Recap: Mavericks 97 at Knicks 104

Earl K. Sneed reports from New York and recaps the Dallas Mavericks' road loss Sunday in a matinee matchup against Jeremy Lin, Tyson Chandler and the Knicks as the defending champions' six-game win streak came to an end.

NEW YORK — He’s been the craze of the NBA since stepping into the starting point guard role for the New York Knicks. But after having a seven-game win streak snapped by the New Orleans Hornets, Knicks sensation Jeremy Lin faced the defending champion Dallas Mavericks for the first time Sunday while upstaging center Tyson Chandler’s first matchup against his former team.

Meanwhile, Mavericks guard Jason Terry made his return to the hardwood in time to help his team try to extend a six-game winning streak of their own. And with his mild right quad strain and personal issues behind him, Terry came back from his two-game hiatus ready to contend with “Linsanity” in Madison Square Garden.

“I think it’s a lot of hype right now,” Terry said of the sensation surrounding Lin before the game. “Is he going to be a good player in the future? If he continues to work he will. Given the opportunity, he’s taken advantage of it. But everybody is making a lot out of the seven games he’s played. I’ve been in the league 13 years, so seven games don’t necessarily make a career. He does have a great buzz right now, but we’ll see when he faces the champs.”

Sunday, Terry saw first-hand that Lin is much more than all hype. And with their sensational guard leading the way, the Knicks ended Dallas’ win streak by handing the Mavericks (20-12) a 104-97 defeat.

“It definitely surprised me, but he’s a tough kid and tonight he showed it,” Terry said of Lin after the game.

“I really like him,” 11-time All-Star Dirk Nowitzki added on Lin’s sudden stardom. “It’s a great example of if you work hard and you get your opportunity, make the best out of it. That’s inspirational.”

Operating as a facilitator early, Lin kept the Knicks (16-16) evenly knotted with the Mavericks midway through the opening quarter with his play-making ability. At the same time, forward Shawn Marion aggressively looked for his own shot even after a 3-for-13 night in Philadelphia. But with Terry returning to hit a 3-pointer on his first shot before also getting called for two quick fouls and a flagrant-1 for pushing Lin, Knicks newcomer J.R. Smith was free to shoot at will, powering his team to a 17-0 run (19-2 to close the period) with three 3-pointers by the former Nugget and another by Lin.

Lin’s runner with 1.4 seconds on the clock then gave the Knicks a 32-20 advantage at the end of one quarter of play.

“He played terrific,” Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said of Lin. “He was good in the pick-and-roll and more than anything he lined us up one-on-one. He threw in two or three shots at the end of the shot clock and one or two of them were threes. You have to give him credit, he’s playing great.”

The Mavericks would rally, however, opening the second stanza on a 14-2 spurt to tie the game at 34-all. But the Mavs couldn’t contain Lin once again even with Marion’s lockdown defense. And although Nowitzki led all scorers with 14 points at the midway mark, Lin’s 12 points and six assists powered the Knicks to a 48-45 halftime lead.

Behind Nowitzki’s 5-of-10 shooting, the Mavericks outshot their opponent through two quarters, 45.9 percent to 43.5 percent. But despite an 11-4 advantage in fast-break points, the Mavs faced a 24-18 disadvantage in points in the paint and 11-6 deficit in second-chance points after getting outrebounded, 20-17.

A vintage jumper by Nowitzki got the Mavs on the board first to open the third period. Point guard Jason Kidd then lent his go-to scorer a helping hand, drilling a shot to put the Mavs up 54-53. Nowitzki the reassumed the scoring duties, swishing in a three plus the foul for a four-point play in the midst of a 15-5 run.

“In the third quarter, we were going and the game was in our hands to finish off. We didn’t do it, and tip your hat to them, they kept playing,” Kidd said.

With a stingy defense suffocating Lin, the Mavs turned stops into scores at the other end. But after the Mavs upped their lead to as much as 12, the Knicks came storming back behind their point guard with both Nowitzki and Kidd on the bench, cutting the Dallas lead to 75-72 entering the fourth.

“That really got the crowd back into the game,” Nowitzki said of the Knicks’ run. “We did a really good job of keeping them out and having control of the game until that last stretch in the third quarter.”

“I thought the two things that did us in were the 17-0 run in the first quarter after the flagrant foul, when we went from up five to down 12, and the run that they made at the end of the third. They’re going to hit threes. They’re a good shooting team. They cause problems to facilitate threes. But those two runs and our turnovers did us in,” Carlisle added.

