Game ID: 22300736
Dallas Mavericks @ New York Knicks
Thursday, February 8, 2024 at 7:30 PM ET
Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
NYK 22 26 23 37 108DAL 28 31 28 35 122
DAL @ NYK ScoutingDAL @ NYK Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
NYK availability going into 1/30 · back-to-backOUT Robinson missed 26 since 12/11, out tonight
OUT Fournier missed 5 since 1/20, out tonight
OUT Gibson missed 14 since 1/03, returns tonight: 0 min (5% of 10)
BACK Hartenstein back 1/27 after 2, 16 min since (62% of 26)
BACK Sims back 1/20 after 5, 16 min since (130% of 12)
NYK availability going into 2/01 · 1 day's restOUT Randle missed 2 since 1/29, out tonight
OUT Anunoby missed 2 since 1/29, out tonight
OUT Robinson missed 27 since 12/11, out tonight
OUT Fournier missed 6 since 1/20, out tonight
BACK Hartenstein back 1/27 after 2, 20 min since (79% of 26)
BACK Gibson back 1/30 after 14, 0 min since (5% of 10)
NEW Achiuwa 24 to 30 min over the last 5
NEW Sims 12 to 19 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 2/03 · 1 day's restOUT Randle missed 3 since 1/29, out tonight
OUT Anunoby missed 3 since 1/29, out tonight
OUT Robinson missed 28 since 12/11, out tonight
OUT Fournier missed 7 since 1/20, out tonight
BACK Hartenstein back 1/27 after 2, 24 min since (93% of 26)
BACK Gibson back 1/30 after 14, 0 min since (5% of 10)
NEW Achiuwa 24 to 34 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 2/06 · 2 days' restOUT Randle missed 4 since 1/29, out tonight
OUT Anunoby missed 4 since 1/29, out tonight
OUT Robinson missed 29 since 12/11, out tonight
OUT Fournier missed 8 since 1/20, out tonight
OUT Gibson missed 2 since 2/01, returns tonight: 13 min (126% of 10)
BACK Hartenstein back 1/27 after 2, 26 min since (100% of 26)
NEW DiVincenzo 30 to 36 min over the last 5
NEW Achiuwa 24 to 38 min over the last 5
NEW Grimes 20 to 26 min over the last 3
NYK availability going into 2/08 · 1 day's restOUT Randle missed 5 since 1/29, out tonight
OUT Anunoby missed 5 since 1/29, out tonight
OUT Robinson missed 30 since 12/11, out tonight
OUT Fournier missed 9 since 1/20, not on tonight's roster
BACK Gibson back 1/30 after 14, 7 min since (66% of 10)
NEW Hart 35 to 40 min over the last 5
NEW DiVincenzo 30 to 40 min over the last 5
NEW Achiuwa 24 to 40 min over the last 5
NEW Sims 12 to 17 min over the last 4
NYK availability going into 2/10 · 1 day's restOUT Randle missed 6 since 1/29, out tonight
OUT Anunoby missed 6 since 1/29, out tonight
OUT Robinson missed 31 since 12/11, out tonight
OUT Sims missed 2 since 2/06, out tonight
BACK Gibson back 1/30 after 14, 12 min since (116% of 10)
NEW Hart 35 to 40 min over the last 5
NEW DiVincenzo 30 to 40 min over the last 5
NEW Achiuwa 24 to 42 min over the last 5
NEW McBride 21 to 27 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 2/12 · 1 day's restOUT Randle missed 7 since 1/29, out tonight
OUT Anunoby missed 7 since 1/29, out tonight
OUT Robinson missed 32 since 12/11, out tonight
OUT Sims missed 3 since 2/06, returns tonight: 29 min (235% of 12)
BACK Gibson back 2/06 after 2, 18 min since (174% of 10)
NEW DiVincenzo 30 to 40 min over the last 5
NEW Achiuwa 24 to 42 min over the last 5
