The Atlanta Hawks arrive at American Airlines Center on Wednesday night riding the NBA’s longest active winning streak. The Dallas Mavericks haven’t won at home in nearly two months. Something has to give.
Atlanta has won 10 straight, catapulting from the bottom of the Eastern Conference playoff picture back to eighth place and just 1.5 games back of fifth. The Hawks haven’t won at least 11 consecutive games since a franchise-record 19-game streak in 2014-15. Dallas hasn’t won at American Airlines Center since Feb. 22, going 4-20 since that night. It’s a matchup of two teams trending in opposite directions, and the Mavericks know it.
“They’ve gotten better since the last time we saw them,” Jason Kidd said pregame. “Walker’s coming off 40 or 41, CJ has given them veteran leadership on both sides of the ball, and Johnson is averaging close to a triple-double over his last five. They’re playing at a high level and they’re well coached.”
What’s Driving the Atlanta Hawks’ Winning Streak
The Hawks have found an identity since inserting CJ McCollum into the starting lineup on Feb. 22 — the same night the streak began. McCollum has averaged 18.3 points since arriving from Washington via trade, giving Atlanta a steady veteran hand at the point of attack that the roster previously lacked.
Jalen Johnson has been the engine. He recorded his 13th triple-double of the season Monday against Orlando — 24 points, 15 rebounds and 13 assists — and is averaging close to one over his last five games, emerging as one of the more complete players in the Eastern Conference down the stretch. Nickeil Alexander-Walker erupted for a career-high 41 points on 9-of-14 shooting from three in that same win, with seven rebounds and five assists. He hit nine threes on the night, each one more demoralizing than the last for a Magic team that had no answer for him off the bounce.
“We’ve been through a lot of ups and downs, the team has looked different at times,” Johnson said. “But we’ve remained together. That’s allowed us to stack these wins and go on a win streak like this. The little things we’ve been doing off the court and in practice, this is the result.”
Dyson Daniels added 15 points and 12 rebounds on Monday and described the edge this group is playing with heading into the Texas swing.
“These games are important for us,” Daniels said. “We wanted to come out and battle.”
Snyder credited the team’s defensive identity as the foundation for everything that has followed.
“It started really defensively,” Snyder said. “Trying to be more aggressive on the ball without gambling is something that I think, when we have Dyson and Nickeil at the point of attack, everybody’s kind of trying to raise their level to where those guys are because they’re so consistent with what they do on that end.”
That defensive emphasis has carried over into how Atlanta shares the ball offensively. Snyder outlined the principles driving the streak.
“Doubling down on passing and running — that’s who we are and it remains who we are,” Snyder said. “We’re talking a lot about a possession game. Jalen and Dyson and Nickeil and CJ — we need guys to create advantages for themselves or for others, but we also have to do that with passing, where we’re driving closeouts.”
Snyder also addressed the ascension of Johnson specifically, noting it didn’t happen overnight.
“Him embracing a playmaking role — which includes making plays for himself and also, equally important, maybe more important for our team, making plays for other people — that became very clear in November,” Snyder said. “The efficiency part of it is what Jalen has really grabbed onto.”
Onyeka Okongwu rounded out a dominant Atlanta performance Monday with 15 points and seven rebounds. He’s developed into one of the more reliable frontcourt weapons in the East, and his combination of rim pressure and shot-blocking gives the Hawks a different dimension that Dallas struggled to contain in their last meeting.
What the Dallas Mavericks Must to Do to End the Drought
Kidd isn’t interested in slowing the game down to neutralize Atlanta. His plan is to match their pace and beat them to the punch.
“We’ve got to run too. That’s one of our strengths — throw-aheads and playing fast. When we get into the half court and teams are set, we tend to stall,” Kidd said. “We’re not going to be afraid to run, but we have to be smart. Over the last stretch, they’re number one in offense and defense. We have to take care of the ball — turnovers have hurt us — but when we do, we get good shots.”
Ball movement has been the recurring theme when Dallas has looked its best. Kidd pointed to the Mavericks’ fast start in New Orleans on Monday — before the offense stalled and the Pelicans pulled away — as proof the formula works when executed.
“The ball was moving, P.J. was shooting the ball. That was everything,” Kidd said. “That start was a carryover from Cleveland the day before, so there was a lot of good stuff.”
Marvin Bagley III acknowledged the challenge Atlanta presents but isn’t backing down from the moment.
“They move the ball really well. They play together. They’re gaining some confidence with each other,” Bagley told Dallas Hoops Journal. “We just gotta come out and do our thing and hopefully end the streak tonight for them, and continue to find our rhythm and give us a streak ourselves.”
Dallas received a boost with both Klay Thompson and Daniel Gafford upgraded to available ahead of tipoff. The rest of the injury report trended the other direction — Caleb Martin was ruled out with right plantar fascia soreness, and Brandon Williams remains out in the concussion protocol. Two-way players Moussa Cissé, John Poulakidas and Tyler Smith were also ruled out.
Cooper Flagg and the Dallas Mavericks’ Bigger Picture
Cooper Flagg has averaged 18.9 points since returning from injury on March 5 and has recorded at least five assists in every game during that stretch. His reads in the pick-and-roll have gotten sharper, and he’s begun to understand what his gravity does to opposing coverages before he even puts the ball on the floor.
“His book is really good — being able to document how teams are playing him,” Kidd said of Flagg. “He understands what they were doing and makes adjustments quickly. For a 19-year-old, that’s impressive. If teams aren’t letting him drive, he can make plays for others or shoot the jumper. He adjusts well.”
Snyder was effusive about Flagg when asked about him pregame, making a point to highlight what often goes unnoticed.
“People talk so much about offense in this league,” Snyder said. “One of the things he does that maybe people don’t talk about as much is what he does defensively. He competes every play on defense, and that’s unique. He’s got great vision — his ability not only to be willing to pass, but his passing over the top of the defense at times. Those two things jump out for me.”
The March 10 loss in Atlanta showed how good this Hawks team can be when everything clicks — Alexander-Walker and Johnson combined for 56 points, Okongwu added 18 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks off the bench, and Dallas had no answers in the fourth quarter. The Mavericks tied it at 97 on a Khris Middleton step-back with nine minutes left and then went cold. Daniels held Flagg to 14 points on 6-of-16 shooting that night, and he’ll be the primary challenge Flagg faces again Wednesday.
The Hawks want history. Dallas wants its first home win in two months. Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m.
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