Knicks Burned by Mavs' Tim Hardaway Jr. in Shooting Frenzy
It might be obvious, but the New York Knicks want their basketball palace of Madison Square Garden to serve as a threatening home-court advantage
But for Dallas Mavericks guard Tim Hardaway Jr., it was a safe haven and then some on Saturday afternoon.
Hardaway made himself at home in the 121-100 win over New York (10-13). Even in a game highlighted by the Mavs' reunion with Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, Hardaway’s own return to MSG, a place he called home for four years during two separate stints with the Knicks, shined brightest.
"This is a shooting gym man. Being on the other side of the court for multiple years, knowing when visitors come in here, if you're ever in a shooting slump (that) you got the juice, the popcorn smell going," Hardaway Jr. said after the win. "It's called the Mecca for a reason."
Against a Knicks defense that was allowing the second-most three-point makes per game (13.6), Hardaway Jr. tied his season-high with 28 points on 8-of-13 from deep to go along with seven rebounds, another season-best. He melted the ice around the rim for the Mavs (11-11) after they trailed by seven at the half. From there, saying the Mavericks never looked back might be an understatement, as Dallas completely flipped the game to take a 32-point lead after trailing by as many as 15 in the first half.
Hardaway Jr. missed his first three-point attempt of the half and led Dwight Powell out of bounds on a bad pass in the opening minutes of the third quarter. It's safe to say that's all he needed as motivation, as he ignited a second-half turnaround that caused boos to rain down from MSG's rafters.
He nailed five triples in less than five minutes that gave the Mavs new life in the third and spread three-point confidence through the rest of the team: Dallas finished with 24 makes from deep on 61 attempts, the most any Knicks opponent has ever taken in a single game.
Luka Doncic capped off the quarter with a pair of deep bombs to give Dallas what felt like an unbreakable 93-74 lead. Incredibly, he and Hardaway Jr. single-handedly outscored the Knicks at a whopping 36-15 margin in the third.
"I think coach said it best: when Luka does the hard part, we got to do our job to make it easier for him, and that's knocking down open shots when he collapses the defense and gets 2 guys on him," Hardaway Jr. said. "Today we did our part."
Crazy enough, Hardaway Jr. never got a true heat-check attempt, as timely passing from Doncic and some late rotation from New York's struggling defense allowed him to prove just how hot he was from behind the arc.
He even elected for some paint production late in the third, as he caught a low-hanging lob from Doncic for a layup that gave Hardaway his 17th point of a quarter that was no doubt one of Dallas' best amid the recent struggles.
"We needed it," Hardaway Jr. said. "We love playing in New York I guess. Coach said best before the game that we aren't leaving here without a win. I think guys took it to heart. We have to keep that same mentality moving forward."
The road gets no easier for the Knicks, who now face the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday at home (6 p.m. ET, MSG).
You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7
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