The Dallas Mavericks have their first game under head coach Jason Kidd completely in the sand and went down 87: 113 against the Atlanta Hawks, who convinced with a strong defense and a deep bench.
Luka Doncic didn’t get off to a good start to the season with 18 points (6/17 FG, 2/7 3P), 11 rebounds and 7 assists in 5 turnovers, his plus / minus of -24 was also the worst of all players. In the same number of minutes, his co-star Kristaps Porzingis would probably have exceeded that, the Latvian only hit 4/13 from the field for 11 points, 5 rebounds and 2 blocks with 4 turnovers.
On the other hand, Trae Young’s throw was not constant (6/16 FG, 2/5 3P), but he distributed 14 assists and made his teammates look good. Coming from the bench, Cam Reddish advanced to the top scorer of the game (20, 7/15 FG, 3/4 3P), Clint Capela put on his usual efficient double-double (12, 6/6 FG, 13 rebounds).
Jalen Brunson (17, 7/13 FG, 3/5 3P) held something against it for Dallas, but was unable to compensate for the total loss of the Mavs front court. As a reservist, Maxi Kleber contributed 3 points (1/4 3P) in 17 minutes.
With the win, the Hawks made it impressively clear that they are going into the new season with greatly improved depth. Neither the injured Danilo Gallinari, Lou Williams and Onyeka Okungwo nor the rookies Jalen Johnson and Sharife Cooper played before the garbage time.
Cam Reddish ensures quick guidance
Dallas started well with a 10-2 lead, but missed the next seven throws from the field, giving Atlanta a 12-0 run. At the end of the first quarter, the greatest difference in strength in the game came to light for the first time. With Luka Doncic on the bench, the Mavericks’ offense came to a standstill again and again, whereas Kevin Huerter and Cam Reddish were successfully leading the second unit at this point.
Reddish was 12 points early in the second quarter, giving the Hawks their first double-digit lead. Until the break (51:44 for Atlanta), the Mavs stayed on their opponents’ heels.
In the middle of the third quarter, however, the Hawks managed another 10-0 run, with which they moved away to +21. At this point, Young personally ended every attempt to catch up by the Mavs, including being fouled in a threesome. Dallas went into the last section 18 points behind, and the team couldn’t get any closer.
The most important statistics
Atlanta Hawks (1-0) vs. Dallas Mavericks (0-1) 113:87 (BOXSCORE)
- The Mavericks had to work hard to earn every single point against the Hawks. The box score also confirms this impression: 2 (8 for Atlanta) points with a second chance, 7 (11) in the fast break and only 26 (46) in the zone. Despite the weak rate of 30.2 percent, Dallas took 43 threes, many open throws were not played out.
- The throwing selection of the Mavs in the first game under Kidd must also be questioned. Dallas hit 2/14 on throws from the zone that were not in close proximity to the ring. 5 of 17 litters from the middle distance found their target.
- After losing to Atlanta, Luka Doncic has played 200 games in the NBA. With 5115 points, 1663 rebounds and 1534 assists, he is next to Oscar Robertson the only player with over 5000 points and 1500 rebounds and assists so early in his career.
- De’Andre Hunter (11) made a very good figure as a chain dog against Doncic with Capela and the defensively convincing John Collins (16, 7/11 FG) in the back. According to ESPN Stats & Info Doncic only hit 1/9 from the field against Hunter as the primary defender, Hunter defended him for 1/13 hits in total.
The star of the game: Cam Reddish
Reddish was already better and more diverse than scorer at the beginning of last season before he got injured. Against Dallas, he consistently created himself throws. If he can give that to the Hawks fairly consistently from the bench, the team’s bench is a lot more dangerous.
The flop of the game: Kristaps Porzingis
Unfortunately, it continues like last season. Porzingis seemed uncomfortable with some half-hearted postups, his offensive game is simply heavily dependent on the three-pointers. He couldn’t do much defensively either.
The scene of the game
This play best represents the Hawks’ good ball movement versus the Mavs. John Collins pulls into the zone against Kristaps Porzingis and pulls Dwight Powell forward. In his back, Clint Capela goes to the basket, gets the alley-oop pass from Collins and hits the ball through the trap.
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