Rookies lead way as Knicks make easy work of Mavs, 118-106
DALLAS (AP) — Allonzo Trier scored 19 of his career-high 23 points during a second-half surge, fellow rookie Mitchell Robinson had his first double-double and the New York Knicks beat Dallas 118-106 Friday night, handing the Mavericks their sixth straight loss.
Tim Hardaway Jr. had 18 points and six rebounds to help the Knicks win for the second time in three games after a five-game skid that followed a victory in their opener.
Robinson set career highs with 13 points and 10 rebounds. New York outscored Dallas 33-18 in the third quarter after trailing by three at halftime, and led by as many as 17 in the fourth.
Dennis Smith Jr. scored 23 points and 19-year-old rookie Luka Doncic had 18 points, nine rebounds and six assists for the Mavericks, who matched their longest losing streak from the lost 2017-18 season.
That six-game skid a year ago led to a 2-14 start and 24-58 finish, and this slump followed a 2-1 start that marked Dallas' first winning record since the end of the 2015-16 season. The Mavericks started 2-13 two seasons ago.
The Knicks shot just 24 percent from 3-point range against the worst defending team from long range, but they made up for it inside the arc. New York shot 71 percent (39 of 55) on 2-pointers and was at 55 percent overall for the game.
Lance Thomas scored nine of his 10 points when the Knicks took control in the third and assisted during the surge on Mitchell's reverse alley-oop dunk.
Dorian Finney-Smith had 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting for the Mavericks, but Harrison Barnes was held to 1 of 7 from 3-point range while scoring 14 points. DeAndre Jordan had a season-low four points and matched his lowest rebounding total this season with 10.
TIP-INS
Knicks: Damyean Dotson just missed his second double-double of the season, finishing with 11 points and eight rebounds. ... Others among the seven double-figure scorers were Enes Kanter (13 points) and Mario Hezonja (11).
Mavericks: G Devin Harris was out again with a left hamstring strain. He hasn't played since the opener. ... J.J. Barea matched his season low with two points, attempting just five shots. He equaled Doncic with six assists.
UP NEXT
Both teams play Washington. The Knicks are at the Wizards on Sunday, and the Mavericks get them at home Tuesday after a three-day break.
