The Atlanta Hawks and Dallas Mavericks are both playing a lot better after tough starts to the season. Atlanta has won eight of its last ten games coming into Friday night’s tilt with Toronto, while Dallas is 13-5 since New Year’s Eve. Trae Young and Luka Doncic are two of the brightest young stars in the league, and they will be forever linked after the draft day trade between these teams in 2018.
Atlanta Hawks at Dallas Mavericks
When: Sunday, February 6, 2022, 6 p.m. ET
Where: American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
TV: ESPN
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Trae Young was superb in Atlanta’s upset win over Phoenix on Thursday night. He led the Hawks with 43 points to put a stop to the Suns’ 11-game winning streak. Young went 16-25 from the floor and 6-11 from beyond the arc, and Atlanta knocked down 48.8% of its triples in the victory.
Dallas was superb for a month to move into the top six in the Western Conference. The Mavericks have bene underwhelming in their last two games though, losing to Orlando and Oklahoma City despite big games from Luka Doncic. Donkic has three straight 30+ point games and four straight 10+ assist games heading into Dallas’ game with Philadelphia on Friday.
What to Watch
These teams met in the season opener on Thursday, October 21. Atlanta cruised to a 113-87 win over Dallas in that game, as the Mavericks shot just 33.3% from the floor. Jalen Brunson was the only good offensive option for the Mavericks, while Trae Young had 19 points and 14 assists in the win.
Young has had a very good season for the Hawks. He had a breakout performance in last year’s playoffs, and he has carried that into this season. That led to Young being named a starter for the All-Star Game. He is averaging 27.7 PPG and 9.3 APG while getting to the free throw line often.
John Collins has played well too. Collins is averaging 16.7 PPG and 7.9 RPG for the Hawks. He is making almost 54% of his field goals and is able to stretch the floor by making 39.3% of his treys.
Atlanta has one of the better offenses in the NBA. The Hawks rank seventh in effective field goal percentage and third in three-point shooting. They have six rotation players that are knocking down at least 37% of their threes, so defenses can’t really close out on one or two shooters. Their defense has been lacking though, leading to their 25-26 record.
Luka Doncic did not play well at the start of the season. He came into the year overweight and out of shape, but he has started to show the Doncic that has made him an All-Star for the last three years. However, he continues to struggle from behind the three-point line although he is a triple-double machine that is averaging 26.0 PPG, 8.8 RPG and 8.9 APG.
The lack of a second star player has kept the Mavericks from being a true contender. Dallas rolled the dice with Kristaps Porzingis, but his injury issues and defensive woes have kept him from reaching the next level. Jalen Brunson is a reliable backcourt player though, and Maxi Kleber can stretch the court with his range.
Dallas has not been great on offense, but the Mavericks rank third in the NBA in scoring defense. They don’t play at a high tempo, yet they will pick up the pace against an Atlanta team that has trouble picking up players on defense.
Atlanta Hawks at Dallas Mavericks Free Pick
Doncic and Young will trade blows in a back-and-forth game that finishes with plenty of points.
Hawks at Mavericks Best Bet: Over
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