Atlanta Hawks, Miami Heat Record Big Wins in Season Openers; Curry Leads Warriors to 2-0 Start

(Photo : Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors drives towards the basket against the LA Clippers during the first quarter at Chase Center on October 21, 2021 in San Francisco, California.

The Atlanta Hawks and Miami Heat opened their 2021-22 NBA campaigns with a bang, recording emphatic victories over the Dallas Mavericks and the Milwaukee Bucks, respectively, on Thursday night. The Golden State Warriors also maintained their perfect start, beating the Los Angeles Clippers in a thriller in the nightcap.

Atlanta Hawks destroy Dallas Mavericks

Jason Kidd's first game as head coach of the Dallas Mavericks did not go according to plan as they absorbed a humiliating 113-87 loss to the Atlanta Hawks. The Mavs had no answer for Atlanta's impressive depth, with six Hawks players scoring in double figures.

“We were in the Eastern Conference Finals for a reason … and it’s up to us to go out and prove it again.”@TheTraeYoung and the Hawks are ready to keep proving doubters wrong pic.twitter.com/BqmGon5ybb
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) October 22, 2021

Cam Reddish and Trae Young led the way for Atlanta, scoring 20 and 19 points, respectively. Young took control in the third quarter, scoring 12 of his 19 points in that period. Atlanta pulled away during that juncture, turning a 51-44 half-time lead into an 86-64 advantage entering the fourth quarter.

It was a miserable night for the Mavericks, who shot just 32.6 percent from the field. Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis struggled with their shooting, combining for just 29 points in the loss to the Hawks.

Miami makes history with a 42-point win over Milwaukee

The Miami Heat got their season off and running with a 137-95 demolition of the Milwaukee Bucks. It was a huge win for the Heat, who set team records for opening night margin of victory and opening night scoring.

Miami's 137 points against Milwaukee beat the previous team record of 128 points that the Heat set in their season opener against the Detroit Pistons in 1999. Tyler Herro balled out for the Heat, scoring 27 points in 24 minutes of action. Jimmy Butler scored 21 points while Bam Adebayo registered a double-double, scoring 20 points and grabbing 13 rebounds for the Heat.

We know #HEATTwitter is pleased with this effort... what a way to end a quarter 👌 pic.twitter.com/jzO0GPPjyZ
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) October 22, 2021

The Bucks found the going difficult with Jrue Holiday, Brook Lopez, and Bobby Portis all sidelined because of various injuries. The Heat got off to a quick start against the undermanned Bucks, racing to a 22-3 advantage in the first quarter.

At the end of the first quarter, they stretched that advantage to 40-17 and entered the half-time break with a resounding 72-43 lead. Such was the dominance of Miami that Milwaukee decided to take its starters out in the third quarter with the Heat's victory already secured.

Curry leads Golden State to a thrilling win over LA Clippers

Stephen Curry bounced back from his poor performance in the season opener, leading the Golden State Warriors to a heart-stopping 115-113 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. Curry was unstoppable all evening long, racking up 45 points and 10 rebounds.

25 points.
9-9 shooting.
5-5 from deep.
1 quarter in on TNT.

STEPHEN. CURRY. pic.twitter.com/vkXInDQCwX
— NBA (@NBA) October 22, 2021

In the opening quarter, Curry shot the lights out, scoring 25 points on a perfect 9 of 9 shooting from the field, including 5 of 5 from beyond the arc. He sealed the win for Golden State, knocking down two critical 3-pointers in the final two minutes.