3 stats from the Dallas Mavericks win over the Atlanta Hawks, 129-119

After playing their first overtime game of the season, Dallas was rewarded by going on the field and playing the second game of a back-to-back.

Already without Luka Doncic, Dallas also had to deal with a slew of additional injuries and illnesses that forced them to play without Klay Thompson, Quentin Grimes or Dereck Lively. On short rest with a short roster, Dallas got an impressive win thanks to some hot and timely shooting.

68%: Dallas’ shooting from the floor in the fourth

Dallas has had no luck in clutch games so far this season. They have lost seven games in the league while winning just three.

Well, the Mavericks’ new approach to clutch time seems to avoid that entirely. After trading the lead back and forth throughout the game, Dallas stepped on the gas in the fourth, led by Kyrie Irving, who scored 16 in the frame; half of the 32 points he scored for the game, including going four-for-five from deep in the fourth.

31: three-point shot attempted by Atlanta

Gafford and Lively were both game-time decisions for Dallas. Lively left early due to an illness, while Gafford logged 23 minutes for Dallas.

Without their two bigs to patrol the paint, the Mavericks’ defensive mindset seemed to pivot toward driving Atlanta away from the three-point line instead. They held the Hawks to 31 attempts – five short of their typical 36, and more importantly, bothered the Atlanta shooter enough to hold them to just 29% from deep; well below the 36% the Hawks have averaged so far.

Nothing comes for free, though, and Dallas’ focus on the long ball and lack of a defensive anchor saw them give up 76 points in the paint. Still, for tonight it was a winning strategy.

22, 22, 23: points from Naji Marshall, Spencer Dinwiddie and Jaden Hardy

Jaden Hardy got the start alongside Irving in the backcourt and showed some of his firepower. Until Kyrie fouled out in the fourth, he was Dallas’ leading scorer for most of the game. It was also a good sign to see Dinwiddie shake off his 1-for-12 night against the Heat.

There have been a handful of games this season where Dallas has gotten big contributions from bench players but couldn’t turn them into wins. Together, the trio of Marshall, Hardy and Dinwiddie kept Dallas level and answered every punch Atlanta threw.

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