With Mavs missing Luka, locals Brunson, Randle lead Knicks into town

A couple of players with deep Dallas roots will be coming back to town Thursday night, but the Mavericks unfortunately won’t have one key player waiting for them.

Luka Dončić has been ruled out for the visit by the New York Knicks at American Airlines Center because of a right ankle sprain.

It will make matters much tougher for the Mavericks as the red-hot Knicks, led by Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle, will be looking for their sixth win in a row.

When players come back to their home area or a team they played with for an extended time, they can be motivated to play way above their normal means.

Or they can get overwhelmed by family and friends and not concentrate as much on what happens on the court.

For Randle, it’s very much been a case of the first scenario. He has butchered the Mavericks in games at American Airlines Center and that’s where he’ll be Thursday night (7:30 p.m.) when the New York Knicks come for their only 2023-24 visit to Dallas.

Randle has averaged 20.9 points and 10.5 rebounds against the Mavericks, one of only two Western Conference teams (Minnesota) that he has averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds against.

And then there’s Jalen Brunson, who no doubt will have no shortage of motivation. He left the Mavericks in free agency before the 2022-23 season and has prospered with the Knicks, developing into a star player, averaging 25.6 points and 6.4 assists per game.

He didn’t play last December when the Knicks were at AAC because of injury, so there’s no frame of reference for how he’ll handle the return to Dallas.

Then again, homecomings don’t mean much when the local favorite does what Dončić did last season against the Knicks. There were 20,000 at AAC that night, but probably a few hundred-thousand more who claim they were.

That’s when Dončić dropped 60 points, 21 rebounds and 10 assists – a stat line never before or since duplicated – as the Mavericks defeated the Knicks 126-121 in overtime.

The Mavericks were down 112-103 with 33.9 seconds left but outscored the Knicks 12-3 the rest of the way to force overtime, which they dominated. According to ESPN, NBA teams were 0-13,884 in the last 20 seasons when trailing by at least nine points with 35 seconds or less remaining.

Unfortunately, Luka won’t be able to run it back against the Knicks and try to repeat his wondrous performance of just over a year ago after it was announced he will be out.

• Randle, the former Kentucky Wildcat who is out of Plano’s Prestonwood Christian after being born and raised in Dallas, is averaging 24.2 points, 9.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists this season. Neither he nor any other Knicks had to overextend themselves in Tuesday’s blowout win over Portland.
• The Knicks have won five in a row, coinciding with the trade that netted them OG Anunoby for Immanuel Quickley and R.J. Barrett. Anunoby had 23 points in 29 minutes against the Blazers.
• Something to watch for in this one: The road team has won nine of the previous 12 meetings, although the Mavericks swept both games last season.
• In addition to the Luka injury, the Mavericks will be without Dante Exum (right plantar sprain). Upgraded to doubtful are center Dereck Lively II and Maxi Kleber (right small toe). Grant Williams (right ankle) is questionable.

NEW YORK KNICKS (22-15) at MAVERICKS (22-16)

• When/where: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, American Airlines Center, Dallas.
• TV: Bally’s Sports Southwest.
• Radio: 97.1 FM The Freak; 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish).

X: @ESefko