NEW McBride 21 to 27 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 2/14 · 1 day's restOUT Randle missed 8 since 1/29, out tonight
OUT Anunoby missed 8 since 1/29, out tonight
OUT Hartenstein missed 2 since 2/10, out tonight
OUT Robinson missed 33 since 12/11, out tonight
BACK Sims back 2/12 after 3, 29 min since (235% of 12)
BACK Gibson back 2/06 after 2, 15 min since (144% of 10)
NEW DiVincenzo 30 to 41 min over the last 5
NEW Achiuwa 24 to 41 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 2/22 · 7 days' restOUT Randle missed 9 since 1/29, out tonight
OUT Anunoby missed 9 since 1/29, out tonight
OUT Hartenstein missed 3 since 2/10, returns tonight: 11 min (42% of 26)
OUT Robinson missed 34 since 12/11, out tonight
BACK Sims back 2/12 after 3, 34 min since (277% of 12)
BACK Gibson back 2/06 after 2, 14 min since (133% of 10)
NEW DiVincenzo 30 to 41 min over the last 4
NEW Achiuwa 24 to 41 min over the last 5
NEW Burks 15 to 23 min over the last 3
DAL availability going into 1/31 · 1 day's restOUT Irving missed 4 since 1/24, out tonight
OUT Jones Jr. missed 2 since 1/27, out tonight
OUT Exum missed 2 since 1/27, out tonight
BACK Curry back 1/27 after 3, 8 min since (63% of 13)
BACK Powell back 1/29 after 4, 1 min since (9% of 12)
BACK Holmes back 1/24 after 5, 7 min since (73% of 10)
NEW Hardaway Jr. 25 to 34 min over the last 5
NEW Green 24 to 34 min over the last 5
NEW Lively II 23 to 30 min over the last 5
DAL availability going into 2/03 · 2 days' restOUT Irving missed 5 since 1/24, out tonight
OUT Jones Jr. missed 3 since 1/27, returns tonight: 35 min (142% of 25)
OUT Exum missed 3 since 1/27, out tonight
BACK Curry back 1/27 after 3, 11 min since (84% of 13)
BACK Powell back 1/29 after 4, 8 min since (65% of 12)
BACK Holmes back 1/24 after 5, 12 min since (117% of 10)
NEW Hardaway Jr. 25 to 34 min over the last 5
NEW Green 24 to 32 min over the last 5
NEW Lively II 23 to 31 min over the last 4
NEW Hardy 12 to 21 min over the last 5
DAL availability going into 2/05 · 1 day's restOUT Irving missed 6 since 1/24, returns tonight: 35 min (95% of 36)
OUT Lively II missed 2 since 1/31, out tonight
OUT Exum missed 4 since 1/27, out tonight
BACK Jones Jr. back 2/03 after 3, 35 min since (142% of 25)
BACK Curry back 1/27 after 3, 11 min since (84% of 13)
BACK Powell back 1/29 after 4, 11 min since (96% of 12)
NEW Dončić 38 to 44 min over the last 4
NEW Hardaway Jr. 25 to 35 min over the last 5
NEW Green 24 to 34 min over the last 5
NEW Hardy 12 to 20 min over the last 5
DAL availability going into 2/06 · back-to-backOUT Lively II missed 3 since 1/31, out tonight
OUT Exum missed 5 since 1/27, out tonight
OUT Curry missed 2 since 2/03, out tonight
BACK Irving back 2/05 after 6, 35 min since (95% of 36)
BACK Jones Jr. back 2/03 after 3, 25 min since (100% of 25)
BACK Powell back 1/29 after 4, 12 min since (106% of 12)
NEW Hardaway Jr. 25 to 33 min over the last 5
NEW Green 24 to 33 min over the last 5
NEW Hardy 12 to 20 min over the last 5
DAL availability going into 2/08 · 1 day's restOUT Lively II missed 4 since 1/31, out tonight
OUT Exum missed 6 since 1/27, out tonight
OUT Curry missed 3 since 2/03, not on tonight's roster
