The Mavs scored an important win over the New York Knicks in Dallas on Wednesday night, building off of their momentum from their near-50 point annihilation of the Lakers, by a total of 103-95.
Down a starter and facing off against a talented roster, things got sweaty down the stretch, but the Mavs squeezed enough out of their home crowd to secure their sixteenth win of the season.
Missing iron man Wesley Matthews due to a hip injury, the Mavs relied heavily on super-sub Seth Curry. The Curry family DNA was on full display for the American Airlines Center tonight, who watched perhaps their new fan favorite explode for twenty points with several extremely tough shots dropping through the hoop.
Another cause for optimism was the sudden flash of Justin Anderson. Anderson had completely lost his place in the rotation all together to undrafted rookie Dorian Finney-Smith, but came off the bench and provided suffocating perimeter defense and several punishing attacks of the rim. Newly signed guard Pierre Jackson also saw valuable playing time down the stretch of a tense fourth quarter.
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While the win only improves Dallas to thirteen below .500, the Mavs seemingly are hitting a bit of a stride. While it has taken nearly fifty games to hit a true rhythm, the team looks significantly smoother offensively and has continued to play stingy defense. Justin Anderson’s breakout game is great news for Mavs fans, who have been wanting to see someone other than Seth Curry make a youthful impact off the bench.
The Mavs got the usual from Harrison Barnes tonight, who totaled twenty-three more points in what has been an outstanding first season with the Mavs. Carmelo Anthony finished the night with 30 points, but was shut out in the fourth quarter.
The Mavs face an extremely tough test tomorrow night however, as they face MVP candidate Russell Westbrook and the rested Thunder at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City.
