Atlanta Hawks at Dallas Mavericks Preview
Preview
Let me take you back to Opening Night of the 2021-22 NBA Season. An exhausted Luka Doncic sat on the bench and watched as the Hawks completed a 113-87 rout of the Mavericks.
Trae Young scored 19 points and dropped 14 assists. Some of those dimes went to the team's leading scorer, Cam Reddish, who poured in 21 points in 20 minutes. The Hawks looked like world-beaters, and the Mavericks looked out of sorts.
That's why it's an 82-game season. Since that time, the Hawks have struggled to reach .500, and the Mavericks are working to secure a solid seeding in the Western Conference Playoffs.
The Mavericks still play at the next-to-last slowest pace in the NBA. Luka Donic pokes and prods opposing defenses until he gets to his spots on the floor. The All-Star guard averages 26.2 points and 9.1 assists per game. While the Mavericks offense is still a work in progress, they possess a top-five defensive rating that wins them games.
On the other hand, the Hawks have an inconsistent defense that costs them games. But their offense remains one of the best in the NBA. Despite rules changes targeted directly at Trae Young, the Hawks point guard is enjoying a career season. Young averages 27.9 points and 9.3 assists per game.
Since MLK Day, the Hawks have won eight of ten games. To avoid the play-in games, they must continue playing at the level. Even more important, they need their roster to be healthy. With time running out before the February 10 trade deadline, this is one of the final two games that general manager Travis Schlenk gets to see before making a decision on some of these players.
Injury Report
The Dallas Mavericks will be without Kristaps Porzingis (knee), Tim Hardaway (foot), and Sterling Brown (foot). Additionally, Maxi Kleber (knee) is questionable.
The Atlanta Hawks injury report lists John Collins (right heel discomfort), Danilo Gallinari (right hamstring tightness), and Lou Williams (left hamstring tension) as questionable.
Odds
SI Sportsbook lists the Mavericks as 2.5-point favorites, and the over/under is set at 220.5. Not only has Luka Doncic has been on fire for the past month, but the Hawks have been bad on the road this season. They are 6-11 as road underdogs. The Mavericks are the safer bet.
As always, I'll be live-tweeting the game and back here later with your post-game wrap-up. Stay locked into Sports Illustrated's AllHawks.com for breaking news, highlights, and analysis.
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