Things are going downhill fast.
The Atlanta Hawks lost their fourth game in five games as they were defeated by the Dallas Mavericks 129-119. The Hawks are now 4-5 on the season at State Farm Arena.
The Mavericks came into the game on a second night of a back-to-back after losing in overtime to the Miami Heat in their first game. The Mavericks were also without Luka Doncic, who scored 73 points in his last game at State Farm arena.
It was an unfortunate loss for the Hawks as they have returned most of their key players from injuries.
The Hawks started the game by outscoring the Mavericks in the first half, and they took a six-point edge into the break. Dyson Daniels and others had held Kyrie Irving to 10 points one poor shooting at the half.
Daniels had a strong overall game as he finished the game with 17 points. Jalen Johnson contuined his strong start to the season as he had his fourth double-double in five games as he finished the game with 28 points and 11 rebounds. Johnson is now averaging 19.9 points and 10.4 rebounds per game on the season.
Trae Young had his seventh game of the season with 12 or more assists in the game. Young is currently the NBA league leader in assists with 11.9 per game. He added 18 points and 16 assists to his stat line in the loss.
Top overall pick Zaccharie Risacher has struggled offensively in the last two games, as he finished with four points against the Bulls and five in last night game against the Mavericks. Bogdan Bogdanovic had another strong effort off the bench with 18 points.
The Hawks struggled on three-pointers against the Mavericks as they shot 29% on the field compared to the Mavs’ 45.7%. The Mavericks also outscored the Hawks in fastbreak points 21-10.
The Hawks honored the late Dikembe Mutombo at halftime as several family members and former teammates were in attendance. During the halftime celebration there was a video presentation displaying Mutombo’s basketball achievements and some of his humanitarian work.
The Hawks will look to rebound against the best NBA team based on win-loss record — the Cleveland Cavalries — in their next two games on Wednesday and Friday.