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DALLAS (AP) — Dennis Schroder’s first game as the front man for the Atlanta Hawks just happened to be the night that countryman Dirk Nowitzki joined Kobe Bryant as the only players to reach 20 seasons with the same team.
The young guard showed Germany’s aging icon that maybe he can be the face of a franchise as well.
Schroder scored 28 points, fellow Euro standout Marco Belinelli added 20 in his first game for Atlanta and the rebuilding Hawks spoiled rookie Dennis Smith Jr.’s solid Dallas debut, beating the Mavericks 117-111 in the opener Wednesday.
“He is about to retire,” Schroder said of the 39-year-old Nowitzki. “And to have a battle against him and compete against him is always a good feeling.”
Belinelli, a familiar face for the Mavericks as a former rival with San Antonio, was 4 of 6 from 3-point range to help the Hawks in their first game after letting Paul Millsap leave in free agency and dumping Dwight Howard.
“I’ve seen him in Europe doing his thing for Italy, and he did it tonight,” said Schroder, who led the Hawks with seven assists. “I was…
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