That lead was quickly erased as former Maverick Steve Novak hit a three to tie the game in the early seconds of the final period. The sharpshooter then gave the Knicks a brief lead before second-year guard Dominique Jones put the Mavs back ahead with his first career three. Still, Novak continued to torch the Dallas defense, connecting on another three to put the Knicks up 81-80 and forcing a timeout by the Mavs with 8:35 remaining.

“Novak played his game. He had open shots and scrambled around defensively. He’s helped change the complexion of their team because he’s such a threat from the 3-point line. We know all too well what he’s capable of and he’s a very good piece for what they’re doing,” Carlisle said of his former player.

After a Kidd turnover, a third triple would find all net from Novak to put the Knicks up by four. It was just a prelude of more to come, however, after back-to-back threes by Novak and Lin put the Mavs in a 90-81 hole with 6:49 left. The Mavs stood strong, though, with Kidd first connecting on a three of his own before turning a steal — which tied him with Michael Jordan for second on the all-time list — into a transition feed to Nowitzki to bring their team to within four, 92-88.

A much-needed three by Terry trimmed the deficit to two, but it was quickly answered by Lin’s shot from behind the arc to extend the Knicks’ lead. Marion then kept Dallas’ heart beating with a score after Amar’e Stoudemire’s runner over Nowitzki was ruled after the shot clock buzzer. Still, after Terry misfired from deep, Smith’s transition score made it 102-97 in the Knicks’ favor with only 28.5 seconds left. Misses by Kidd and Nowitzki in the final seconds then secured the victory for the Knicks as Chandler closed the game with a breakaway dunk.

Despite a season-high 34 points from Nowitzki on 11-of-20 shooting, the Mavericks tasted defeat for the first time in seven games. Marion added 14 points in the first unit and Terry returned to the lineup to score 13 points off the bench.

Lin led the Knicks with 28 points on 11-of-20 from the field and 3-of-6 from behind the arc to accompany 14 assists, overcoming seven turnovers in the process. In all, six Knicks scored in double figures with Chandler collecting a double-double against his former team with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

“It was weird,” Nowitzki said after facing his former teammate for the first time since the two led the Mavs to the title. “We went to dinner last night. It was great seeing him. Obviously we miss him; just a great guy, great locker room guy and just a warrior. He helped us win a championship and he’s gonna be family for the rest of our lives. It was definitely great seeing him and he’s a competitor. I wish him luck and it’s gonna be great when he comes back to Dallas and receives his ring. He’s gonna get a great welcome back from the fans, ’cause he definitely deserves it. He’s a big part of why we won last year.”

With both teams hitting 12 shots from 3-point range, the Knicks finished the game outshooting the Mavs, 46.5 percent to 44.4 percent, although Dallas ended matters with a 41-40 rebounding edge. Both teams also committed 19 turnovers with Dallas scoring 27 points off New York’s giveaways and the Knicks registering 24 points at the other end. The Knicks also finished with a 44-36 edge in points in the paint and 25-17 advantage in second-chance points.

The Mavericks will now head back to Dallas for their final two games entering the All-Star break, facing the Boston Celtics Monday on the second night of a back-to-back before Wednesday night’s showdown with the Los Angeles Lakers.

“We would have loved to have ran the table heading into the All-Star break, but it’s a tough loss. The good thing about the NBA is there’s always the next night. Boston is playing tonight as well, so they’re gonna be on a back-to-back, which is good. So, in the NBA you’ve got to forget, you’ve got to have a short memory and come back tomorrow and leave it all out there,” Nowitzki said while looking ahead.

Note: The Mavs return to the American Airlines Center Monday night when they host the Boston Celtics. Dallas leads the season series 1-0 after a 90-85 win in Boston on Jan. 11. That game will air nationally on TNT at 7 p.m. CT. Fans are encouraged to arrive early due to the early tipoff. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-MAVS.

Single-game tickets are on sale and available at the American Airlines Center North Box Office, online at mavs.com, via phone by calling 214-747-MAVS or 1-800-4NBA-TIX and all Ticketmaster outlets (Fiesta Grocery Stores, Wal-Mart, Simon Mall in Garland and the Shops at Willow Bend in Plano).

Dr. Pepper Family Nights are here! Plans include four Mavs tickets and four McDonald’s extra value meals, starting at $49. Visit mavs.com or call 214-747-MAVS for a schedule of games and to purchase tickets.