After an unusual scoreless first quarter, Luka Doncic finished with 25 points, and the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Atlanta Hawks 109-95 on Thursday night to maintain their exclusive position in fifth place in the Western Conference.
Kyrie Irving led the Mavericks to their 12th victory in 14 games as they began an uncommon three-game home stand over the course of four days. Doncic finished with 12 rebounds and eight assists.
After completing its longest road trip of the season—five games—Dallas, which secured a postseason berth, was rested.
Coach Jason Kidd remarked, “We were a little tired, first game back after a long road trip.” However, I felt that the trust and chemistry were returning. Although it was not elegant, we completed the task at hand.
The Warriors’ assistant coach Dejan Milojevic passed away in January, which caused to the postponement of a scheduled game against Golden State and the adjusted home schedule.
Friday night’s visit from Golden State marks the conclusion of a back-to-back for both clubs. The Warriors are fresh off a 133-110 triumph in Houston, which was a significant step toward securing a berth in the West play-in round.
Golden State’s visit was postponed three nights in order to accommodate Dallas’s game versus Atlanta, which was moved ahead one day. This made it possible for the Mavs to play their rescheduled game in California on Tuesday, which the Warriors won 104-100.
The Mavericks have the tiebreaker over the Suns and are one game ahead of Phoenix, which is the only team in the West with a definite postseason position.
Realistic contenders for the No. 6 spot include Sacramento, New Orleans, and the Los Angeles Lakers. On Thursday night, the Mavs were joined by the Suns and Pelicans in securing top-10 positions.
The Hawks, who secured a position in the play-in tournament in the East, are vying with Chicago for the remaining two spots as the ninth and tenth seeds. Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 17 points, while Dejounte Murray contributed 16.
After cutting Dallas’ advantage from 17 points in the third quarter to seven early in the fourth, the Hawks prevented Atlanta from drawing any closer with a scoring drought that lasted more than five minutes. The Hawks scored 120 points a game the previous seven games, matching their season low.
Quin Snyder, the Hawks’ coach, remarked, “They are good defensively.” I believe that we are less likely to attack a certain defense everytime we are able to move the ball and switch sides. That occasionally may be a factor in it.
After receiving his second foul less than six minutes into the game, Doncic recorded his second scoreless first quarter and his fewest minutes in the quarter this season.
The league scoring leader and MVP candidate scored 16 points in the second quarter to lead Dallas to a 65-57 advantage. He finished the first half with an intentional bank on a wing 3-pointer to cap a 10-0 run.
P.J. Washington scored eight of his 19 points in the opening quarter, while Irving stabilized the Mavericks with eight points in each of the first two quarters.
Kidd stated, “Luka gets into foul trouble.” “This is an excellent scenario that might occur in a major match. It might occur during the postseason. Someone else needs to take the lead.
With 2:41 left, Washington drew both teams’ scoreless 3:17 run to an end with his fifth 3-pointer, giving them a 105-93 advantage.
Washington, a midseason trade addition who was brought in to help with defense and three-point shooting, is hitting 44% from long range in six games after shooting just 16% in his previous eight games.
Washington stated, “I have been in the gym working on my shot, obviously.” “For me, it is just stepping into it confidently and making sure my footwork is correct.”