New York Knicks Takeaways From Loss vs. Dallas Mavericks

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The New York Knicks fourth quarter comeback came up short, as the Dallas Mavericks picked up the victory at Madison Square Garden Monday night.

Dec 7, 2015; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) and Dallas Mavericks forward Chandler Parsons (25) tussle during the third quarter at Madison Square Garden. Dallas Mavericks won 104-97. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Knicks got off to a painfully slow start against the Dallas Mavericks, falling behind by as many as 23 points in the second half and 20 in the fourth quarter. But, something finally clicked and the Knicks woke up in the fourth quarter, putting together a furious comeback.

They got within four points in the final minute of the game, but that would be as close as they would get. They ran out of steam, as they were unable to pull off the improbable comeback, eventually falling seven points short in a 104-97 loss.

This was a poor way for the Knicks to head into a road trip, as they looked out of sync most of the night and uninterested. They didn’t bring the same energy we have seen throughout the season, especially on the defensive end of the court where the Mavericks had their way for a majority of the evening. They were out of rhythm offensively most of the night as well, as they didn’t have much continuity, over dribbling and relying too much on one-on-one basketball in isolation.

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It resulted in what was an ugly game for the Knicks outside of the last 10:30 of the game when they finally showed some effort and urgency to try and get back into the game. It was too little too late for the Knicks though, as they barely left themselves any time to try and come back against a hot-shooting Mavericks team that also lit up the Washington Wizards last night.

With the victory, the Mavericks move to 13-9 on the season, sweeping the Knicks and Wizards in their back-to-back set tonight and last night. They have a strong 8-6 record on the road, and things should only improve as two of their biggest free agent acquisitions in recent season, Wes Matthews and Chandler Parsons, both recover from procedures and round back into shape.

For the Knicks, this was another disappointing performance and outcome at Madison Square Garden. Their two-game winning streak at MSG has been snapped, and they now have a 5-7 record at home. This was not how the Knicks wanted to head into their West Coast trip, as they will start it against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night on a two-game losing streak.

Check out our takeaways from the loss Wednesday against the Mavericks and why the Knicks will be heading into that road trip on a low note.

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