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Hawks head west for rematch with Mavericks



The Atlanta Hawks (11-12) travel to Dallas to face the Mavericks Wednesday evening. Dallas beat the Hawks in Atlanta last week, but still resides near the bottom of the Western Conference standings with a 11-14 record.

Atlanta comes into the contest on a bit of a skid, as they lost three of their four home games last week, though they did avoid the four-game losing streak by beating the Toronto Raptors Saturday evening.

Dallas comes in as losers of seven of their last ten games, but as previously noted, one of those wins did come in Atlanta. Despite that win, the Mavericks come into Wednesday with a -2.2 net rating, ranking behind in Atlanta in both offense and defense.

Atlanta has a +1.1 net rating through 23 games this season, ranking 14th in offense and 13th in defense. Perhaps the biggest advantage in this matchup for the Hawks is on the glass, as they rank 6th in rebounding percentage while Dallas ranks 28th. PTH

The Mavericks now own a two-game winning streak and are looking for their second three game winning streak of the season. It has been an up and down season with lots of obstacles, but the Mavericks finally have everyone healthy and are playing at an improved level offensively. The Hawks are shorthanded and have lost three out of four. Dallas has already beaten Atlanta this year, and with fans now in the arena, Dallas should have the energy they need to sweep the season series with the Hawks. Moneyball

Luka Dončić vs Trae Young: Round 4 as Mavericks take on Hawks

The Dallas Mavericks look to continue their winning ways as they face Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks at American Airlines Center



The Dallas Mavericks will look for their third consecutive win as they welcome the Atlanta Hawks to the AAC. The Wednesday evening matchup will greet a national audience on ESPN as Dallas continues to soft-open their arena for fans.

...there will be plenty of intrigue in the storyline that has followed franchise stalwarts Luka Dončić and Trae Young since their draft-night trade for each other in 2018.

Dallas and Dončić faced Young and the Hawks twice during their rookie campaigns with the two squads splitting the season series. Dončić missed both games last season when Young’s Hawks also went 1-1 against Dallas with Dončić out with an injury. In the most recent matchup on February 3, Dončić and the Mavs got the better of Young and the Hawks with a 122-116 victory in Atlanta.

While both star PGs are the obvious focal points of their offenses, Young’s supporting cast is currently in turmoil just as Dallas is seeing its team come to full strength. Problems for Atlanta include offseason additions Danilo Gallinari and Bogdan Bogdanovic being neutralized by injuries.

Dallas will need fresh bodies as Young and the Hawks arrive fully rested, with their previous game action coming last Saturday. Though it is billed as the fourth round of Luka vs Trae, for the Mavericks, they’re just hoping to continue winning as they emerge from their season’s toughest stretch.

shakes0 wrote:Tonight we learn just how truly awful Lloyd Pierce really is. A few days ago he got completely embarrassed as Carlisle coached circles around him all night long. Dallas started the game double teaming Trae on the ball at full court and face guarding him when he didn't have the ball. Pierce responded by making ZERO ADJUSTMENTS.

We'll know a lot more about our coach after tonight.