Knicks-Mavericks Preview

By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO
Posted Nov 21 2012 1:35AM

Jason Kidd played a key role in the Mavericks winning the franchise's only NBA title two seasons ago, but he's not likely to get a warm reception upon his return to Dallas - particularly from owner Mark Cuban.

Kidd will try to help the New York Knicks continue their best start in 40 years Wednesday night when he visits his former team for the first time since leaving via free agency.

Kidd spent the last four-plus seasons running the point for Dallas (6-6), helping the Mavericks to the 2011 NBA championship along with current teammate Tyson Chandler.

His time in Dallas came to an end when he signed a three-year, $9 million contract with the Knicks (8-1) this summer.

Cuban derided the move, questioning Kidd's loyalty and claiming his jersey won't be retired by the Mavs, despite his contributions on the court.

While Cuban has claimed he's planning to boo Kidd, the 39-year-old guard has been a key figure in a fast start by the Knicks, winners of eight of their first nine games for just the third time in team history.

The previous two times - the 1969-70 and 1972-73 seasons - New York went on to win its only championships.

The Knicks already own one win over the Mavericks this month, 104-94 at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 9. Kidd had six points, three assists and three steals in that game.

"I think we believe in one another. I don't want to say it's a surprise," said Kidd, averaging 7.3 points while hitting half of his 28 3-point shots. "I think with the knowledge and the understanding of the game and the principles that (coach Mike Woodson) has put out for us, I think guys have picked it up quickly and it's kind of fun."

The Knicks certainly looked like they were having fun Tuesday, cruising to a 102-80 victory over New Orleans to open this three-game road trip, which ends Friday at Houston.

First, they'll try to win at Dallas for just the second time in 13 visits.

Carmelo Anthony's season-high 31 points, seven rebounds and two blocks were instrumental in New York's win against the Mavs earlier this month.

The superstar forward had 29 points on 12 of 22 from the floor Tuesday. Besides a team-leading 24.2 points per game, Anthony is also being lauded for his defensive play and hustle.

The Knicks are allowing a league-low 88.9 points per game.

"We are playing the best basketball (in the league), and it's because of him," Chandler said. "He is playing all over the floor on both ends. He should be at the top of the race as far as MVP goes right now."

The Mavericks haven't had the services of their superstar all season, with Dirk Nowitzki still sidelined following right knee surgery.

Dallas has lost five of seven - a stretch that started at New York - and is coming off Monday's 105-101 overtime defeat to visiting Golden State.

"It's very disappointing," guard O.J. Mayo said. "It's a game we should have had."

Mayo, the team leader with 21.8 points per game, accounted for all 11 of the Mavericks' points in overtime and finished with 27.

Chris Kaman is looking to build on one of his best performances of the season after tallying 18 points and 17 rebounds Monday. He had 18 total boards over the two previous games, and mustered only seven with 14 points at New York.

Mavericks hold on for 114-111 win over Knicks

By STEPHEN HAWKINS
Posted Nov 22 2012 1:35AM

DALLAS (AP) O.J. Mayo scored 10 of 27 points over the final six minutes of the third quarter, when Dallas charged ahead, and the Mavericks held on for a 114-111 victory over the New York Knicks on Wednesday night.

Mayo put Dallas ahead to stay with a 17-foot fadeaway jumper with 43 seconds left in the third quarter to break an 80-all tie. That was part of a 20-8 spurt to end the period against the Knicks (8-2).

Vince Carter had 25 points, including a floater with 6 minutes left that made it 102-90. But that almost wasn't enough against a Knicks team featuring Jason Kidd and Tyson Chandler, both members of Dallas' only NBA championship team just two seasons ago.

Chandler had three three-point plays in a 21-10 spurt that followed for the Knicks, who had been the NBA's only one-loss team.

The last of Chandler's three-point plays came with 1:37 left, when he was fouled by Carter making a basket and hit the free throw to get the Knicks within 112-109.

After Carter threw up a wild shot at the other end, Kidd grabbed the rebound. Kidd was fouled by Carter and hit both free throws to cut the deficit to one with 1:15 left.

Kidd had a season-high 17 points in his return to Dallas, and was one of six New York players scoring in double figures.

New York had its chances in the final minute. Carmelo Anthony, who had a team-high 23 points, drove to the basket and drew some contact. There was no foul called, even as he stopped and held his chin and mouth.

While Anthony was slow up the court, the Mavs ran down some clock before Darren Collison's airball with 24 seconds left. The Knicks called timeout, and Anthony had time to recover, but came up short on a go-ahead jumper with 4 seconds left. He then fouled out when he grabbed at Dahntay Jones, who sank two free throws.

Chandler had 21 points and 13 rebounds. Raymond Felton added 18 points, JR Smith 14 and Rasheed Wallace 11.

Collison had 18 points and rookie Jae Crowder 12.

The Mavericks didn't keep Chandler after the lockout that followed their title, and Kidd signed with New York as a free agent last summer after initially indicating he was staying in Dallas.

Chandler got a nice ovation during pregame introductions, and that was topped by the reception Kidd got when he was the last starter introduced.

Kidd had an assist on Felton's 3-pointer to start the game, and there were a handful of boos from the crowd when Kidd made an early 3-pointer that put the Knicks up 8-3. There were a few "airball" chants when he came up well short on another 3-pointer right after that.

