The Atlanta Hawks’ next four games will all be against either NBA Cup opponents and/or teams currently en route to the playoffs. One of those opponents will be shorthanded, something the Hawks know all about.
Fans of the eternal Trae Young-Luka Doncic debate will have to wait at least until April when the Hawks visit the Dallas Mavericks to see the two stars on the floor together.
Doncic is set to miss at least the next week with a wrist injury.
“The Dallas Mavericks announced today that an MRI revealed a right wrist sprain for guard Luka Dončić. Dončić sustained the injury during the Mavericks’ game against New Orleans on Tuesday,” Mavs PR posted on X on November 21.
“Dončić will be reevaluated in one week.”
Luka Doncic on how he feels physically after not playing against OKc due to a knee contusion:
— Noah Weber (@noahweber00) November 20, 2024
“Good. Just a little recovery, so I feel a little bit better…”
He later talked about how he hurt his wrist in the first quarter, but said it’s “nothing serious.” pic.twitter.com/6bCDsIw4t1
“I don't know , honestly,” Doncic told reporters on November 20. “Started feeling it in the first quarter, but then it just got worse. But nothing serious.”
The Hawks host the Mavericks on Monday.
Hawks to dodge bullet with Luka Doncic sidelined for Mavericks
Doncic has averaged 28.6 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 8.0 assists in 10 career games against the Hawks. But he is just 5-4 in his nine head-to-head matchups against Young, for whom he was traded in 2018.
A five-time All-Star, Doncic is averaging a 28.1/7.6/7.6 line through 14 appearances this season.
The Mavericks won the only game they have played without him to this point of the season. But they were 4-8 without him in 2023-24.
Even with Doncic sidelined, this will not be a pushover matchup. The Mavs still have Kyrie Irving playing at an All-Star level, averaging 24.3 PPG, 5.2 APG, and 4.4 RPG with 1.3 steals for good measure.
They also have Klay Thompson. He is averaging 14.0 PPG and shooting 37% from downtown.
Dallas ranks just 18th in three-point efficiency this season. But the Hawks have the worst perimeter defense in the league, allowing opponents to shoot an NBA-high 39.4% on triples.
Conversely, opponents have shot just 33.9% from long distance against the Mavs. That is the second-best mark in the entire league behind only the Western Conference-leading Golden State Warriors.
The Hawks rank 19th in three-point efficiency.
The rest of their schedule remains daunting. Matchups against the Chicago Bulls bookend a stretch that includes a home-and-home against the East-leading Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Hawks will host the Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies, and Minnesota Timberwolves and visit the Milwaukee Bucks and San Antonio Spurs before Christmas.
Fortunately for the Hawks, eight of their next 13 games are at home in State Farm Arena.