The Atlanta Hawks picked up a dominant victory over the Dallas Mavericks in their NBA season opener on Thursday, blowing them out 113-87. After leading by seven points going into halftime, the Hawks blew things open in the third quarter, more than tripling their lead, going ahead by 22 heading into the final stanza.
It was an excellent team performance, as the Hawks had six players score in double-figures. Cam Reddish led the way with 20 points off the bench, carrying over the momentum he had during his postseason appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Atlanta got whatever they wanted, shooting 47.9 percent overall as a team and 42.9 percent from the 3-point line. Five players knocked down multiple 3-pointers, as Dallas had no answer for them.
While the offensive performance was impressive, it was what the Hawks did defensively that really set the tone. Dallas shot 33.3 percent from the field and 30.2 percent from the 3-point line. A big reason for that was how well De’Andre Hunter played against Luka Doncic.
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Doncic is the engine that makes the Dallas Mavericks go. If he is having an off night, it will be difficult for them to get anything going. Hunter made sure that occurred, as he locked Luka Doncic up throughout the evening.
As our own Grant Afseth shared, Hunter held Luka Doncic to 1-of-9 when defending him. He also provided some observations and insight from how the Atlanta Hawks defended the Mavericks superstar.
De’Andre Hunter missed a large chunk of the 2020-21 season with an injury. As the best defender on the team, the Hawks need him to stay healthy if they are to take that next step this season. His defense is something his teammates adore, as John Collins spoke highly of him after the game.
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“I love ‘Dre’s defense,” added Collins of Hunter. “I love his mindset when he goes and defends those guys like Luka, like James (Harden), whoever. You can stick ‘Dre on anyone and he’s up for the challenge of running over screens, getting hit, and doing whatever he needs to do to be a great defender. Love having ‘Dre back on the court and healthy.”
De’Andre Hunter came from a defensive program in college playing for Virginia. Atlanta is hoping that he can consistently bring that to the court this season and remain healthy for the duration of it.
His efforts, along with the play of his teammates, did not go unnoticed by head coach Nate McMillan.
“I thought it was really good, he really set the tone for us by making him work,” said McMillan of Hunter’s defense of Doncic. “Good players like Luka, you’re not going to stop those guys but if you can make them work and make it hard for them, make it difficult for them to score over the top, not allow them to get clean looks or break you down and create opportunities for others, you’re doing a good job.
“I thought ‘Dre did a really good job all night long when he was matched up with him. I thought Cam came in and did a solid job and I thought Solomon (Hill) did a really good job with that second unit of guarding Luka as well as Porzingis.”
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If the Atlanta Hawks can play defense at this level consistently, they are going to be a hard team to beat given how explosive they can be on offense.
