Atlanta Hawks (38-31) beat Dallas Mavericks (23-47) 135-120 on the road on Wednesday, March 18 in a shootout, with the two teams combining for 255 points.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Hawks struck first, taking the opening quarter 37-30 and a 7-point lead after one. The Hawks kept the pressure on with a 30-26 second quarter, carrying a 11-point lead into halftime.
The Hawks won the third 34-26 to create some separation, taking a 19-point lead into the fourth. The Mavericks took the fourth 38-34; the Hawks held on for a 135-120 regulation win.
What decided it
The Hawks took better care of the ball, turning it over on 10.3% of possessions compared with 17% for the Mavericks. The Hawks got more from their shots, finishing at 60.8% effective field-goal shooting compared with 55.2% for the Mavericks. Those extra possessions were crucial.
The Mavericks did win one battle, the free-throw line: FT rate of 29.1 against 10.8. The Hawks made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 107 possessions per team, the Hawks produced 126.8 points per 100 possessions to 112.7 for the Mavericks.
The Mavericks' reserves also made a difference, outscoring the opposing bench 55-41.
Who made the difference
Daniel Gafford was the game's biggest individual force for DAL: 24 pts, 8 reb, 0 ast on 9-10 shooting. His Game Score of 23.5 led everyone. His team was +7 with him on the floor.
CJ McCollum led the Hawks with 24 pts, 0 reb, 7 ast on 9-14 shooting, good for a 23.2 Game Score.
Jalen Johnson (17 pts, 11 reb, 9 ast) recorded a double-double.
What it means
The pre-game Win Meter had it close to a coin flip, at about 60% for the Hawks.
Across the last 3 meetings in our records, Dallas Mavericks lead 2-1.
The Hawks are now 38-31, and the Mavericks are 23-47. The Hawks last five before this game: W-W-W-W-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.