ATLANTA, March 25 (Ticker) -- While Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry provided the offensive firepower, the Dallas Mavericks were more than committed to playing defense.

Nowitzki scored 27 points and Terry added 26 as the Mavericks applied the defensive pressure early to roll to a 98-83 victory over the Atlanta Hawks.

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"Our main thing is sticking with the system and executing the game plan," Terry said. "We were so sick just watching replays from that last game on SportsCenter over and over again."

"Avery (Johnson) gave us an earful after the defensive outing against Golden State," Nowitzki said. "We scored 121 points and lost the game. That was a step back for us. We had a meeting yesterday and an intense shootaround this morning and that got us fired up."

In Saturday's matchup with the Hawks, the Mavericks - sixth in the league in points per game allowed (92.9) - regained their focus and asserted themselves on the defensive end in the opening minutes to gain control of the contest.

The Mavs virtually contested every shot and stepped forward to take offensive fouls at nearly ever opportunity during the course of the game.

"We let one slip away against Golden State with the horrible defensive outing," Nowitzki said. "We moved the ball and we were aggressive. We won with our defense."

Dallas held Atlanta to one field goal in the final nine minutes of the first quarter. Meanwhile, the Mavs also went on a 20-4 run to build a 24-10 at the end of the period. The Hawks struggled from the floor, shooting 15 percent (4-of-26) in the opening 12 minutes.

"Our first quarter defensively really set the tone," Mavericks coach Avery Johnson said. "We worked on a lot of stuff this morning. They (Atlanta) missed a lot of shots but the defense was better than it was in that last game (against Golden State). We just threw out that last game."

"Defensively we really locked down (during that first quarter 20-4 run)," Terry said. "We were controlling the boards, blocking some shots and we were able to get out and get some easy baskets."

With the Mavs holding a 51-35 lead at the break, Nowitzki scored Dallas' first eight points of the third quarter to extend the advantage.

"Offensively we really took the ball to the basket," Johnson said. "Overall we were really attentive to details. That's a team (Atlanta) that has beaten some good teams this season."

Following Al Harrington's 3-pointer that pulled the Hawks within 71-61, Terry - a former Hawk - scored 11 straight points for his club spanning the end of the third quarter and beginning of the fourth.

Terry capped the 11-2 surge with back-to-back 3-pointers for a 82-63 lead with 10:30 left and Dallas cruised thereafter.

"All of my family was here. I gave out 45 tickets," said Terry, who played with the Hawks from 1999-2004. "I saw them courtside and it made it real easy for me. This is very friendly confines for me as I played many nights in this gym."

"They played well. Defensively, I guess you could say they took us out of it," Harrington said. "With a team like that, with so much offensive firepower, you cannot get behind."

Nowitzki grabbed 13 rebounds and Terry made 3-of-5 shots from the arc while collecting four steals. Jerry Stackhouse added 16 points and DeSagana Diop had five of the Mavericks' nine blocked shots.

Dallas (54-16) pulled within one-half game of idle San Antonio for first place in the Southwest Division. The Mavs were playing the opener of a four-game road trip.

"Obviously it's big (to win the division)," said Nowitzki, who has scored at least 20 points in 17 straight games. "It's a lot different if you're the first or the fourth seed. We're trying to go for it."

Harrington had 19 points and Joe Johnson finished with 17 and seven rebounds, but committed seven turnovers for the Hawks, who were held below 30 points in all four quarters.

"We're still running the same plays that we were a month ago," Atlanta coach Mike Woodson said. "The same things that they (Johnson and Harrington) were scoring a month ago, we're struggling with now. I like their team (Dallas) but I think we played tougher teams.

"I'm not taking anything away from them because they played extremely well. A good team like that that's fighting for playoff position, you just can't get down early in the game like we did."