The Dallas Mavericks fell to the New York Knicks in a nationally televised game on ESPN, 113-111. Jalen Brunson led New York with 28 points and five assists. Naji Marshall and D’Angelo Russell each scored
23 for Dallas off the bench in defeat.
Problems started early for the Mavericks, with Dallas missing their first five shots and starting point guard Brandon Williams picking up two fouls just two minutes into the game. Dallas responded to the trouble with an 11-1 run including three made three-pointers: one from Russell, one from PJ Washington, and a transition three from Klay Thompson, forcing a Knicks timeout. The rest of the period was an offensive slog. Dallas shot the three ball well and often, but couldn’t connect from inside the arc. The Knicks were mostly ugly, missing lots of long threes. A late Jalen Brunson burst pulled the Knicks back in front, but Marshall’s third three of the quarter allowed Dallas to close it up 25-24.
Neither team scored three minutes into the third, finally broken by Marshall who hit two free throw attempts to break the seal. The rest of the frame played out in very similar fashion to the first. Dallas paced the Knicks and grew their lead to as many as seven. But a hard close in the final three minutes pushed New York past Dallas, with the Knicks taking a 52-50 lead into the half.
Scoring finally picked up for both teams in the third quarter. The Knicks managed to hit a few threes after a brutal opening half from distance. Jalen Brunson looked to pull away from the Mavericks only for Russell to find his three point shot to keep the Mavericks within striking distance. The teams traded wild baskets in the final minute and New York carried a 87-85 lead into the fourth.
Dallas came out firing in the fourth, led by Russell, took the lead, and pushed it to as high as five. The Mavericks maintained the lead throughout the period, despite the Knicks repeatedly closing it to one point. A bad New York turnover resulted in an easy Marshall layup, forcing a Mike Brown timeout with 4:39 remaining and Dallas up 106-103. Mikal Bridges tied it at 106 with a three, but Daniel Gafford hit one of two from the line the next possession to retake the lead for the Mavericks. The Knicks finally retook the lead with just over a minute left on a scramble play following a fast break where Landry Shamet hit a corner three to make it 109-108. Russell tied it, making one of two at the line on the next possession but Shamet hit another three on the very next play. Dallas missed two threes to tie it, with Shamet missing two free throws between the possessions. Mitchell Robinson also missed two free throws, and PJ Washington secured the second, was fouled and made both to make the game 112-111. Jalen Brunson only hit one of two, giving Dallas one last chance. Williams drove the length of the floor and made a layup which was waved off by an offensive foul. Dallas falls to 4-12, losing 113-111.
The Knicks had a horrible shooting game and Dallas couldn’t take advantage
The Mavericks needed to win this one. Given how the team is constructed, they simply must win games where the team shoots well from three (+12 from the arc compared to New York and 36% over all from distance). The Knicks shot horribly: just 12 of 42 from three, and atrociously from the charity stripe, hitting 19 of 35. They left SIXTEEN points at the free throw line, including five in the final 22 seconds of the game.
That Dallas managed to lose anyway is another painful reminder that this team just doesn’t have it. Are they 4-12 kind of bad? No. But they aren’t a playoff contender, no matter how often a national media member might wax poetic about their talent and about what could happen if certain people are healthy. Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving aren’t healthy. We have to stop talking about what Dallas could be and start talking about what they are. And right now, they’re bad. Given the schedule ahead, it doesn’t get any easier either.
