The Knicks kept it surprisingly close against the Mavericks in Dallas last night despite missing their star, Carmelo Anthony. After a rough shooting night, J.R. Smith‘s miracle heave with under a second left forced OT, but it was the future Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki who sealed the win for Dallas by scoring a season-high 30 points.
First, let’s just marvel at this ridiculous shot by Smith. He’s possibly the only one with the brass — many would deem it foolish confidence — to take a shot like this, much less net it, too, even though he was only 7-for-20 on the night and 1-of-8 from deep.
But in the extra session, having already scored 26 points — on a night when both Chandler Parsons and Monta Ellis struggled to find the bottom of the cup — Nowitzki clinched it with a couple of his patented jumpers against a helpless Quincy Acy. Acy gives up five inches to towering Nowitzki, and when the Mavs star is using a head fake to go up-and-under for that mid-range jumper, it’s simply unfair. Here’s Dirk fooling him in regulation, and also drawing the foul:
And here’s the German David Hasselhoff fanatic pulling out the same move in OT to seal the win:
It should also be noted, former Knick Tyson Chandler had his best game of the season, pouring in 17 points (7/10) and snagging a crazy 25 rebounds — including 10 on the offensive glass — in over 42 minutes of action.
The Mavs beat the Knicks — and their old point guard Jose Calderon, who had 23 points and 10 rebounds — 109-102 in overtime. We’re glad too because we can’t read any “Are the Knicks Better Without ‘Melo” think pieces.
What do you think?
Follow Spencer on Twitter at @SpencerTyrel.
Follow Dime on Twitter at @DimeMag.
Become a fan of Dime Magazine on Facebook HERE.
