The Hawks cannot overcome Mav’s hot fourth quarter and lose 129-119

The Atlanta Hawks faced the Dallas Mavericks at home on Monday night. After a week-long road trip that ended 1-3, the Hawks were probably excited to be back home in front of their fans.

A positive for the Hawks is that they have brought back Vit Krejci, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Kobe Bufkin from injuries, meaning the team is starting the season healthy for the first time.

The Hawks knocked down a few early three-pointers thanks to Jalen Johnson and Dyson Daniels.

Bogdan Bogdanovic pulled out a few tricks from his bag when he went behind the back for a layup.

The Hawks held the lead throughout the first quarter, leading by as many as 13 points until the Mavericks ran late and cut their deficit to three points.

At the beginning of the second quarter, the Mavericks closed the Hawks’ deficit even further and finally took the lead. Trae Young managed to get to his patent floater and beat the foul call.

Towards the end of the second period, the Hawks turned defense into offense and looked to regain the lead. Throughout the season, teams have been able to score runs late into halftime, but this time the Hawks did it on their own and took the lead by halftime. Young and Johnson scored on the alley-oop that helped them make it 67-61 to end the first half.

The Hawks came out of the second half the same way they ended the first, extending their lead back to double digits with a 10-5 run. Young found Zaccharie Risacher several times at the start of the quarter, securing five easy points.

The Mavericks stormed back in the quarter, while the Hawks once again faltered on offense. Entering the fourth quarter, the Mavericks led 96-95.

The Hawks came out in the fourth period and took the lead with a few shots, but the Mavericks responded with a few shots of their own. Kyrie Irving made his own run midway through the fourth and it always seemed like he couldn’t miss a shot.

Trailing by 10 points, the Hawks tried to fight back late in the quarter, but the Mavericks had an answer for everything they did. In the end, the Hawks couldn’t overcome the barrage of Irving’s shots and lost the game.

Johnson finished the game with 28 points and 11 rebounds, Young with 18 points and 16 assists and Daniels with 17 points.

The Hawks will be back in action on Wednesday against the Cleveland Cavaliers.