The reunion was friendly, as hugs were exchanged and some catching up took place before the game, but the air was rank with competitive spirit as Tyson Chandler, Jose Calderon, and Samuel Dalembert delivered exceptional performances in a game against their former teams, since the six-player deal was made in the offseason. In the end, after tenacious efforts from both teams, it was Chandler’s Mavericks who emerged victorious with a 109-102 overtime victory against the Melo-less Knicks.

It was a statement game for Tyson Chandler, who absolutely dominated the glass, registering 25 rebounds combined with 17 points on 7-for-12 shooting, which are both season highs for the big man. After a ferocious dunk in overtime that put the Mavericks up 101-99, Chandler put his fingerprints on the game to seal the victory. It was clear that he had something to prove tonight.

However, the Knicks did not go down without a proper battle. In fact, it was the Knicks who controlled a majority of the game, as they were up by as many as 10 points in the first quarter. The Mavericks, who struggled tremendously on offense, went 4-of-31 from behind the arc. Despite Dirk Nowitzki’s season-high of 30 points, he went 1-for-8 from three-point range. The Knicks, on the other hand, shot 50 percent, and that marksmanship can be attributed to guards Jose Calderon and Pablo Prigioni. Calderon matched a career-high of seven made three-pointers on nine attempts, and he also brought down 10 rebounds, recording a rare double-double in the process. Prigioni also made some crucial three-pointers, scoring 12 points on four made out of eight. Samuel Dalembert also walked away with a double-double tonight, scoring an impressive 13 points and pulling down 13 rebounds in his 25 minutes of play.

Jameer Nelson was out tonight for the Mavericks with back spasms, and Raymond Felton, who remained out with his ankle injury, has yet to make his season debut with the team. In Nelson's place, Devin Harris started, scoring nine points on 2-for-10 shooting. Monta Ellis shot 3-of-13 for eight points, and Chandler Parsons added 14 points to the victory but despite their obvious lack of offensive prowess, the Knicks were outscored tremendously at the costless-throw line. The Knicks made 10 out of 16 of their costless throws in comparison to 29 out of 38 made to the Mavericks benefit. Turnovers were also a disparity between the teams, as the Knicks committed 22, of which 14 of them came from two key players in the game. J.R. Smith and Amar’e Stoudemire, who might have been expected to step up as leaders of the game in Carmelo Anthony’s absence, committed seven turnovers apiece, and failed to make up for it with superior shooting performances. Stoudemire recorded a mediocre 10 points on 3-for-8 shooting. Smith’s performance was a bit more controversial, as he became the late catalyst for the overtime possibilities.

Smith went for an ice cold 1-for-10 in the first half, but made five of his last seven shots in regulation. It was a jumper from Smith that tied the game at 95, with only 0.9 seconds left in the game. Unfortunately, it would be three consecutive turnovers and the momentum changing dunk from Chandler that would ultimately lead the Knicks to another loss.

Some positives to take away from the game surround guard Jose Calderon and his ability to potentially be Carmelo Anthony’s right hand man. During the post-game conference Coach Fisher noted that he looks more “comfortable, and confident in his physical abilities out there,” and as time goes on, Calderon will only continue to improve.

Secondly, in the absence of Carmelo Anthony, the Knicks played exceptionally well and with a high level of effort, which is what every Knicks fan has been yearning to see. However, these moral victories can prove to be nothing more than an excuse for what really needs to be done, and that is to physically win actual games. Very little was seen of Tim Hardaway Jr. tonight in the midst of J.R. Smith’s shooting struggles, and Iman Shumpert’s absence was all but unnoticeable, then again, so was his production. With a tough match up against the Oklahoma City Thunder this Friday, in which Russell Westbrook might make his return, the Knicks need to find a way to stave off an impending 4-13 record.

VAVEL Logo
About the author