Knicks Fall to Doncic-Less Dallas

The New York Knicks failed to take advantage of the depleted Dallas Mavericks.

Nov 27, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) looks to move to the basket past New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) during the first quarter at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Even with Jalen Brunson on the New York Knicks' side, the Dallas Mavericks were quite grateful for their depth on the eve of Thanksgiving.

With Luka Doncic headlining a crowded injury report, the Mavericks had several others step up en route to a 129-114 victory over the Knicks at American Airlines Center. A deep Dallas scoring effort countered a 37-point night from Brunson as six different Mavericks reached double-figures.

In addition to Doncic, the Mavericks (11-8) went without other regulars such as Klay Thompson and Daniel Gafford. In their absence, recurring Knicks killer Kyrie Irving picked up the slack by earning 23 points, one behind team leader Naji Marshall with 24.

Nov 27, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) makes a jump shot over New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) during the second quarter at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Joining Marshall in substitute starting duty was former Knick Quentin Grimes, who earned 21 while PJ Washington had a 19-point, 10-rebound double-double. In the latter portion, the Knicks lost the rebounding battle by 10, as Karl-Anthony Towns had 14 of their 33 boards.

Towns' double-double wasn't enough to impress the North Texas faithful, who regaled the former Minnesota Timberwolf with chants of "overrated" as their team's victory became more assured. Though another matchup between Brunson and Doncic was denied, Wednesday marked Towns' first visit since he did and the Wolves did battle with the Mavericks in last spring's Western Conference Finals.

Rounding out the sterling shooting from Dallas were Dereck Lively (one rebound short of his own double-double with 12 points) and Spencer Dinwiddie, who tallied 21 off the bench on 8-of-11 from the field.

New York (10-8) apparently left its offensive prowess in Denver following Monday's historic offensive showing: they shot only 7-of-29 from three-point range (despite a better, 4-of-10 effort from Mikal Bridges) and scored only 38 points in the opening half, a season-low either a first or latter 24 minutes this season. OG Anunoby's offensive heater froze, as the immediate follow-up to his 40-point showing on Monday saw him miss each of his first 11 attempts before finding a tiny groove in the fourth quarter.

Both teams, in fact, struggled from get-go, as a 4-4 score failed to impress a crowd featuring NFL legend Tom Brady (set to call an NFL game between New York and Dallas for Fox Sports on Thursday). The Mavericks, however, found an offensive grip to the tune of a 19-4 run over the next five-plus minutes, going up by as much as 16 before the opening period let out.

Nov 27, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) drives to the basket past Dallas Mavericks center Dereck Lively II (2) during the second half at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

New York scored eight in a row after that but Jazian Gortman's three-pointer in the final minute created a double-figure deficit that proved permanent. The closest they got after that was 12 in the penultimate minute before Dallas ended the game on a 12-9 run.

Dallas faces the Knicks again on March 25 when it makes its annual visit to Madison Square Garden. In the meantime, the Knicks' five-game road trip ends with a Black Friday matinee in Charlotte (12 p.m. ET, MSG), where they'll look to not only salvage a winning record on the trek but keep their perfect mark in NBA Cup group play alive.

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