Hawks-Mavericks Preseason Finale: When Rest Days Meet Garbage Time

The Hawks and Mavericks close out their exhibition slates Friday night, and if you're expecting playoff intensity, you've clearly never watched the final preseason game. Both squads have been bubble-wrapping rotation pieces all October like they're shipping fragile china. Dallas sat Kyrie Irving, rookie Cooper Flagg, and Dereck Lively II last time out—all tagged "day-to-day" with that beautiful preseason euphemism called "rest." Atlanta countered by parking CJ McCollum, Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels, and Onyeka Okongwu in street clothes.

The math here is simple: starters logging 18-25 minutes max, deep benches filled with camp invites trying to impress G League scouts, and offensive sets that look like they were drawn up in crayon. Last season these teams averaged 109 and 114 points respectively, but that was with, you know, actual NBA rotations playing actual NBA minutes.

DarkHorse likes the under 233.5, and frankly it's hard to argue. This is a dress rehearsal where nobody wants to get hurt and coaches are experimenting with lineups they'll never use again. Expect plenty of contested midrange jumpers from guys whose next paycheck depends on making the Sioux Falls Skyforce roster. The scoreboard operator might get more action than the leading scorers.