He’s an insulting guy – like The Offensive guy, perhaps – and one of the biggest stars in professional sports history, but even Tom Brady could have told you that a little defense and a little depth go a long way.

Perhaps the seven-time Super Bowl champion quarterback passed that along to Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd when the two Bay Area natives met during a lull in the first quarter at American Airlines Center on Wednesday night.

The Mavericks – shorthanded on Thanksgiving night and all – beat the New York Knicks 129-114 without the help of Luka Doncic or Klay Thompson. Six different Mavericks players finished in double figures: Naji Marshall (24 points), Kyrie Irving (23 points), Quentin Grimes (21 points), Spencer Dinwiddie (21 points), PJ Washington (19 points) and Dereck Lively II (12 points ). ).

“We’re passing the ball at an elite level and playing together,” Washington said, “and right now it’s looking great.”

Sitting courtside, Brady was in town calling Thursday’s Cowboys vs. New York Giants game for Fox Sports. He attended Junipero Serra High in San Mateo, California, which was directly across the San Francisco Bay from Kidd’s alma mater, St. Joseph Notre Dame in Alameda.

“He’ll probably tell you he went to the better high school,” Kidd said. “I’ve known Tom for a long time. He is the GOAT, he is great at what he does. I asked how his new job was going. He loves it, it was cool to see him at the game tonight. He has to work tomorrow so I think he left a little early.”

The tough battle between Big D and the Big Apple might have given the future Hall of Famer a better performance than the backup quarterback duel that will take place at AT&T Stadium on Thanksgiving Day.

Well, maybe at least a better defense.

The Knicks shot 4 for 21 from the field in the first quarter and were 0 for 8 from 3-point range until Mikal Bridges scored in the first minute of the second quarter. New York’s 15 points in the first quarter were the fewest the Mavericks have allowed in a quarter this season.

They hardly allowed more in the second quarter. Dallas opened the game on a 15-7 run and took a 21-point lead when Irving hit a 3-pointer that gave the Mavericks a 43-22 lead with 7:05 left in the first half. The Mavericks led by as many as 24 points in the quarter, led 60-38 at halftime and held the Knicks to 11-for-41 (27%) shooting in the first half.

“It’s just a matter of us being able to talk,” said Washington, who had two blocks and a steal. “I think speaking is important for us. Obviously we have an elite shot blocker in Lively. Just being able to talk, rebound, limit everyone to one shot and try to get out in transition.”

Grimes, who played his first two and a half seasons with the Knicks before joining the Detroit Pistons last season, scored 13 of his season-high 21 points in the second half to help Dallas take the lead. He converted a corner 3-pointer, was fouled and made his free throw to give Dallas a 97-74 lead with 10:27 to play, then scored another nine points in the fourth. Grimes hit 4 of his 8 3-point attempts. The Mavericks made 17 of their 33 attempts (.515) as a collective unit, and five different players hit two or more shots from deep.

The 24-year-old from the Houston area has cracked double-digit points in four of his last five games after averaging just 3.2 points in his first 10 games as a Maverick. Due to illness it was questionable whether he would play on Wednesday.

“We were a little concerned about his energy level,” Kidd said. “But I think when you play against your old team, I think that’s something that gives you a little bit of juice.”

Grimes said: “I didn’t actually have any extra juice, it’s just the way things work.”

Former Mavericks guard Jalen Brunson had 37 points, seven assists and three rebounds for the Knicks, but fell to 0-for-3 in games against Dallas since signing with New York before the 2022-23 season. New York big man Karl-Anthony Towns, whose Timberwolves lost to the Mavericks in the Western Conference finals last year, scored 25 points and had 14 rebounds. Towns — who once proclaimed himself the “greatest big-man shooter of all time,” a minor affront to Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki — sparked “overrated” chants from the AAC crowd during a free throw at the line in the fourth quarter.

The Mavericks were without Doncic (right wrist sprain), Thompson (left foot plantar fascia), Daniel Gafford (illness) and Dante Exum (right wrist). Kidd said Doncic, who has missed five of Dallas’ last six games, is not far from returning.

“Everything has come back to him looking good,” Kidd said, “and he’s getting closer and closer to being back.”

Not that there was a significant rush. The Mavericks are 4-1 without Doncic this season, and four of Dallas’ next five games come against teams near the bottom of their respective conference standings: the Utah Jazz (4-14, 14th in the West) , the Portland Trailblazers (7-12, 13th in the West), the Washington Wizards (2-15, 15th in the East) and the Toronto Raptors (5-14, 13th in the East). East) are on the program between Saturday and December 7th.

“Without Luka, we’re finding ways to win right now,” Kidd said. “With Luka we will find ways to win. We won’t go undefeated, we will lose some games and understand that we can learn from these defeats. But right now the energy is at full blast.”

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