Well, that’s one way to wrap up the preseason. The Dallas Mavericks just got absolutely torched by the Atlanta Hawks, falling 135-111 in their final tune-up game on Friday. This loss brings the Mavs’ preseason record to a rough 1-3, while the Hawks are looking sharp at 4-1 heading into the regular season.
“Weren’t Quick Enough”: May Calls Out Defensive Woes
First-year head coach Dusty May didn’t mince words after the game. He gave massive props to the Hawks, straight up calling their point-of-attack defense and disruptions “tough” and “inspired.” May noted that Atlanta looked like “a playoff team that’s capable of advancing, and guys that have played together.” On his own squad, the message was clear: “We just weren’t quick enough to the ball and gave them too many opportunities.” Ouch. He did mention there were some “small wins” for the team, but it sounds like the D was a major headache.
May also touched on the starting five of Irving, Risacher, Flagg, Washington, and Gafford. He thought “overall they played well,” but admitted they haven’t had their full lineups together and don’t even “really know what our [starting] lineup’s going to be.” He did see good things from Kyrie Irving, saying he was “back competing like he was” and made “a lot of really good passes” while trusting his teammates. That’s a “recipe for success” down the line, according to May.
Risacher’s Second-Half Spark and Those Pesky Turnovers
One definite bright spot May pointed to was new swing man Zaccharie Risacher. After what sounds like an emotional game for Risacher playing his former team, May saw him really turn it on in the second half. He said Risacher “showed what we need him to be” with his energy, effort, nice cuts to the basket, and work on the glass. Risacher settled into the game, making “aggressive plays” and being “much more explosive in the paint.” His aggression got rewarded, and May called his second-half performance “one of the bright spots.” As for Risacher starting opening night? May isn’t committing yet, but did say, “if you gauge it on today’s second half, he’s going to be a major rotation piece and play a lot.”
Turnovers? That’s another story. The first half saw the Mavs with an “excellent” four turnovers. The second half? A whopping 11 turnovers, which May just said was “what it’s been.” So, that’s a problem they’ll definitely need to clean up.
With the regular season kicking off on Wednesday, the Mavs have some serious adjustments to make. Can they tighten up that D and clean up the turnovers before the games really start to count? We’ll find out soon enough.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Mavs Moneyball.
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