In an Interconference showdown, two teams positioned on the right side of the playoff cutoff line face off in search of a win in the Lone Star state.
The New York Knicks are visiting as they travel to take on the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night in the NBA. New York rolled over the Portland Trail Blazers 112-84 at home in their previous meeting, covering the line as a 13-point favorite on Tuesday night.
Dallas was defeated 120-103 at home by the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night in its most recent game, losing as a 9.5-point favorite.
In the all-time regular series between the teams, the Mavericks hold a 44-40 advantage and won both meetings last season, including a 126-121 overtime victory at home in the last meeting on Dec. 27, 2022.
Knicks Seek to Extend Unbeaten Record
New York raised its record to 5-0 since acquiring OG Anunoby in a deal with the Toronto Raptors, as they crushed Portland at home on Tuesday night.
The Knicks entered Wednesday with a 22-15 record on the season and sit in third place in the Atlantic Division, 6.5 games behind the first-place Boston Celtics.
They were in fourth place in the Eastern Conference, 6.5 games behind Boston for first place and 2.5 games ahead of the Cleveland Cavaliers for the last guaranteed playoff spot.
Against Portland, New York struck early, leading by 16 points after the first quarter and going up from there.
The Knicks were up by 22 at halftime, led by as many as 39 in the second half and by 34 after three quarters before slowing down.
New York shot 41.6% from the field, including 18-of-48 from the three-point line, and controlled the boards by a 55-43 margin.
Anunoby led six Knicks in double digits with 23 points in the win. On the year, the Knicks rank 13th in the league in offense with an average of 115.7 points per game.
New York is fifth in the league in rebounding by collecting 45.7 rebounds per game, while they are 28th in assists by dishing out 24 assists per game.
Get hype... It's GAME DAY ‼️ pic.twitter.com/vew1JdX28c
- NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) January 11, 2024
Mavericks Need to Recover
Dallas had its three-game winning streak snapped when it was defeated at home by a Memphis team without star point guard Ja Morant.
The Mavericks entered Wednesday with a 22-16 record on the year and sit in second place in the Southwest Division, a half-game behind the first-place New Orleans Pelicans in the standings.
They were in seventh place in the Western Conference, five games behind the first-place Minnesota Timberwolves, a half-game behind the Pelicans for the final guaranteed playoff spot and four games ahead of the Utah Jazz and Golden State Warriors to remain in the play-in tournament field.
Against Memphis, Dallas led by seven points early, only to be outscored 20-6 the rest of the first quarter and fall behind by seven at the end of the first quarter.
The Mavericks trailed by 15 at halftime and never got closer than 10 the rest of the way in the loss. Dallas shot 43.9% from the field, including nine of 27 from the three-point line, and lost the battle of the boards 54-33 in the game.
Kyrie Irving led Dallas with 33 points and eight rebounds in the loss. For the season, the Mavericks are seventh in the league in offense by averaging 118.6 points per game.
Dallas ranks 24th in the league in rebounding by collecting 42.2 boards per night, while they are 25th in assists by dishing out 25.3 assists per game.
The Mavericks rank 20th in the league in defense by allowing an average of 116.9 points per game.
Luka Doncic leads the team with 33.6 points, 8.1 rebounds and 9.1 assists per game on the season.
