Coming off a tighter-than-expected victory over the Detroit Pistons, the Atlanta Hawks will look to see a major upgrade in their competition tonight when they travel to Dallas to take on the red-hot Mavericks.
Although last night's game wasn't as dominant as most expected, the Hawks will come into this game playing well. Atlanta has won six of its last seven games, qualified for the play-in tournament for the third consecutive year, and is currently tied for ninth place in the Eastern Conference standings with the Chicago Bulls.
Tonight will be one of the tougher challenges the Hawks have faced. Atlanta lost to Dallas in a game earlier this year, and Luka Doncic scored 73 points to win the game in Atlanta. Dallas won that game without star guard Kyrie Irving and without trade deadline acquisitions P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford. The Mavs have been one of the best teams in the league since the trade deadline, and they're a big reason why. Luka is also playing at an MVP level and has a claim to the award.
Note: Stay tuned for today's Hawks injury report. It's unclear if anyone will be added to the injury report, but the Hawks continue to play back-to-back games and a surprise addition could be made today.
This is expected to be one of the toughest games for the Hawks the rest of the season. Let's preview how the two teams will fare against each other.
game preview
The Hawks have been on a roll lately and are getting healthier. Dejounte Murray has gotten a lot of attention for the Hawks in the absence of Trae Young, but the supporting cast around him has stepped up in recent games. Murray had a quiet game last night with 24 points against Detroit, but he has played well in recent weeks and was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week this week.
Bogdan Bogdanovic didn't play very well shooting-wise last night, but he's been one of the Hawks' best players all season and can get hot quickly from the three. He scored 38 points in Saturday's game against the Bucks and hit a good shot in Monday's win over the Bulls.
After two tough shooting games against the Bucks and Bulls, DeAndre Hunter had one of his most efficient nights shooting the ball last night against the Pistons. Hunter finished with 26 points on 11-for-16 from the field and 3-for-6 from three. Hunter did not play in the previous matchup between these teams and will likely be one of the players guarding Doncic tonight.
Jalen Johnson had his best night as a pro last night against the Pistons and was able to record the first triple-double of his career. Johnson had 28 points on 10-14 shooting from the field, 14 rebounds and 11 assists. Johnson will also get a chance to protect Doncic tonight.
Clint Capela has been playing some great basketball lately, but he'll be playing against a team with below-average rebounding. Capela is a double-double machine and has played some pretty solid defense.
The Hawks' bench rotation will likely be similar to last night. Kobe Bufkin, Garrison Matthews, Bruno Fernando and Vit Kureishi will all get playing time, but will likely need to contribute more than they did last night. Bufkin and Matthews each scored nine points, while Kureishi and Fernando didn't have their best games. Last night was probably Bufkin's best game of his rookie season.
The Hawks are 5th in PPG, 19th in field goal percentage, 7th in 3-point attempts, 14th in 3-point percentage, 7th in free throw attempts, 2nd in offensive rebounds and 15th in turnovers. Get ready for the match. According to Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta ranks 9th in points per 100 possessions, 16th in effective field goal percentage, 10th in turnover percentage, 5th in offensive rebound percentage, and 11th in free throw percentage. It has become.
Since acquiring them, the Mavericks have improved defensively, but are still below average overall. Dallas ranks 20th in PPG percentage, 20th in field goal percentage and 19th in 3-point percentage. According to Cleaning the Glass, Dallas ranks 18th in points per 100 possessions and 18th in effective field goal percentage.
But the Mavericks' offense is one of the best in the league, and with Doncic and Kyrie Irving, that's no surprise. Doncic leads the league with 33.9 ppg and ranks third with 9.8 assists per game.
The Mavericks are 6th in PPG, 11th in field goal percentage, 2nd in 3-point attempts, 11th in 3-point percentage, 11th in free throw attempts, 23rd in offensive rebounds and 7th in turnovers. Going into this match. According to Cleaning the Glass, the Mavericks rank 6th in points per 100 possessions, 5th in effective field goal percentage, 6th in turnover percentage, 26th in offensive rebound percentage, and 16th in free throw percentage. It becomes.
The Hawks' defense has gotten better over the past two weeks, but it's still not one of the better units in the league. Atlanta ranks 27th in PPG, field goal percentage and 3-point percentage. According to Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta ranks 26th in points per 100 possessions and 28th in effective field goal percentage.
Reporting an injury
The Hawks have not yet released an injury report, so stay tuned to see when they do.
Josh Green and Derrick Lively head to Dallas tonight.
Viewing and betting information
Tip-off time: 7:30pm ET
Location: American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
Where to watch: NBA League Pass, Bally Sports Southeast,
Spread and Over/Under: According to the latest odds from Caesars Sportsbook, the Hawks are currently 11.5-point underdogs with an over/under set at 230.5, so they will be underdogs on the road tonight. .
Expected starting lineup
Hawks:
G- Bogdan Bogdanovic
G- Dejounte Murray
F- Jalen Johnson
F- DeAndre Hunter
C- Clint Capela
piston:
G- Luka Doncic
G- Kyrie Irving
F- Derrick Jones Jr.
F- PJ Washington
C-Daniel Gafford
