Doncic, Hardaway Light Up Jalen Brunson's Knicks in Mavs' Win at MSG
Coming off an embarrassing loss to the Detroit Pistons, the Dallas Mavericks had a matinee date with the New York Knicks on Saturday afternoon. Although the biggest headline coming in was Jalen Brunson playing against his former team for the first time since leaving Dallas in free agency, it was a former Knick who had a revenge game of sorts.
Tim Hardaway Jr., who spent four seasons in New York, exploded for 28 points in 28 minutes as the Mavs defeated the Knicks, 121-100. The Mavs improved to 11-11, while the Knicks dropped to 10-13. It was just the second road win for the Mavs this season.
Hardaway shot 10-17 overall and 8-13 from deep in the blowout win. He also grabbed seven rebounds and was a +23 on the afternoon. After getting off to a career-low start, it's been encouraging for Dallas to see Hardaway get things rolling over the last handful of games. The Mavs are a different animal offensively when his 3s are falling.
"We needed it," said Hardaway. "We love playing in New York I guess. Coach [Jason Kidd] said it 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."
Luka Doncic also had himself a good game after a relatively slow start, as he finished with 30 points, eight rebounds and seven assists while shooting 11-21 from the field and 4-9 from deep. Doncic kept up his improved defensive play by tallying three blocks and one steal in his 29 minutes of action.
The Mavs hit 24 shots from 3-point range on Saturday, which was the third-most by a visiting team in MSG history.
"Me 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, you got the juice, the popcorn smell going. ... It's called the Mecca for a reason," said Hardaway.
In his first game against his former team, Brunson was held in check, as he put up 13 points on 5-11 shooting in 27 minutes. He also had two rebounds, three assists and was a team-worst -26 in the game. Brunson has been a model of consistency throughout his career, and he's taken his game to a new level in New York. But ... it was the Mavs who got the satisfaction of a "revenge" win in their first meeting.
The Mavs were winning by so much in the fourth quarter – they were up 32 points at one point – that rookie guard Jaden Hardy even got some run. In seven minutes of action, Hardy scored his first five points in the NBA while shooting 2-5 from the field. After spending the last few weeks lighting up the G League with the Texas Legends, it was nice to see the promising prospect get his feet wet at MSG.
Next up, the Mavs will take on the Phoenix Suns for the second time on Monday at American Airlines Center. Dallas squandered a 20-point lead against the Suns in a 107-105 season-opening loss on Oct. 19.
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