The host Dallas Mavericks beat the New York Knicks on Wednesday, 103-95.
Dallas (16-29) has now won five of its last seven contests and is looking like a team that could cause trouble in the wide-open eighth seed race in the Western Conference. After a 49-point drubbing of the Lakers on Sunday, the Mavs handed a loss to another big-market team when the Knicks came to town. Forward Harrison Barnes contributed heavily to the win, leading the team with 23 points. The team also saw encouraging play from veteran big man Dirk Nowitzki, who contributed 19 points in one of his better performances in what has been an up-and-down season. The Mavs put together a stellar offensive night from the floor, shooting 47 percent, despite an abysmal performance from beyond the arc.
The Knicks (20-27) have been sliding lately, having now dropped five of their last seven. Amidst rumors that he was shopped around to teams such as Cleveland, aging star Carmelo Anthony led the team with 30 points on Wednesday. The stellar outing was not enough for the win, however, as New York’s struggles continued to show. New York posted an abysmal turnover differential, coughing the ball up 18 times while forcing only seven turnovers from Dallas. Additionally, the team shot just 42 percent and hit only seven three-pointers.
The Mavericks will play in OKC on Thursday, while the Knicks will host the Hornets on Friday.
