Official Game Preview: Mavericks at Hawks

[lethalweapon3]

“Let’s kick off Black History Month in style!”

 

You really can’t expect much more than you’ve gotten out of Rick Carlisle and the Dallas Mavericks. They come into Atlanta tonight (8:00 PM Eastern, Fox Sports Southeast, Fox Sports Southwest) aiming for their fourth win in five games, the sole exception being a blowout loss to a red-hot Golden State. They’ll also look to snap a four-game losing streak against the Hawks head-to-head.

Amid a stretch of five games in seven days before the All-Star break, Carlisle is running a master-class in conserving player energies. Future Hassel-HOFer Dirk Nowitzki sat out from yesterday’s home game vs. Phoenix, in advance of tonight’s contest. While his 44.8 FG% is the second-lowest of his storied career, Dallas (28-22) is a stout 12-3 when Dirk (5-for-12 2FGs, 1-for-8 3FGs vs. ATL on Dec. 9) contributes at least 20 points in a game.

Former Hawk and almost-All-Star Zaza Pachulia (career-best 10.8 RPG) rested a sore leg for three games last week, then returned and picked up right where he left off (12.5 PPG, 13.5 RPG in wins versus Brooklyn and Phoenix to wrap up a homestand). He and Dirk are adequately running a Statler and Waldorf frontcourt, delivering plenty of silly media soundbytes while betting which player can log the most dunks by season’s end (Z-Pac’s up 9-4, for those keeping score at home).

The one player who was a wild card at the start of the year due to the prior season’s injury, free agent acquisition Wesley Matthews, leads the team in minutes played. Wes is mired in a shooting slump (37.6 FG%, 28.4 3FG% in last 15 games) but insists he’ll play his way out of it. “Look, he’s fine,” Carlisled remarked after yesterday’s game. “I’m not going to fistfight him tomorrow to try to get him to sit out.”

The Mavs have a well-seasoned roster whose top 8 players in minutes-per-game are aged 27 and up, and six of them (excepting Matthews and swingman Chandler Parsons) are at least 30. One of them, former Hawk Devin Harris, has missed the past several games and was left back in Big D to heal his sprained toe.

Mark Cuban is more interested in fielding a League of Legends team than pulling any moves as the trade deadline approaches. “Nothing is really tempting to us,” Cuban told Mavs.com recently. Injecting youth for the sake of youth ahead of the playoffs only threatens Dallas’ team chemistry.

Collectively, Dallas doesn’t turn the ball over (12.3 TO%, 4^th-lowest in NBA), as only DFW-raised Deron Williams exceeds two TOs per game. They set up lots of three-point shots (28.0 3FGAs per game, 4^th in NBA) and tend to make their free throws (10^th in NBA for FT%).

The one bad free throw shooter among their top scorers in Parsons (61.6 FT%), who is bouncing back in other aspects of his offensive game (January: 16.1 PPG, 51.0 FG%, 43.8 3FG%). Much like Atlanta, they shy away from crashing the offensive glass (20.4 O-Reb%, 29^th in NBA), save for easy opportunities for Pachulia or JaVale McGee.

Unlike Atlanta, the Mavs do clean up on the defensive end with a focus on rebounding (34.2 D-Rebs per game, 3^rd in NBA) over blocks (28^th in NBA) and steals (25^th in NBA). Altogether, they’re smack in the middle of the league (15^th in NBA) in both offensive and defensive efficiency. Yet they’re over-achieving at 10^th in the overall NBA standings. That’s because they have veteran leadership that actually leads, a no-nonsense coach armed with a contract extension that still won’t accept mediocrity, and a vocal owner that’s willing to pull strings and take risks at the first sign of slippage.

Dallas will try to make more hay out of the turnovers they produce against Atlanta. In their last meeting in mid-December, the Mavs committed just 9 turnovers to the visiting Hawks’ 15, yet were outscored off turnovers by a 17-16 margin as the Hawks wrested back the lead in the final three minutes to prevail, 98-95.

Bench players like J.J. Barea (0-for-6 FGs vs. ATL on Dec. 9) and Dwight Powell did light work in yesterday’s game, Jeff Hornacek’s swan song in Dallas, and will be expected by Carlisle to help Dallas push the pace. Raymond Felton filled into the starting lineup in place of Nowitzki and recorded six assists (zero TOs) as the Mavs went small against the Suns.

As for the Atlanta Hawks (27-22), losers in their last three games, and in five of their last six? When they decide to give their fans something worth writing about, we’ll mention it.

Let’s Go Hawks!

