Luka Doncic, Kristaps Porzingis, and Tim Hardaway Jr combined to score 73 points to help the visiting Dallas Mavericks end their six-game losing streak with a 122-116 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday, February 3 (Thursday, February 4, Manila time).
Doncic scored 27 points, his eighth straight game with 25-plus points, and posted his 11th double-double with 8 rebounds and 14 assists. Porzingis earned his fourth double-double with 24 points and 11 rebounds, while Hardaway came off the bench to make five three-pointers and score 22.
The Mavericks nearly blew a big fourth-quarter lead. Dallas was on top 111-96 with 3:47 left, but Atlanta went on a 16-4 run and cut the margin to 115-112 on a Trae Young three-pointer with 42.3 seconds remaining.
However, the Hawks never got any closer, as Porzingis tipped in a Doncic miss and the Mavs made 5 of 6 free throws down the stretch.
The win also ended the Mavs’ seven-game losing streak in Atlanta.
The Mavericks kept a constant double-team on Young and limited him to 21 points.
Atlanta was led by John Collins, who matched his career-high with 35 points and grabbed a season-high 12 rebounds. Kevin Huerter added 21 points and 10 assists and Danilo Gallinari came off the bench to score 19. Clint Capela contributed 10 points and 13 rebounds.
Dallas got off to a quick 13-4 start, but the Hawks went on an 11-2 run and tied the score with a Gallinari three-pointer.
The Mavericks led 26-22 after one quarter, benefiting from the Hawks’ poor shooting and 7 turnovers.
Atlanta tied the game at 31-31 and took its first lead at 35-33 when Collins took an alley-oop pass from Young for a dunk. The Hawks led by as many as 6 on two occasions, but the Mavs cut the lead to 56-53 at the half when Doncic made a three-pointer with 1.1 seconds left.
The Mavericks closed the 3rd quarter on a 12-5 run, with Hardaway scoring 8 of those points, to grab a 88-83 lead entering the final quarter. Dallas continued its run by outscoring Atlanta 7-2 to start the 4th quarter, opening a 95-85 lead.
The Hawks played without De’Andre Hunter, their second-leading scorer, for the second straight game due to right knee discomfort.
Both teams play against Thursday. Dallas returns home to play the Golden State Warriors while the Hawks host the Utah Jazz. – Rappler.com
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