Knicks' Career Day Goes Horribly Wrong in Dallas
Career day took a toll on the New York Knicks, who were subjected to further heartbreak at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks.
Behind 60 points from Luka Dončić, the Mavericks erased a nine-point deficit with just over 44 seconds remaining, forcing an extra period that eventually yielded a 126-121 victory at American Airlines Center. In completing a late comeback over the Knicks, Dončić's one-man show created not only one of the most dominant efforts not only seen in the NBA this season but perhaps throughout its existence: Dončić ended the evening with 60 points, 21 rebounds, and 10 assists, the first triple-double of its kind in NBA history.
Dallas (19-16) extended its win streak to four and secured its first season series sweep of the Knicks since the 2015-16 season. Conversely, the Knicks (18-17) have lost four in a row, now trapped in their longest losing streak of the season.
With Jalen Brunson missing his North Texas homecoming due to a hip injury and a finger laceration limiting RJ Barrett to a mere 96 seconds of action, several unexpected heroes set new personal bests for the Knicks: Quentin Grimes had 33 points, Immanuel Quickley dished out 14 assists, and Miles McBride played 46 minutes. Remaining headliner Julius Randle earned a 29-point, 18-rebound double-double (setting a season-high in the latter category) while fellow starter Mitchell Robinson had 20 points and 16 rebounds in a similar effort.
All that and more seemed to set the Knicks up for victory as they held a 112-103 lead with just over 33 seconds remaining. But Dončić antics, including a missed free throw-turned-rebound that led to his tying jumper with just over a second remaining in regulation, sent American Airlines Center into a frenzy.
Similar to last week's DeMar DeRozan-induced heartbreaker, the Knicks' fate was sealed at the foul line. Over the final 5:06 of regulation and the entirety of the five-minute overtime period, the Knicks were 7-of-15 on their foul shots, which held them back from pulling away. Dončić played a role on 28 of the Mavericks' 33 points in the fourth quarter as they completed their comeback, scoring 18 and assisting on four other baskets, all scored by Spencer Dinwiddie.
A Christian Wood triple cut the lead to three before the Mavericks got the ball back on a jump ball between Dončić and Grimes. A three-point play for the former shortened the lead to a single possession but the Knicks still seemed to be in good shape when McBride hit the latter of two free throws. A Dinwiddie triple kept Dallas in the game but McBride hit two before Grimes fouled Dončić on the other end.
Dončić sank the first freebie but was left uncovered when he intentionally missed the latter (two Knicks instead covered JaVale McGee, who had been inserted for rebounding purposes). He got the rebound and hit the equalizer, more or less deflating an exhausted Knicks team engaged that continued to engage in eight-man antics despite injuries and early foul trouble.
With his monumental night, Dončić became only the seventh Knicks opponent to reach at least 60 points and the first since James Harden in January 2019.
The Knicks' three-game Texas tour continues on Thursday when they move on to San Antonio to battle the Spurs (8 p.m. ET, MSG)
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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