NEW YORK – Thanks to the heroics of superstar point guard Luka Dončić , the Dallas Mavericks were able to accomplish something Thursday night they hadn’t done in over four years.
Showing why he should be squarely in the middle of the NBA Most Valuable Player race, Dončić overpowered the New York Knicks, scoring 39 points, grabbing eight rebounds, distributing 11 assists and making four steals as the Mavs got out of Madison Square Garden with a 122-108 triumph.
The victory gave the Mavs (29-23) a clean 3-0 sweep of this road trip, which also included wins earlier this week over Philadelphia and Brooklyn. It’s the first time the Mavs swept a road trip of at least three games since Nov. 29-Dec. 3, 2019 when they beat Phoenix, the Los Angeles Lakers and New Orleans Pelicans.
This time – as it has so many times before – it came as Dončić was at his dominant best. Again.
When the Knicks were trying to rally from a 20-point deficit (84-64 late in the third quarter), it was Dončić who kept firing in one three-point salvo after another. In all, the six-year veteran was 13-of-24 from the field, including 7-of-14 from downtown.
In fact, Dončić scored 15 of his points in the fourth quarter when he was 5-of-5 from the field, including 4-of-4 from beyond the three-point arc. It 
was another masterpiece by the five-time All-Star, who already has so many of them in his arsenal.
“The guy is special,” forward Derrick Jones Jr. said. “He’s very special. He can do whatever he wants out.
“I feel like he doesn’t let nobody speed him up. He plays his game, and he has fun out there. When Luka is having fun it’s scary for the other team.”
The Knicks put up a mild scare when they pulled to within 111-103 of the Mavs on a basket by Donta DiVincenzo with 3:26 remaining in the game. However, Tim Hardaway Jr. drained a couple of baskets, and Dončić drilled a three-pointer to complete a 10-2 run which gave the Mavs a comfortable 121-105 lead and put this game on ice with 1:48 left.
“You got to give (the Knicks) credit,” Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. “They played hard. Just like in Brooklyn (on Tuesday night), teams make runs, and I thought the group responded in a positive way.
“When teams are going to make runs we’ve got to find a way to get a stop. And when we do get that stop, be able to capitalize, and I thought we did a great job of doing that.”
Hardaway, who scored 19 points on 7-of-14 shots, said the Mavs simply rolled up their sleeves and got the job done down the stretch when the game
got a little hairy.
“We got stops and continued what we were doing the whole entire game,” said Hardaway, who was 5-of-10 from downtown. “We knew they were going to double (Dončić) in the fourth (quarter).
“Guys just had to be aggressive and make a play.”
As he has done against so many other teams, Dončić was able to break down the Knicks’ defense and keep the Mavs pointed in the right direction of a game they never trailed.
“They were playing very aggressive and we had to win this game no matter what,” Dončić said. “So, we go 3-0 on this road trip, which was a tough road trip, so I’m very happy.”
Jones is very happy, too, that he was able to break out after scoring just 17 points on 7-of-17 shots in the previous four games combined. On Thursday, Jones was 5-of-7 from the field and finished with 18 points.
“I really don’t base my game off of offensive performances,” Jones said. “I just try to do whatever I can defensively and stop the best player on the other team.
“When my shots come, they come. I just got to take my shots and make my shots. That’s all on me.”
Injuries put a bit of a damper on the game that was televised nationally on TNT. For the Mavs, Dereck Lively II (fractured nose) and Dante Exum (right knee soreness) both didn’t play.
Meanwhile, the Knicks were without All-Stars Jalen Brunson (sprain his right ankle) and Plano’s Julius Randle (dislocated right shoulder), in addition to OG Anunoby (bone spur irritation in his elbow), Mitchell Robinson (left ankle stress fracture) and Quentin Grimes (sprained knee).
Injuries aside, Kyrie Irving had 16 points, five rebounds and six assists, and Josh Green collected 15 points and six boards and a spectacular fast break dunk in the first half.
Dončić played 40 minutes and picked the Knicks apart like he was stealing candy from a baby.
“He was fresh,” Kidd said. “I think he caught rhythm there and he got to his sweet spot and I thought 
he did a good job of accepting the double-team and finding his teammates.
“It’s a great road trip. But Luka and Kai, I thought those two in the first half were great on the pick-and-roll in the middle of the floor.”
Also, the two-man game between Dončić and Irving was exceptional.
“We just played off of each other and it was good,” Doncic said. “We’re going to use that a lot, especially in late games.”
Now the Mavs go home for a three-game homestand that starts with a 2 p.m. game on Saturday against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
They also go home knowing that the road wins over Philadelphia, Brooklyn and the Knicks on this five-day trip could be the beginning of something wonderful.
“We just trusted each other and just went back to our basis and our principles, and going out there and playing the game like we’re supposed to be playing and 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 and get the win.”
X: @DwainPrice
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