DALLAS — Returning home for a three-game stretch, the Dallas Mavericks (46-30) defeated the Atlanta Hawks (36-41) with a final score of 109-95 on Thursday night.

It was a sluggish start for the Mavs, who are coming off a five-game Western Conference road trip that featured multiple back-and-forth trips to Northern California. The momentum shifted when Dallas scored 40 points in the second quarter to take control of the game entering halftime.

The Mavs briefly held the lead after going up 10-9 but mostly spent the first quarter playing from behind. With Doncic held scoreless on 0-5 shooting from the floor and three turnovers in the opening period, Dallas trailed 31-25 entering the second period. Atlanta was much more aggressive in pick-and-roll coverage than the frequent soft switching utilized in their previous encounter, where Doncic scored a historic 73 points.

Irving and Washington provided a needed scoring punch amidst Doncic’s slower-than-usual start, with both players scoring in double figures in the opening period. The Slovenian superstar started the second quarter after Irving orchestrated the bench group to close the first quarter. Despite this, Atlanta was up 35-28 early in the second frame, but the Mavs rallied back to cut it to 35-33.

Doncic finally got on the board with 10:06 left in the second quarter using a step-back 3-pointer. He began to heat up, following it up with an and-one finish in the paint after using a crafty shot fake. He later had another step-back from beyond the arc, and then a drive of the catch as a transition trailer netted him a right-handed layup. After this scoring wave, he broke double figures with 11 points.

After Doncic connected with Tim Hardaway Jr. for a catch-and-shot 3-pointer followed by a throw-ahead pass for a transition catch and finish, the Mavs used the five-point surge to take a 55-52 advantage late in the second quarter. Both teams traded made baskets for a stretch until Dallas went on a 10-0 run to close the half, setting up a 65-57 advantage. Irving and Doncic continued to make timely plays, including a miraculous one-handed shot from Doncic that he banked in for the team’s final points of the period.

Coming out of the break, the Hawks were more aggressive in blitzing in ball screen coverage, whether Doncic or Irving handled the ball. Dallas played more out of the pocket in short rolls, used more handoff actions, and pushed the pace in transition.

For his third assist in just the initial 3:31 of the third quarter, a throw-ahead pass from Washington to Derrick Jones Jr. in transition led to an emphatic dunk, pushing the Mavs’ lead to 73-62. It was the first double-figure lead of the game. A stretch that involved three consecutive step-back 3-pointers from Doncic pushed Dallas up by 16 and boosted his scoring total to 25.

The Hawks cut into the Mavs’ lead early in the fourth quarter despite Doncic and Irving being on the floor. Atlanta scored the initial six points of the period, making it 93-86. Dallas was unable to break the game open throughout the final period, but did remain in the lead.

When Irving returned after a brief rest, there was 4:56 remaining in regulation, with Dallas leading 102-93. The Mavs maintained a comfortable advantage and used a transition 3-pointer from Washington after Doncic found him on the pass to regain a double-figure edge.

Looking ahead, the Mavs will take on the Golden State Warriors in a rematch on Friday after previously losing to them at Chase Center on Tuesday.