Atlanta Hawks Beat Dallas Mavericks 100-95
The Atlanta Hawks started their six game home-stand with a win over the Dallas Mavericks. How did they do it?
It may not have been pretty, but the Atlanta Hawks took care of business. In the first game of a six contests in a row at Phillips Arena, the Hawks knocked off the Dallas Mavericks 100-95. It was a standout offensive performance by Atlanta, in the first half anyway, despite the frustrating nature of the game.
Atlanta held an 11 point lead at half-time, but they let it slip away as the game approached crunch-time. The Hawks trailed 95-94 with 37 seconds remaining. A Paul Millsap basket with 30 seconds left grabbed the lead back.
It was a lead Atlanta would not relinquish. The Hawks would end up scoring six unanswered points to end the game and secure the victory.
From the Associated Press’ recap on ESPN.com, Millsap talked about the shot he made to give the Hawks the lead for good. The quote is exactly what you would expect Millsap to say about a shot like that.
"“Coach drew up a play, and I just had to make the shot,” Millsap said. “It’s that simple. You get the opportunity, you’ve got to make it.”"
The Hawks had a great shooting night. Atlanta shot 56.3 percent from the field and 47.6 percent from three-point range. I’m sure Hawks fans everywhere were confused and exhilarated by what they were seeing. Of course, 22 turnovers helped balance out their hot shooting display. Those turnovers kept Dallas within reach.
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Paul Millsap was the best player on the floor. Millsap nearly nabbed a triple-double, finishing with 18 points, 10 assists, and eight rebounds on 6-for-12 shooting. Once a week Millsap has a performance that reminds the NBA why his blend of versatility is so special.
Millsap was joined at the 18-point mark by recent acquisition Ersan Ilyasova. Ilyasova finished with 18 points, three steals, and a rebound on 6-for-7 shooting. It looks like the Turkish big-man is starting to find his footing in Atlanta. He looks like a great fit.
Dwight Howard had a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Kent Bazemore added 15 points on 3-for-5 shooting from three-point range, while Dennis Schroder contributed 17 points and six assists. Tim Hardaway Jr. was the final Hawk to score in double figures, finishing with 10 points on 4-for-9 shooting.
From Chris Vivlamore’s game recap in the The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Mike Budenholzer spoke about Atlanta’s shooting in the first half.
"“At halftime we were shooing 71.9 and only up by 11 points,” Budenholzer said. “They had seven offensive rebounds. They were shooting 51 or 52 percent and had seven offensive rebounds. There were a couple times when we were just flat. They beat us to 50-50 balls in the first half. It felt like we should have been up by more.”"
The Hawks may not have given the type of effort Budenholzer would have liked, but at least they got the job done. Atlanta’s tendency to lose to teams that are beneath them has been troubling this season. They didn’t let that trend continue against Dallas.
The Mavericks didn’t play poorly. Dallas shot 45.3 percent from the field and 42.4 percent from outside. They had a chance to win the game in the last 30 seconds. They just didn’t execute when it mattered most. Harrison Barnes led them in scoring, dropping 25 points on 9-for-19 shooting.
Yogi Ferrell finished with 11 points and nine assists on 5-for-10 shooting. He continues to look like a real NBA point guard. It’s amazing that the Brooklyn Nets couldn’t find room for him on their roster.
Seth Curry also had himself a good game. Curry scored 21 points on 5-for-8 from three-point distance. The younger Curry is proving to be a solid NBA rotation player. I bet shooting contests at the Curry household go on for days.
This Mavericks team is intriguing. They have some solid pieces. They’re a starter or two away from becoming a real playoff team again. This summer will be important for their franchise. If the front office pushes the right buttons, they’ll be in good shape in 2017-18.
The Hawks will be back at home Friday night for a date with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs are banged up and haven’t played their best basketball since the calendar flipped to 2017, the Hawks have a chance to steal a win against the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
Next: Jose Calderon A Perfect Fit For Atlanta
Stolen wins are the best kinds of wins, according to a proverb I just made up.