Five observations from Hawks-Mavericks exhibition game

The Hawks remained undefeated in the preseason as they ran their record to 4-0 with a 91-84 victory over the Mavericks in Dallas Friday night. Al Horford led the Hawks with 16 points and five rebounds. Shelvin Mack came off the bench with 13 points and Dennis Schroder started and added 11 points. John Jenkins led the Mavericks with 16 points.

The Hawks next host the Heat on Sunday.

Here are five observations from the game:

Lineup change

The Hawks used a different lineup than the first three exhibition games. The move allowed coach Mike Budenholzer and his staff to play some of the younger players and see different rotations. The Hawks started Schroder, Kyle Korver, Justin Holiday, Al Horford and Tiago Splitter. Regulars Paul Millsap, Jeff Teague and Kent Bazemore were held out of the game.

Holiday finished with six points, on 1 of 6 shooting, and five rebounds in his 21 minutes.

Battle for 15th roster spot

As the preseason continues, it’s becoming even clearer that Lamar Patterson is favorite for the final roster spot. The guard entered the game with 5:08 left in the first quarter and played a total of 21 minutes. Patterson finished with 10 points. He was 3 of 6 from the field, including 2 of 4 from 3-point range. He also had four rebounds, two steals and one assist.

Of the three other players competing for the final spot, Earl Barron played 6:35 with no points and DeQuan Jones played 4:34 with two points. Both played in the fourth quarter only. Terran Petteway did not play.

Sefolosha gets more time

Thabo Sefolosha played 13:33 in his second exhibition as he continues his return from a broken right leg. He played eight minutes in his debut Wednesday. Sefolosha entered for Korver with 7:04 left in first quarter and had a solid game. He had nine points, three rebounds and an assist and was a plus-15.

Slow start