Lhe Mavericks and their good dynamics -five wins in a row- came crashing down with the worst performance of the season. They scored 77 points and lost by 30 to the irregular Knicks, who added their fifth straight victory in Dallas. Not even Luka Doncic, author of 31 points, six rebounds and four assists, could rescue a team that had a terrible shot: 6/44 in triples for a poor 13.6%.
The Mavericks missed their first 19 3-pointers. Reggie Bullock didn’t hit any of the eight he threw and between Jalen Brunson, Davis Bertans and Maxi Kleber they combined to miss 14 more without a hit. Doncic, who was also uninspired, finished with 3/11. Those from Dallas finished with 31.4% shooting from the field.
With such a mistake they came to lose by 28 in the first half. At halftime, the score was 34-61 and they had achieved their lowest score of the season. Doncic, the Mavericks’ only starter in double figures, scored 17 of his 31 points in the third quarter and brought his team closer to 14, but then the Knicks scrambled back for an easy win from Julius Randle. .
Doncic was flagged for a new technique and is up to 14 this season, making him two shy of a one-game suspension, though that tally resets for the playoffs. Recently one was canceled and he said that the latter should also be questioned.
The Knicks star was once again liked in his hometown. I scored 26 points. “Good matches come automatically here. My mother, my wife and my children were here. I always want to give them a good show,” he assured. The other four starters for the New York team reached 10 points with double-doubles from Alec Burks (15 points and 11 rebounds) and Mitchell Robinson (11+11).
