Kyrie Irving exploded in the fourth quarter and Dallas corrects course on the second night of a back-to-back set.
The Dallas Mavericks (10-8) made a little chicken salad out of a steaming pile of chicken shit on Monday, pulling out a 129-119 win over the Atlanta Hawks (7-11) at State Farm Arena without the services of Luka Dončić (wrist), Klay Thompson (foot) or Quentin Grimes (illness), who had been moved into the starting lineup in Dončić’s absence.
Coming off an overtime loss to Miami less than 24 hours earlier, it was a pretty gutsy win. Dallas dug deep to close out the game, and Kyrie Irving put an exclamation point on the win in the fourth. Crunch time has not been a friend to the Mavs lately, so it was important for the team to get it together down the stretch and turn what looked like a loss earlier into a win.
Here’s how this depleted, exhausted bunch of Mavericks graded out in the latest win.
Kyrie Irving: A
32 Points / 7 Rebounds / 6 Assists
It took a little longer than usual for Irving to settle in and find his rhythm against Atlanta. He started the game just 2-of-9 from the field and 0-for-4 from 3-point territory. His first 3-point make came with 5:07 left in the first half, and then hit a pull-up 3-pointer on an assist from Jaden Hardy a minute later to put the Mavs up 56-50. But he and Hardy both committed deflating turnovers late in the second quarter as Dallas’ lead evaporated and Atlanta went in front 67-61 at halftime.
He was just 5-of-21 from the floor to that point, but his 3-pointer with a hand in his face with 8:26 left to play pulled Dallas in front 106-104, the 11th lead change of the roller coaster of a game. Naji Marshall found him for an open jumper the next time down, and fourth-quarter Kyrie was in full effect. Irving exploded for 16 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter on 6-of-8 shooting, including 4-of-5 from 3-point range.
Naji Marshall: A
22 Points / 6 Rebounds / 1 Assist
Naji Marshall became one of the focal points for the Mavs against the Hawks, coming into the game off back-to-back 20-plus point outings. Unfortunately, he turned the ball over twice in the game’s first four minutes, but he was very effective again on both sides after that. He hit a big 3-pointer on the final possession of first to give the Mavs a lift and pull Dallas to within 31-28. The first ended on a 10-0 Mavericks run. He may have had his foot on the line in the corner, but his next long jumper came with just over nine minutes left in the first half and inched the Mavs even closer, down just 38-37. That 10-0 run to end the first quarter had ballooned to 19-7 at that point.
Marshall leaked out in transition for an easy dunk that brought the Mavericks back to within 80-75 and forced a Hawks timeout with 7:45 left in the third. He shot 9-of-12 on the night and 2-of-3 from 3-point range.
P.J. Washington: B
11 Points / 10 Rebounds / 4 Assists / 1 Steal / 3 Blocks
Washington was just okay on the offensive end on Monday, and he had considerable trouble containing Hawks forward Jalen Johnson, who led Atlanta with 28 points in the loss. He wasn’t without his moments, though. Dinwiddie found him for an open 3-pointer in the corner with 4:40 left to play to give the Mavs their biggest lead of the night, up 121-111.
That was the moment the Mavs could finally exhale. Whew.
Daniel Gafford: B-
10 Points / 9 Rebounds / 3 Assists / 1 Steals / 2 Blocks
Gafford was pretty solid overall and adequately manned the middle as the primary center after Dereck Lively II left the game due to illness in the second quarter. He pinned the ball against the glass on a Zachary Risacher transition drive that led to a Spencer Dinwiddie 3-pointer in the corner with 5:44 left in the third as Dallas went on a run to take the lead back.
Dereck Lively II: INC
2 Points / 4 Rebounds / 2 Assists / 2 Blocks
Illness added insult to all the injuries on the Mavs roster and cut Lively’s night short, hence the incomplete grade. The second-year big man played just 11 minutes in the first half and was announced as questionable to return to the game coming out of halftime. Grimes missed the game with an undisclosed illness, prompting a comment from Mavs play-by-play man Mark Followill about some kind of bug going around the Mavs’ locker room. Feel better, D-Live.
Maxi Kleber: C+
7 Points / 7 Rebound / 1 Assist / 1 Steal / 1 Block
Kleber had a little trouble defending in space in the first quarter, and that’s a generous assessment. When Kleber has to play extended minutes, he’s routinely getting exposed to start the season. He did hit his first 3-point attempt of the night in the first quarter, though, so that’s something. Kleber also came up with a big defensive play on a blocked shot inside against Johnson with 3:48 left to play.
Jaden Hardy: A
23 Points / 3 Rebounds / 2 Assist / 3 Steal
With so many missing pieces in the Mavs’ lineup, Monday’s matchup was a big opportunity for Hardy, who made his first start of the season. He was aggressive with the ball in his hands early on, but he was also a little careless with it. He got to the bucket and spotted up for a 3-pointer at the top of the key in the first quarter, but he also turned the ball over three times.
He stole a bad Dyson Daniels pass and cruised in transition for two more to give Dallas a 43-41 lead with 7:40 left in the first half. Then he popped open on the left wing and Dereck Lively II found him for his second 3-ball of the first half to put Dallas back in front 48-45 two possessions later. He led the Mavs with a season-high 15 points in the first half but also led the team in turnovers, with four. He finished with six turnovers on the night.
Hardy got it done on the defensive end as well. He had three steals at halftime and X on the night. He also forced an offensive foul on Bogdan Bogdanovic with about seven minutes to play and the Mavs nursing a one-point lead.
Spencer Dinwiddie: A
24 Points / 3 Rebounds / 4 Assists
Dinwiddie was aggressive early as well, shooting just 1-of-7 to start the game but scoring six of his eight first-half points at the free throw line. Then he went on a heater in the third, scoring nine straight Dallas points on three 3-pointers to pull the Mavericks into an 86-86 tie with 4:14 left in the third. He found Washington on a strong cut to the basket to pull the Mavs back in front less than a minute later.
Dinwiddie’s hot streak extended into the fourth quarter as well. His fourth 3-ball of the game pulled the Mavs to within one, down 102-101 early in the fourth to give him 20 points on the night.
You can listen to our latest podcast episode in the player embedded below, and to make sure you don’t miss a single one moving forward, subscribe to the Pod Maverick podcast feed on Apple, Spotify, Pandora, Pocketcasts, YouTube, YouTube Podcasts, Amazon Music, Castbox.
You can check out our After Dark Recap podcasts, YouTube Live recordings, and guest shows on the Pod Maverick Podcast feed. Please subscribe, rate, and review.