Dallas Mavericks vs Atlanta Hawks 10/21/21: Starting Lineups, Matchup Preview, Betting Odds, Live Stream

Dallas Mavericks vs. Atlanta Hawks Matchup Preview (10/21/21)

This matchup is less of a rivalry and more of a showdown between two of the youngest, brightest stars in the NBA: Luka Doncic and Trae Young. There was a trade on draft night between the two teams, and people cannot help but wonder what it would look like if the players were on each other’s teams. Regardless, both players will be All-Stars far into the future, and this will be another glimpse of what we can continue to expect from these two. Neither team is dealing with significant injuries, so we should see both units at full power. Each team looks similar to last season as they didn’t make too many changes. The Hawks locked in John Collins and Trae Young to extension, while the Mavs did the same with Luka Doncic.

Atlanta is a slight home favorite in this one. The Hawks made a deep run last year in the playoffs and will look to follow that up with an even better year. If Atlanta wants to win this game, it will need to shoot it well behind the arc and maintain Doncic. The Mavericks don’t have enough firepower outside of Luka to keep up with the Hawks when they shoot well. For the Mavs to win, they will need to guard the perimeter well and rebound on both ends.

Dallas Mavericks vs. Atlanta Hawks Betting Odds

Atlanta had a 29-15 record at home last season but struggled in the post-season at times in State Farm Arena. The Hawks had the ninth-best home record in terms of percentage in 2020-21, while the Mavs had the second-best record (60%) on the road in the NBA. This made the Mavs a dangerous team to play when they were traveling.

The point total sits at 224.5 for this matchup. In the 2020-21 season, the Atlanta Hawks fell short of the point total in 55.7% of their games, while the Dallas Mavericks were only slightly better at 53.2%. As a home favorite, the Hawks hit the under for 68% of their games, while Dallas fell short of the point total in 73.7% of its games as an away underdog. In short, these teams have trouble hitting the over consistently, especially with this particular criteria. I would target the under here.

TV Schedule

Date: 10/21/21
Time: 7:30 PM ET
Arena: State Farm Arena – Atlanta, GA
Channel: TNT

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Dallas Mavericks Starting Lineup

PG: Luka Doncic
SG: Tim Hardaway Jr.
SF: Dorian Finney-Smith
PF: Kristaps Porzingis
C: Dwight Powell

Dallas Mavericks Analysis

Dallas largely stuck to its guns this off-season and decided that what it had was enough. Perhaps, it wasn’t impressed with the free agents on the market or could not find many favorable trades. However, it is still clear that the Mavericks are missing a couple of pieces to compete for the NBA Championship. Luka Doncic almost led the Mavs past the Los Angeles Clippers last season but lost in a Game 7 after a 3-2 series lead. Doncic has proven he can take a team to extraordinary heights, but in an era where it takes two and sometimes three superstars to win a championship, he may not be enough by himself. Last season, Dallas was the eighth-most efficient offense in the NBA; however, it finished 17th in 3P% (three-point percentage) and 18th in points per game. If the Mavs want to play at a slower tempo, they will need to improve their defense; otherwise, the margin of error for a bad shooting night shrinks. If Dallas defends the three-point line and rebounds well, then it can beat Atlanta on the road.

Atlanta Hawks Starting Lineup

PG: Trae Young
SG: Bogdan Bogdanovic
SF: De’Andre Hunter
PF: John Collins
C: Clint Capela

Atlanta Hawks Analysis

The Hawks are a little bit banged up right now but have avoided any huge injuries to their star players. De’Andre Hunter is making a comeback, slowly but surely. Meanwhile, Kevin Huerter, Trae Young, Danilo Gallinari, Clint Capela, and Lou Williams have been nursing minor injuries. Most of those guys should be good-to-go for the season-opener, but it is still something to monitor throughout the first few games. Atlanta comes off a season where it got all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals and lost to the eventual NBA Champion Milwaukee Bucks. One aspect that the Hawks need to improve in is three-point shooting. They have too many excellent three-point shooters on their roster to be so average from behind the arc in terms of percentage. For Atlanta to take that next step and to win this game, it will need to start being more consistent from three. With Young, Bogdanovic, Hunter, Williams, Gallinari, and Huerter, it is hard to imagine that Atlanta can’t make that happen.

Dallas Mavericks vs. Atlanta Hawks Daily Fantasy Picks

This feels like the year that Luka Doncic steps up and wins an MVP award. He is the favorite in most sportsbooks, and I would tend to agree with that designation. Doncic is coming off a year where he put up 27.7 points, eight rebounds, and 8.6 assists per game. His efficiency generally improved, but his numbers weren’t quite as good as they were in 2019. This could be a year where Doncic puts up close to a 30-10-10 line as he is the heartbeat of the Dallas offense. Everything will run through him, and he only continues to improve as time goes on. He will be expensive, but I believe he is the superstar you need to target during this slate of games.

Kevin Huerter just got signed to a pretty big extension this week. Huerter, who had a few huge games in the NBA playoffs, will now be playing stress-free with that behind him. It is amazing what a contract extension can do for you in terms of your mentality. Huerter should let the ball fly, and with several lingering injuries to some of the other Hawks’ guards, he may be called upon more than usual.