Mavs vs. Hawks: Game Preview, Injury Report, Betting Odds
It's early to declare one game as a “must-win” with the season just past the halfway point, but after three straight losses, the Dallas Mavericks need a win in the worst way when they face the Atlanta Hawks on Friday.
After a strong start, things have split at the seams for the Mavs, as a poor third quarter doomed them in a 132-109 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday at the American Airlines Center. During Dallas' three-game skid vs. the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics and Suns, it has allowed 126 points per game.
Luka Doncic and Trae Young
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
"We just got to be more physical – that’s it," Luka Doncic said of the Mavs' defensive woes. "I think when we play physical 48 minutes it’s hard to beat us. We got to play physically without fouling.”
The Hawks are in the same boat as they flirt between keeping their core together or going through a mini-rebuild. Atlanta has also lost three in a row, all in one-sided fashion, as it has lost by an average of 19.33 points per loss.
The Hawks and Mavericks will forever be bonded by the draft-day trade that they made in 2018 that landed Doncic with Dallas and Trae Young with Atlanta. Now, they're battling to get back in the win column as the season threatens to slip away for each team.
Here's everything you need to know heading into tonight's game.
Injury Reports:
Mavs:
Questionable: Kyrie Irving (right thumb sprain)
Probable: Maxi Kleber (right small toe dislocation)
Out: Dwight Powell (left eye corneal abrasion), Greg Brown III (G League) and Olivier-Maxence Prosper (G League)
Hawks:
Questionable: Trae Young (concussion protocol), Clint Capela (left calf contusion), Bruno Fernando (left lower back spasms) and Wesley Matthews (right calf strain).
Out: Mouhamed Gueye (right lower back stress fracture), De'Andre Hunter (right knee inflammation) and Vit Krejci (left shoulder subluxation).
RECORDS: Mavs (24-20) vs. Hawks (18-26)
WHEN & WHERE: Jan. 26, 2024 at State Farm Arena. Tip-off at 6 p.m. CT
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN: Bally Sports Southwest, NBA League Pass, 97.1 The Freak
BETTING ODDS: Mavs are 1.5-point favorites over the Hawks.
FINAL WORD: "Every time I'm there, I remember when I was a kid. I always tried to watch the All-Star game, but my parents wouldn't let me. It was like 3:00 a.m., I had school," Doncic said of being named an All-Star on Inside the NBA. "I just wanted to be in the NBA, that was all. In my first year, I didn't know what to expect or where I was going to be, but I was just happy to be here and to play basketball at the highest level."
