Luka Doncic's Mavs Defeat Shorthanded Knicks, Extend 3-Game Win-Streak

Mavs superstar Luka Doncic had a substantial performance to lead the team to a victory over the shorthanded Knicks squad playing without Jalen Brunson.

NEW YORK CITY —The Dallas Mavericks ended a three-game East Coast road trip with a 122-108 victory against the New York Knicks, resulting in a 3-0 record. Luka Doncic set the tone with 39 points, 11 assists, and eight rebounds, with four teammates having double-figure scoring performances.  

"They were playing very aggressively, very hard, and we had to win this game no matter what," Doncic said. "So, I'm very happy with this road trip."

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In addition to Doncic's performance, the Mavs received 16 points, six assists, and five rebounds from Irving. Derrick Jones Jr. chipped in 18 points, five rebounds, and three assists. Dallas received 15 points, six rebounds, and three assists from Josh Green. Tim Hardaway Jr. added another 19 points off the bench. 

Between their deadline day trade activity and a lengthy list of inactive players, including Jalen Brunson, Julius Randle, and OG. Anunoby, the Knicks played with only eight active players. New York lost Isaiah Hartnestein (sore left Achilles) mid-game due to injury after playing just 15 minutes of action. 

"Just going out there and playing game like we're supposed to be playing, just not playing down to the competition," Jones said. "They had a bunch of players out tonight, so we just had to go out there and do what we had to do, handle the business that we needed to handle, and just get the win."

Donte DiVincenzo attempted to shoulder the load for the Knicks, scoring 36 points. Josh Hart had a triple-double with 23 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds. Miles McBride chipped in 21 points, six rebounds, and five assists. Precious Achiuwa chipped in 13 points, 16 rebounds, and three assists. 

The Mavs played without Dereck Lively II (nasal fracture) and Dante Exum (right knee bursitis). It remains to be seen when either player will return to the lineup. Dallas' trades to acquire P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford were made official during the game before the deadline. 

The Mavs jumped out to a strong start, leading 5-0 with made baskets each from Irving and Doncic. New York rallied to make it an 8-8 tie, but the Mavs regained the edge and held onto it for the remainder of the game. Despite being a frequent focus of double teams, Doncic helped guide the team to a 24-16 advantage as he went to the bench for the first time. 

The Mavs' lead reached double figures for the first time after Hardaway converted on a contested corner 3-pointer, going up 34-24 with 10:21 left before halftime. The Knicks tried to make a push during the second quarter, but a corner 3-pointer from Green pushed Dallas' edge back to 10. 

The Knicks continued a theme the Mavs faced throughout their three-game road trip and was led by the NBA's most blitzed player in Doncic for the whole season. As New York doubled him, he accepted the coverage to allow his team to play 4-on-3 basketball but was also aggressive in finding spots to attack when possible. With Irving in the lineup, Doncic finds it simpler to attack and appreciates how Irving helps him conserve energy throughout the game. 

"We talked before the game. A lot of people are going to double me. I'll just play out of it," Doncic said. "With Kai out there, it's so much easier to play for me. If they double me, we have a 4-on-3 situation, which we succeeded a lot today. It's easier. I don't get tired that much."

Dallas frequently deployed Irving as a screener for Doncic in the two-man game throughout the second quarter, with the Knicks often aggressively doubling Doncic and hedging ball screens. The Mavs treaded water to hold a 59-48 lead at halftime. 

"Luke and Kai, those two in the first half had a great tandem going to run pick-and-roll in the middle of the floor," Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. "I thought that was really good. So, hopefully, we can get to that a little bit more."

Doncic looks forward to utilizing the two-man game with Irving more going forward, highlighting how difficult it makes the defense approaches who tend to blitz or double. Against him and Irving, they have to try to show or switch when they ideally don't want to do that against any other matchup. 

"Definitely, that was nice. It was just me and him; sometimes they showed, sometimes they switched, so we just played out of each other, and it was good," Doncic said. "We're going to use that a lot, especially late in games."

With Doncic and Co. heating up from beyond the arc after halftime, a step-back 3-pointer from the Slovenian superstar pushed the Mavs up 80-64 late in the third quarter. A pair of finishes from Jaden Hardy gave Dallas its largest lead afterward, creating a 20-point advantage. 

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McBride's finish in part of an 8-4 early scoring advantage for the Knicks to begin the fourth quarter reduced the Mavs' lead to 91-79 with 10:13 left in regulation, prompting a timeout to be called. Green answered an emphatic dunk by McBride with an and-one 3-pointer in the corner, stifling New York's momentum to extend Dallas' lead to 15 midway through the final period.

Doncic converted a pair of off-the-dribble 3-pointers and recorded an emphatic block to keep Dallas going despite some turnovers. After DiVincenzo made it an eight-point game, the Mavs heated up from the perimeter to regain a double-figure advantage to close it out by pulling off a 10-2 run. Doncic hit a 3-point to push the lead to 16, clinching the victory. 

"I think he caught rhythm there and got to a sweet spot," Kidd said of Doncic. "I thought he did a great job accepting the double team and finding his teammates."

"You got give them credit. They played hard," Kidd said. "Just like in Brooklyn, teams make runs, and I thought the group responded in a positive way. As you brought up a 10-2 run for us, teams are going to make runs. We have to find a way to get a stop. When we do get that stop, we will be able to capitalize, and I thought we did a good job tonight doing that. "

The Mavs have an afternoon game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday, marking a three-game homestand to close their schedule before the NBA All-Star break.