It’s always nice to see an old friend again, but in this case, pleasantries will have to wait.

The Mavericks need wins too badly to worry about catching Jalen Brunson, the All-Star point guard who left Dallas after reaching the 2022 Western Conference Finals.

He signed a major contract with the New York Knicks as a free agent and has been successful with them.

And the Mavericks did well without Brunson and reached the NBA Finals last season.

Usually things work out for a reason, and in this case Brunson’s decision to leave the Mavericks was a good decision for both parties.

The Knicks make their only appearance of the season on Wednesday in Dallas, and Brunson is coming off a 145-118 Knicks win over the Nuggets in Denver in which he had a whopping 17 assists. Many of those went to OG Anunoby, who scored a career-best 40 points against the Nuggets.

Brunson is averaging 24.9 points and 7.9 assists. He is the leader of the Nova Mafia, former Villanova members that also include Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges. Gone is Donte DiVincenzo, who was traded to Minnesota in the offseason as part of the Karl Anthony Towns trade.

Speaking of which, the Knicks have absolutely nothing to regret about this deal. Towns was sensational, averaging 26.3 and 12.6 rebounds per game.

The Knicks sacrificed a lot for Towns — a first-round pick, Julius Randle, DeVincenzo and other strengths. But it’s hard to argue with the results.

But it’s Brunson who will be the Knicks’ headliner, at least in the eyes of Mavericks fans. He did not play in New York’s 2022-23 visit to the American Airlines Center. Last season he scored 30 points and eight assists in his first AAC appearance.

It should be interesting to see how the Mavericks handle him and the red-hot Knicks.

Here’s what else to look for when the Knicks arrive at American Airlines Center for an early tip-off on Wednesday (6:30 p.m.).

• Injuries will be a problem. Luka Dončić will miss his fourth straight game with a sprained right wrist. It’s questionable whether Klay Thompson, Dereck Lively II and Quentin Grimes suffer from the same illness that hampered them in Atlanta. The Knicks are expected to be without Precious Achiuwa (hamstring) and Mitchell Robinson (ankle).
• Red-hot Knicks? Yes they are. Like the Mavericks, they have won five of their last six games, including two of three to begin this five-game trip that ends Wednesday in Charlotte.
• Is it possible that Tom Thibodeau will change his place? The Knicks coach has been one of the league’s best coaches at emphasizing defense in all of his NBA head coaching appearances. But this season, the Knicks are second in the league in offensive rating with just 22^nd in the overall defense rating. As a team, the Knicks hit 50.4 percent, second in the league. And if you think they’re just pillow fighters on defense now, they’re still holding opponents to the third-lowest two-point field goal percentage in the league at 47.6 percent.
• Against the Nuggets on Monday, the Knicks shot 60.9 percent from the field and 52.8 percent (19 of 36) from three-point range.
• If you’re looking for someone to step in in Dončić’s absence, look no further than PJ Washington. The 6-7 forward had three consecutive double-doubles without Luka, including 11 points and 10 rebounds on Monday against Atlanta. He averaged 17 points and 11.2 rebounds in his last five games.
• This is a short home break for the Mavericks as they prepare for coast-to-coast action. After being in Miami on Sunday and Atlanta on Monday, they play at home against the Knicks and then visit Utah on Saturday and Portland on Sunday.

NEW YORK KNICKS (10-7) and MAVERICKS (10-8)

WHEN: 6:30 p.m., Wednesday

WHERE: American Airlines Center, Dallas.

TV: ESPN.

RADIO: KEGL 97.1 FM, 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish)

X: @ESEFko