Dallas had to win to dispel doubts and it is therefore done thanks to a 122-116 victory in the derby of “The trade of the 2018 Draft”, opposing a Luka Doncic still very good last night (and, above all, finally supported as it should be by Kristaps Porzingis) and a Trae Young who seemed a bit unhealthy and a little disinterested.
The Doncic-Young rivalry is one of the craziest of recent years. Even if the two players seem to rather appreciate each other, we can not help but associate the two leaders, them who were exchanged for each other on the evening of the 2018 Draft, two kids who quickly became stars in the League and landed their first star together last year during their sophomore season. So we say to ourselves that a Mavericks-Hawks is always nice to watch and this Wednesday night it is Luka Doncic who won the battle. Once again in good shape, the Slovenian leader still shook the counters with 27 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. Above all, the victory was imperative for Dallas in order to avoid an onset of crisis, the team of Mark Cuban being on a very dirty series of six losses in a row. But for that it was first necessary to overcome a team of Hawks in their nest, a room in which the Mavs had not won for… seven years. But nothing scares Luka, who took up the challenge seriously but this time well accompanied, since the ROY 19 has for once been well supported by his presumed lieutenants: Tim Hardaway Jr. first, then Kristaps Porzingis. At the end of the third quarter, it was THJ who launched the first assault by scoring eleven points in a row for the Mavs, including three shots from distance, to allow his team to take five points in advance at the start. of the last act. A shot that came at the best of times, reminding us of the best hours of her… spiritual father, Gérard Smith.
But the job was not finished, so it was the Unicorn’s turn to take the game on its own. After an obvious but non-whistled fault by Trae Young on an attempt at the parking lot of Porzi, the Latvian will then yell at the referee and take his technical fault. Understandable when we know that Trae is the king to force faults but not serious, because this is exactly what Porzingis needed and this little blow of hatred and emotion will then wake up the pivot who will end the match with an aggressiveness that we would like to see much more often. Pseveral offensive rebounds, a 3-point shot and a tip lay-up 30 seconds from the end to regain a five-point lead, Kristaps was everywhere in the end of the match to the delight of a Doncic who could finally breathe a bit without having all the responsibilities of his team on the back. A stupid loss of ball from THJ then gave the Hawks a bit of a respite, notably thanks to a bomb from Young’s parking lot to come back to three points, but the Mavs would not crack and would eventually leave Atlanta with the victory. End of series therefore and we hope for the Mavs the start of a dynamic that will be more positive than in recent weeks. Luka Doncic clearly needs a Porzingis in lieutenant star mode to win and it is this kind of performance that we want to see more often from the ex Knicks. Luka can’t do everything alone and when his teammates get down to it, strangely it wins.
Hawks side, another huge game from John Collins who finished with 35 points (equal career high) and 12 rebounds, his fourth game with more than 25 points and 10 rebounds this season. The inside enjoyed a very weak Mavs racquet defensively, and it’s a shame for Collins that Trae Young waited… the last three minutes to play basketball. The All-Star point guard seemed little concerned with what was going on around him and he had little, if at all, impact on three quarters of the meeting. Clint Capela, who could also have had a very good evening with Willie Cauley-Stein opposite, was embarrassed by foul problems, a boon for Rick Carlisle. Second loss in a row for the Hawks who are definitely struggling to find a dynamic this season, chaining the very good then the average, which prevents them for the moment from squatting the heights of the East.
Dallas therefore ended its losing streak by beating the undisciplined Hawks. Doncic was good but it is above all the superb end of the match by Porzingis that we will remember. Hopefully the Latvian will build on this performance for the rest of the season as he seems to be the key to the Mavs’ success.
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