The Dallas Mavericks recorded its first loss against the Hawks this regular season with the score of 117-111. It was Dennis Schroder's first game as the front man for the Hawks. It is also the same night that Dirk Nowitzki of the Mavericks joined Kobe Bryant as the only players in NBA History to reach 20 seasons with the same team. Schroder shared that since Nowitzki is about to retire, having a battle with such a legend was a good feeling. He added he was so excited when he heard Dirk would be playing off the bench and looked for his shots. The Hawks was able to keep the lead in the first and second quarter, scoring 27-24 and 31-23.
However, The Mavs tried to close the gap by leading the third quarter with a score of 24-35. Still, the Hawks just refused to go away when they regained the lead in the fourth quarter (35-29) wrapping up the game with a 6 point advantage (117-111). The Hawks performed with a total of 51.1 percent field goals, 50.0 percent in the 3 point range and 80.0 percent free throws against the Mavericks with 44.2 percent total field goals, 37.8 percent 3 point shots and 85.7 percent free throws.
Dennis Schroder leads the Hawks with a score of 28 points
Schroder led his team to victory during Wednesday night scoring 28 points, two rebounds, seven assists and one personal foul in 34 minutes. Playing from the bench was Marco Belinelli scoring 20 points, three rebounds, and three assists in 25 minutes.
Likewise, John Collins scored 14 points, five rebounds, one assist and one personal foul in 22 minutes. Although Schroder struggled to find his shots by firing many attempts, he still made enough baskets to put forth an efficient display. The Hawks are definitely low in terms of firepower so Schroder could be scoring close to 20 points per play if his teammates continue to rely on him heavily.
Meanwhile, Belinelli came up strong in the victory night against the Mavericks. He played longer than any other bench player on his team and almost as many minutes as the other starters. Belinelli's three points shots will be very valuable to the team considering the Hawks lack much shooting ability.
Dennis Smith of the Dallas Mavericks scored 16 points
Smith efficiently produced 16 points, three rebounds, ten assists and two personal fouls in 28 minutes. Nerlens Noel from the bench also scored 16 points, eleven rebounds and two personal fouls alongside Wesley Matthews scored 15 points, eight rebounds, five assists and four personal fouls. Smith continued to impress and he managed to achieve a double-double in his first regular season play. Although the rookie may have reduced minutes in playing when Seth Curry returns to the game after his leg injury heals, he will still likely have a large role in the Celtics this year.
