The Dallas Mavericks visited the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night to lose a series of six games that were extended in a heartbreaking way against the Phoenix Suns.
It was never easy, but the Mavericks took a second half of 69 points and controlled the game in the last minutes to secure a 122-116 victory.
Just like their attitude against the Suns, it was clear that Luka Doncic (27 points, eight rebounds, 14 assists) was and the Mavericks wanted to give a defensive tone early on. Whether it disrupted Trae Young (21 points, four rebounds, nine assists) along the perimeter of the Hawks or had active hands in the lane, the Mavericks showed enough energy early on. Although that led to the Hawks up to seven times in the first quarter, the shooting by the Mavericks left them standing only 26-22 after one.
The second quarter went a sluggish pace, with cold stretches and fewer stops to force the Mavericks to play the framework mostly behind. For the Hawks, they were carried by Kevin Huerter’s 13 first halves along with Danilo Gallinari’s 12 first halves after early mistakes kept Young out of rhythm. The Mavericks trailed 56-53 at halftime.
Similar to the first, the Mavericks came out to make a defensive point and quickly found themselves ahead by generating revenue and disrupting the Hawks’ rhythm. But it was the fiery shooting from sixth man Tim Hardaway Jr. that lifted the Mavericks up for a 35-point third quarter.
For most of the fourth time, the Mavericks looked under control, changing the rotations and playing aggressively. And although they wavered for a brief, accurate moment, whether they could cough up the game again, the Mavericks made enough plays to take the W. out. Here’s what we noticed about tonight’s victory.
Play aggressively
Defense has been an important storyline this season as the team has made it clear they want to be better. It was a roller coaster ride, especially from late on, but the Mavericks wanted to set a tone in this game.
It was only late that Trae Young really began to find his appearance. Whether it was high traps, or the clever one-on-one defense by Josh Richardson and Dorian Finney-Smith, the Mavericks made him uncomfortable.
While not always translated into buckets – the Mavericks have dropped just 13 points from 16 forced turnover – it goes without saying that this is now their path to success. Especially because shots do not fall consistently, the Mavericks ‘ability to stop and disrupt the opponents’ rhythm becomes increasingly valuable.
A sixth man stands up
The Mavericks have not had a clear sixth man the past two seasons. They needed someone with blind confidence in their lap, someone who could get hot quickly. Coming in: Tim Hardaway Jr., who was the car of an explosion in the third quarter.
With a score of 22 points on 5-out-10 shots of three, Hardaway can provide the offensive energy the Mavericks need from the second rotation. He has moments, especially at the end of the night, where he can get cold. But there’s no doubt he’s the deadly shooter this team needs, and that’s a big boost tonight.
Fourth quarter start
A major point of discussion of late was the bad start of the fourth of the Mavericks. A few times, they had a late lead in the third quarter, only to cough it up to open the final frame while Luka rested. Tonight’s group, a stir that does not include Kristaps Porzingis in particular, made a statement. A team of Jalen Brunson, Josh Richardson, Tim Hardaway Jr., Dorian Finney-Smith and Maxi Kleber led fourth on a 7-2 run that permeated most of the quarter.
Also noteworthy is that Luka Doncic returned less than three minutes into the quarter after the game, a change in his fairly regimented minutes structure. But due to the play of opening group Doncic and Porzingis – who were solid tonight with 24 points and 11 rebounds – they were able to come in without immediately playing from behind.
This team has flaws that need to be improved. But tonight it was to see a check in the winning column, something that everyone desperately needed to see.