Hawks try for seventh straight victory over Mavericks (Mar 01, 2017)
ATLANTA -- The Atlanta Hawks, who have won six straight against Dallas, hope to keep their streak against the Mavericks going Wednesday night as they begin a season-long six-game homestand.
Atlanta and Dallas are both coming off encouraging victories Monday, with the Hawks winning in Boston 114-98 thanks to a refocused defensive effort and the Mavericks cooling off Miami 96-89 at home.
Atlanta, which is battling for a home playoff series in the Eastern Conference, held the Celtics to 39.1 percent shooting and dominated inside while ending a three-game losing streak that included lackadaisical losses to Miami and Orlando since the All-Star break.
"We have to bring that type of intensity every single night," said Hawks forward Paul Millsap, who had 17 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and two steals against Boston. "That shows how good we can be on the defensive end."
Dallas, part of a logjam of teams fighting for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, won both of its games with center Nerlens Noel, who was acquired from Philadelphia at the trade deadline.
Noel's biggest impact is on defense and the Mavericks' clampdown of the Heat followed a 96-83 victory over New Orleans.
"I like the way he mixes it up in the post," said Dallas coach Rick Carlisle, who is bringing Noel off the bench. "He's got the quickness to front and still get back around."
After going against Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins in his first game and Hassan Whiteside in his second, Noel faces Hawks center Dwight Howard.
Howard had 17 points and 12 rebounds against the Celtics before being ejected for a second technical foul late in the third quarter. He pushed Al Horford early in the quarter and was called for hanging on the rim later. The NBA said after the game that the taunting technical should not have resulted in ejection.
The Hawks (33-26) just lengthened their lead without Howard, though, as they showed the fight they hadn't against the Heat and Magic.
"They gathered themselves and said 'We need to keep this going,'" coach Mike Budenholzer said. "The way the team responded, everybody appreciated what Dwight did up until that point."
Point guard Dennis Schroder, who was suspended for the first game after the All-Star break and benched at the start of the second, had 21 points and five assists against the Celtics.
The Hawks also had defensive-minded forward Thabo Sefolosha back in the starting lineup after he missed nine games before the All-Star break because of a groin strain.
Sefolosha, who had 12 points on 5 of 6 shooting against Boston, will get a challenge from forward Harrison Barnes against Dallas (24-35).
The Hawks must also account for guard Seth Curry, who didn't score in 13 minutes when Atlanta won 97-82 at Dallas on Jan. 7.
Curry, following up a 31-point game at Minnesota on Friday, scored 29 and Barnes had 24 points in the victory over Miami. Curry was 5 of 7 from behind the 3-point arc.
Guard Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 22 points off the bench and Schroder had 20 points in Atlanta's victory at Dallas. Barnes scored 21 for the Mavericks.
Dallas has a new look now, though, with Curry and Yogi Farrell as the starting guards and Noel coming off the bench -- at least for now.
"The minutes are going to be there whether he starts or doesn't start," Carlisle said of Noel, who had six points, six rebounds and a block against Miami.
