The Knicks couldn’t find a rhythm on Wednesday night, as they fell to the Dallas Mavericks, 129-114, at American Airlines Center.
— The Knicks failed to take advantage of an inferior Mavericks lineup, as three of their top four scorers – Luka Doncic, Klay Thompson, and Daniel Gafford – were ruled out before the game due to injury. There was no indication of Dallas letting up, they had entered the game 3-1 with Doncic sidelined, after all.
— A red-hot offense that scored a whopping 145 points in Monday’s road win over the Denver Nuggets didn’t make the trip to Dallas. The Knicks struggled to buy a bucket in the first quarter, as they shot a measly 4 for 21 from the floor and a ghastly 0 for 8 from beyond the arc. While they ended the opening period on an 8-5 run, they trailed by as many as 16 points and finished with their lowest-scoring quarter of the season (15).
— New York’s offensive woes carried into the second quarter. They trailed by a game-high 24 points at the 6:25 mark, and by shooting an insufficient 26 percent (11-of-42) overall, they also posted a season-low 38 points in the first half.
— The Knicks chipped away during the third quarter, manufacturing a 7-0 run in less than two minutes and cutting their deficit down to 13 points at the 5:32 mark. But the effort wasn’t enough, as the Mavericks regrouped following a timeout and pushed the lead back up to 19 through 36 minutes.
— The fourth quarter resembled the previous three. While the Knicks managed to get back within 12 points, they traded baskets with the Mavericks and ran out of time to rally. New York’s starting five was still on the court with less than 80 seconds left.
— While the Knicks dealt with a tight rim and some physical Mavericks defense, Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns still found ways to contribute. The superstar tandem — called “the best pick and roll combo in the NBA” by Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd before the game — finished with 62 points. Of that total, a season-high 37 came from Brunson, who also added seven assists. Towns produced a solid double-double with 25 points and 14 boards in 35 minutes.
— OG Anunoby, who scored a career-high 40 points against Denver, had a night to forget in Dallas. He didn’t score a single first-half point (0-of-5 from three), and his frustration was visible when he failed to flush a simple alley-oop attempt in transition. By the final buzzer, he recorded just eight points, his lowest tally since Oct. 22 against the Boston Celtics (4).
— Overall, the Knicks shot 46 percent (40-of-86) and were outrebounded, 43-33. They also committed nine turnovers, and the Mavericks capitalized with 19 points off of those mistakes. Perhaps the Knicks’ lone silver lining was their production at the charity stripe — they made 27-of-30 free throws (90 percent).
— The Mavericks’ offense was anything but cold. They made nearly half of their three-point attempts (17-of-33) and shot 56.5 percent overall. All five of their starters scored double-digit points, and Naji Marshall posted a team-high 24 points. P.J. Washington also recorded his sixth double-double of the season.
— Kyrie Irving improved to 19-3 in his last 22 meetings against the Knicks, and nearly recorded a triple-double in the process. He scored 23 points on 10 of 21 shooting with seven rebounds and six assists.
The Knicks (10-8) will wrap up their five-game road trip on Friday, with a matinee bout against the Charlotte Hornets (12 p.m. tip-off).
