Dallas scored more after rebounds—and still let too many get away

The box score offered Dallas a statistical contradiction Friday night: Atlanta won the rebounding battle 55-42, collected 17 offensive boards to Dallas’ 12, and still scored fewer second-chance points, 18 to 26. The Mavericks made more of their extra opportunities. The Hawks created many more of them.

That distinction sat inside Dallas’ 135-111 preseason loss to Atlanta at American Airlines Center, the first home game featuring Kyrie Irving and Cooper Flagg together. The rebounding issue deserves a sharper diagnosis than a broad complaint about toughness. The central problem was possession volume.

Atlanta kept possessions alive often enough to make Dallas defend the same trip more than once, even while Dallas got a stronger scoring return from its own offensive rebounds.

The second quarter supplied the clearest evidence. Irving’s pull-up jumper at 9:46 cut Atlanta’s lead to 49-40. On the next Hawks possession, Kingston Flemings missed a driving floater, gathered the offensive rebound, missed a tip and secured another offensive rebound.

The sequence ended with a foul and three Jock Landale free-throw attempts, all made. Atlanta did not score a field goal from those two extra boards, but those rebounds still turned a possession that might have ended into three points.

Another sequence arrived with 1:11 left in the half. Nickeil Alexander-Walker missed a driving dunk, and Jalen Johnson grabbed the offensive rebound. Sergio de Larrea then fouled Alexander-Walker, who made one of his three free throws.

Johnson’s live-ball rebound had prevented the missed dunk from ending Atlanta’s possession. The Hawks took a 73-54 lead into halftime. They added 11 offensive rebounds after the break, making this more than one badly handled miss or one awkward box-out.

Dallas had productive answers on its own end. Flagg’s offensive rebound at 9:59 of the second quarter preceded an Irving pull-up jumper. Morez Johnson Jr., returning after missing two exhibitions with right shin splints, finished with seven rebounds in 14 minutes, including two offensive boards.

One came after Irving missed the second free throw of a pair at 7:18. Johnson kept the possession alive, but Irving missed the ensuing layup and Atlanta secured the defensive rebound.

That sequence explains the difference between an extra chance and a second-chance point. Dallas could win the first part and still lose the possession’s payoff. The Mavericks scored 26 points following their 12 offensive rebounds, a strong return.

Atlanta produced 18 points from 17 offensive boards, a lower yield but a much larger supply of opportunities. More attempts can create a foul, a reset or a breakdown even when the immediate scoring total fails to show the full advantage.

The broader arithmetic made Atlanta’s rebounding edge matter. The Hawks attempted 89 field goals to Dallas’ 93, so this was not simply a matter of Atlanta overwhelming the Mavericks with total shot volume. The Hawks made 21 threes to Dallas’ 13, producing a 24-point advantage from beyond the arc, and converted 34 of 45 free throws compared with Dallas’ 18 of 26.

Offensive rebounds helped Atlanta preserve possessions around those shooting advantages and apply pressure after misses.

There is a meaningful counterpoint. Dallas scored 50 paint points to Atlanta’s 38 and generated more second-chance scoring despite the rebounding deficit. Flagg posted 26 points and 12 rebounds, while Johnson’s return included seven boards and two assists.

This was not a game in which every Dallas frontcourt player disappeared from the glass. The Mavericks occasionally secured the exact type of possession they needed and finished it well.

Landale’s three free throws after two Flemings offensive rebounds were enough of a warning. Atlanta missed twice and still left the trip with points. Dallas’s response has to come before the next shot: secure the ball, then turn the defensive work into a possession it can actually use.

Sources

ESPN: box score and play-by-play

Dallas Sports Journal: team reporting

Dallas Sports Journal: team reporting