Tim Hardaway Jr. will get more opportunity in the latest edition of the Hawks.
He made the most of his first chance as the primary guard off the bench.
Hardaway finished with a game-high 22 points, including five 3-pointers, as the Hawks defeated the Mavericks 97-82 Saturday night at American Airlines Center.
The Hawks (21-16) have won six straight, including all three on their current road trip against below .500 teams. They have won 11 of the past 15 games. They hold on the top spot in the Southeast Division and fourth spot in the Eastern Conference remains by 1-1/2 games over the Hornets and Pacers. They are two games behind the Celtics, Friday’s opponent, for the third spot.
The Hawks have now won six straight win over the Mavericks.
Dennis Schroder added 20 points for the Hawks. Paul Millsap had 17 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Dwight Howard had a double-double with 15 points and 20 rebounds. Mike Muscala added 11 points.
“Tim has played well often this year,” Hawks coach Mike Budenhozler said. “He did that again tonight. He does things off the dribble too. He attacks.”
The Mavericks (11-26) were led by Harrison Barnes with 21 points. Dirk Nowitzki was held to 11 points.
After a sluggish start to the game, the Hawks took a 45-42 lead into halftime after an 11-3 run to close the second quarter. Hardaway had 11 first-half points, including two 3-pointers, as stepped into a bigger role following the trade of Kyle Korver.
The Hawks led by nine points twice in the third quarter as Hardaway had eight points in the period. They took a 66-59 advantage into the final quarter.
