Final: Mavs 110, Knicks 97
Box Score | Highlights
Behind the Box Score
Harrison Barnes recorded his first 30-point game since Nov. 20 and for the third time overall this season. He also hit all of his nine free throws and has now made at least five free throws in five of his last seven games.
Dwight Powell is now 6 of his last 14 on 3-point attempts. It’s a small sample size over a long period of time (dating back to Jan. 3), but Powell’s now made a trey in back-to-back games and appears to be making some serious progress in that department lately.
The Mavs have now scored at least 109 points in six of their last eight games.
Notebook
With Wesley Matthews out indefinitely with a right proximal fibula fracture, Rick Carlisle was forced to shuffle the starting lineup once again. Tonight, it was Yogi Ferrell and the recently reintroduced Dorian Finney-Smith with the opening group alongside Dennis Smith Jr., Harrison Barnes, and Dirk Nowitzki. Dirk picked up his second foul only a couple minutes into the first quarter and was replaced by Nerlens Noel. The resulting lineup was one of the youngest and most athletic the club has played all season; they switched everything and played fast at both ends. With the additions of Doug McDermott and Kyle Collinsworth, the Mavs now find themselves loaded with wings, whereas a couple months ago they only had one active player taller than 6-foot-4 and shorter than 6-foot-10. As the season continues, it’s likely that we’ll see more combinations of those young, athletic guys together, so it’s going to be important that they develop chemistry and try to make it work so the Mavs know what they’re working with entering the summer.
The Mavs put together a brilliant second quarter defensively after allowing the Knicks to shoot better than 60 percent from the floor in the first two quarters. Dallas surrendered only 12 points in the third frame, at one point launching an extended 19-0 run. The defense fueled the offense, piling up seven turnovers and creating numerous fast break opportunities, a couple of which were capped off with Ferrell 3-pointers. Good defense and hustle both seem to be contagious and everyone was catching the bug. Smith drew his fourth charge of the season, sacrificing his body to halt a driving Knick. The Mavs outrebounded the Knicks on the offensive glass 6-1 in that quarter. Dallas didn’t shoot it too great in that quarter, but was still able to build a nice lead thanks to the performance at the other end. The Mavericks have actually been a top-10 team in defensive rating since the All-Star break, thanks in large part to quarters like that one.
Jameel Warney got 10 minutes of action in his hometown arena tonight and he took complete advantage of it. “Full Course Meelz,” as he’s known on Twitter, scored eight points and grabbed three boards in his quick night’s work. Warney hails from the New York City area and played his college ball at nearby Stony Brook, so this was a homecoming of sorts for him. He’ll have a few more chances at minutes in the final three stops on this road trip, and if he plays in those games anything like he played tonight, he’s going to give the Mavs something to think about once his 10 days are up.
What’s Next
The Mavs (22-46) will play the Toronto Raptors (49-17) on Friday at the Air Canada Centre at 6:30 p.m. Central.
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