Mad Max Goes 3-Point Crazy Against NY
Photo: Special to the NY Beacon
By Andrew Rosario
When the New York Knicks hosted the Dallas Mavericks Monday afternoon at Madison Square Garden, they continued the tradition of playing on the birthday of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. The first game took place in Philadelphia on January 20th 1986 as they lost 103-93. New York would host the game the next 9 years, winning all of them. Entering the game against Dallas, the Knicks compiled a record of 24-15 on this historic day. They were looking to win for the second year in a row after losing the 3 previous years. It would not happen as the Knicks came out flat and Dallas came out on fire.
The Knicks saw the return of All Star guard Jalen Brunson who rolled his ankle last week against the Sacramento Kings. Earlier, Brunson was named a starter to the 2026 All Star team. The enthusiasm was short lived as Dallas jumped out to a 13-4 lead before head coach Mike Brown called a timeout. It would only get worse as Dallas outscored New York 31-22 in the first quarter. The Knicks shot a putrid 37% from the floor and missed all of their 3-point attempts (0 for 9). The second quarter would not get any better as the Knicks gave up 44 points and went into halftime down 75-44. Back-up center Mitchell led the Knicks with 12 points. Not a good sign. Mavs guard Max Christie nailed 6 of 7 3-pointers ending the half with 18 points.
The second half saw the Knicks win both the third and fourth quarter but they could not dig themselves out of the hole from their brutal first half in the 114-97 loss. It was their 9th loss in their last 11th game. Christie finished with a game high 26 points. Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns led the Knicks with 22 points each.
Brown wanted to focus on what the team did in the second half and not how they started. “The bottom line is we got to lock in and do our job for 48 minutes. They scored 75 points in the first half. There was nothing to be said at halftime except do your job.” Brown went on to say” the whole second half, they scored 39 points. Again, no adjustments. Just do your job. So, it’s within our guys. But we have to do our job for 48 minutes and it didn’t happen tonight and it was evident. It doesn’t matter who’s in the front of you, you’ve got to do your job.”
The Knicks have a chance to right their ship when they host the lowly Brooklyn Nets Wednesday night. No telling what would happen if they do not come away with a win.
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