If the Atlanta Hawks (25-28) are going to take control of their season and make a push for a legit playoff spot, rather than one in the play-in, they cannot squander breaks as they did in their 103-94 defeat against the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday. A game that had many on Twitter going off on the way it was officiated.
Sloppy officiating aside, the crowd brings up an interesting point that casts an even darker shadow over the outcome.
Luka Doncic got called for three personal fouls in the first quarter but played all 12 minutes.
He had four fouls with 4:24 to go in the second quarter despite not coming in until there was 6:31 remaining. He then got just 53 seconds into the third quarter before he caught his fifth personal and would not return until just about three minutes into the fourth.
Wasted opportunities are highlighting the Atlanta Hawks deficiencies this season
The score was 51-56 Mavs when Doncic went out. It was 80-78, Mavericks when he returned. Yes, the Hawks cut the deficit by three points. But the fact that they could not overtake Dallas with its best played off the floor is a disappointment. At least it is on the surface until you realize Dallas has a better offensive rating without Doncic this season.
That’s almost inconceivable when you consider the run Doncic has been on of late averaging 34.3 points on 51.9 percent shooting and 37.8 percent from three-point range with 12.0 assists and 9.3 rebounds over his last four games.
Thanks to his foul trouble, the Hawks “held” him to 18 points on 35.3 percent shooting overall and 33.3 percent from deep.
He still notched a triple-double though.
Dallas got 22 points out of Jalen Brunson despite him also having five fouls while Trey Burke pitched in as well. The difference may have been Reggie Bullock, who hit 6-of-10 threes en route to 22 points of his own. But many of the open looks Dallas got were the result of guys being out of position trying to stop dribble penetration.
This is just a small example of why they have continued to monitor the trade market, most recently for a point-of-attack defender like Josh Hart.
Another is the fact that they went 1-for-9 outside the paint (0-for-5 3P) in the fourth quarter and shot just 5-for-20 from deep in the game while Trae Young had an off-night shooting. He finished with 17 points and 11 assists but shot just 31.6 percent overall and was 0-for-6 from three.
They wasted a 22-point, 18-board outing from John Collins.
Atlanta’s offense still goes into the tank without Young on the floor or at peak performance. Their 107.4 offensive rating when he is off of the floor would rank 25th in the NBA.
Dallas’ offensive rating is 16th with Doncic and 15th without.
Whether that means the Hawks need even more offense and three-point shooting in particular or another player capable of breaking down the defense consistently – the Mavs shift to the zone gave them fits – remains to be seen but something has to give.
They also dropped games when facing backup backcourt in Portland and Los Angeles not long ago.
The Hawks next game is Tuesday against the Indiana Pacers who have already begun their selloff. They have just five games before the All-Star break and 29 games left in the season.