BACK Irving back 2/05 after 6, 37 min since (102% of 36)
BACK Jones Jr. back 2/03 after 3, 24 min since (96% of 25)
BACK Powell back 1/29 after 4, 13 min since (115% of 12)
NEW Hardaway Jr. 25 to 31 min over the last 5
NEW Green 24 to 33 min over the last 5
NEW Kleber 20 to 26 min over the last 5
NEW Hardy 12 to 18 min over the last 5
DAL availability going into 2/10 · 1 day's restOUT Lively II missed 5 since 1/31, out tonight
OUT Exum missed 7 since 1/27, out tonight
BACK Irving back 2/05 after 6, 37 min since (101% of 36)
BACK Jones Jr. back 2/03 after 3, 25 min since (103% of 25)
NEW Green 24 to 33 min over the last 5
NEW Kleber 20 to 27 min over the last 5
NEW Powell 12 to 17 min over the last 5
DAL availability going into 2/12 · 1 day's restOUT Lively II missed 6 since 1/31, out tonight
OUT Exum missed 8 since 1/27, out tonight
BACK Irving back 2/05 after 6, 36 min since (99% of 36)
BACK Jones Jr. back 2/03 after 3, 25 min since (101% of 25)
NEW Green 24 to 32 min over the last 5
NEW Kleber 20 to 29 min over the last 5
DAL availability going into 2/14 · 1 day's restOUT Lively II missed 7 since 1/31, returns tonight: 17 min (74% of 23)
OUT Exum missed 9 since 1/27, out tonight
BACK Irving back 2/05 after 6, 37 min since (103% of 36)
NEW Green 24 to 31 min over the last 5
NEW Kleber 20 to 27 min over the last 5
DAL availability going into 2/22 · 7 days' restOUT Exum missed 10 since 1/27, out tonight
BACK Lively II back 2/14 after 7, 17 min since (74% of 23)
NEW Kleber 20 to 27 min over the last 4
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New York comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 105, shooting 47 percent and 32 from three, 19 free throws a game; Brunson at 33 and DiVincenzo at 28 a game. It has won the glass by 7 a night. Without Randle (5 straight), Anunoby (5 straight), Robinson (30 straight). One day's rest. Dallas comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 118, shooting 50 percent and 39 from three, 26 free throws a game; Dončić at 35 and Hardaway Jr. at 16 a game. Without Lively II (4 straight), Exum (6 straight). One day's rest.
So: New York wins, and the game turns on the glass, where New York has been plus-7 a night and Dallas minus-3 and the defense, New York allowing 105 a night to Dallas's 118. Call it New York 117, Dallas 111.
1/30 vs UTA 118-103 — NYK notes
NYK won 118-103. NYK shot 47% (44 of 94) to UTA's 45%, 13 of 34 from three. NYK turned it over 5 times to UTA's 14. DiVincenzo led with 33 (11 of 22, 9 of 15 from three); Brunson added 29, Achiuwa 18. The hinge was Q3, 36-24: a lead of 8 became 20, and the lead reached 25. DiVincenzo was the night's best plus/minus at +23.
2/01 vs IND 109-105 — NYK notes
NYK won 109-105. NYK shot 40% (41 of 103) to IND's 45%, 8 of 38 from three, and went to the line 25 times to IND's 13 — 19 points from the stripe to their 8. The glass went 60-44 for them. Brunson led with 40 (15 of 30, 1 of 6 from three, 9 of 11 at the line); DiVincenzo added 20, McBride 16. The hinge was Q4, 30-21: NYK came in trailing by 5 and left it ahead by 4. NYK trailed 51-58 at the half and won the second half 58-47. McBride was the night's best plus/minus at +10.
