Both the Dallas Mavericks (11-8) and New York Knicks (10-8) came into American Airlines Center on Wednesday winners of five of their last six games, and something had to happen. Even in their fourth straight game without the services of Luka Dončić, who is scheduled to be re-examined on Thursday after suffering a wrist injury against the Pelicans on November 19, the Mavericks didn’t give up an inch of ground at home. Dallas took control of the game over the course of the first quarter and never let go, earning a 129-114 victory over the Knicks. Dallas, in one of the most unlikely places, has now won six of its last seven games.

Naji Marshall and Kyrie Irving led a balanced Mavericks offensive attack while the Dallas defense held the Knicks in check in the first half. Marshall scored 24 points in 30 minutes while Irving scored 23 points, grabbed seven rebounds and added six assists in the win. Quentin Grimes had 21 points and seven boards, while Spencer Dinwiddie added 21 more and nine assists. Jalen Brunson led all scorers with 37 points and found teammates for seven assists for the Knicks in the loss.

Here are five more stats that tell the story of the Mavs’ stunning victory over the Knicks.

16-2: Dallas’ run in the first quarter

The Mavericks survived their 0-of-5 start from beyond the 3-point line by quickly getting the ball in transition using defensive rebounds. Marshall and PJ Washington scored early on quick possessions as both outside attacks started cold, giving the Mavs a 6-4 lead. Dinwiddie found Marshall open in the corner for the Mavericks’ first 3-pointer of the game with 5:01 left in the first, extending the Dallas lead to 16-6.

Suddenly, the Dallas offense found the same rhythm it had in recent wins over the Atlanta Hawks and Denver Nuggets. Dinwiddie grabbed an offensive rebound of his own the next time out, extending the Mavs’ run to 16-2 and the early lead to 18-6.

Dallas took a 28-15 lead at the end of the first period thanks to a Jazian Gortman 3-pointer by Dinwiddie with 26 seconds left.

15: Total points for New York in the first quarter

The Mavs defended the 3-point line well early in the game, while the Knicks shot blanks from beyond the arc – 0-for-8 in the first game. OG Anunoby, who entered the game shooting 42% from 3-point range, went 0-for-3 in the first quarter, and Brunson missed both attempts in the first quarter.

Dereck Lively II provided good interior defense with an early blocked shot and two seals, but had to commit two quick fouls in the first seven minutes of the game.

Wednesday’s first quarter was just the second of 69 quarters to the point in the season where New York failed to score on a 3-pointer. The Knicks’ first 3-ball came from Mikal Bridges just 30 seconds into the second quarter to keep the Knicks within 10, trailing 28-18 at the time.

11 of 42 (26.2%): Knicks shots in the first half

The Mavs defense continued to hold the Knicks to one shot per possession in the first half and forced New York into some subpar shots near the end of the shot clock. Bridges remained the only Knick to make a 3-pointer in the first half against the Mavs. He shot 2 of 5 from distance in the first half on Wednesday while the rest of the team shot 0 of 11 overall.

After the Knicks made just four field goals in the first quarter, New York shot just 7 of 21 in the second. The Mavs were able to extend their lead from 13 points at the end of the first quarter to 22 points at halftime despite committing eight turnovers in the second quarter had to accept. The Knicks simply didn’t take advantage of their chances. According to the ESPN halftime show, the Knicks were just 4 of 14 on open shot attempts in the first half.

The Knicks’ lack of depth became apparent after Karl-Athony Towns was sent to the bench with three fouls – causing New York even more offensive problems in the second quarter. Towns came back with a strong second half, finishing with 25 points in the loss.

6: Mavericks scorer in double figures

Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images

Lively scored eight points in the first seven minutes of the fourth quarter, including conversions on two trips to the free throw line, and had 10 points on the night and became the sixth Maverick to score in double figures. That’s significant because Dallas came into the game on a five-game streak, six of which had already seen double figures, something the Mavericks haven’t accomplished since 2018. The only other time in franchise history that the Mavs have had six double-digit scorers in six consecutive games was back in 1986.

Necessity was the mother of this latest Mavs invention, as the contributions of multiple players were always required to make up for the large gap in Dončić’s starting lineup.

17, 10: PJ Washington points and rebounds

Wednesday night’s double-double for Washington was his fourth straight, something he has never accomplished before in his NBA career. He has been impressive since the Mavs’ 121-119 win at the Oklahoma City Thunder with 27 points and 17 rebounds, recording five double-doubles in his last six games since then.

The Mavs have made a habit of late of going to Washington early on offense in Dončić’s absence. Confidence in his game is implicit in the coaching staff at this point, if for no other reason than he has no choice but to trust his performance. Recently this trust has become very well established.

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