Hawks Dominate, Demolish Mavericks At Home
The Atlanta Hawks defeated the Dallas Mavericks, 113-87, at State Farm Arena on Thursday evening.
The Hawks (1-0) kicked off their 2021-22 NBA campaign with an excellent performance against a Mavericks (0-1) team that went undefeated in the preseason, though that wasn't noticeable given how poorly they played in this one. Atlanta jumped out to a 22-20 lead in the first half, and they never looked back the rest of the way as the Hawks won each of the three subsequent quarters as well -- 29-24 in the second, 35-20 in the third, and 27-23 in the fourth. The difference in shooting percentages was the main reason why this game ended being such a one-sided affair, as the Hawks shot 47.9 percent from the field while the Mavericks only made 33.3 percent of their attempts. Atlanta also edged Dallas in three-point shooting, making 42.9 percent of their long-range shots as opposed to the 30.2 percent of Dallas.
Surprisingly, Cam Reddish led the Hawks in scoring after putting up 20 points in 21 minutes off the bench. Trae Young contributed 19 points and 14 assists, while John Collins chipped in with 16 points, nine boards, three assists and two blocks. Clint Capela mustered a double-double of 12 points and 13 boards, and DeAndre Hunter contributed 11 points and three boards. Bogdan Bogdanovic added 11 points while making three of his five three-point shots.
Luka Doncic was the top scorer for the Mavericks since he ended with 18 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists, but he only shot 6-for-17 from the field. Kristaps Porzingis had 11 points and five rebounds, while Tim Hardaway ended with 14 points and two boards. Jalen Brunson provided a spark off the bench and contributed 17 points across 26 minutes. No other Dallas player scored in double digits.
The Hawks (1-0) kicked off their 2021-22 NBA campaign with an excellent performance against a Mavericks (0-1) team that went undefeated in the preseason, though that wasn't noticeable given how poorly they played in this one. Atlanta jumped out to a 22-20 lead in the first half, and they never looked back the rest of the way as the Hawks won each of the three subsequent quarters as well -- 29-24 in the second, 35-20 in the third, and 27-23 in the fourth. The difference in shooting percentages was the main reason why this game ended being such a one-sided affair, as the Hawks shot 47.9 percent from the field while the Mavericks only made 33.3 percent of their attempts. Atlanta also edged Dallas in three-point shooting, making 42.9 percent of their long-range shots as opposed to the 30.2 percent of Dallas.
Surprisingly, Cam Reddish led the Hawks in scoring after putting up 20 points in 21 minutes off the bench. Trae Young contributed 19 points and 14 assists, while John Collins chipped in with 16 points, nine boards, three assists and two blocks. Clint Capela mustered a double-double of 12 points and 13 boards, and DeAndre Hunter contributed 11 points and three boards. Bogdan Bogdanovic added 11 points while making three of his five three-point shots.
Luka Doncic was the top scorer for the Mavericks since he ended with 18 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists, but he only shot 6-for-17 from the field. Kristaps Porzingis had 11 points and five rebounds, while Tim Hardaway ended with 14 points and two boards. Jalen Brunson provided a spark off the bench and contributed 17 points across 26 minutes. No other Dallas player scored in double digits.
Heat Blowout Bucks In Season-Opener
By Dan Bruno
The Miami Heat defeated the visiting Milwaukee Bucks, 137-95, FTX Arena on Thursday evening.
The Heat opened their season with a bang, as they pounced on the Bucks early with a, 40-17, lead through one quarter. They kept the momentum through the second, where they added another six points to their advantage, making it a 29-point game by halftime. The Bucks put up a bit more of a fight in the third but could not make a dent in the deficit and in fact, they saw it grow to a 36-point game heading into the final frame. The Heat had no trouble cruising to the finish, closing out their season-opener in style, with a 42-point blowout win.
Tyler Herro was the high-point man for the Heat with 27 points on 10-of-18 shooting, in 24 minutes off the bench. Jimmy Butler followed up with 21 points, six assists, four rebounds and a steal, while Bam Adebayo totaled 20 points and 13 rebounds. The Heat shot 53 percent from the field, including 15-of-35 from deep.
Meanwhile, Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 15 points, 10 rebounds, three steals and two assists, in 23 minutes of action. Grayson Allen followed up with 14 points on 5-of-11 shooting, while Sandro Mamukelashvili chipped in 12 points and four rebounds. The Bucks shot 38 percent from the field, including 12-of-42 from long range.
