LThe Atlanta Hawks opened their season with a convincing 113-87 win over the Dallas Mavericks in which the local star, point guard Trae Young stood out, who posted a double-double with 19 points and 14 assists, while Luka Doncic had to settle with another double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds.
Doncic, who finished as his team’s top rebounder and scorer, one point higher than Jalen Brunson, made only two of the seven triples he tried and six of the 17 shots from the field. Doncic also dished out seven assists and stole a ball.
For his part, his partner, Latvian powerhouse Kristaps Porzingis, had a low-key night with 11 points, five rebounds, one steal and two blocks. Guard Tim Hardaway had 14 points, of which six were the result of two triples, two rebounds and a steal.
The game’s top scorer was Hawks Cam Reddish with 20 points, which included three of four 3-pointers he attempted.
Young was one point below his partner, 19, to whom he added 14 assists, and one steal. The point guard made two of the five triples he tried. For his part, power forward Clint Capella scored 12 points, 13 rebounds and two blocks.
The Mavs struggled all night with their shooting. The Dallas team only achieved 30.2% 3-point shooting and 33.3% shooting from the field, while the Hawks’ numbers were much better: 42.9% 3-point shooting and 47.9% shooting. countryside.
The Mavericks started the game strong. Hardaway opened the scoring with a 3-pointer followed by another basket from beyond Porzingis’s three-point line and Doncic’s two points. A new basket from Hardaway left the score at 2-10 for the Mavs in the first three minutes of the game.
But in the same way that Doncic’s men got away from the scoreboard, they lost the advantage. Three consecutive failures by Pozingis and Hardaway and a personal one by Doncic allowed John Collins and Bogdan Bogdanovic to balance the score 10-10.
Both teams make numerous mistakes on defense and offense, and their two main stars, Young for Atlanta and Doncic for Dallas, were virtually absent for the game. With this outlook, the first quarter ended 22-20 in favor of the Hawks.
In the second quarter, the Hawks began to settle on the court thanks to the bench.
With the starting five off the court, the Hawks moved eight points ahead of the Mavericks. And when Young, Capella, De’Andre Hunter, Collins and Bogdanovic returned to the court, the starters were content to manage the advantage gained by the bench.
Young, who hadn’t scored any of the five baskets he tried in the first 12 minutes, started to come into play and scored 7 points in the second quarter. On the other side of the court, Doncic had to be content with just two points from the free throw line after missing two triples and three two-pointers.
When the two teams went to the locker room, the scoreboard was 51-44 in favor of the locals. Doncic only had seven points, the same as Young had.
At the restart, Jason Kidd, the Mavericks’ new coach, tried to make up ground. He first sent Porzingis and another player to pressure Young as soon as the Hawks point guard crossed the middle of the court.
It also moved the position of Doncic, who in the first half had stayed away from the paint in attack. The Slovenian began to alternate position from the top of the area to the post to try to open holes for his teammates.
But nothing worked for the Dallas people. The Hawks had forgotten the initial hesitations and in defense they were disciplined while in attack, Young moved the ball with agility.
Those from Atlanta began to take off on the scoreboard and the Young-Capella couple showed their understanding.
At the end of the third period, Young scored another 12 points, double Doncic’s, and the Hawks moved up 22 points, 86-64.
The last 12 minutes were pending due to the Mavs’ inability to make up lost ground. The Hawks were 30 points up. In the end, they were content to open the 75th NBA season with a 26-point victory over the Mavs.