DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks earned a 109-95 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday night. It was a quality bounce-back win after the Mavs ended their previous five-game road trip with a defeat at the hands of the Golden State Warriors. Overall, the Mavs have now won five of their past six games.
The Mavericks have found consistency at the right time. The playoffs are right around the corner and Dallas is looking to secure a top-six spot in the Western Conference at the very least. They would, of course, love to keep climbing the standings before the conclusion of the 2023-24 campaign.
Mavericks' defense leads the charge vs. Hawks
The Mavs' defense has looked sharp during their recent winning ways. It certainly played a big role on Thursday night against the Hawks. Dallas' defense forced 21 Hawks turnovers while limiting Atlanta to under 100 points.
“It's huge when we're not scoring,” head coach Jason Kidd said of the Mavs forcing 21 turnovers. “But just understanding if we're not making shots we got to play the defensive end and that's rebounding the ball but also being able to get steals. If we can get steals and we can get out and run and get some easy ones, that takes a little pressure off of our shooting.”
The Hawks also shot 34.2 percent from beyond the arc. Atlanta is capable of shooting at an efficient rate from deep, but the Mavericks held their ground. Additionally, the Hawks finished the game with a 40 percent field goal percentage.
Coming together on the defensive end of the floor has proven to be crucial for Dallas. This team has featured plenty of offensive potential throughout the season, but their defense dealt with uncertainty. Now, the Mavs are able to be much more confident in their ability to contain opposing offenses.
Kyrie Irving enjoyed an all-around impressive night. He went 10-21 from the field en route to a team-leading 26 points. Kyrie added three three-pointers as well. Irving also played hard on defense and addressed the Mavericks' effort on that end of the floor following the game.
However, he felt that Dallas could have been better but was happy to see that the stats reflected the team's effort.
The Mavericks held the Hawks to under 100 points and forced 21 turnovers. Kyrie Irving obviously has high expectations for the defense, though.
“We were good?” He responded when I asked him about the defense tonight.#Mavericks #MFFL pic.twitter.com/TKTFQAzu3n
— Joey Mistretta (@JoeyMistretta_) April 5, 2024
“We were good?” Kyrie responded when I asked him about Dallas' 21 forced turnovers. After I confirmed that the Mavs did indeed have a quality night on the defensive end of the floor, Irving broke down Dallas' performance.
“Oh shoot, man… it felt like we had some breakdowns but I'm glad that the stats reflect how hard we were playing,” he said. “One of the toughest games to win is coming off a long road trip so we definitely answered that call tonight. Proud of the guys. We really battled tonight. They were coming off a back-to-back so we kind of knew that they would eventually run into some gas problems, some depth problems.
“They ran into some foul trouble as well. De'Andre Hunter was out of the game (with foul trouble) so it was a big stretch in the game where we had to make our run, make our push. I'm grateful we did that.”
Forcing turnovers will be pivotal in playoffs
Atlanta did win the rebound battle 56-53. Of course, Dereck Lively II was out with injury so that did not help matters from a rebounding standpoint. Controlling the glass will be important in the postseason.
Again, playing well on defense can help make up for concerns in other areas. For example, if the Mavs have a difficult offensive night or trouble on the boards, perhaps this new-and-improved defensive effort can bail them out in certain games.
Derrick Jones Jr. and PJ Washington Jr. also addressed the Mavs' defense.
“That's just how we are trying to be every night,” Jones said. “Trying to be disruptive on defense… We can go the other way and score the ball.”
“We wanted to be aggressive, obviously we felt like they're a great team and they won six out of their last seven,” Washington said. “We wanted to come in and protect home court coming off a loss in Golden State. I think everybody bought into the defensive end. We were connected and talked the whole game. I think we did good on that end.”
The NBA is currently in a score-heavy time. Players can find the bottom of the net from well beyond the arc, and defense has lacked at times overall. But if a team is capable of stepping up on that end of the floor and causing havoc, they will gain an advantage in a playoff series.
Not only does it produce results, causing turnovers frustrates opponents. It is important in reference to the mental aspect of the game. Forcing turnovers in the postseason can be a secret weapon for the Mavericks.
The Mavs will play the Warriors in the second of a back-to-back at home on Friday night. As mentioned earlier, the Warriors defeated the Mavericks on Tuesday, so Dallas would love to get revenge at home. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:30 PM EST.
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