Docic posts 18, 11, 7
ATLANTA- The Dallas Mavericks traveled to Atlanta Thursday to face the Hawks in their season opener. After one of the biggest and most crucial offseason in team history, the Mavericks were hoping to get their season started on a strong note, taking on a strong Atlanta team who made it to the Eastern Conference Finals a year ago.
Tim Hardaway Jr. got things started for Dallas, knocking down a 3-pointer on the opening possession, thanks to an assist from Luka Doncic. Kristaps Porzingis followed with long ball of his own, before Doncic hit a jump shot, as the Mavericks three leading scorers from last year looked ready to go from the very beginning.
The offense did begin to slow down a bit during the back half of the frame, but Dallas managed to keep things close. A 3-pointer from newly acquired Reggie Bullock tied the score at 20-20 in the closing minutes of the quarter, but Atlanta would score one more time to take a 22-20 lead entering the second quarter.
Both teams picked up their offense in the second frame, as Atlanta went on to push their lead to 41-31 midway through the quarter. Dallas ended the quarter on a strong run and a Porzingis dunk in the final minute cut the deficit to 51-44 at the end of the first half.
The third quarter is when things to a wrong turn for the Mavericks. Dallas got good looks and open shots, but struggled to get them to fall. Meanwhile the Hawks took advantage of the Mavericks’ poor shooting, outscoring them 35-20 in the frame and entering the fourth quarter with a secure 86-64 lead.
With things all but decided already, the Mavericks tried their best to cut the deficit but were never able to do so. Dallas would add just another 23 points in the final frame, while Atlanta outscored them once again, doing so in all four quarters of the game, as they walked away with the 113-87 blowout win to open their season.
For the Mavericks it was all about their poor shooting, as they ended their night making just 31 of their 93 attempts of the night. They also shot just 30% from behind the 3-point line, while Atlanta shot 48% from the field and 43% from three.
While nobody had a great night offensively, Doncic did lead the way for the Mavericks, finishing with 18 points on 6-17 shooting. Doncic also pulled in 11 rebounds and seven assists, filling the stat sheet, despite the Mavericks being outscored by 24 points with him on the floor.
Just behind him was backup guard Jalen Brunson, who arguably had the most efficient night of any Maverick. In 26 minutes of work Brunson had 17 points on 7-13 shooting and 3-5 from behind the 3-point line. He also had three rebounds and three assists.
Hardaway Jr. also had a fairly efficient night for Dallas. The Mavericks’ small forward finished with 14 points, making four of his nine attempts and two of his six 3-point attempts, while also grabbing a pair of rebounds and finishing with the highest +/- of any Dallas starter.
Porzingis, who many Mavericks fans hoped would have a big turnaround year, struggled to get anything going. In just shy of 30 minutes of action, the big man had 11 points and made just four of his 13 shots. With a 25% 3-point percentage, Porzingis, much like the rest of the team, failed to find his rhythm. He also grabbed five rebounds and blocked two shots.
Dallas’ other two starters were Dorian Finley-Smith and Dwight Powell, who scored a combined nine points and made just three of their 17 combined field goal attempts. Finney-Smith did contribute defensively, however, grabbing eight rebounds and two steals.
The loss may have been an ugly one for Dallas, but they get the chance Saturday to redeem themselves and get back to .500 with a road game against the Toronto Raptors. Toronto went just 27-45 last year and lost their season opener 98-83 to a bad Washington Wizards team.
After that Dallas returns home for the first time to face the Houston Rockets Tuesday. Saturday night’s game against the Raptors is set to start at 6:30 p.m. and Tuesday’s home opener is set to begin at 7:30 p.m.