Fall to 9-14 on the season
The Dallas Mavericks played a pair of games back-to-back Wednesday and Thursday. The Mavericks entered Wednesday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks hoping to end a six-game losing streak.
Dallas got off to a strong start, quickly building a 13-4 lead in the first few minutes of the game. Dallas held on to their lead the entire frame, leading 26-22 at the end of the first quarter.
The Mavericks struggled in the second quarter, being outscored 34-27 in the frame. Dallas bounced back with a strong third quarter, taking an 88-83 lead into the fourth quarter. The Mavericks dominated the final frame, leading by double-digits for a majority of the quarter, before walking away with the win by a final score of 122-116.
Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic was the leading man, finishing with 27 points, 14 assists and eight rebounds. Big man Kristaps Porzingis had a strong game as well, tallying 24 points and 11 rebounds. Off the bench Tim Hardaway Jr. had a strong performance, scoring 22 points on 8-15 shooting and 5-10 from behind the 3-point line.
Dallas turned around Thursday, hoping to string together a pair of wins as they played host to the Golden State Warriors. The first quarter was a backand-forth affair with the Warriors leading 36-34 at the end of the frame. The Mavericks had a strong second quarter, outscoring the Warriors 42-38 and taking a 76-74 lead at the end of the first half.
Unfortunately for the Mavericks they weren’t able to get things going in the second half, quickly falling behind by double-digits, as they were only able to score 20 points in the third quarter. After opening the fourth quarter trailing 110-96, the final frame saw much of the same, and Dallas fell by a final score of 147-116.
Doncic was once again the leading man for the Mavericks, posting 27 points, six rebounds and six assists. Porzignis was right behind him,, tallying 25 points on 9-16 shooting and 5-8 from behind the 3-point line. Hardaway Jr. and Jalen Brunson also had strong showings, finishing with 19 points and 18 points respectively.
The loss drops the Mavericks record to 9-14 and gives them a 2-7 record at home. Dallas will get a chance at revenge against the Warriors Saturday. That game is set to begin at 7:30 p.m. and will air on ABC.