Dallas Mavericks vs Atlanta Hawks Prediction & Match Preview – October 21st, 2021 | NBA Season 2021-22

The Dallas Mavericks take on the Atlanta Hawks in their 2021-22 NBA season opener after a perfect preseason campaign in which they won all four of their matches.

The Mavericks won their last preseason game against the 2021 NBA champions Milwaukee Bucks. The game saw some top performances from the likes of Jalen Brunson and Trey Burke, who came off the bench to add 14 points and five rebounds.

The Atlanta Hawks, on the other hand, won the last two games of their preseason and will take confidence from the performances of all their top stars in their most recent victory over the Miami Heat. Trae Young added 27 points and a whopping 15 assists and will be looking to go head-to-head with Luka Doncic, who is expected to be available as well.

Match Details

Fixture: Dallas Mavericks vs Atlanta Hawks | NBA Season 2021-22.

Date & Time: Thursday, October 21st; 7:30 PM ET (Friday, October 16th; 5:00 AM IST).

Venue: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA.

Dallas Mavericks Preview

The Dallas Mavericks are expected to line up with Luka Doncic against the Hawks despite him not being available for their final preseason match. Apart from Doncic, the likes of Kristaps Porzingis and Tim Hardaway Jr. also sat out the match and will all be expected to start against the Atlanta Hawks.

Porzingis did not have the best of times last season and was especially inconsistent during the Playoffs. Consequently, Luka Doncic had to single-handedly drag the Mavericks into the first round of the Playoffs, and then to a 3-1 lead over the LA Clippers.

This time around, with Jalen Brunson and Trey Burke producing some big preseason games, the Mavericks will be looking for a deeper run in the Playoffs.

Key Player – Luka Doncic

It is hard to look past the generational talent possessed by Luka Doncic when speaking about the Dallas Mavericks.

Doncic was in the reckoning for the MVP award last season and will be looking for a more sustained title challenge this time around. He averaged 27.7 points with more than eight rebounds and assists per game last season and looked sharp throughout the preseason as well.

Doncic will be disappointed after failing to bring Slovenia their first Olympic medal at the Tokyo Olympics. However, he will now be focused on getting the Mavericks off to a good start in an increasingly difficult Western Conference.

Dallas Mavericks Predicted Lineup

G – Luka Doncic | G – Tim Hardaway Jr. | F – Kristaps Porzingis | F – Josh Green | C – Dwight Powell.

Atlanta Hawks Preview

The Atlanta Hawks did not rest any of their big stars in their final preseason match. They exceeded the expectations placed on them by beating the Philadelphia 76ers in the Playoffs last season. The Hawks now come into this season’s opener after all their major stars produced big performances against the Miami Heat.

Clint Capela got a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds while John Collins had 13 points and 11 rebounds. Cam Reddish and Kevin Huerter look set to bring firepower from off the bench and further bench reinforcements have also been added in the offseason. With Trae Young also in their ranks, the Atlanta Hawks will be aiming big this season as well.

Key Player – Trae Young

Trae Young has proved himself to be one of the elite guards in the NBA over the last two seasons after blowing up during the 2019 bubble. Young averaged almost 29 points along with 9.5 assists throughout the Playoffs last season.

He also produced some memorable highlights, including a shimmy that was followed by a 3-pointer against the eventual NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks. The fact that it was Young’s first ever Conference finals appearance proved that he is a player made for the big stage.

Atlanta Hawks Predicted Lineup

G – Trae Young | G – Bogdan Bogdanovic | F – Cam Reddish | F – John Collins | C– Gorgui Dieng.

Mavericks vs Hawks Match Prediction

The Dallas Mavericks had a commanding preseason, although the Atlanta Hawks also finished with two straight victories. However, the fact that Doncic did not play a part in the final game means he will be fresh and raring to go. In such a scenario, the Dallas Mavericks are the favorites to win the opener.

Also Read

Where to watch the Mavericks vs Hawks game?

Streaming for NBA preseason games is available on the official NBA app. A subscription to this app will give you access to all NBA preseason and regular-season games. The Dallas Mavericks vs Atlanta Hawks game will be telecast on TNT as well.