The Bucks (1-1) will look to bounce back as they take on the Spurs on Saturday. The Heat (1-0) take on the Pacers in Indiana on Saturday.
The Heat opened their season with a bang, as they pounced on the Bucks early with a, 40-17, lead through one quarter. They kept the momentum through the second, where they added another six points to their advantage, making it a 29-point game by halftime. The Bucks put up a bit more of a fight in the third but could not make a dent in the deficit and in fact, they saw it grow to a 36-point game heading into the final frame. The Heat had no trouble cruising to the finish, closing out their season-opener in style, with a 42-point blowout win.
Tyler Herro was the high-point man for the Heat with 27 points on 10-of-18 shooting, in 24 minutes off the bench. Jimmy Butler followed up with 21 points, six assists, four rebounds and a steal, while Bam Adebayo totaled 20 points and 13 rebounds. The Heat shot 53 percent from the field, including 15-of-35 from deep.
Meanwhile, Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 15 points, 10 rebounds, three steals and two assists, in 23 minutes of action. Grayson Allen followed up with 14 points on 5-of-11 shooting, while Sandro Mamukelashvili chipped in 12 points and four rebounds. The Bucks shot 38 percent from the field, including 12-of-42 from long range.
The Bucks (1-1) will look to bounce back as they take on the Spurs on Saturday. The Heat (1-0) take on the Pacers in Indiana on Saturday.
Warriors Defeat Clippers, 115-113
The Golden State Warriors defeated the visiting Los Angeles Clippers, 115-113, at Chase Center on Thursday.
It took six ties and 10 lead changes to determine a winner in this game, with Golden State riding a 25-20 fourth quarter to their victory. In fact, they finished the game on a 25-15 run across the final 10 minutes. With that said, Golden State blew a 19-point second-quarter lead, with LA outscoring them in the second quarter, 40-22. The Warriors shot 52 percent from the field and 48 percent from three-point range while holding the Clippers to 44 percent from the field and 35 percent from long range. In addition, they out-rebounded Los Angeles, 53-38.
The Clippers (0-1) were led by Paul George and his 29 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. Eric Bledsoe amassed 22 points, three rebounds, two assists and three steals. Ivica Zubac played just 14 minutes but had 14 points, three rebounds and two assists. Reggie Jackson missed 15 of his 19 shots but provided 11 points, five rebounds and six assists.
The Warriors (2-0) were led by Stephen Curry, collecting 45 points and 10 rebounds on 8-of-13 from three-point range. He matched a career-high with 25 first-quarter points as well. Andrew Wiggins totaled 17 points, six rebounds and three assists. Draymond Green accumulated 10 points, six rebounds and seven assists while Damion Lee led the bench with 11 points and two assists.
On deck for Los Angeles is a home matchup with the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday. As for Golden State, they travel to face the Sacramento Kings on Sunday for their next outing.
It took six ties and 10 lead changes to determine a winner in this game, with Golden State riding a 25-20 fourth quarter to their victory. In fact, they finished the game on a 25-15 run across the final 10 minutes. With that said, Golden State blew a 19-point second-quarter lead, with LA outscoring them in the second quarter, 40-22. The Warriors shot 52 percent from the field and 48 percent from three-point range while holding the Clippers to 44 percent from the field and 35 percent from long range. In addition, they out-rebounded Los Angeles, 53-38.
The Clippers (0-1) were led by Paul George and his 29 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. Eric Bledsoe amassed 22 points, three rebounds, two assists and three steals. Ivica Zubac played just 14 minutes but had 14 points, three rebounds and two assists. Reggie Jackson missed 15 of his 19 shots but provided 11 points, five rebounds and six assists.
The Warriors (2-0) were led by Stephen Curry, collecting 45 points and 10 rebounds on 8-of-13 from three-point range. He matched a career-high with 25 first-quarter points as well. Andrew Wiggins totaled 17 points, six rebounds and three assists. Draymond Green accumulated 10 points, six rebounds and seven assists while Damion Lee led the bench with 11 points and two assists.
On deck for Los Angeles is a home matchup with the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday. As for Golden State, they travel to face the Sacramento Kings on Sunday for their next outing.