Short-Handed Dallas Mavericks Get Blown Out In Atlanta, 104-87; Dennis Schroder Leads Hawks With 17

Without a suspended Rajon Rondo, the Dallas Mavericks couldn’t run with the Atlanta Hawks and suffered a 104-87 beating on Wednesday night. The Hawks, which owns the best record in the Eastern Conference and second place in the entire league, had six players in double-figure scoring led by Dennis Schroder, who lead the team in scoring with 17 points.

Hawks power forward Paul Millsap had 15 points and 8 rebounds while Kyle Korver had 16 points and added 2 blocked shots. The best passing team in the business, the Hawks shared the ball once again in this one finishing with 28 assists for a well-balanced attack against the Mavericks. Schroder was the spark off the bench in this one hitting 7-of-15 field goals while adding 4 assists.

Dallas actually started off well in this game grabbing a 34-22 lead after the first quarter. The Hawks came back in the middle quarters including outscoring the Mavericks 30-15 in the crucial third quarter to run away with the easy victory.

Veteran big man Dirk Nowitzki couldn’t get his game going with just 4 points for the short-handed Mavericks that were missing three starters in Rondo, who was banned for a game because of his shouting match with head coach Rick Carlisle in the previous game; and Tyson Chandler and Chandler Parsons, who did not suit up because of injuries. Guard Monta Ellis had 19 markers to lead Dallas in scoring.


With the win, Atlanta improved to 45-12 for the season and way ahead of their nearest rival in the East, the Toronto Raptors (37-20) and the Cleveland Cavaliers (36-22). The loss brought Dallas down to 39-21 for fifth place in the Western Conference and had their three-game winning streak— over the Houston Rockets, Charlotte Hornets and Raptors— snapped.

To contact author of this article, email j.quizon@IBTimes.com.au.