Mavs End Losing Streak in 122-116 Win Over Hawks
The Dallas Mavericks got back to their winning ways on Wednesday night, going on the road to defeat the Atlanta Hawks 122-116 at State Farm Arena.
It was a long time coming for Dallas, who had been winless since a January 22 road trip to San Antonio.
“It wasn’t perfect,” Luka Doncic said. “We got a win. That’s all that matters to me. We were so happy after the game. It’s been a tough stretch.”
Not perfect for Dallas indeed, but Doncic himself was once again at the forefront of his team's success, scoring 27 points to go along with eight rebounds and 14 assists. Doncic finished the game just 8-of-20 from the floor and 1-of-5 from three, but managed to hit 10 out of 10 from the line.
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Doncic was also helped by the re-emergence of Kristaps Porzingis, who finished with 24 points and 11 rebounds on 50-percent shooting, which was good for arguably his best game of the season.
Not to mention the play of Tim Hardaway Jr., who was brought off of the bench by head coach Rick Carlisle for the third time this season. Hardaway added 22 points on 8-of-15 shooting in 30 minutes.
“Let’s just do it and get it done and just win ball games,” Hardaway said. “That’s what I want to be a part of, a winning team, a winning culture, so whatever it takes.”
Even still, it was anything but an easy win for Dallas, which surrendered 35 points and 12 rebounds to John Collins, 21 points apiece to Trae Young and Kevin Huerter, as well as 19 points to Danilo Gallinari off of the bench.
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The Mavs also got bullied a bit by center Clint Capela, who scored 10 points to go along with 14 rebounds and three blocked shots.
Luckily for the Mavs, who were outshot by Atlanta both overall from the field and from three, the turnovers made all the difference, as the Hawks turned the ball over 16 times, to just 10 giveaways for Dallas.
Now with a win in their back pocket, and their losing streak finally broken, Dallas (9-13) will have a quick turnaround, as they head back home to face Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors (11-10) in the first of two matchups between the two teams this week.
Luckily for the Mavs, they can forge ahead with a type of momentum that only comes with a win... something they haven't had in nearly two weeks of action.
“Winning is huge,” Carlisle said. “It makes a big difference. Things are very upbeat right now.”
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