Luka Doncic's Dallas Mavs Overcome Slow Start to Handily Defeat Atlanta Hawks

The Mavs overcome a slow start from Luka Doncic to achieve a double figure victory over the Hawks.

Apr 4, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) knocks the ball away from / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

DALLAS — Returning home for a three-game stretch, the Dallas Mavericks (46-30) defeated the Atlanta Hawks (36-41) with a final score of 109-95 on Thursday night. Entering the game, Atlanta had won six of its last seven games, while the Mavs improved to 12-2 in their last 14 games with the win.

It was a sluggish start for the Mavs, who are coming off a five-game Western Conference road trip that featured multiple back-and-forth trips to Northern California that ended with Tuesday's loss against the Golden State Warriors. The momentum shifted when Dallas scored 40 points in the second quarter to take control of the game entering halftime.

Apr 4, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) knocks the ball away from / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

On the night, Luka Doncic finished with 25 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists, while Kyrie Irving added 26 points and five rebounds. Dallas received 39 combined points from the rest of the starting lineup, including P.J. Washington's 19 points and Derrick Jones Jr.'s 14 points. It was an uncharacteristically inefficient performance for Dallas offensively, shooting 40.4% from the floor and 36.7% from beyond the arc while turning it over 14 times.

With Trae Young sidelined, the Mavs received five double-figure scoring performances, but Bogdan Bogdanovic's 17 points were the highest-scoring outing. Atlanta was held to shooting just 40.0% overall and 34.2% from deep with 21 turnovers. It was the third-lowest scoring total by a Mavs opponent this season, and it was the eighth time Dallas held the opposition to score 100 or fewer points.

“We were good. I think a few times out there, we had a few breakdowns. But the stats reflect kind of how hard we were playing," Irving said. "One of the toughest games to win is [one] coming off a long road trip so we definitely answered that call tonight. [I’m] proud of the guys. We really battled tonight."

The Mavs briefly held the lead after going up 10-9 but mostly spent the first quarter playing from behind. With Doncic held scoreless on 0-5 shooting from the floor and three turnovers in the opening period, Dallas trailed 31-25 entering the second period. Atlanta was much more aggressive in pick-and-roll coverage than the frequent soft switching utilized in their previous encounter, where Doncic scored a historic 73 points.

Irving and Washington provided a needed scoring punch amidst Doncic's slower-than-usual start amidst early foul trouble, with both players scoring in double figures in the opening period. The Slovenian superstar started the second quarter after Irving orchestrated the bench group to close the first quarter. Despite this, Atlanta was up 35-28 early in the second frame, but the Mavs rallied to cut it to 35-33.

"That's why it's called "the Mavericks" — it's a team. Luka gets in foul trouble. This is a great scenario, could happen in a big game, it could happen in the playoffs," Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. "Someone else has to step up. Bringing Kai back early, he takes the reins. Exum and those guys fall into place and help us get back in the game. I thought the tempo was at a high. We just couldn't make shots there.

"Again, just staying the course, trust, the ball is touching the paint. We tried to get out and run. Give the Hawks credit there; early on they were making 3s," Kidd explained. "We tried to get them off the 3-point line, but they did a good job of making them. This is a team. Being able as role players to pick up your stars like they did tonight, is big."

Doncic finally got on the board with 10:06 left in the second quarter using a step-back 3-pointer. He began to heat up, following it up with an and-one finish in the paint after using a crafty shot fake. He later had another step-back from beyond the arc, and then a drive of the catch as a transition trailer netted him a right-handed layup. After this scoring wave, he broke double figures with 11 points.

After Doncic connected with Tim Hardaway Jr. for a catch-and-shot 3-pointer followed by a throw-ahead pass for a transition catch and finish, the Mavs used the five-point surge to take a 55-52 advantage late in the second quarter. Both teams traded made baskets for a stretch until Dallas went on a 10-0 run to close the half, setting up a 65-57 advantage. Irving and Doncic continued to make timely plays, including a miraculous one-handed shot from Doncic that he banked in for the team's final points of the period.

"They were coming off a back-to-back so we kind of knew that they would eventually run into some gas problems or some depth problems," Irving said. "They ran into some foul trouble as well. De’Andre Hunter was out of the game [with foul trouble]. So, it was a big stretch in the game where we had to make our run and make our push. I’m grateful we did that.”

Coming out of the break, the Hawks were more aggressive in blitzing in ball screen coverage, whether Doncic or Irving handled the ball. Dallas played more out of the pocket in short rolls, used more handoff actions, and pushed the pace in transition.

For his third assist in just the initial 3:31 of the third quarter, a throw-ahead pass from Washington to Derrick Jones Jr. in transition led to an emphatic dunk, pushing the Mavs' lead to 73-62. It was the first double-figure lead of the game. A stretch that involved three consecutive step-back 3-pointers from Doncic pushed Dallas up by 16 and boosted his scoring total to 25.

The Hawks cut into the Mavs' lead early in the fourth quarter despite Doncic and Irving being on the floor. Atlanta scored the initial six points of the period, making it 93-86. Dallas managed to break the game open late in the final period but remained in the lead throughout the period.

When Irving returned after a brief rest, there was 4:56 remaining in regulation, with Dallas leading 102-93. The Mavs maintained a comfortable advantage and used a transition 3-pointer from Washington after Doncic found him on the pass to regain a double-figure edge.

As a result of achieving the victory, the Mavs clinched a play-in tournament spot. The team currently ranks fifth in the Western Conference standings with the hope of still earning home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

“Shoot man, I’ve got a meme in my photos as you know that professional athletes love memes that the media puts out. ESPN gave us a grade D for the trade of me coming here," Irving said. "I think us clinching a play-in spot and putting ourselves in a great position definitely answers some of those questions that were asked last season by some of the naysayers and all of that stuff. It’s a great moment to again answer those questions and succeed in clinching a play-in spot.”

Looking ahead, the Mavs will take on the Warriors in a rematch on Friday after previously losing to them at Chase Center on Tuesday.