The Hawks suffered defeat to the Mavericks in Dallas on Thursday night. As fans may sourly remember, Luka Doncic scored an extraordinary 73 points in the last matchup.
Jalen Johnson dimed Clint Capela for the first bucket of the game. Luka Doncic missed his first five shots, with Hunter healthy and serving as the primary defender this time around. The Hawks led 22-18 with a few minutes remaining in the first. De’Andre Hunter grabbed a steal, came down and committed an offensive charge, while Garrison Mathews received a technical foul in a wild sequence. Kobe Bufkin beat the buzzer to take a 31-25 lead after one quarter of play.