2/03 vs LAL 105-113 — NYK notes
NYK lost 105-113. NYK took 20 more shots (100 to 80), fed by 18 offensive rebounds, but shot 41% to LAL's 49%, 10 of 35 from three, and got to the line 15 times to LAL's 27. The glass went 51-38 for them. Brunson led with 36 (15 of 31, 1 of 6 from three, 5 of 6 at the line); DiVincenzo added 26, Hart 12. Q3 was theirs, 27-21, but the other 3 periods went 92-78 against them. Hart's -12 in 42 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/06 vs MEM 123-113 — NYK notes
NYK won 123-113. NYK shot 56% (48 of 86) to MEM's 51%, 11 of 27 from three. NYK turned it over 10 times to MEM's 18. DiVincenzo led with 32 (12 of 18, 4 of 9 from three); Brunson added 27, Achiuwa 17. The hinge was Q2, 37-22: a lead of 9 became 24, and the lead reached 28. Hart was the night's best plus/minus at +20.
2/08 vs DAL 108-122 — NYK notes
NYK lost 108-122. NYK took 12 more shots (94 to 82), fed by 14 offensive rebounds, but shot 45% to DAL's 52%, 14 of 37 from three, and got to the line just 11 times against 19 fouls committed. NYK turned it over 14 times to DAL's 8. DiVincenzo led with 36 (13 of 26, 7 of 12 from three); Hart added 23, McBride 21. Q4 was theirs, 37-35, the deficit cut from 16 to 14, but the other 3 periods went 87-71 against them. DiVincenzo's -19 in 43 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/10 vs IND — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New York comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 111, shooting 45 percent and 33 from three, 18 free throws a game; Brunson at 33 and DiVincenzo at 29 a game. It has won the glass by 8 a night. Without Randle (6 straight), Anunoby (6 straight), Robinson (31 straight). One day's rest. Indiana comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 120, shooting 52 percent and 39 from three, 19 free throws a game; Siakam at 22 and Mathurin at 19 a game. It has lost the glass by 10 a night. One day's rest.
So: New York wins, and the game turns on the glass, where New York has been plus-8 a night and Indiana minus-10 and the turnovers, Indiana giving it away 14 times a game to New York's 9. Call it New York 119, Indiana 114.
2/12 @ HOU — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 116, shooting 47 percent and 37 from three, 20 free throws a game; Ja. Green at 17 and Sengun at 16 a game. That is 4 straight losses. It has won the glass by 8 a night. Without VanVleet (3 straight). One day's rest. New York comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 116, shooting 45 percent and 31 from three, 19 free throws a game; Brunson at 36 and DiVincenzo at 26 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. Without Randle (7 straight), Anunoby (7 straight), Robinson (32 straight). One day's rest.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the turnovers, Houston giving it away 16 times a game to New York's 10 and the arc, Houston at 37 percent from three to New York's 31. Call it Houston 115, New York 112, New York keeping it close.
2/14 @ ORL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Orlando comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 113, shooting 50 percent and 37 from three, 21 free throws a game; F. Wagner at 27 and Banchero at 20 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. Second night of a back-to-back. New York comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 116, shooting 47 percent and 34 from three, 16 free throws a game; Brunson at 32 and DiVincenzo at 26 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Randle (8 straight), Anunoby (8 straight), Hartenstein (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Orlando wins, and the game turns on the turnovers, Orlando giving it away 15 times a game to New York's 11 and the line, where Orlando takes 21 free throws a game to New York's 16. Call it Orlando 113, New York 112, New York keeping it close.
2/22 @ PHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Philadelphia comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 119, shooting 47 percent and 32 from three, 20 free throws a game; Maxey at 23 and Hield at 22 a game. Without Embiid (8 straight), Harris (2 straight), Melton (17 straight). 7 days' rest. New York comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 117, shooting 47 percent and 36 from three, 18 free throws a game; Brunson at 32 and DiVincenzo at 26 a game. That is 4 straight losses. Without Randle (9 straight), Anunoby (9 straight), Hartenstein (3 straight). 7 days' rest.
So: Philadelphia wins, and the game turns on the arc, New York at 36 percent from three to Philadelphia's 32. Call it Philadelphia 116, New York 113, New York keeping it close.
