NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK — The Mavericks did what was needed and grabbed another win on the road against the Knicks 99-86 after receiving tough news just before tip-off tonight.
The Mavericks announced the team would be without head coach Rick Carlisle because of testing positive for Covid-19. Carlisle hopes it’s the result of a false positive test because he has been vaccinated since January. Not only that, the Knicks crowd was completely bought into the game because of Kristaps Porzingis making his return to a place where he earned the “unicorn” moniker.
In the first quarter the Mavericks played well below the standard they set in their prior two games. Dallas finished the first quarter shooting 41.7% from the field and 20% from three. Luka Doncic and Josh Richardson combined to score 12 of the Mavericks first quarter points and shot 63% from the field as a duo. Kristaps Porzingis had a hard time getting into rhythm and connected on 1 out of his 7 shot attempts and 0 for 4 from three. Surprisingly the Mavericks trailed 22-25 at the end of the first quarter, but out performed the Knicks from the field. The difference was the run the Knicks established in the late minutes of the first quarter.
The Knicks run continued into the second quarter scoring 11 straight points and at one point led the Mavericks by 13. Rookie Obi Toppin had a nice run scoring 3 consecutive baskets ending his streak with a put back slam after Isaiah Quickley missed a three. New York stole the momentum momentarily and had Dallas looking for ways to respond. Josh Richardson and Tim Hardaway Jr. answered the call and halted the Knicks run. The two shot a combined 57% from the field and played a role on the defensive end as well. The Mavericks got in their bag and got creative to regather their momentum and gain a 3 point 49-46 lead with seconds remaining after two back to back threes by way of Luka and THJ.
Dallas finished the first half shooting 47% from the field which is the lowest shooting percentage they have had to finish a half over the past three games. It’s hard for consistency to be sustained especially when the head coach of the team is out due to unfortunate circumstances.
The Mavericks had a sputtering start to begin with in the third quarter. Dallas went scoreless for the first two and a half minutes and Kristaps Porzingis picked up a technical foul to add insult to injury. On the other side of the sideline the Knicks scored 3 straight baskets to gain a quick lead which was shortly lived. The Knicks went on a scoring drought of their own and the Mavericks gathered themselves and separated at the opportune time. The Mavericks finished the third quarter with a 72-69 lead shooting 41% from the field on 9 out of 22 shots and 4 of those shots coming from beyond the arc. The effort through three quarters was a collective effort and 4 Maverick players finished the third quarter with a double digit point total.
Dallas began the fourth quarter with an increased intensity on the defensive end collecting 1 block and 1 steal midway through the quarter which helped them establish a lead. The Mavericks defensive efforts continued to pay off with just a little over 5 minutes left after turning a Knicks turnover into a Jalen Brunson three moving their lead to 10 points. Luka Doncic depleted the little momentum the Knicks had left after knocking down another three pointer right between the square of the glass before the shot clock expired extending the Mavericks lead to 13 points. Luka Doncic and Jalen Brunson scored 5 of the Mavericks baskets during a 10 point run that helped them gain the lead and possibly put the game out of reach.
Doncic put the cherry on top on the next possession by driving the lane and finishing with a two handed slam. Dallas did a great job of taking advantage of the opportunities they had to score on the offensive end and that was the biggest contribution to their win tonight. The roster stepped up when things looked bad on the road. This win tonight proves the Mavericks can achieve much more with a month away from the play-in tournament and the playoffs.
Dallas plays one more game on the road before the month of April which will be a month with less hours travelling.
