Dallas Mavericks vs New York Knicks Recap, Highlights, Final Score, More

The New York Knicks sent the faithful at Madison Square Garden home happy after defeating the Dallas Mavericks Monday night.

The New York Knicks picked up a solid victory Monday against the Dallas Mavericks. It was a sloppy game at times, but the Knicks will be happy to come away with the victory and snap a two-game losing streak.

It was an uncharacteristic game for the Knicks based on their regular season thus far. The Knicks defense showed up tonight in a big way. It is an aspect of the game that has been missing thus far but it was nice to see it come out tonight.

The Knicks held the Mavericks to 38.6 percent shooting on the night and a paltry 17.9 percent from the three-point line. The Knicks caught a break with Dirk Nowitzki and Deron Williams both being sidelined, but they were able to capitalize and get a win.

The Knicks were able to neutralize Harrison Barnes tonight. He missed his first three shots of the game, but then made four consecutive. The Knicks switched up their defense and locked down on Barnes after that, as he shot 3-for-10 the remainder of the game.

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J.J. Barea was the only other scoring source for the Mavericks tonight. Despite his diminutive size Barea gave the Knicks fits throughout the night. He scored 17 points on 8-for-16 from the field with four assists and one rebound.

It was a total team effort from the Knicks tonight on the defensive end of the court. Head coach Jeff Hornacek made some nice adjustments as the game wore on as well. The Mavericks went smaller with Nowitzki sidelined and Hornacek countered with a smaller lineup of his own. It resulted in Joakim Noah not playing in the second half, but he will trade playing time for wins any time.

The Knicks got it done offensively as well after a slow start. They scored only 15 points in the first quarter and 31 in the first half. But they responded with a strong second half, outscoring the Mavericks 57-38 to pull out the victory.

Three Stars

SF Carmelo Anthony, Knicks — Anthony had another strong offensive showing. After a slow first half Melo had a big thrid quarter with 17 points. He finished the game with a game-high tying 24 points, shooting 8-of-18 from the field and 3-of-6 from deep. He also added seven rebounds, three assists, one steal, and one block on the evening.

PF Kristaps Porzingis, Knicks — Porzingis had a big night. He took full advantage of the Mavericks going small as Andrew Bogut and Salah Mejri were too slow to keep up with him on the perimeter and he bullied smaller opponents near the basket. It resulted in a 24 point evening, as he shot 8-of-16 from the field and 2-of-5 from deep. He registered his first double-double of the season, pulling down 11 rebounds as well.

SG Justin Holiday, Knicks — Holiday has been a revelation for the Knicks this season. He has been arguably their best performer off the bench and had another solid night against the Mavericks. He scored 16 points, making 6-of-7 from the field, going 2-of-3 from deep. He added four rebounds, two assists and excellent defense with two steals and one block. He finished the game with an outstanding +30 plus/minus ratio.

Highlights

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Next Game

The Knicks will remain at home for a game against the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday. The Mavericks will continue their road trip Wedenesday against the Celtics.