All Hawks

Dallas Mavericks Defeat Atlanta Hawks 103-94

The Hawks are now 25-28.

Pat Benson

© Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
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Recap

Neither of the two marquee players in tonight's matchup played their best. All-Stars Trae Young and Luka Doncic both could have done some things better. Young shot 6-19 (0-6 3PT) for 17 points. Doncic got in foul trouble early and spent 20 minutes on the bench before eventually finishing with a triple-double.

The difference-maker tonight was the Mavericks picked up the slack when Doncic was largely absent from the game. Jaylen Brunson and Reggie Bullocked led the team with 22 points each. The Mavericks did most of their damage from behind the arc, shooting 16-36 (44.4%) from three.

The Hawks' cold-shooting carried over from their loss at Toronto. Tonight, they shot 38.9% from the field and a head-scratching 20% from three. The only bright spot for the Hawks tonight was their above-average defense and the stellar play of John Collins, who led the way with 22 points and 18 rebounds.

The Hawks outscored the Mavericks in the paint 56-32, but it wasn't enough. Clint Capela scored 8 points in the first half but zero in the second half. Kevin Huerter scored 11 points in the first half and zero points in the second half. 

For the first time in recent memory, the Hawks bench provided zero lift. Bogdan Bogdanovic finally cooled off, scoring just 5 points. Onyeka Okongwu and Delon Wright played solid defense as always, but not much offensive production.

Post-Game Interviews

Hawks head coach Nate McMillan was visibly displeased after the game. "I thought they out-scrapped us the entire game. I thought they just wanted it more. The urgency for the 48 minutes - they came with more urgency and played with more urgency. It wasn't just the fourth quarter. They pretty much controlled the game throughout."

McMillan wasn't happy with the team's poor offensive showing. "I thought we settled. I thought we settled throughout the game, right from the start. I felt it was a team we could attack and get into the paint, but we settled for the long-ball tonight."

If the Hawks didn't feel urgency tonight, it wasn't because their coach lacked it. McMillan called the game a missed opportunity. "It's too late in the season to let these games slip away. We have to be better. We have to be hungrier. And come out and take these games, and play with the execution in order to do so."

Trae Young agreed (mostly) with his coach's assessment. "Yeah, I think we definitely had a missed opportunity, but we didn't shoot the ball great tonight."

Young took ownership of his poor shooting performance. "I didn't shoot it [the ball] good at all tonight. But I feel like I had a lot of really good looks and open shots that I normally hit. So, to be honest, I wish I could get them back and knock it down."

The Hawks next game is Tuesday night against the Indiana Pacers in State Farm Arena. As always, we will have plenty of content for you between now and then. Thank you for your continued support of Sports Illustrated's AllHawks.com.

Luka Doncic / © Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) reacts to a foul call during the second quarter against the Atlanta Hawks at the American Airlines Center.

Luka Doncic / © Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) defends against Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) defends during the first quarter at the American Airlines Center.

Trae Young / © Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) defends against Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) during the first quarter at the American Airlines Center.

Trae Young / © Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) argues a call during the second quarter against the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center.

Danilo Gallinari / © Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Atlanta Hawks forward Danilo Gallinari (8) dunks the ball against the Dallas Mavericks during the second quarter at the American Airlines Center.

Marquese Chriss / © Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Dallas Mavericks forward Marquese Chriss (32) dunks the ball against the Atlanta Hawks during the second quarter at the American Airlines Center.

Trae Young / © Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) waits for play to resume against the Atlanta Hawks during the second quarter at the American Airlines Center.

Stats

Hawks Leaders

John Collins - 22 PTS, 18 REB

Trae Young - 17 PTS, 11 AST

De'Andre Hunter - 14 PTS, 6 REB

Mavericks Leaders

Reggie Bullock - 22 PTS, 9 REB

Jaylen Brunson - 22 PTS, 5 REB

Luka Doncic - 18 PTS, 11 AST, 10 REB

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Published
Pat Benson
PAT BENSON

Pat Benson covers the Atlanta Hawks for Sports Illustrated's All Hawks. He has covered the NBA for several years and is the author of "Kobe Bryant's Sneaker History (1996-2020)".

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