The Knicks had a 23-13 lead with Felton drove for a layup with 4:27 left in the first quarter. Dallas then scored 11 consecutive points in less than 2 1/2 minutes, Collison turning a pass by Elton Brand into a 3-pointer to start the streak before Mayo's driving layup made it 24-23.

Steve Novak made a 3-pointer with just under a minute left in the first, and the Knicks didn't trail again until late in the third.

NOTES: Anthony has led New York in scoring in nine of its 10 games. ... F Troy Murphy got his first start in 11 games since joining Dallas. He played nearly 18 minutes, but didn't return after halftime because of an upper respiratory illness. Murphy was 0-for-3 shooting, all on 3-pointers and made both of his free throws. He had five rebounds. ... During a timeout in the third quarter, a Mavericks fan made a halfcourt shot to win a 60-inch HD TV. He had already made a free throw for a Blu-ray player and a 3-pointer for a surround sound system.

Notebook: Mavericks 114, Knicks 111

Dave Ivey, for NBA.com
Posted Wed Nov 21, 2012 11:58 PM - Updated Wed Nov 21, 2012 11:58 PM

THE FACTS: Pressured by Shawn Marion, Carmelo Anthony missed the potential go-ahead jumper with 4.8 seconds left Wednesday and the New York Knicks' fourth-quarter rally came up short in a 114-111 loss to the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center.

O.J. Mayo scored 27 points and Vince Carter had a season-high 25 off the bench for the Mavericks (7-6). Darren Collison added 19 points and seven assists. Dallas scored 65 points in the second half against the NBA's stingiest defense and had a 12-point lead with less than six minutes to play.

The Knicks (8-2) didn't concede their second loss of the season without a fight, using a 21-10 run to cut the deficit to 112-111. They ran an isolation play with Anthony, who had to force a contested, double-clutch 15-footer with Marion's hand in his face. Dahntay Jones secured the rebound, got fouled by Anthony and drained both free throws to finish it.

Anthony scored a team-high 23 points and New York got double-doubles from Tyson Chandler (21 points, 13 rebounds) and Raymond Felton (18 points, 11 assists). In his first game back in Dallas, Jason Kidd was 5-for-8 from 3-point range and filled up the box score with 17 points, six rebounds, five assists and five steals.

QUOTABLE: "Tonight my shot felt good and my body felt better. I'm a little banged up, but at the same time I felt a little better and just let my shot fly." -- Carter.

THE STAT: Entering the game, the Knicks boasted the NBA's best fourth-quarter defense, allowing just 18.7 points on 35.4 percent shooting from the field. The Mavericks scored 30 in the fourth and shot 45 percent (9-for-20), including 4-for-6 from long distance.

TURNING POINT: Both teams were on fire from downtown. New York finished 15-for-31 and Dallas was 13-for-29. The Mavericks, who trailed by 10 in the first half, seized the momentum in the game by knocking down six of their treys during a 29-10 run from the 5:27 mark of the third quarter through the 9:16 mark of the fourth.

QUOTABLE II: "Vince is Vince. I mean, he's been doing it a long time in this league." -- Knicks head coach Mike Woodson.

QUOTABLE III: "He did a great job, especially on that last possession. We weren't sure what they were going to do, but we had a switching lineup in because the pick and roll had killed us all night and then they went iso. I always like Shawn's odds in those situations where he can play a guy one on one. He's the best we have. He did a great job." -- Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle on Marion's defense on Anthony.

HOT: Carter scored 11 straight Dallas points to start the second quarter, including three 3-pointers¸ but that was just an appetizer for his 14-point fourth quarter.

NOT: Anthony committed seven of the Knicks' 14 turnovers and was in foul trouble throughout the second half, ultimately fouling out with 3.3 seconds left.

GOOD MOVE: Apparently Carlisle got through to the Mavericks at intermission following a careless first half in which they committed 11 turnovers, leading to 17 points for the Knicks. Dallas turned it over just three times (for three points) in the second half.

INSIDE THE ARENA: One fan won't have to brave the Black Friday shopping crowds after swishing a halfcourt shot during a third-quarter promotion to win a 60-inch television.

ROOKIE WATCH: After sitting out Monday's loss against Golden State (coach's decision), Mavericks forward Jae Crowder came back strong. He matched his season high with 12 points, all in the second half, and was 3-for-5 from behind the arc.

NOTABLE: Forward Troy Murphy made his first start for the Mavericks, but left in the second half due to a upper respiratory illness and did not return. It was his first start since Nov. 9, 2010 with the Nets. He replaced Elton Brand, who came off the bench for the first time since Jan. 20, 2010 with the 76ers. ... This was Carter's 999th career game. ... The previous high for points allowed by the Knicks came in a 105-95 loss at Memphis on Nov. 16. ... Mayo extended his streak to 11 straight games with 18-plus points. ... After blocking a combined 25 shots in their two previous games, the Mavericks had only one rejection by Chris Kaman against the Knicks. ... New York only used eight players.

UP NEXT: For the Mavericks, Saturday vs. Los Angeles Lakers, Tuesday @ Philadelphia, Wednesday @ Chicago. For the Knicks, Friday @ Houston, Sunday vs. Detroit, Monday @ Brooklyn.

• Knicks: Shumpert, Stoudemire
• Mavericks: Cunningham, Nowitzki

• Knicks: --
• Mavericks: --

• Lead Changes: 3
• Times Tied: 4

• Arena: American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
• Officials: #25 Tony Brothers, #33 Sean Corbin, #77 Karl Lane
• Attendance: 20157
• Duration: 2:17