The Dallas Mavericks travel to Atlanta, Georgia to take on the Hawks who are also in the race for the number-one pick this June. The Mavs (9-24) are only two-games better than the Hawks (7-25). Yet, that doesn’t mean this won’t be a tough game for the Mavs.

Back-to-Back

This will be the second night of a back-to-back and that usually doesn’t bode well for any team, especially since the Mavs are traveling from Miami, having lost 113-101 to the Heat on Friday night.

The good news here is that the Hawks are on a similar schedule as they will be fresh off a road trip to Oklahoma City the night before. While it might make for a lethargic game early on, the Mavs won’t have to worry about Atlanta having any kind of edge.

Icy December for Hawks

Coming into this game, the Hawks have just two wins in the month of December and they currently hold the worst-record in the NBA. They are also losing games on average of 5.3 points-per-game, the fourth-largest deficit in the NBA. The Mavs might not be one of the top teams in the league this year, but their talent should be enough to overcome this very shaky Hawks squad.

Rookie Showdown

Due to recent injuries to the Hawks’ starting backcourt, Atlanta has turned to their rookie sensation, guard John Collins. Collins, currently ranked as the fifth-best rookie in the league, scored 18 points off the bench against the Pacers. He is also averaging 11.4 points a game.

It will be fun to watch the Mavs matchup Collins with their own rookie sensation in Dennis Smith Jr. Smith Jr. returned Wednesday night against the Pistons after missing the last six games due to a hip strain. He came out strong putting up 15 points in the contest. Watch for the two rookies to battle it out and test out their abilities with each other.

Play to your strengths:

This is a game the Mavs can win. They are healthier and much more talented than the Hawks. If they protect the ball and push the temp0, they will get the W.

Catch all the action tonight at 6:30 on KTXA.