Hawks' balanced scoring fuels seventh consecutive win. The Starters dominated, showcasing unselfish play, momentum, and team basketball.
The Atlanta Hawks pulled off a 124-112 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night, extending their league-best winning streak to seven and improving to 34-31 overall.
Dallas fought hard after Atlanta led by as many as 18. After the Hawks had controlled for much of the first three quarters, the Mavericks pulled to within five with seven minutes remaining, but the Hawks had been playing exceptionally at home over the past couple of weeks, and a balanced scoring effort helped them control the game late. Atlanta is now an even 16-16 at State Farm Arena, with three games left to be played on its five-game home stretch.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker guided the Hawks with 29 points on 12-for-19 shooting, while Jalen Johnson scored 27 with seven rebounds and eight assists. Onyeka Okongwu added 18 points and 10 rebounds, and CJ McCollum also scored in double figures with 13 and recorded nine rebounds. Atlanta turned the ball over just nine times, with Dyson Daniels, who scored 14 points and recorded 10 assists, turning it over zero times.
Johnson was crucial in Atlanta's pivotal late-game stretch after the Mavericks tied it at 97, finishing at the rim, then finding Okongwu for a dunk before drilling a 3-pointer that extended the lead to 105-99. He credited the Hawks' defensive adjustments as the difference. With Klay Thompson leading Dallas with 21 points off the bench, Atlanta had to contain him to get full control of the game.
"I think it was good," Johnson said. "I think we did a better job once Klay got going. Started running their shooters off the line and making it more difficult, trying to turn them into drivers. We did a good job, eventually cutting his water off or trying our best to."
Daniels felt the game shifted after the Hawks made a better effort to contain Thompson, who was making timely shots for Dallas. The Mavericks' offense couldn't adjust, and turnovers piled up; Atlanta capitalized.
"Klay was getting hot, so we had to take him out of the game, make other people try to beat us," Daniels said. "Once we started getting stops, getting the game back in our terms, where we get out and run — I thought we executed really well down the stretch."
Similarly, Alexander-Walker credited the Hawks' defensive effort through the Mavericks' rally, while emphasizing .
"It was just about making multiple efforts," Alexander-Walker said. "It's the NBA. You can't take away everything. Guys are too good, no matter who they put out there. And I think it was just about understanding that it wasn't going to be a clean, easy game. If we're going to make them work, we have to work ourselves."
Daniels also had plenty to say about Atlanta's offensive approach on the night.
"We're just taking what they give us," said Daniels on playing downhill in the transition game. "Guys are doing their job, getting in the paint, finishing at the rim. The rim reveals itself. 60 points in the paint is really good so."
The Hawks are playing a great collective brand of basketball, and it's showing on the court how unselfish all the Hawks players are. Hawks' starters were +46 on Tuesday night when on the court, which was the main catalyst for the win.
There's a case to be made that Atlanta is the hottest team in the NBA right now, as they continue to push hard for the Eastern Conference's sixth seed to escape the play-in tournament, and the Hawks are picking up the wins they need to on their schedule.
Next up for the Hawks is the Brooklyn Nets at home on Thursday, and then the Milwaukee Bucks come to town on Saturday.
Exciting times for Hawks basketball right now, but Atlanta will still need to root for the opponents of the Heat, 76ers, and Orlando Magic if they want to leapfrog other contenders in the standings.