Here are my 5 takeaways from the Dallas Mavericks’ 122-84 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night at the Spectrum Center:

1. DENNIS HAD A GREAT HOMECOMING: Even in the pregame warmups, you could see it in his eyes that Dennis Smith Jr. was going to have a special night. Smith was dunking all over the place with force, and he was focused. With about three dozen friends and members of his family in the building, Smith was going to make sure he put on a show for them. And boy, did he ever. Of the first 19 points the Mavs scored, Smith scored 10 of them and assisted on the other nine. The North Carolina native finished the night with 18 points, seven assists and three steals in just 22 minutes.

2. THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE. . .THE ROAD: Finally, the Mavs looked like a well-oiled machine on the road like they have been so many times at American Airlines Center. This was one of those very complete games for the Mavs. In winning their third road game of the season, the Mavs won by 38 points, won the rebound battle by 11, committed only 12 turnovers, and held the Hornets to just 35.6 percent shooting. The Mavs simply got angry about their road woes and decided to do something about it. They scored 42 points in the first quarter when they made 10 of their 17 3-point shots. It’s the most treys the Mavs have made in one quarter in franchise history.

3. THE LOVEFEST FOR DIRK: The lovefest for Dirk Nowitzki moved to Charlotte, where the Hornets’ fans paid respect to the greatest Mavs of all-time. From the moment Nowitzki hopped off the bench to enter the game for the initial time late in the first quarter, there were a bushel of loud ovations for the 21-year veteran. And in the fourth quarter, the fans kept shouting: “We Want Dirk, We Want Dirk!” Nowitzki obliged, stood up, clapped, smiled and waved. . .and the crowd cheered. One fan even wore a costume equipped with a goat hat – horns and all – and carried a sign that read: Dirk=GOAT. Dirk took a photo with that fan.

4. LUKA ADDING ANOTHER WRINKLE: As if his step-back 3-point shot wasn’t lethal enough, Luka Doncic added another shot to his vast arsenal of weapons. Late in the second quarter, the rookie from Slovenia dribbled across the lane and calmly tossed in a picture-perfect Kareem Abdul-Jabbar-like sky hook and acted like it was no big deal. Hey, Luka. Teenagers aren’t supposed to be doing this type of stuff. If they do, it’s a big deal! A really big deal! Sky hooks are a lost art in today’s game. And Doncic tossed one in Wednesday night in ho-hum fashion. Afterwards, center DeAndre Jordan called him: “Kareem Abdul La Doncic.”

5. RESERVES HAD THEIR NIGHT: On a night when the starters didn’t play in the fourth quarter because of the blowout nature of this game, the Mavs reserves were able to get some more time on their resume. And they responded with 50 points, 26 rebounds, 17 assists and four steals. They also were 19-of-41 from the field for 46.3 percent and 9-of-20 from beyond the 3-point arc for 45 percent. Dwight Powell led the way with 15 points and eight rebounds, Maxi Kleber contributed eight points and four boards, Dorian Finney-Smith had seven points and seven rebounds, and J. J. Barea added five points and six assists.