Knicks Knock Out Mavs: Knicks 128 Mavericks 94

With a marquee bout just down the road, the Mavericks didn’t put up much of a fight Saturday at the American Airlines Center as their much-talked-about win streak came to a screeching halt in a 128-94 loss to the New York Knicks.

The game really never was close as the now 23-43 Knicks plain and simply outplayed the now 45-22 Dallas Mavericks. The 128-78 dismantling the Knicks suffered at the hands of the Mavericks on January 24th for the worst home loss in team history was undoubtedly on their minds.

With an extra burst of energy, the Knicks got their revenge. Although the Mavs have a league best 18 wins when trailing at halftime, this one was not to be.

The Knicks expanded their lead every quarter, leading 30-25 after the first, 58-48 at the half, 91-66 after the third and eventually 128-94. A shooting percentage of 56.2 percent for the game, combined with 16 3-pointers will do that. The Knicks sit third in the league in 3’s attempted, and they all fell in on an exceptionally good night. Seven players made 3’s in the game, but Toney Douglas and Bill Walker really had hot hands, going 4 for 4 and 5 for 8 respectively from long range. Jason Kidd landed 4 3’s for the Mavs.

Down by 10 at halftime, the Mavs were outscored 33-18 in the third, and the Knicks managed three quarters of 30 points or more including a 37-point fourth. It’s surprising that only four Knicks players finished with 20 or more points. Rick Carlisle simply called it “ugly.”

Dirk Nowitzki led the Mavs with 20 points and 12 rebounds.

Other Notes

In a phone interview during the second quarter, Jason Terry said he hopes to play in Wednesday’s game against the Bulls. Terry practiced Friday for the first time since fracturing his orbital bone March 3rd. Uncomfortable with the mask he used, he sought out a more custom fit. Terry wants to be safe but is not too keen of the mask idea and plans to shed it as quickly as possible.