The Atlanta Hawks were at home on Monday evening to take on the Dallas Mavericks. After a week-long road trip finishing 1-3, the Hawks were probably excited to be back home in front of their fans.
A plus for the Hawks is that they got Vit Krejci, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Kobe Bufkin back from injury, which means this is one of the first time that the team will be healthy to start the season.
The Hawks knocked down a few early three-pointers, courtesy of Jalen Johnson and Dyson Daniels.
Bogdan Bogdanovic pulled a few tricks out of his bag, going behind the back for the layup in transition.
The Hawks kept the lead throughout the first quarter and led by as much as 13 points until the Mavericks made a run late to cut their deficit down to three points.
Going into the second quarter, the Mavericks closed the Hawks’ deficit even more and ended up getting the lead. Trae Young was able to get to his patent floater and get the foul call.
The Hawks turned defense into offense late in the second, as they attempted to regain the lead. Through the season, teams have been able to go on runs late in the half, but the Hawks were able to do so on their own this time around and ended up getting the lead going into halftime. Young and Johnson connected for this alley-oop which helped them get a 67-61 to end the first half.
The Hawks came out in the second half how they finished the first, going on a 10-5 run to get their lead back to double digits. Young found Zaccharie Risacher multiple times early in the quarter for five easy points.
The Mavericks stormed back in the quarter, as the Hawks went flat again on offense. Going into the fourth quarter, the Mavericks led 96-95.
The Hawks came out in the fourth and hit a few shots to get the lead, but the Mavericks answered back with a few shots of their own. Kyrie Irving went on a run of his own midway through the fourth, and it was always as if he couldn’t miss a shot.
Down 10 points, the Hawks tried to battle back late in the quarter, but the Mavericks had an answer for everything that they did. In the end, the Hawks couldn’t overcome the flurry of Irving’s shots late, and they ended up losing the game.
Johnson finished with 28 points and 11 rebounds, Young finished with 18 points and 16 assists, and Daniels finished with 17 points.
The Hawks will be back in action against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday.
