While the Atlanta Hawks appear perfectly happy playing team basketball and passing the ball around, the Dallas Mavericks are not experiencing the same kind of harmony amongst the roster. Tuesday night had that on full display as point guard Rajon Rondo and head coach Rick Carlisle got into a shouting match courtside which caused the star to be benched for the final 20 minutes of the game. Looking to get back on track, the Mavericks prepare to face the Hawks who are looking to start a new win streak of their own.
The Atlanta Hawks are looking to prove their success in the first half of the season was no fluke, but so far in the two games following the All-Star break they are not doing a very good job. Currently holding an 7 ½ game lead over the Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference, the Hawks fell to the team in a bad way on Friday, but bounced back with a 97-86 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday. Five players on the roster got at least 11.8 points while Paul Millsap led with 16.9 points.
The issue for Atlanta is a slightly depleted roster. Jeff Teague's status is unknown at the moment. The point guard is sick which could leave Atlanta without their second-leading scoring as he puts up 16.8 points per night along with 7.3 assists. Teague was not available when the Hawks first played the Mavericks back in December. Dennis Schroder filled in and put up 22 points in the 105-102 win. The Hawks need Schroder to put on a similar performance on Wednesday.
The Hawks are preparing to face a Mavericks team in the middle of some tension. It is being reported Rondo and Carlisle are not seeing eye-to-eye which caused the yelling courtside on Tuesday. The point guard reportedly wants more power in play-making decisions and the head coach is not looking to offer that up. Rondo is expected to play against Atlanta despite getting benched on Tuesday. He had 13 points and 11 assists in the game back in December.
