NBA Recap: Dirk Nowitzki dominates as Dallas Mavericks beat Atlanta Hawks
Forward Dirk Nowitzki scored 19 points, grabbed four assists and six rebounds as the Dallas Mavericks beat the visiting Atlanta Hawks 102-91, at the American Airlines Center.
No one reached 20, but seven Mavericks scored in double-figures. Dallas won its fourth consecutive game with a balanced attack.
Guard Jason Terry came off the bench with another superb performance as he scored 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 11 assists for Dallas, who improved to 31-15 in the 2010-11 season.
Jason Kidd played one of his best games in a Mavericks uniform with 12 points, eight boards, and five assists for the victors.
Joe Johnson scored a game-high 27-points and eight rebounds for Atlanta, who lost their eighteenth game of the season.
Josh Smith ended with 17 points, 3 assists, and 7 rebounds for the Hawks, who dropped to 22-7 at home.
Jamal Crawford provided a spark off the bench as the sixth man, chipping in with 11 points while Al Horford finished with 10 points in the defeat.
Hawks guard Joe Johnson continued to play like an MVP but his performance could not help the Hawks overcome a 20 per cent shooting night from the 3-point line.
The Mavericks entered the home court with fifth position in the league in terms of bench production with 31.6 points per game.
The Maverick’s dominance was complete from the opening quarter as they took a 28-24 lead into the second.
Atlanta fought hard with strong offensive play in the second quarter to cut the deficit. However, the turnovers by the Hawks resulted in a 5-point turnaround, allowing the Mavericks to take a 52-49 advantage into the locker room.
The Hawks recovered from their turnovers by turning up their defensive intensity, taking a 78 -77 lead into the final stanza.
Dallas’ Brendan Haywood, Shawn Marion, and Nowitzki, combined for 12 points to open the fourth quarter as the Mavericks took a 91-79 lead.
A bad pass by Atlanta forward Josh Smith led to a Jason Terry bucket, as Dallas had scored six unanswered points in less than a minute to seal another home victory.
Atlanta head coach Larry Drew stated, "We came out at the start of that fourth quarter, and shot selection was not very good. They came down and hit a couple of shots, and then Dirk hit the big three. There was still plenty of time to go in the game, but
we just seemed to never recover from it."
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