Hawks Top Mavericks Behind Collins' Monster Effort

John Collins had one of his best games of the season in a 111-107 win over the Mavs on Saturday.

The Hawks won their second consecutive game on Saturday night, edging out the Dallas Mavericks by a 111-107. Though Dallas was without Luka Dončić and Kristaps Porzingis (and, eventually, Jalen Brunson), the Mavs jumped on the Hawks early and led by 14 after the first quarter. 

Despite sluggish first and third quarters, the Hawks found enough life in the second and fourth quarters to turn the game their way and improve to 2-0 since the All-Star break. Atlanta made a 15-2 run midway through the fourth period to even up the game at 92, and after several baskets from Trae Young and John Collins and a few Dallas miscues, took its first lead of the game with 5:24 remaining in the game. 

The Hawks outscored Dallas 15-12 from that point, leaning heavily on Collins and Young to secure the win. Collins was dominant inside, pouring in a season-high 35 points, 17 rebounds, and two blocked shots. His presence around the rim at both ends of the floor both stifled the Mavs' offense and kept Atlanta's alive. 

"He played really hard today," Young said. "He’s played really hard these last two games, so it’s good to see him do that." 

Young finished with 25 points and 10 assists despite starting the game slow, and scored a game-high 13 points and four assists in the fourth quarter alone. His aggression in the final frame set up two key putback buckets from Collins and Dewayne Dedmon, while his shooting flummoxed a Mavericks defense that defended him quite well through three quarters. 

"Definitely some big plays from [Young] down the stretch in the fourth quarter," Collins said. "He always comes up clutch, and I feel like he helped us out a lot." 

Tim Hardaway Jr. led the Mavs with 33 points on 11-of-22 shooting while Seth Curry had 22 points, six rebounds, and five assists. Dallas began the game on fire from beyond the arc, but slowed down as Atlanta's defense and regression to the mean caught up. The Hawks outscored Dallas 34-21 in the final frame, mustering timely baskets and key stops when they most needed them. 

"We knew we could guard them and we knew how to guard them," Collins said. "It was just a matter of us tightening up a little bit and taking a look in the mirror, and I think we did that and got some stops down the stretch." 

The Hawks are now 17-41 on the season, with two wins in as many games since the All-Star break. They will travel to Philadelphia on Monday for their third game of the season against the 76ers at 7:00.