National Basketball Association
Dallas 99, New York 86
When: 7:30 PM ET, Friday, April 2, 2021
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Officials: #9 Natalie Sago, #46 Ben Taylor, #18 Matt Boland
Attendance: 1981

Luka Doncic scored 13 of his game-high 26 points in the fourth quarter Friday night as the visiting Dallas Mavericks pulled away from the New York Knicks, 99-86.

The Mavericks played without head coach Rick Carlisle, who was scheduled to coach in his 1,500th game Friday night before he tested positive for COVID-19 earlier in the day. Assistant Jamahl Mosley filled in for Carlisle, who was vaccinated in January and said he hoped the test would prove to be a false positive.

Doncic added eight rebounds and seven assists as the Mavericks overcame a 13-point second-quarter deficit to win their third straight game.

Jalen Brunson scored 15 points off the bench while former Knicks players Kristaps Porzingis and Tim Hardaway Jr. each had 14 points. Josh Richardson netted 11.

Alec Burks scored 20 points off the bench for the Knicks, who have lost three straight. Julius Randle finished with 14 points and 11 assists, and Reggie Bullock added 13 points.

The Knicks and Mavericks traded the lead via extended runs in the second quarter. Burks (eight points) and Obi Toppin (seven points) teamed up for a 15-3 run that gave the Knicks a 44-31 lead.

The Mavericks were 1 of 6 with four turnovers over a nearly five-minute span before responding with an 18-2 spurt to end the quarter and take a 49-46 halftime lead.

Hardaway scored six points in the run, which ended with Doncic draining the tie-breaking 3-pointer with 13.1 seconds left. New York was 1 of 9 from the field with two turnovers in its final 11 possessions.

There were four lead changes in the third quarter before the Mavericks went ahead for good with a run in which five different players scored. Brunson's step-back jumper put Dallas up 60-59.

Taj Gibson opened the fourth quarter with a layup to pull the Knicks within one, but the Mavericks maintained a slim lead until Brunson and Doncic scored five points apiece in a 10-0 run that extended Dallas' lead to 90-75.

New York, which missed 12 straight shots following Gibson's basket, got no closer than 11 the rest of the way.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Dallas   New York
Luka Doncic 26 Scoring Alec Burks 20
Luka Doncic 7 Assists Julius Randle 11
Dorian Finney-Smith 9 Rebounds Julius Randle 8
Jalen Brunson 2 Free Throws Made Alec Burks 4
Tim Hardaway Jr. 2 Steals Alec Burks 2
Kristaps Porzingis 1 Blocks Taj Gibson 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Dallas 99 46.6 12-37 5-10 19 47 2 6 10
New York 86 36.0 12-38 10-10 18 43 3 7 12
Upcoming Games
  • New York will play their next game on the road against Detroit. The Knicks have a W/L % of .480 after a win and .500 after a loss.
  • Dallas will play their next game on the road against Washington. The Mavericks have a W/L % of .560 after a win and .545 after a loss.