1/31 @ MIN 87-121 — DAL notes
DAL lost 87-121. DAL shot 41% (31 of 76) to MIN's 56%, 6 of 29 from three. DAL turned it over 16 times to MIN's 10. The glass went 31-45 against them. Green led with 18 (8 of 13, 2 of 3 from three); Hardy added 15, Hardaway Jr. 14. Q2 was theirs, 27-28, but the other 3 periods went 93-60 against them. Hardaway Jr.'s -32 in 32 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/03 vs MIL 117-129 — DAL notes
DAL lost 117-129. DAL shot 49% (40 of 81) to MIL's 57%, 16 of 39 from three. DAL turned it over 21 times to MIL's 11, and MIL turned those into 13 steals. Dončić led with 40 (13 of 26, 4 of 12 from three, 10 of 11 at the line); Kleber added 21, Green 20. Q1 was theirs, 44-20, but the other 3 periods went 109-73 against them. They led by as many as 25. Green's -29 in 38 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/05 @ PHI 118-102 — DAL notes
DAL won 118-102. DAL shot 48% (42 of 87) to PHI's 43%, 17 of 43 from three. Irving led with 23 (10 of 17, 2 of 3 from three); Green added 20, Dončić 19. The hinge was Q4, 41-28: a lead of 3 became 16, and the lead reached 22. DAL trailed 53-57 at the half and won the second half 65-45. Dončić was the night's best plus/minus at +17.
2/06 @ BKN 119-107 — DAL notes
DAL won 119-107. DAL shot 51% (46 of 91) to BKN's 45%, 19 of 43 from three. Irving led with 36 (15 of 24, 6 of 10 from three); Dončić added 35, Hardaway Jr. 14. The hinge was Q2, 34-23: a lead of 7 became 18, and the lead reached 23. Irving was the night's best plus/minus at +15.
2/08 @ NYK 122-108 — DAL notes
DAL won 122-108. DAL shot 52% (43 of 82) to NYK's 45%, 18 of 42 from three, and went to the line 23 times to NYK's 11 — 18 points from the stripe to their 10. DAL turned it over 8 times to NYK's 14. Dončić led with 39 (13 of 24, 7 of 14 from three, 6 of 7 at the line); Hardaway Jr. added 19, Jones Jr. 18. The hinge was Q1, 28-22: from level to 6 ahead, and the lead reached 20. Dončić was the night's best plus/minus at +18.
2/10 vs OKC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Dallas comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 113, shooting 48 percent and 39 from three, 22 free throws a game; Dončić at 33 and Irving at 25 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Lively II (5 straight), Exum (7 straight). One day's rest. OKC comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 113, shooting 48 percent and 43 from three, 20 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 31 and Holmgren at 16 a game. Without Joe (4 straight). 3 days' rest.
So: OKC wins, on the road, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it OKC 116, Dallas 115, Dallas keeping it close.
2/12 vs WAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Dallas comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 124 a night and allowing 111, shooting 52 percent and 41 from three, 23 free throws a game; Dončić at 33 and Irving at 25 a game. That is 4 straight wins. Without Lively II (6 straight), Exum (8 straight). One day's rest. Washington comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 123, shooting 46 percent and 34 from three, 18 free throws a game; Kuzma at 20 and Avdija at 19 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 8 a night. One day's rest.
So: Dallas wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Dallas has been plus-2 a night and Washington minus-8 and the defense, Dallas allowing 111 a night to Washington's 123. Call it Dallas 124, Washington 113, Dallas by 11.
2/14 vs SAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Dallas comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 106, shooting 51 percent and 39 from three, 24 free throws a game; Dončić at 30 and Irving at 25 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Without Lively II (7 straight), Exum (9 straight). One day's rest. San Antonio comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 116, shooting 45 percent and 32 from three, 20 free throws a game; Vassell at 23 and Wembanyama at 20 a game. One day's rest.
