Soaring Down South
Fansided

The Atlanta Hawks are facing a different Mavs team this time around

By Joshua Buckhalter

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - OCTOBER 21: Trae Young #11 of the Atlanta Hawks attempts a steal against Luka Doncic #77 of the Dallas Mavericks during the first half at State Farm Arena on October 21, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - OCTOBER 21: Trae Young #11 of the Atlanta Hawks attempts a steal against Luka Doncic #77 of the Dallas Mavericks during the first half at State Farm Arena on October 21, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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It took us some time for the Atlanta Hawks (25-27)and Dallas Mavericks to meet again after they opened the season against one another. Since they play in opposite conferences that is to be expected. But the head-to-head matchup between Trae Young and Luka Doncic is always a headliner no matter the stakes.

Doncic has the 3-2 edge.

Many take the opportunity to reaffirm their position on the draft-night trade that swapped the pair. Last year’s playoff run should have quieted that noise but, alas, it has not. And that side of the argument got some new ammunition with the Hawks struggles and Cam Reddish’s trade.

The bigger issue for the Hawks, though, is that they’re catching the Mavericks team that has been one of the hottest since the end of December.

Both the Atlanta Hawks and Dallas Mavericks are different teams for different reasons ahead of their rematch

Their first encounter ended in a 113-87 victory for the good guys. They proceeded to go 4-3 in the first of what has been many chapters this season. It seemed like they were well on their way to repeating last season’s performance from the second half of their slate. But what happened was a gantlet of COVID and injury issues.

The Mavs have had their own bouts with those things but not to the magnitude of the Hawks which had them boasting the largest roster in NBA history.

Atlanta’s recent turnaround has given some hope that it might portend another extended run to the postseason. But losses to the Toronto Raptors sandwiching a win over the Phoenix Suns likely highlights how inconsistent this team can be.

Related Story. Why the Hawks continue to monitor the trade market. light

On the other side, Dallas sports the NBA’s third-best record since Dec 31 at 14-5.

The Hawks are not too far behind at 10-8 in that span and do still have a 114.6-108.1 scoring advantage. But the Mavericks also have the second-best defensive rating during that time.

Reddish had 20 points in the first meeting but the Hawks have since turned to Bogdan Bogdanovic in the primary scoring role off of the veteran-laden bench. He had 11 points as a starter in the first game but is averaging 15.7 points on 46.5 percent shooting and 38.0 percent from three since returning from a knee issue.

As for the headliners, Young is fourth in the league in scoring over the Mavs run at 29.2 points per game since the end of December while shooting 46.0 percent from the floor and 39.3 percent from downtown, third among players averaging at least 9.0 attempts from distance.

Next. The Hawks need to get more out of Clint Capela. dark

This game should be just as exciting as the last one regardless of the outcome and despite the earlier-than-usual tipoff of 5:00 PM EST.

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