Knicks Edge Mavericks, End Skid At 3
DALLAS (AP) — Kristaps Porzingis scored 29 points and Jarrett Jack made the tiebreaking basket with 31.2 seconds left as the New York Knicks beat the Dallas Mavericks 100-96 on Sunday night.
Kyle O'Quinn had 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Enes Kanter added 13 points and 18 boards for the Knicks, who ended a three-game losing streak and sent the Mavericks to their third straight loss — all at home.
Harrison Barnes scored 25 points and Devin Harris had nine of his 11 in the fourth quarter as the Mavericks made yet another rally on the night they honored their long-time point guard Derek Harper by retiring his jersey.
Dallas never led in the game, and after coming up just short in furious fourth-quarter rallies against Golden State and Chicago earlier in their homestand, the Mavericks made another run after falling behind 90-77 with 4:48 to go.
Harris hit 3-pointers to start and end a 15-2 run over a 2:20 span to tie the score at 92. After Porzingis made two free throws and Barnes hit a short jumper, Jack used a screen to penetrate into the lane and drop in a floater.
J.J. Barea missed a long 3 that would have given Dallas the lead, and Courtney Lee hit four free throws in the final 16.6 seconds to seal it.
Kanter and Porzingis combined for 24 points in the first half. New York took a 56-52 halftime lead on the strength of 56 percent shooting, despite a sequence where Kanter missed a short hook shot and then four consecutive tips.
New York built its lead to 73-63 midway through the third quarter before the Mavericks closed the quarter on an 8-2 run.
But after Harris' three-point play cut the lead to 77-74 with 11:27 to play, Dallas did not score again for five minutes as the Knicks built the lead to 13.
HARPER HONORED
The Mavericks retired Harper's No. 12, the third Dallas player to be so honored. Harper's jersey joins those of his former teammates Brad Davis (No. 15) and Rolando Blackman (No. 22) in the rafters. Harper played 12 seasons in a 16-year career with the Mavericks, ranking fourth in the team's history in points and first in assists and steals. Harper also made the NBA Finals with the Knicks in 1994 and is now the analyst on Mavericks' TV broadcasts.
"I couldn't be more pleased for one of the best competitors I ever played against or saw play," said Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle. "It's interesting with Derek's number going into the rafters tonight and with Dennis Smith Jr., here. Going forward, I would love to see Dennis continue to develop his competitiveness, particularly at the defensive end, the way Derek did."
TIP-INS
Knicks: The Knicks guaranteed the contract of Jack for the remainder of the season. Jack has averaged seven points and six assists for New York. "He's helped bring some veteran leadership to our young guys," coach Jeff Hornacek said. "Early in the season, he was able to kind of direct traffic offensively, telling guys where to go all the time until they really learned it well."
Mavericks: Davis and Blackman were among the former Mavericks in attendance, and 86-year-old Dick Motta, the Mavericks' coach from 1980-87 and 1994-96, spoke at the ceremony.
UP NEXT
Knicks: Return home to play Chicago on Wednesday.
Mavericks: Host Orlando on Tuesday to conclude a four-game homestand.
(Copyright 2017 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)