Mavericks set for annual trip to MSG to play Knicks as part of MLK Day NBA matchups

The Dallas Mavericks are the winners of two straight games, at a time when they shouldn't be. Pretty much everyone agrees that the Mavericks need to focus on getting the most out of their 2026 first-round pick, as it's the last pick they have control over until 2031.

To potentially win a third straight, they're hitting the road to play the New York Knicks, who have been one of the best teams at home across the NBA this year, going 16-5 in Madison Square Garden. If the Mavericks are going to start losing games across the rest of their schedule, this will be a good chance to start. They have the 3rd toughest remaining schedule the rest of the season, so losses will likely come.

However, the Mavericks have won two straight games after dominating the shameless Utah Jazz on Thursday and Saturday. It's one thing to blow the Jazz out, but it's another when you're missing Cooper Flagg, Anthony Davis, AND Kyrie Irving. And these games weren't even close, as the Mavericks won by a combined 40 points in the two games.

Jan 17, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson (31) runs back up the court during the first quarter against the Utah Jazz at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Klay Thompson was the biggest driving force in those games, as he scored a combined 49 points while going 12/24 from three. They were vintage performances from the future Hall of Famer, and he moved into 4th all-time in three-pointers made and crossed the 17,000 career point mark in those games. They also got big performances from Naji Marshall and Brandon Williams over this stretch.

Meanwhile, the Knicks have been in a little bit of a slump recently. They've lost 8 of their last 10 games and enter this one riding a three-game losing streak. Jalen Brunson left the game just a few minutes in three games ago and then missed the last two games.

The Knicks aren't a very deep team, so any injury to one of their key pieces makes it difficult to keep up with some of the league's better teams. They've also missed Josh Hart for a lot of this stretch, too.