Atlanta Hawks: Grades From 97-82 Win Against Dallas
The Atlanta Hawks won their sixth game in a row Saturday night over the Dallas Mavericks. Let’s take a look at some of the standout performances.
Earlier in the season, the Atlanta Hawks had a tendency to lose to teams that were beneath them. I’ve heard of “playing to the level of your competition”, but this was crazy. The Hawks would go toe-to-toe with some of the best teams in the NBA, then lose to a bottom feeder.
It’s looks like they’ve gotten that out of their system. Earlier in the week, I wrote that their current four game road trip was a huge opportunity for them to pad their record. All four games are against teams with records well below .500.
So far, they’re taking care of business. On Wednesday they defeated the Orlando Magic. Thursday they knocked off the New Orleans Pelicans. Last night, they moved to 3-0 on this road trip by beating the Dallas Mavericks.
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Both teams struggled to get their offenses going early. Shots were just not falling. The Hawks looked like they were playing their third game in four days. Because, well, that’s exactly what they were doing.
Despite the shooting struggles, Atlanta held a 45-42 halftime lead. They used a 21-17 third quarter to stretch their lead to seven points heading into the fourth quarter.
The Hawks dominated the final quarter, outscoring Dallas 31-23. The final score would be 97-82 Hawks.
It was no doubt an emotional night for the Hawks. Though Kyle Korver was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers before their Thursday night game against the Pelicans, the game against the Mavericks was the first game without him in uniform or on the bench.
Perhaps in his honor, the the Hawks won this game from the three-point line. They made 11-of-22 three-point attempts, but shot just 40.5 percent from the field overall. That three-point barrage was enough to outscore Dallas.
As has been a hallmark of this winning streak, Atlanta clamped down on defense. They held Dallas to 39 percent shooting and 25 percent from beyond the arc. When this team is locked in defensively they can be quite stingy.
It certainly wasn’t their prettiest win of the season. Still, it got the job done. Let’s take a gander at some of the individual performances.