The Atlanta Hawks jumped out to an early lead and hold a 60-44 advantage behind a solid first half from Josh Smith and Joe Johnson.
Atlanta turned a 6-4 deficit into a 22-9 lead with an 18-3 run in the first quarter. Atlanta led 38-21 at the end of the first and were able to hold the Mavericks at bay in the second. The Hawks hit a blistering 57 percent of their shots in the first half while Dallas managed just 40 percent shooting.
Josh Smith leads the way with 16 points, eight rebounds and five assists in just 15 minutes of action in the first half. Joe Johnson added 11 points and Jeff Teague has nine points and five assists for Atlanta.
Dirk Nowitzki has 11 points to lead the Mavericks while Rodrigue Beaubois and Jason Terry finished with nine points each.
For more on this game Hawks fans should visit Peachtree Hoops and Mavericks fans should check out Mavs Moneyball. For more news and notes from around the NBA head over to SB Nation's NBA Basketball page.