DALLAS, Texas– Trailing by 9 points to start the fourth quarter, the Dallas Mavericks (12-14) needed a spark to make the game close with the Atlanta Hawks (11-13). Tim Hardaway Jr. was just that. He came off the bench providing 11 points in the last frame pushing the Mavs to a comeback victory, 118-117.
The Mavericks’ bench players were the leaders of the comeback; along with Hardaway Jr., backup point guard Jalen Brunson also added 11 points in the final frame as the Mavs relied on their reserves to bring their offense back. After the first half shooting struggles, they finished shooting 51% from the field and 40% from three as a team.
“They got hot, obviously, in the fourth quarter. We were trying to run them off the three-point line, and our efforts on our closeouts just wasn’t good enough,” Hawks head coach Lloyd Pierce said after the game.
The Hawks had a chance late to steal the win back, trailing by 1 with 4.7 seconds left and the final possession. On the sideline out-of-bounds play, all-star point guard Trae Young went to set a screen for forward John Collins and was knocked to the ground, looking for a foul call he would not get. Danilo Gallinari would collect the in-bound pass, but his potential game-winner was off the mark. Young was visibly frustrated with the no-call after time expired.
After the game, Young explained his frustration with the official who did not make the call.
“I don’t know what he felt. We made eye contact when I was on the ground, and I think that’s what really made me mad,” said Young.
With the win, the Mavs break a tie with the Thunder for 13th in the Western Conference standings. The loss holds the Hawks in 8th in the East.
Luka shines in his match up with Young
Ever since the 2018 NBA Draft, the careers of Trae Young and Luka Doncic have been intertwined. The Atlanta Hawks originally drafted Doncic with the 3rd overall pick, but swiftly dealt him to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Young and a first-round pick. Both have become all-stars for their respective teams, but their performances and careers are almost always talked about in relation to one another.
Both players showed why they have been the unquestioned leaders of their teams since the Draft, but Luka was the top performer in this matchup. He logged a triple-double with 28 points, 10 assists, and 10 rebounds. His scoring early helped keep the Mavs in the game, while his playmaking late helped put the Mavs over the top. It was clear the Hawks defense was focused on Doncic in the final quarter, but he still found ways to get a few open shots, hitting a clutch three-pointer and tough turnaround jumper in the post.
However, Luka’s success did not mean struggles for Young. He turned in a double-double with 25 points, 15 assists, and 7 rebounds. He also turned in the most eye-popping plays throughout the game. Young turned the corner off a screen in the third, all 7-feet 3-inches of Kristaps Porzingis met him on his path to the rim. Instead of trying to shoot over the massive defender, Young threw a bounce pass between Porzingis’s legs to a rolling Clint Capela, who gathered the highlight-reel pass for a layup. On the very next possession, he did it again; he found John Collins slipping to the rim by bouncing the pass between Porzingis’s legs for the second straight possession.
That “nutmeg” move has become a staple of Young’s game in his young career; his smaller 6- feet 1-inch frame has made him get creative with the ways he moves the basketball. Another part of that creativity includes deep three-pointers, which he shoots with a ton of confidence. Early in the game, he pulled a 34-foot three-point jumper with no hesitation and drained it.
This game logs another highlight-filled matchup between the two elite young players in the league. Luka keeps his advantage over Young in head-to-head matchups, now winning three of the four matchups throughout their career. His 28 points on Wednesday marks the high for either player in their head-to-head matchups.
John Collins stars in loss
Forward John Collins has had to mold his game to fit a different role in Atlanta since he was drafted. As center Clint Cepala joins the starting lineup, Clint adjusts tone true power forward compared to small ball-center role.
Adding a consistent three-point jumper has expanded his game, and he dominated in the loss to the Mavs. Finishing with 33 points, he shot an extremely efficient 13-18 (72%) from the field. He also added 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 1 block as he filled the stat sheet.
Up Next
Mavs vs. Pelicans, Friday, February 11, American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX Hawks vs. Spurs, Friday, February 11, Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA
