Before Saturday’s game against Atlanta, Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle was asked if he was concerned about facing the Hawks without his top two scorers.
“Yeah, there’s a big concern,” Carlisle said. “To play without both of them is something we haven’t done.
“It’s not a great feeling, but it’s a great challenge.”
Whatever that “great challenge” was, the Mavs met it and then some as they overpowered the Hawks, 123-100, before a sellout crowd of 20,328 at American Airlines Center. The victory snapped the Mavs’ two-game losing streak and padded their record to 30-19.