It was not a very pleasant day at the office for the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night in Atlanta as they dropped their season opener to the Hawks, 113-87.
Here are the five takeaways from that loss as the Mavs try and regroup in preparation for Saturday’s game in Toronto.
BACK TO THE DEFENSIVE DRAWING BOARD: The Mavs played fairly well on defense in the first half when they held the Hawks to 51 points. But Atlanta scored 62 points in the second half, including 35 in the third quarter. “The pick-and-roll (offense) was good for them,” coach Jason Kidd said. “They got a lot of lobs or dump offs. Again, in that first half we couldn’t have asked for a better defensive performance. We just couldn’t make any shots. We’ve got to get better in that third quarter, and we will.”
OFFENSE MISSED THE MARK: It obviously was not a great offensive night for the Mavs. They only scored 87 points – normally a production they probably would have after three quarters. The Mavs also shot just 33.3 percent from the field, and were only 13-of-43 from 3-point territory for 30.2 percent. They had their share of good looks at the basket. “(The Hawks) were making shots and we weren’t making shots,” point guard Luka Doncic said. “We had open shots. Obviously, every time could be better.”
LUKA LIGHT: Thursday was the first game where point guard Luka Doncic didn’t have the ball in his hands as much as he’s had it in his hands over the last two seasons. The Mavs want to lighten Doncic’s workload so he can be fresher down the stretch. Will Thursday’s trend continue? “I think it depends on the game,” Doncic said. “But I think, too, that’s a question you can ask (coach Jason Kidd). But I think it’s going to depend on the game. Sometimes I will have to score, sometimes I will have to create.”
BLOCK PARTY: The Hawks had a block party at the Mavs’ expense as the visitors had a difficult time getting things going inside the paint. Atlanta finished the game with nine blocks, including two each from Clint Capela, John Collins, De’Andre Hunter and Gorgui Dieng. “That happens some nights,” coach Jason Kidd said. “We’ll continue to be aggressive. We’re going to learn from our losses and we’re going to also learn from our wins, so this is only Game 1.”
PORZINGIS INSIDE AND OUT: Kristaps Porzingis was only 4-of-13 from the field and tallied 11 points as he adjusts to playing more in the post than he’s done since joining the Mavs in 2019. “I like to get those looks (in the post) and be involved that way and take advantage of the mismatches,” Porzingis said. “There’s a balance. I want to space the floor for everybody else to be able to drive and Luka to be able to get to the rim. We’re going to have to find that balance where we’re not clogging up the paint.”
Twitter: @DwainPrice
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