Mavericks Outlast Hawks in Back-and-Forth Contest
The Dallas Mavericks beat the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night 120-119. The Mavericks trailed by as much as 15 points early in the game but were able to keep it close down the stretch before eventually running away with it in the fourth quarter.
There were nine ties and 13 lead changes in the game, but the Mavs were able to take a 10-point lead in the fourth and never gave it up.
After leading the Mavericks with 27 points last night against the Miami Heat, Kyrie Irving was once again the hero, leading the Luka-less Mavs with 32 points. He hit four 3-point shots in the fourth quarter alone.
Nov 25, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) drives to the basket against the Atlanta Hawks in the second quarter at State Farm Arena.
© Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Atlanta's scoring effort was led by Jalen Johnson's 28 points. Trae Young, who will forever be linked to Luka Doncic after being traded to the Hawks for the Slovenian superstar on draft night, added 18 points of his own, and led the game with a whopping 16 assists, continuing to lead the league in dimes.
In the last matchup on Saturday, Spencer Dinwiddie went 0-9 from behind the arc, drawing some sharp criticism. He bounced back, scoring 22 points on 4-7 shooting from deep in 35 minutes.
Klay Thompson missed the game with a foot injury, compounding the Mavericks' recent injury struggles, but Naji Marshall rose to the occasion. After being Dallas' most reliable bench scorer, he was given his fifth start of the season and did not disappoint, scoring an efficient 22 points.
The Mavs' bench combined for 39 points in large part thanks to Dinwiddie. There should be some optimism that the depth will continue to be a positive factor moving forward.
After the back-to-back, Dallas will only have one day to catch their breath before taking on the New York Knicks on Wednesday.
