The Atlanta Hawks managed to come through in the clutch to pull off a surprise victory on the road in Dallas against the Mavericks (117-111) to begin their season with bang. Dennis Schröder led the way — as you’d expect — with 28 points and seven assists while the Mavs were led by Nerlens Noel’s 16 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks while rookie Dennis Smith Jr. notched a double-double in his debut game with 16 points and 10 assists.
Ending the game on a run and coming through in the clutch
This was a tight game heading down the stretch (tied at 111 with 1:13 remaining) but the Hawks managed to end the game on a 6-0 run while also holding the Mavericks to just five points over the last 3:59 and two points in the final 1:46.