The Knicks gave up 41 points in the third quarter en route to a 121-100 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday afternoon.
Here are the takeaways….
- Julius Randle got off to a perfect 3-for-3 start from the field, as the Knicks built a 14-5 lead early in the first quarter. Luka Doncic then helped bring the Mavericks back and they trailed by just three, 21-18. Randle continued his strong start and the team went on a 9-0 run to push the lead. Quentin Grimes scored with two seconds left and Doncic's half-court heave was after the buzzer and didn't count, as New York led 32-20.
Randle scored 14 in the quarter on 5-for-8 shooting, including three foul shots and a three-pointer. Doncic struggled shooting, going just 2-for-8, but still ended the first with seven points.
- Dallas opened the second quarter with an 11-6 run to close the gap. Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau was called for his first technical foul of the season after arguing with the refs. After a bad missed three from Randle, Tim Hardaway Jr. grabbed his own missed three and got the easy layup to cut the Knicks' lead to 40-37. Hardaway then tied the game at 43-43 with a corner three and was fouled by Mitchell Robinson, but he missed the foul shot to take the lead.
Randle drilled a step-back three with seconds left in the half to give him 21 for the game, as the Knicks led 59-52 at the break. Dallas did outscore New York in the quarter, 32-27, thanks to Spencer Dinwiddie and Hardaway picking it up with Doncic continuing to struggle shooting. The Knicks shot 55.3 percent in the first half and outrebounded the Mavs, 23-22.
- Hardaway made two straight three-pointers and Doncic added one of his own to tie the game up at 65 apiece, as Thibs was forced to call timeout with 8:18 left in the third. Hardaway made another three and was matched by RJ Barrett, but the former Knick buried his seventh triple of the game to put the Mavs up 71-68.
The Mavs continued their 17-0 run to go up 85-68 and silence The Garden crowd. Dallas outscored New York 41-15 in the third and led 93-74 heading into the fourth. Doncic scored 19 points in the quarter to give him 30 for the game and Hardaway added another 15 in the third.
- The boo birds got loud in the fourth after Cam Reddish lost the ball trying to drive and Dwight Powell dunked it home to put the Mavs up 113-83 with 7:15 left in the contest. Thibs elected to put the bench in as Svi Mykhailiuk and Miles McBride entered the game.
New York was outscored 69-41 in the second half. Randle finished with a team-high 24 points, while Jalen Brunson scored just 13 against his former team and Barrett added 13 points as well. Doncic finished with 30 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for the Mavs. Hardaway had 28 points including eight threes and Dinwiddie nearly recorded a triple-double with 17 points, nine rebounds and nine assists. Dallas shot 24-for-61 from three-point range in the win.