Successful coaching debut for Jason Kidd?

The Atlanta Hawks enter the 75th season of the NBA against the Dallas Mavericks. The home side from the Peach State are looking to build on their successful last season, which saw them punch their ticket to the postseason for the first time in four years.

However, after a win against the Knicks in the second round, the end of the line had already been reached again against the eventual champions from Milwaukee. The visitors, for their part, were knocked out of the playoffs in the West in the first round for the second time in a row against the Clippers from LA – despite an outstanding performance by Luka Doncic.

For the game at State Farm Arena between the Atlanta Hawks and Dallas Mavericks, the tip is aiming for an away win, including a positive handicap of 6.5 points for the visitors.

Atlanta Hawks – Statistics & current form

The Atlanta Hawks will be relying on home advantage most of all in this encounter. They won almost 70 percent of their home games last season and only the Bucks, Nets and Sixers topped that total in the Eastern Conference. In the off-season, Clint Capela was also tied to the franchise on a long-term basis.

The Swiss received a well-paid contract extension, so this decision is absolutely understandable. Last season, the centre delivered the most rebounds (14.3) per game in the entire NBA and is also one of the best block players in the league.

Capela ranked a very good sixth in the voting for the best defensive player in the NBA and in Atlanta the fans have not seen such a good “big man” for a long time. Only Kevin Willis, for example, surpassed the monthly total of 236 boards in 1991 in the history of the franchise, which the Confederate delivered last March.

Capela’s use for opener is in jeopardy

However, head coach Nate McMillan is still a little concerned about Capela’s involvement as the 27-year-old is struggling with hamstring problems. On the offensive end, the Southeast Division outfit can still rely on Trae Young.

The point guard received his first All-Star nomination two years ago and showed in the last playoffs that he is made for the big stage with mostly strong performances.

Mavs picked former Young

The 23-year-old is always particularly motivated on top against Dallas, as it was the Texans who selected him fifth overall in the 2018 draft but promptly traded him back to the 1958 champions, who in turn transferred Luka Doncic to Dallas.

Predicted Atlanta Hawks line-up:
Collins – Capela – Young – Bogdanovic – Huerter

Dallas Mavericks – Statistics & current form

No player averaged more points per game last postseason than the aforementioned Slovenian. In the series against the Clippers, Doncic contributed 35.7 points per game. Nevertheless, it was not enough to advance against the men around Kawhi Leonard with a total of 3:4. In Dallas, however, everything now revolves around the point guard once again.

Doncic has been in the NBA since 2018 and the exceptional player immediately made his mark on the league. For example, the ex-Real Madrid player was always nominated as an All-Star in the past two years. In his first season, the 2-metre-tall professional immediately won the award for best rookie. Quite a few experts now have him on their radar as the hottest contender for the MVP title.

However, the Mavs noticed in the last two seasons that a superstar like Doncic is not enough for a deeper run in the playoffs. While he has been joined by a playmaking centre in Kristaps Porzingis from the Knicks since 2019, the Latvian has often been injured in the past and has yet to fully deliver on Dallas’ hopes.

Kidd makes debut as new coach

In addition, the coach was swapped in the off-season. Instead of Rick Carlisle, Jason Kidd is now the new head coach at the 2011 champions. The former point guard was part of the championship from ten years ago and a ten-time All-Star. At least as a co-coach, he has also won a title before – in 2020 with the LA Lakers.

Otherwise, the squad of the two-time winner of the Western Conference was not changed much, which is why it remains to be seen whether the Mavericks can now take a step forward with him and establish themselves even more strongly as a contender. In the preseason, the visitors were convincing, especially on the offensive end, such as in the 122-114 win over the Clippers.

Texans with at least 112 points?

In view of this, the betting odds on more than 111.5 points by Dallas in the showdown between the Hawks and Mavericks are also interesting. Likewise, in view of two strong offensive lines, bets on a total of more than 218.5 points are also interesting. A limit that has only not been surpassed in two of the past eight match-ups in this pairing anyway.

Predicted Dallas Mavericks lineup:
Finney-Smith – Porzingis – Powell – Hardaway – Doncic

Atlanta Hawks – Dallas Mavericks Direct Comparison / H2H Record

The basketball players from Big-D and Georgia faced each other twice last season. The Texans always took the victory, although the margin of victory was relatively small with one and six points.

Furthermore, the Hawks’ home record in this pairing has been positive from their perspective in the recent past: Eight of the last ten games in the Highlight Factory were won. For the upcoming game between Atlanta and Dallas, the odds are already leaning in the direction of another home win.

Atlanta Hawks – Dallas Mavericks Tip

The Hawks and Texans go toe-to-toe in a game-by-game look. Both teams have kept their most important players and enter with an already well-rehearsed team.

For the duel between the Atlanta Hawks and Dallas Mavericks, however, the forecast includes an away win, with a handicap of + 6.5 points for the basketball players from the Lone Star State. Clint Capela, a key player at the centre position, is not fully fit for the home side and the visitors have played well in the pre-season.

With Utah and the Clippers, two strong teams were defeated, although the Californians admittedly have to do without Kawhi Leonard at the moment. In addition, the Mavs have improved in the last guest games in Atlanta: Two of the past five were won and the three defeats took place by an average of only about five points.

Last but not least, Dallas will be very motivated as they naturally want to give new coach Jason Kidd a win on his debut. Unibet offers odds of 1.53 on the clash between the Hawks and Mavericks.