Knicks vs. Mavericks: How & Who to Watch in Brunson Bowl I

A working weekend for the New York Knicks tips off early Saturday afternoon, as they seek answers against the reeling Dallas Mavericks.

Jalen Brunson is inviting some old friends over to his new place for the holidays.

Brunson will face off against the Dallas Mavericks for the first time since signing a $104 million deal with the New York Knicks on Saturday afternoon. A new chapter of the New York-Dallas rivalry, this one written on hardwood rather than the gridiron, is set to be staged at Madison Square Garden, which will host a pair of Knick games over the weekend.

Both teams enter at the cusp of their respective postseason pictures. The Knicks are looking to end a streak of bad karma at MSG, having dropped each of their last four contests in Manhattan. That includes a 109-103 defeat at the hands of the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night, one that saw Grayson Allen sink the permanent go-ahead triple with just over 30 seconds remaining. In addition to their losing streak at MSG, the Knicks have not won consecutive games since Nov. 15-16 in Utah and Denver, posting a 2-5 record since then.

The reeling Mavericks, fresh off a trip to the Western Conference Finals partly spearheaded by Brunson, have dropped six of their past eight, including a shocking 131-125 overtime loss to the Detroit Pistons on Thursday. Luka Doncic had 35 points and 10 rebounds in defeat. At the start of Friday action, Dallas sits in 11th place in the Western Conference, a half-game behind Portland for the final Play-In Tournament spot.

This will be the first of two meetings between New York and Dallas this season, with Brunson's return to the metroplex scheduled for Dec. 27. 

What: Dallas Mavericks (10-11) @ New York Knicks (10-12)

Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY

When/Watch: Saturday 12:30 p.m. ET, MSG/MSG Go

MITCHELL ROBINSON BLOCK PARTY 🖐🏿 pic.twitter.com/1kzhw6bUTk

— Big Knick Energy (@BigKnickEnergy_) November 28, 2022

Keep an Eye On: Mitchell Robinson

Robinson just had himself a very productive back-to-back between Wednesday's return to MSG and the visit to Detroit the night before: the big man hauled in 13 rebounds in the win over the Pistons before falling one short of his career high with 20 against the Bucks. Robinson also managed to stay out of foul trouble, charged with only three in the past two outings. 

It's been a delightful return to form for Robinson, who failed to reach double-figures in rebounding over the first month of the season after dealing with a knee injury. His showing on the offensive boards (11) left an impression on Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer.

"That was one of the more impressive efforts I’ve seen from an individual on the offensive boards,” Budenholzer said of an effort that gave the Knicks 28 second-chance points on Wednesday. “He was relentless.”

Robinson will likely take on a bigger role in the Knicks' paint with Jericho Sims now stashed in Westchester. There's a prime opportunity for him to build on the success of the past two games as Dallas enters dead last in rebounding (37.8)

Maverick to Watch: Tim Hardaway Jr.

So how's the Mavericks' quest to replace Brunson going? Well, the team just signed recent metropolitan washout Kemba Walker, so ... you be the judge.

Time will tell if Walker makes his Dallas debut on Saturday, but there will be no shortage of former Knicks on the roster, none of whom (Hardaway, Walker, Reggie Bullock, Frank Ntilikina) will exactly draw a loud ovation if MSG's GardenVision dares create a video tribute. 

Hardaway was originally envisioned as one of the successors for Brunson but has since fallen into a role as the team's primary small forward. Since taking over for Bullock, Hardaway has averaged 18 points over the last three, starting to find a rhythm in head coach Jason Kidd's system. Kidd was inspired by the way Hardaway came out in a Tuesday win over Golden State after he had a chat with the 10-year veteran. 

"We had a good talk yesterday," Kidd said. "He came into work. Whenever you see someone not shooting the ball well and not playing well and coming in maybe on a day off when you can stay at home, he was in there working. That's what it takes to sometimes get out of a shooting slump; you've got to put in the actual work."

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Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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