks opened their exhibition schedule with a 114-88 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday night.

Gary Trent had 15 points and eight rebounds for the Mavericks, who also got 13 points each from Michael Finley and Erick Strickland and 11 from Steve Nash.

Anthony Mason had 15 points to pace the Hornets (1-2). David Wesley, Bobby Phills and Brad Miller all had 11 points for Charlotte, while Ricky Davis and Derek Hood had 10 each.

Trent had four points as Dallas closed the third quarter with an 8-2 run to take a 79-73 lead. Trent and Finley each had six points in the third quarter as the Mavericks took control after trailing 58-57 at halftime.

Nash scored five points, including a three-point play, while the Mavericks broke the game open with a 15-6 run over the first 5:07 of the fourth quarter.