Atlanta Hawks Face Mavericks in Preseason Contest

The Atlanta Hawks look to remain perfect in the preseason as they travel to Dallas to face the Mavericks.

The Atlanta Hawks are 3-0 in the preseason, having defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers, New Orleans Pelicans and the San Antonio Spurs. Though it is only the preseason, each of these opponents are stiff competition for an Atlanta Hawks team seeking to replicate their success from a year ago.

On Friday, the Atlanta Hawks travel to Dallas to face a Mavericks team that is less imposing than in years past. Dirk Nowitzki remains, but the departure of Tyson Chandler has left a gaping hole in the front-court. We all remember the debacle during the free agency period with DeAndre Jordan signing with the Mavs, and then reneging on his commitment and returning to the Los Angeles Clippers. That situation put a damper on the offseason for the Mavericks, who now find themselves in the middle of an ever improving and extremely competitive Western Conference.

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Though Mark Cuban was ultimately unsuccessful in procuring the services of DeAndre Jordan to man the center position, the Mavericks made some significant offseason moves. Deron Williams was acquired from the Brooklyn Nets, Samuel Dalembert was signed to a 1 year contracts, and former Atlanta Hawks’ reserve John Jenkins agreed to a multi-year deal with Dallas.

In fact, John Jenkins leads the Dallas Mavericks in scoring this preseason, averaging 20.3 points per game. Jenkins finds himself in an expanded role with Dallas, and now healthy, could may prove a valuable asset for Dallas going forward. It’s unfortunate for the Hawks that Jenkins is just now blossoming into the player Danny Ferry believed he was when drafted in 2012, but I’m happy to see Jenkins make an impact after struggling so frequently with lack of playing time and injuries.

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The Atlanta Hawks defeated the San Antonio Spurs at Philips Arena on Wednesday by a score of 100-86, with Jeff Teague leading the way with 19 points. Head Coach Mike Budenholzer has played his starters heavily throughout the first three preseason games, but with only four more exhibition matchups on the schedule, expect the Atlanta Hawks’ head coach to dial back the minutes for his starters and primary reserves in order to take a look at the back end of the bench and the non-roster invitees contending for the 15th and final roster spot.

Expect more minutes from Walter Tavares, who may contend for a spot in Bud’s rotation. Lamar Patterson still has the inside track for the final spot on the Atlanta Hawks’ roster, but Terran Petteway, Earl Barron and DeQuan Jones could make a run at the spot if Patterson proves erratic throughout the final preseason contests.

Friday’s contest between the Atlanta Hawks and the Dallas Mavericks is not televised and will lack a radio broadcast as well. The Atlanta Hawks begin the regular season at home on October 27th against the Detroit Pistons.

Next: Walter Tavares: Part of Hawks' Rotation in 2015-2016?

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