The Dallas Mavericks got a first-hand look Wednesday night at why the Atlanta Hawks are the hottest team in the NBA, and it was not a pretty sight.
Atlanta won its 11th consecutive game, beating Dallas 135-120 at American Airlines Center in a game that was never close. The Hawks (38-31) led wire-to-wire, outworked the Mavericks physically and turned 19 Dallas turnovers into 23 points while holding a sellout crowd of 19,807 largely silent for most of the night. The Mavericks dropped to 23-47 and have not won at home since Feb. 22.
“We didn’t do well overall,” coach Jason Kidd said. “There were moments that we might have did okay, but the majority of the time they dominated the physicality — on both ends, offense and defense.”
Atlanta Hawks Set the Tone Early, Jonathan Kuminga Makes History
Atlanta wasted no time setting the tone. Onyeka Okongwu scored the first 10 points of the game himself, pushing the Hawks to a 10-0 advantage before Ryan Nembhard hit a three-pointer at 9:44 of the first quarter to finally put Dallas on the board. The Mavericks turned the ball over five times in that opening quarter, leading directly to 10 Atlanta points. The Hawks converted 16-of-28 first-quarter shots and led 37-30 heading into the second.
Atlanta kept building from there, widening the margin to 14 points less than two minutes into the second quarter on a CJ McCollum bank shot and a Jonathan Kuminga jumper. The Mavericks trimmed it to seven at one point, but the Hawks answered every run and took a 67-56 lead into halftime. Dallas shot 41.2% in the second quarter and went to the free-throw line nine times, but six turnovers in the half continued to fuel Atlanta in transition.
Then came the moment that essentially ended the game — and made history.
With 1.4 seconds left in the third quarter, Kuminga grabbed a defensive rebound near his own basket and heaved a shot from 74 feet. It went in. Officials reviewed the play and confirmed it, pushing Atlanta’s lead to 101-82. According to Elias Sports, it was the longest made shot by a Hawk in the play-by-play era and the sixth-longest by any player in the league since 1997-98. Jason Terry held the previous Atlanta record with a 63-footer against these same Mavericks on Jan. 5, 2000. Kuminga finished with 16 points off the bench, four of his 15 double-digit scoring games this season coming in his six games since joining Atlanta.
McCollum, who finished with 24 points and seven assists, was equally difficult to contain throughout.
“Just his veteran presence,” Kidd said of McCollum. “His ability to get left and also get to the free throw line. Anytime we tried to make a run, his ability to answer — he was really good tonight.”
McCollum was not alone. Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting (57.1%), including a 4-of-5 (80.0%) mark from three. Dyson Daniels had 19 points on 9-of-13 shooting (69.2%), along with two steals that gave him 42 games this season with at least two — the most of any player in the NBA. Jalen Johnson narrowly missed a triple-double, finishing with 17 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists. The Hawks built their advantage to as many as 21 points and outscored Dallas 72-56 in the paint, making 53.9% of their shots and 40.0% of their three-point attempts (14-of-35).
Daniel Gafford, P.J. Washington and Cooper Flagg Lead Dallas Mavericks Despite Lopsided Loss
For Dallas, there were individual bright spots that simply could not offset Atlanta’s overall dominance.
Daniel Gafford set a new season high with 24 points on 9-of-10 shooting (90.0%) to go with eight rebounds and a block in just 22 minutes off the bench. It marked back-to-back 20-point games for the first time as a Maverick — he had 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting at Memphis on March 12. Since entering the league in 2019-20, Gafford has now logged 11 games with at least 20 points on 90.0% shooting or better, trailing only Jarrett Allen (16) and Rudy Gobert (14) among all players in that span.
“Just playing aggressive — that’s the main thing,” Gafford said. “One thing we talked about in the game plan was offensive rebounding. They’re a team that gives up some, so my main goal was just going out there and playing as hard as I could, especially on the offensive glass.”
P.J. Washington led all Dallas starters with 23 points, nine rebounds, two steals and two blocks on 7-of-14 shooting (50.0%). He is averaging 20.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 1.0 blocks over his last three games. Playing more minutes at center, Washington has welcomed the expanded role.
“Just trying to get into actions — pop, create mismatches, create switches — and just try to make life easier for my teammates,” Washington said. “There are a lot of bigs on me, so I feel like I have an advantage doing that.”
Cooper Flagg turned in 17 points, six rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks in 33 minutes, his third consecutive game with at least 15 points, five rebounds and five assists — tying for his second-longest such streak and the third time in his career doing so. But Flagg also committed six turnovers, a career high, as Atlanta’s length and physicality in the passing lanes repeatedly disrupted his rhythm.
“A lot of times it’s not just the guy that’s on you — it’s the guys in the gaps,” Kidd said. “They’re able to get deflections and knock the ball away. I think that was a big part of Coop’s issue — beating the first guy, but then the second or third guy was there to swipe.”
Klay Thompson, returning from injury, scored 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting (50.0%) with four three-pointers in 22 minutes off the bench. Max Christie finished with 13 points.
Washington appreciated what Thompson’s presence brings beyond the scoring.
“Obviously, his gravity — just how much attention he draws,” Washington said of Thompson. “He plays well in the pick-and-roll, and just having him out there is great for us.” Max Christie finished with 13 points.
Ryan Nembhard Delivers Historic Playmaking Performance
Nembhard was the unsung standout of the night, distributing a game-high 12 assists without committing a single turnover in 27 minutes. It was the fifth game of his career with 10 or more assists, making him one of four undrafted rookies to reach that mark at least five times in a debut season, joining Jose Calderon, Anthony Carter and Phil Pressey. His 12 assists left him one shy of tying his career high of 13, set at Miami on Dec. 3.
“Yeah, I think just his ability to find his teammates,” Kidd said. “He did that at a high level for us tonight, and we’re going to need that to continue. His growth — 12 assists and zero turnovers — that’s something you value because he values the ball and he’s making all the right plays.”
Nembhard and Flagg each logged at least five assists for the 10th time this season, extending a franchise record for the most such games by a Mavericks rookie duo. Dallas also reached 55 bench points Wednesday, its 21st game this season with at least 50 points from reserves — the most such games in a single season for the franchise in the last 10 years.
The Mavericks shot 48.8% from the field and 39.3% from three (11-of-28), and went 25-of-29 from the free-throw line (86.2%). Washington summed up Atlanta’s defensive approach simply.
“They try to press you and just make you go play one-on-one,” Washington said. “The help is there early, the low man is there early, so on every pick-and-roll there’s four guys in the paint. If we did a better job of passing the ball around and finding a good shot, I feel like it could’ve been a different outcome.”
Caleb Martin (right plantar fascia), Brandon Williams (concussion protocol), Kyrie Irving and Dereck Lively II — both out for the season — did not play for Dallas.
Dallas hosts the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday night.
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