Atlanta Hawks overcome slow start to beat Dallas Mavericks
If I had started writing this Atlanta Hawks recap against the Dallas Mavericks in the first quarter, I probably would have pointed out how the Hawks really failed to show up on a snowy evening at Phillips Arena. Luckily, I waited to see how the game would play out in the second and third quarters, and I’m glad I did. A totally different Atlanta team showed up in the middle quarters, vaulting the Hawks to a 104-87 win.
The early game was dominated by the Mavericks as they shot the lights out of the building with a 34 point first quarter. Then, play was suspended briefly for a leak on the floor in the arena, and after play resumed Dallas really started to slide backwards. In the second quarter as the Hawks kept the pressure high and held the Mavericks to just 19 points. Even trailing by 6 points at the half, fans could really sense that the Hawks were heating up and were ready to score in bunches.
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Atlanta flexed their muscles in the third quarter with some explosive offense by Jeff Teague, Kyle Korver, and Paul Millsap. By the time the Mavericks knew what hit them and took their second timeout, the Hawks had already turned a 6 point deficit into a 9 point lead. It was a total script flip and the Mavericks had no answers. Things continued to get worse for Dallas in the fourth quarter as the Hawks poured on the points on their way to a cruise control win.
Who was the man most responsible for the complete turnaround in the second half? Honestly, it was Kyle Korver, who gets the MVP nod for the game. Kyle shot terribly in the first half, but when the Hawks needed some big buckets Kyle amassed 11 of his 16 points down the stretch, in addition to 6 rebounds and 2 blocks. Overall, it was a great comeback win for the Hawks when they easily could have folded up shop.
Next up, the Atlanta Hawks head to Orlando to face the Magic on Friday night. We’re getting close to talking about Magic Numbers for the #1 overall seed in the East. Don’t miss it!