Bold Predictions for Knicks vs. Mavericks Face Off

The New York Knicks are in desperate need of a win as they host the Dallas Mavericks on Martin Luther King Jr. Day at Madison Square Garden. New York has lost three straight games and eight of their last 10, dropping to 25-17 on the season and third in the Eastern Conference.

The Knicks have struggled mightily on both ends during this stretch, with their offense going cold from beyond the arc and their defense allowing opponents to shoot over 37% from three-point range. Jalen Brunson has missed the last two games with a right ankle sprain, leaving the team without their captain and leading scorer.

The Mavericks won't make things easy, but they're dealing with their own problems. Dallas comes to New York with a 17-26 record and has eight players on the injury report, including key contributors like Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis, Daniel Gafford, and P.J. Washington, all ruled out.

This presents a golden opportunity for the Knicks to snap their losing streak against a severely depleted roster, but New York will need to overcome their recent defensive issues to capitalize on this favorable matchup.

Jeremy Brener

The Knicks are in need of a get-back game after losing their last three, and they will get a chance to achieve that against the Mavericks at home in a holiday game. However, this game on paper won't be as easy as it looks. The fact that the Knicks don't have Jalen Brunson will make this contest difficult to win, so that is a hurdle they will have to overcome.

The Mavs have won two straight, so this game is officially a trap. However, I think the Knicks can bounce back and pull out a win since they are very clearly due and in desperate need of a victory.

Knicks 115, Mavericks 108

Henry Brown

I've picked the New York Knicks to win a few times over their ugly 2-8 schneid, and there's no obvious sign that they've reached any sort of epiphany. Jalen Brunson remains out after tweaking his ankle last week, and the Knicks remain far from home in attempting to reach the end of their disastrous West Coast road trip.

Still, I figure that this bleak stretch can't last forever, and I think the Dallas Mavericks may be just the right team to help them escape the doldrums. They have a bottom-four offense and little consistency to speak of, and despite playing the Knicks tough earlier in the season, I'm predicting that they hold off to snatch a much-needed win in an admittedly-rocky 109-105 win.

Knicks 109, Mavericks 105

Jayesh Pagar

The Knicks should dominate the glass and control the paint with Karl-Anthony Towns against Dallas's makeshift frontcourt. Even without Brunson, New York has enough firepower with Towns, OG Anunoby, and Mikal Bridges to handle this shorthanded Mavericks squad.

Dallas has shown resilience during their recent two-game sweep of Utah, relying on depth players like Brandon Williams, Naji Marshall, and Dwight Powell, but that was against the tanking Jazz. The Mavericks have struggled to score consistently and shoot poorly from three-point range, which plays into the Knicks' hands despite their own recent defensive struggles.

If Brunson returns, the Knicks should pull away comfortably. Even if he sits, the talent gap is too significant for Dallas to overcome. New York desperately needs this win to stop the bleeding and regain confidence, and this is the perfect matchup to do it.

Knicks 112 , Mavericks 106

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