Dallas Mavericks: 3 takeaways from 2017-18 season opener

The Dallas Mavericks dropped their 2017-18 home opener against the Atlanta Hawks, 117-111. Here’s a look at three takeaways from their first loss of the season.

The Dallas Mavericks lost to the Atlanta Hawks to open the 2017-18 regular season, which probably came as a surprise considering the odds.

The departure of forward Paul Millsap to the Denver Nuggets and center Dwight Howard to the Charlotte Hornets made Atlanta look like a non-factor in the East, but that’s why you play the games. The Mavericks fell due to strong performances from Dennis Schroder, Marco Belinelli and rookie John Collins.

Schroder finished the game with 28 points, seven assists, two rebounds and two steals on 13-of-26 shooting from the field. He was a lot to handle for rookie point guard Dennis Smith Jr. Belinelli finished the game with 20 points, while Collins poured in 14 points and five rebounds.

Belinelli finished the game with 20 points, while Collins poured in 14 points and five rebounds off the bench. DSJ led the way with 16 points and 10 assists, Nerlens Noel had 16 points and 11 boards off the bench and Wesley Matthews chipped in a 15-8-5 stat line.

Despite being the favored team, the Dallas Mavericks were unable to put together a victory. They shot 17-of-45 from 3-point range as a team (37.8 percent) with rough shooting nights from Harrison Barnes and Dirk Nowitzki.

With so many moving parts, it looks like Dallas has some work to do before finding success in the NBA this season. Here’s a look at three takeaways from their season-opening loss.