So: Dallas wins, and the game turns on the defense, Dallas allowing 106 a night to San Antonio's 116 and the arc, Dallas at 39 percent from three to San Antonio's 32. Call it Dallas 121, San Antonio 110, Dallas by 11.
2/22 vs PHX — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Dallas comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 105, shooting 52 percent and 38 from three, 21 free throws a game; Dončić at 32 and Irving at 27 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Exum (10 straight). 7 days' rest. Phoenix comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 112, shooting 51 percent and 37 from three, 28 free throws a game; Durant at 27 and Booker at 24 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. 7 days' rest.
So: Dallas wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Dallas has been plus-5 a night and Phoenix minus-5 and the line, where Phoenix takes 28 free throws a game to Dallas's 21. Call it Dallas 118, Phoenix 114, Phoenix keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
DALBW B. Williams
DJ D. Jones Jr.
DP D. Powell
DO Doncic
JG J. Green
JH J. Hardy
KI K. Irving
LD L. Dončić
MK M. Kleber
MM M. Morris
TH T. Hardaway Jr.
NYKCB C. Brown Jr.
DD D. DiVincenzo
IH I. Hartenstein
JH J. Hart
JT J. Toppin
MM M. McBride
PA P. Achiuwa
TG T. Gibson
DAL/NYK the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Luka Doncic scores 39 points to lead Mavericks to 122-108 victory over short-handed Knicks
NEW YORK -- — Luka Doncic had 39 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a 122-108 victory Thursday night over the New York Knicks , who had just seven players in the second half because of injuries and trades.
Former Knicks guard Tim Hardaway Jr . added 19 points and Derrick Jones Jr . had 18 for the Mavericks, who wrapped up a 3-0 road trip after making a pair of trades earlier Thursday to land big men P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford . Kyrie Irving finished with 16 points.
“They were playing very aggressively and we had to win this game no matter what,” Doncic said.
Doncic scored 27 points in the second half and his prettiest pass came early in the game, a behind-the-back bullet that went about 20 feet to Dwight Powell under the basket.
Not many players would attempt such a pass, so Washington and Gafford better be ready when they play with their new superstar guard.
“I think being able to talk to those two today, they’re excited,” Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. “They know being on the other side what Luka can do, so I think now to be a teammate, they’re going to be excited they’re going to get to touch the ball a lot of times and they’re going to have wide-open shots.”
Donte DiVincenzo scored 36 points for the Knicks, who have lost two of three following a nine-game winning streak. Josh Hart had a season-high 23 points and added 12 assists and 10 rebounds for his second career triple-double, both in the last five games.
All-Star Jalen Brunson couldn't play against his former team because of a sprained right ankle, joining All-Star Julius Randle , OG Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson among sidelined Knicks starters. The Knicks announced before the game that Anunoby had surgery to have a loose bone fragment removed from his right elbow and would be evaluated in three weeks.
They sent four players to the Detroit Pistons earlier Thursday in the deal for Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks , leaving them just eight available players. Coach Tom Thibodeau said that was more than enough, but New York was down to seven after Isaiah Hartenstein , who has played well as Robinson's replacement at center, sat out the second half with a sore left Achilles tendon.
Thibodeau said some of the Knicks' mistakes were understandable with some seldom-used players on the court.
“I thought we did some good things,” Thibodeau said. “We had a tough stretch in the third, but then I liked the way we fought back in the fourth.”
The Mavericks acquired Washington from Charlotte and Gafford from Washington. But with them unavailable and rookie center Dereck Lively II missing a fourth straight game with a broken nose, they had a shortage of big bodies Thursday.
That didn't matter, with the Knicks short on bodies of all sizes.
It will remain that way through after the All-Star break next weekend. The Knicks hope Robinson can begin doing some work after that, while a return for Randle and Anunoby won't be determined until they are evaluated toward the end of February.
The Knicks had to give playing time to guard Charlie Brown Jr ., who made his fifth appearance of the season, and rookie Jacob Toppin , who will take part in the Slam Dunk Contest on All-Star Saturday but has now played in four NBA games.