New York Knicks Takeaways From Loss vs. Dallas Mavericks

Dec 7, 2015; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks forward Kristaps Porzingis (6) shoots over Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki (41) during the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

Matchup of The Game Recap

In our keys to the game, we highlighted the matchup between Kristaps Porzingis, the upstart rookie, against one of his idols in Dirk Nowitzki. This matchup lived up to the hype, as both players had strong games.

Nowitzki had the upper hand to start, as he taught the young Porzingis a thing or two offensively. Nowitzki took Porzingis to school in the early going. He scored 11 of their first 13 points, knocking down face up jumpers over Porzingis from his sweet spots on the wing and in the corner. He extended to the three-point line once as well, knocking down one as Porzingis lost him in the shuffle.

Nowitzki finished the game with 25 points in 9-of-18 from the field as he continues to be as efficient as they come despite being 37-years old. He made 2-of-4 from deep and 5-of-6 from the free throw line as he had it going from all over the court. He also added six rebounds and two assists as he keeps chugging along.

As we mentioned in the last slide, Porzingis did not back down, scoring a game-high 28 points and showing the Mavericks some of the talent that he possesses.It was a fun matchup to watch as Nowitzki and Porzingis have games that any basketball fan would love to sit down and watch.

Next: Lackluster Defensive Effort