The Dallas Mavericks welcomed the New York Knicks to Dallas, Texas, but the pleasantries between the two teams were short-lived. The Mavericks were reportedly happy to catch up with an old friend Jalen Brunson, a point guard who left Dallas after the 2022 Western Conference Finals. At the same time though, the Mavericks desperately needed wins.
Brunson, 28, signed a four-year, $104 million contract with the Knicks on June 2, 2022. The Mavericks were just fine without Brunson, as Brunson’s decision to leave turned out to be good for both parties. The Mavericks defeated the Knicks 129-114 at the American Airlines Center on Wednesday, November 27. Dallas improved to 11-8, while New York fell to 10-8.
Naji Marshall led the Mavericks with 24 points, three rebounds, and one assist. Kyrie Irving followed up with 23 points, eight rebounds, and six assists. Spencer Dinwiddie added 21 points, three rebounds, and nine assists. Quentin Grimes had 21 points, six rebounds, and two assists. PJ Washington scored 19 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists. Dereck Lively II contributed with 12 points, nine rebounds, and two assists.
Dallas Mavericks-New York Knicks Recap
The Dallas Mavericks vs. New York Knicks game was action-packed from start to finish. The Mavericks ruled out Klay Thompson, Daniel Gafford, Luka Doncic, and Dante Exum, and made Quentin Grimes and Dereck Lively II available. The Knicks ruled out Precious Achiuwa, Boo Buie III, Kevin McCullar Jr., and Mitchell Robinson, and then listed Tyler Kolek as questionable.
The Mavericks’ starting lineup consisted of Kyrie Irving, Quentin Grimes, Naji Marshall, PJ Washington, and Dereck Lively II. The Knicks opened the scoring, but the Mavericks tied the game at two apiece, took the lead with scoring plays, such as Dereck Lively II’s dunk, and led 28-15 at the end of the first quarter. The second quarter saw a similar pattern with plays, such as Irving’s range shot. The Mavericks led 60-38 at halftime.
The third quarter started slow and favored the Knicks, including Karl-Anthony Towns’ back-to-back three-pointers, but the Mavericks had a 90-71 lead after three quarters. The fourth quarter was fairly slow, but Spencer Dinwiddie and Quentin Grimes showed no signs of slowing down. The Mavericks defeated the Knicks 129-114 in regulation.
Dallas Mavericks vs. New York Knicks Highlights
The Dallas Mavericks vs. New York Knicks game featured several highlights, such as the Mavericks’ reminder in the hours leading up to the early tip-off that on this day in 2002, Michael Finley scored a career-high 42 points in a 102-82 win over the Detroit Pistons. Finley, now 51, currently serves as the Vice President of Basketball Operations for the Mavericks following a 15-year NBA career as a shooting guard.
For the Mavericks, an unknown illness has been sweeping through their locker room for at least the past few days. Besides the players on the team’s injury report, Irving appeared to be exhausted in the team’s previous game against the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena. It’s unclear if Irving was diagnosed with an illness, but he didn’t play in the second half — a concerning pattern as of late.
For the Knicks, Miles McBride reportedly believes that he’ll have to manage his knee pain, as he tries not to rush back from a knee injury that sidelined him for five games. McBride, who hasn’t played since Wednesday, November 13, returned and scored 13 points in the team’s 145-118 win over the Nuggets on Monday. McBride’s diagnosis was a patella femoral pain syndrome in his left knee, also known as runner’s knee.
Final Thoughts
The Dallas Mavericks hustled their way to a hard-fought 129-119 win over the Atlanta Hawks before a sellout crowd of 17,186 at State Farm Arena on Monday. Dallas improved to 10-8 to avoid a two-game losing skid, while Atlanta fell to 7-11 and lost six of their last nine games. Irving exploded for a game-high 32 points. Irving scored 16 of his 32 points in the final 9:25 with a flurry of three-pointers.
Jaden Hardy had a party in Atlanta on Monday night, but not that kind of party. Though Hardy might’ve wanted to pop champagne after scoring a season-high 23 points in the Mavericks’ 129-119 win over the Hawks he was inserted into the Mavericks’ starting lineup because Luka Doncic was sidelined due to a sprained right wrist. He converted 8-of-18 shots and picked up three steals and was 2-of-7 from downtown.
The Mavericks will travel to Salt Lake City, Utah, to take on the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center on Saturday, November 30 at 7:30 p.m. Mountain time. Before the Western Conference Matchup, the Mavericks hosted the New York Knicks on Tuesday, November 26 and the Jazz welcomed the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday, November 27. The Mavericks had an additional day off as opposed to the Jazz.
