Anthony Davis made a go-ahead floater with 3.4 seconds left on Wednesday, helping the Dallas Mavericks post a 120-118 victory over the visiting Atlanta Hawks.
The Hawks trailed by 115-110 with just over three minutes left before Onyeka Okongwu scored five points on an 8-0 Atlanta run. His hook shot with 1:46 remaining gave the Hawks a three-point edge.
After Klay Thompson sank a game-tying 3-pointer with 41.5 seconds to go, the Hawks came up empty on their ensuing possession, leading to Davis’ game-winning runner. Trae Young’s contested 3-point attempt at the buzzer came up short.
Davis had 34 points and 15 rebounds for the Mavericks (38-39), who earned their third win in four tries. Thompson added 17 points, while Spencer Dinwiddie collected 14 points and 10 assists. Jaden Hardy scored 13 off the bench, while fellow reserves Max Christie and Daniel Gafford had 11 apiece in the win.
Young led Atlanta (36-40) with 25 points and 12 assists, while Okongwu finished with 20 points and 14 rebounds. Dyson Daniels had 17 points and Caris LeVert chipped in 14 for the Hawks, who lost their fourth game in five tries and fell a half-game behind the Orlando Magic for the No. 7 spot in the Eastern Conference standings.
After Atlanta’s five-point halftime lead grew to 11 on Mouhamed Gueye’s consecutive dunks, Davis’ personal 8-0 run pulled the Mavericks within three, forcing an Atlanta timeout with 6:32 remaining in the third quarter.
LeVert’s free throws later gave the Hawks an 88-84 lead, before Christie’s three-point play and Caleb Martin’s mid-range jumper stamped Dallas’ 10-0 run, giving the Mavericks their largest cushion to that point at 94-88.
Hardy’s stepback 3-pointer with 1.8 seconds left in the quarter gave the Mavericks a 101-96 lead entering the fourth.
The Mavericks’ run continued into the final quarter, with Thompson’s triple and Davis’ back-to-back dunks pushing Dallas’ advantage to 12.
After the Hawks held a 34-32 entering the second quarter, Young scored 16 of his 21 first-half points in the second, helping Atlanta grab a 72-67 halftime lead. Okongwu added 12 points for the Hawks, while Davis led Dallas with 15 first-half points.
