How It Happened: From an offensive standpoint, both teams were a bit sluggish to start Monday’s contest at the Garden. At the half, Dallas held a 39-36 lead but head coach Jeff Hornacek’s third quarter lineup adjustment proved to be the difference in the game. Sensing the need to go small, Hornacek placed Justin Holiday in the starting lineup to start the second half in place of center Joakim Noah. Holiday played the 3, Carmelo Anthony moved to the power forward spot, and Kristaps Porzingis shifted to the 5. New York immediately found the offensive flow by opening on a 19-6 run and finished the period outscoring Dallas 31-12. The Knicks shot 52.9 percent from the floor and held the road team to just 25 percent shooting in the game-changing quarter. The Mavericks had won two of their last three entering the contest but dropped to 2-7 while New York improved to 4-6 following the 93-77 victory.
Knick of the Night: Porzingis started the game strong with 13 of his 24 points in the first half to keep the orange and blue afloat. The second-year man added 11 boards to his box score, resulting in his first double-double of the season. Anthony ignited the offense in the third quarter as mentioned above and he registered 24 points (3-of-6 3-PT).
Notables: Holiday’s activity sparked the Knicks in the third frame when he replaced Noah in the starting five. In 28 minutes of court time, Holiday hit 6-of-7 shots from the floor, 2-of-3 behind the arc, grabbed four rebounds, and posted 16 points.
News and Notes: Lance Thomas did not suit up tonight due to a sore left ankle. For the Mavericks, Deron Williams and Dirk Nowitzki (Achilles strain) were sidelined in their lone trip to NYC this season.
Next Up: The Knicks will return to work at MSG Training Center tomorrow for a practice session. On Wednesday night, New York hosts Detroit before traveling to Washington for the second of a back-to-back against the Wizards.
