The Dallas Mavericks paid a visit to the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night, seeking to break a six-game losing streak that was devastatingly extended on Monday night against the Phoenix Suns.
It was never easy, but the Mavericks managed a second half of 69 points and controlled the game in the final moments to guarantee a 122-116 victory.
Much like his mentality against the Suns, Luka Doncic was clear (27 points, eight rebounds, 14 assists) and the Mavericks wanted to set a defensive tone from the start. Whether it was disturbing the Hawks guard, Trae Young (21 points, four rebounds, nine assists) along the perimeter, or having active hands on the track, the Mavericks showed a lot of energy at the start. Although it led to seven twists in the first quarter for the Hawks, the Mavericks’ poor pitches put them at an advantage only 26-22 after one.
The second quarter had a slow pace, with cold stretches and fewer stops forcing the Mavericks to play the game backwards. For the Hawks, they were carried by Kevin Huerter’s 13 points in the first half, along with Danilo Gallinari’s 12 points in the first half, after an early foul kept Young off pace. The Mavericks lost 56-53 to the break.
Similar to the first, the Mavericks left looking to score a defensive point and quickly found themselves in the front creating twists and interrupting the Hawks’ pace. But it was the red-hot shot of the sixth man, Tim Hardaway Jr., that made the Mavericks shoot 35 points in the third quarter.
For much of the fourth period, the Mavericks seemed to be in control, changing the spins and playing aggressively all the time. And although they wavered for a brief, painstaking moment that looked like they might cough up the game once again, the Mavericks made enough moves to take W. off. Here’s what we noticed from tonight’s consecutive win.
Playing aggressive
The defense has been a great storyline this season, as the team itself made it clear that they wanted to be better in that final. It’s been a roller coaster ride defensively, especially lately, but the Mavericks have sought to set a tone in this game.
It wasn’t until late that Trae Young really started to find his appearance. Whether it was pushing high traps or an experienced defense by Josh Richardson and Dorian Finney-Smith, the Mavericks seemed to make him uncomfortable.
While it doesn’t always translate into buckets – the Mavericks only had 13 points out of 16 forced turnovers – it seems obvious that this is now their path to success. Especially since shots are not falling consistently, the Mavericks ‘ability to stop and stop opponents’ pace is becoming increasingly valuable.
A sixth man gets up
The Mavericks haven’t had an obvious sixth man in the past two seasons. They needed someone with blind confidence in their shots, someone who could get hot quickly. Enter: Tim Hardaway Jr., who was the engine of the third quarter explosion.
By scoring 22 points out of 5 out of 10 shots out of three, Hardaway can provide that offensive energy that the Mavericks so badly needs from the second rotation. He has moments, especially at the end of this night, when it can get cold. But there is no doubt that he is the lethal sniper that this team needs, and it was a big boost tonight.
Beginning of the fourth quarter
A big talking point lately has been the Mavericks’ bad start to fourth place. Sometimes, recently, they took advantage at the end of the third quarter, only to cough to open the final frame while Luka rests. Tonight’s group, an agitation that notably did not include Kristaps Porzingis, made a statement. Starting the fourth with a 7-2 run, a group of Jalen Brunson, Josh Richardson, Tim Hardaway Jr., Dorian Finney-Smith and Maxi Kleber set a tone that remained throughout most of the quarter.
Also noteworthy, Luka Doncic returned to the game less than three minutes from the fourth, a change in his structure of minutes very regulated. But because of the opening group Doncic and Porzingis’ move – which was solid tonight with 24 points and 11 rebounds – they were able to enter without immediately playing in the back.
This team has flaws that need to be improved. But tonight was to see a check in the earnings column, something that everyone really needed to see.