1. SMITH GETS A TRIPLE-DOUBLE: Dennis Smith Jr. was in a zone all night as he collected his second career triple-double. Smith poured in 13 points, grabbed a season-high 10 rebounds and handed out a career-high 15 assists. The 15 assists were a picture of beauty because Smith was making sure his teammates were involved and were getting the ball in their favorite spots on the court. Also, counting the triple-double Luka Doncic registered this past Sunday against Toronto, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, this is the first time in the Mavs’ illustrious history that they’ve had two different players record a triple-double in consecutive games.
2. THE LOVE FOR DIRK: I’m not sure how much of it you could tell on TV, but every time Dirk Nowitzki touched the ball on Wednesday, it felt like we were back in Dallas at American Airlines Center. The Knicks fans went wild, and they wanted to shoot it every time he touched it. Of course they did. And The Big Daddy Tall Baller From the G obliged by scoring a season-high 14 points on 5-of-7 shots in just 12 minutes. he lovefest for Nowitzki has been the phenomenal all season. But this was the best. Feeling that he may retire after this season, the very knowledgeable Knicks fans gave what Nowitzki described as a teary-eyed send-off into retirement.
3. BARNES CHANNELING KOBE: In an effort to break out of a shooting slump, Harrison Barnes wanted to try something different. So he decided to wear a pair of new Kobe Bryant sneakers during Wednesday’s game. And they were a bright purple. The strategy worked, as Barnes (purple) reign supreme, scoring a game-high 19 points on 7-of-14 shots while looking like his old self again. It’s only the second time in the last 12 games that Barnes has made at least half of his field goal attempts. Barnes tallied 11 of his points in the third quarter when the Mavs led by as many as 20 points and finally put the Knicks out of their misery.
4. MATTHEWS LIT UP TIMES SQUARE: There are a ton of lights at Times Square. Some of them made their way to Madison Square Garden, thanks to Wesley Matthews, who lit up the New York Skyline with an array of long-range shots on Wednesday. With his bow-and-arrows routine working overtime, Matthews made an amazing five baskets from 3-point range. And that was just in the first half! That includes a buzzer-beater from downtown that gave the Mavs a 55-47 lead at intermission. Overall, Matthews was 5-of-9 from beyond the 3-point arc and finished with 17 points. It’s the most treys he’s made since he went 7-of-11 from downtown against Golden State on Dec. 22.
5. COMPLETE GAME BY THE MAVS: If the Mavs drew up the ideal game plan, this was the blueprint, because the win over the Knicks was a dominant performance. It’s what you do when your opponent has the NBA’s worst record, which is the case with the Knicks. The Mavs shot 53.6 percent from the field, made 15 of their 38 shots from behind the 3-point line, and only missed two of their 11 free throw attempts. The Mavs also battered the Knicks on the boards, winning that battle, 49-34. As a side note, the ball was hopping all night as the Mavs finished with a season-high tying 31 assists, and also led by as many as 29 points in the fourth quarter.
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