DETROIT (AP) — In another matchup with Luka Doncic, Dejounte Murray scored 30 points, Trae Young added 18 points and 12 assists, and the Atlanta Hawks defeated the Dallas Mavericks 130-122 on Wednesday.
As the Hawks won a season-high fourth straight game to move over.500 (23-22) for the first time since December 27, John Collins scored 19 points.
Despite having a 30-point performance, Doncic’s record against Young since they were traded for each other as top-five picks on draught night in 2018 is now 4-3. Young finished fifth, and Doncic third overall.
On a night when both teams shot well, Murray and Collins combined to go 7 of 11 from beyond the arc for the Hawks, who went 57% from long range and 50% overall. Ultimately, Dallas scored 52%.
For the Mavericks, Christian Wood scored 22 points and 9 rebounds. After a seven-game winning streak, which was their longest since the franchise’s lone championship season in 2010–11, they had just returned from a 1-4 trip and had lost five of their previous seven games.
KNICKS 105, WIZARDS 116
(AP) NEW YORK — In their first game back after a five-game break, Kyle Kuzma scored 27 points, Bradley Beal added 18 points, and Washington never trailed against New York. Additionally, Kuzma had seven passes and 13 rebounding. After being sidelined by a strained left hamstring, Beal made 7 of 11 shots. In his absence, the Wizards lost 1-4.
Kristaps Porzingis led Washington against his former team with 22 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists.
For New York, Jalen Brunson scored 32 points. Just inside the two-minute mark of the fourth quarter, Murray scored a 3-pointer to give Dallas a 124-120 lead while they were trailing by one. With 41 seconds left, Young increased the margin to six with a high-arching floater.
With a jump shot to open a 7-0 that ended a 110-110 tie in the fourth quarter, Murray gave Atlanta the lead for good. Clint Capela of Atlanta scored 16 points and grabbed six rebounds in his second game following a right calf injury that kept him out of 13 of the prior 14 games.
Hawks: According to a graphic McMillan showed the players earlier this week, the team’s primary objective was to place in the top six of the Eastern Conference, avoiding the play-in round. Last year, the Hawks won two play-in contests to earn the eighth seed. After making it to the East finals in 2020–21, they were defeated by top-seeded Miami in the opening round in five games. We’re in the second half of the season, and this thing usually moves fairly quickly, so we need to start winning some games, said McMillan, whose team was ranked ninth going into the contest.