ATLANTA — Kyrie Irving put on a shooting clinic in the fourth quarter Monday night in leading the Dallas Mavericks to a 129-119 victory over the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena.
Irving scored 16 of his game-high 32 points in the game’s final 8:25 – some of them in dazzling fashion — and the Mavs rode his hot hand to a victory that increased their record to 10-8. In putting the finishing touches on this road trip with a 2-1 record, the Mavs will head home to host the New York Knicks on Wednesday.
With a few players out battling injuries and illnesses, the Mavs shook that off and rallied from a 13-point deficit to hold off the Hawks, who dropped to 7-11. It was a gut-check type of game form the Mavs, who were nursing a 109-107 lead when Irving decided it was time for him to shift into another gear.
With the sellout crowd of 17,186 on pins and needles, Irving drained three-pointer after three-pointer after third-pointer to pad the Mavs’ lead to 118-109 with 5:25 remaining in the game. Shortly after a P.J. Washington bucket from downtown stretched Dallas’ lead to 121-111, Irving fed Maxi Kleber for a dunk and a 123-115 lead.
From there, Spencer Dinwiddie scored before the 24-seocnd shot clock expired, Jaden Hardy nailed a tough shot inside the paint, and Irving drove down the lane for an uncontested basket to give the Mavs a 129-119 lead with 49.4 seconds to go.
Other than Irving, the Mavs got a season-high 23 points and three steals from Hardy, and 22 points apiece from Naji Marshall and Dinwiddie. Also, Washington finished with 11 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks, and Daneil Gafford added 10 points, nine rebounds and two blocks.
Jalen Johnson led the Hawks with 28 points and 11 rebounds, Trae Young finished with 18Bogdanovic tallied 18 points. Also, the Hawks got 17 points form Dyson Daniels, and 12 points from Clint Capela.
It’s the first tine since Jan. 29 of last season against Orlando that the Mavs had four players score at least 20 points in the same game.
Luka Doncic (right wrist sprain), Klay Thompson (left plantar fasciitis) and Quentin Grimes (illness) all sat out Monday’s game. Also, Dereck Lively II missed the second half with an illness.
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