~lw3

 

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[Guest]

Look for Wes Matthews to break out of his slump against us. 

Whatever ails you, play the Hawks.

[lethalweapon3]

Brazilian Bleh.

 

with what I have no idea.

 

~lw3

[Gray Mule]

Which Hawk team will show up tonight?  The one who loves to sleepwalk thru a game

OR

The Hawk team that is full of energy, but playing under control and making plays, including

making their free throws and getting an occasional rebound and steal.

We really, really need to turn this ship around quickly before we hit that ice berg and sink.

[Guest]

18 minutes ago, Gray Mule said:

Which Hawk team will show up tonight?  The one who loves to sleepwalk thru a game

OR

The Hawk team that is full of energy, but playing under control and making plays, including

making their free throws and getting an occasional rebound and steal.

We really, really need to turn this ship around quickly before we hit that ice berg and sink.

Yes.

[Guest]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[LamarHampton]

2 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

 

 

WTF? C'mon, this is getting comical. Never even considered a change during this embarrassing streak? Might need to think on that again. I know it's my opinion up against the COY and all, but sheesh...

Brad Rowland @BTRowland

The Hawks have a -2.8 net rating when Horford, Millsap and Teague play together this season.

Brad Rowland @BTRowland

In addition, Atlanta's starting five (Horford, Millsap, Korver, Bazemore, Teague) has a -2.9 net rating in 445 minutes.

 

(Couldn't get the tweets to embed properly, sorry.)

 

[Guest]

 

 

 

[Guest]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Lurker]

1 minute ago, LamarHampton said:

WTF? C'mon, this is getting comical. Never even considered a change during this embarrassing streak? Might need to think on that again. I know it's my opinion up against the COY and all, but sheesh...

 

It's indeed the starting lineup and surprisingly it's not SF that is the problem. If you remove Teague and now Korver, it fixes a lot of the issues.

[Lurker]

Not in. Will be studying for about the first hour and then won't be able to come on chat.

[LamarHampton]

It's also pretty telling that I couldn't even sell my tickets to the game tonight. I was trying to sell lower bowl tickets in section 116 (behind Hawks bench) like 6 rows back for $32 each (and each includes $10 of Hawks Bucks) - not a single taker.

5 minutes ago, Lurker said:

It's indeed the starting lineup and surprisingly it's not SF that is the problem. If you remove Teague and now Korver, it fixes a lot of the issues.

Yes. Someone needs to tell CMB.

[Guest]

Just now, LamarHampton said:

It's also pretty telling that I couldn't even sell my tickets to the game tonight. I was trying to sell lower bowl tickets in section 116 (behind Hawks bench) like 6 rows back for $32 each (and each includes $10 of Hawks Bucks) - not a single taker.

Yes. Someone needs to tell CMB.

Yikes.

All the bandwaggoners have tucked tail. mmmmmm.....maybe  I can afford tickets again.

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, LamarHampton said:

It's also pretty telling that I couldn't even sell my tickets to the game tonight. I was trying to sell lower bowl tickets in section 116 (behind Hawks bench) like 6 rows back for $32 each (and each includes $10 of Hawks Bucks) - not a single taker.

Yes. Someone needs to tell CMB.

WHAT? Omg I'd be that close for $32....oh man I wish I lived there.

[Guest]

I'm gonna go out on a limb. We don't win tonight and I'm self banning (not tanning) for a week.

 

im predicting it'll be all we can eat tonight. Mavs can't handle our running, I mean if we actually decide to do it.

[Guest]

5 minutes ago, Spud2Nique said:

'm gonna go out on a limb. We don't win tonight and I'm self banning (not tanning) for a week.

 

im predicting it'll be all we can eat tonight. Mavs can't handle our running, I mean if we actually decide to do it.

That's just it, we aren't playing with any pace.

[LamarHampton]

57 minutes ago, Spud2Nique said:

WHAT? Omg I'd be that close for $32....oh man I wish I lived there.

Yeah, what do seats go for in that section for GSW games?

Full disclosure, someone bought my tickets at literally the last minute possible (7:59) for the $32.

And I will gladly accept Korver showing me up when I talk sh!t about him on the Squawk. Hope he can keep up the good shooting.

[Lurker]

Desperate times call for stupid measures with an older player...while he made all three of his 3's, Korver should not be playing 11 minutes in a quarter...of any game.

[Gray Mule]

Seems that the GOOD Hawks showed up for the first half.  Now, they must play another

complete half to get this one.  We hope that they do.

[Bonkers]

If only Jeff played like this all the time