The Atlanta Hawks try to bounce back from a road loss when they take on the Dallas Mavericks in a contest of playoff contenders on Sunday night. The opening tip for this game is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET at American Airlines Center in Dallas.
Atlanta fell to the host Toronto Raptors on Friday night, falling to 10-15 away from home. The Hawks are 25-27 and in third place in the Southeast Division, trailing the second-place Charlotte Hornets by two games and leading the fourth-place Washington Wizards by one game.
The Mavericks topped the visiting Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night to snap a two-game losing streak. Dallas improved to 30-23 with the victory and is in second place in the Southwest Division, six games behind the Memphis Grizzlies.
The NBA lines for this game have the Mavericks as two-point favorites, with the over/under set at 221½ points if you’re going to bet online.
Sticking Point
The Hawks certainly want to avoid the Raptors in the postseason, assuming both teams get there, as Atlanta has gone 8-2 in its last 10, with the only two losses coming to Toronto. Both games have been somewhat close, but sometimes one team just holds an edge over another, no matter what the circumstances are.
Atlanta has been playing well and moving back into the playoff chase with its recent run, as it currently sits in the last spot for the play-in tournament in the Eastern Conference. The Hawks need to improve their play on the road if that ends up being the spot they finish in, as they would not hold home-court advantage in any series.
Guard Trae Young has been outstanding over his last nine games, being sidelined by a shoulder contusion for the first Toronto loss, averaging 29.3 points, 9.0 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. Young is third in the NBA in both scoring (27.9 points per game) and assists (9.3) while shooting 37.8% from 3-point range.
Forward John Collins played on Friday night after suffering a shoulder injury in Thursday’s win over Phoenix. Collins had 23 points and six rebounds against Toronto, so he should be good to go for this game.
Center Clint Capela could be a factor in the paint against a smaller Mavericks team. Capela is averaging 11.1 points and is third in the league with 12.2 rebounds per game. He also blocked 1.4 shots per contest, so he will make it tough for Dallas to drive to the hoop.
Never Say Die
Playing without center Kristaps Porzingis and forward Maxi Kleber, the Mavericks could have called it a night when they fell behind by 16 points in the second quarter to Joel Embiid and the 76ers on Friday night. Instead, behind a triple-double by Luke Doncic, the Mavericks rallied for a nine-point win, outscoring Philadelphia by 19 in the second half.
“To stay with it and to understand that the game wasn’t won or lost in the first couple of minutes coming back just shows a lot of character for that group in there,” Dallas coach Jason Kidd said after Friday’s win.
Doncic finished with 33 points, 13 rebounds, and 15 assists as the All-Star continues to carry the Mavericks into the top teams in the Western Conference. Doncic is averaging 26.2 points to rank sixth in the NBA and 9.1 assists to sit fifth in the league. He’s also averaging 1.2 steals per contest.
Porzingis will miss this game with a knee injury, leaving Dallas without his 7-3 frame and 19.2 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. Kleber is questionable with a knee injury of his own, while guard Tim Hardaway Jr. is out for a while after having surgery on a broken left foot.
Guard Jalen Brunson will try to provide some of that missing offense, as well as try to slow down Young on the defensive end. Brunson is averaging 15.9 points and 5.5 assists this season.
Hawks Get Win
Dallas is a tough team at home, especially defensively, as it showed on Friday night, but the Hawks have been on a roll and are much healthier. Look for Atlanta to try to wear down the short-handed Mavericks and pull away late for the win.
When doing your NBA betting, take Atlanta to win on the road.
