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Tim BontempsESPN
NEW YORK – Luka Doncic Today, he wore a Philadelphia Eagles jersey to Madison Square Garden. This was a payment for a bet he lost to his former teammate. Jalen BrunsonHe faced the Mavericks’ Corey Stewart for the first time since Brunson signed as a free agent with the Knicks in the offseason.
Doncic replied, “No, it was not,” when Doncic was asked if he enjoyed making his bet.
However, Doncic didn’t enjoy that part of his day as Brunson and Knicks were eliminated in the second period. New York was outscored 69-40 by the Mavericks to pull away, claiming a 121-1100 win over Doncic and his teammate.
Jason Kidd, Mavericks coach, said “You have to ask them”, when asked if Brunson was a motivating factor for his players. “Those guys in that locker-room have been there four years with him. They are going to miss him. He has a close relationship with some of those friends. Although they may have been trying to show that they could handle it without him, he is the enemy today and they did everything in their power to stop him.
The second half was a success. The Mavericks outscored the Knicks 41-15 in the third quarter. This transformed what had been a competitive but sleepy early afternoon matinee into a rout that saw Kidd leave his bench for most of the fourth quarter. Jaden Hardy As a result, he scored his first NBA basketball.
Doncic (19 point) and his efforts made it possible. Tim Hardaway Jr. (17 points) and New York outscored New York by themselves during the third quarter. This was part of a string of 3-pointers (24 for-61) that proved too much for the Knicks. New York was unable to win the sixth game in eight and is currently 4-7 in its first 11 games at MSG.
Tom Thibodeau, Knicks coach said that his team had disappointed him. “The missed shots are something you can deal with,” Thibodeau said. [they] You are part and parcel of the game. That’s okay, so long as your actions aren’t selfish or you take the right shots.
“But the rebounding part of it, or the turnover piece, that’s the hardest. It is hard to win such a battle. We have to fix this problem quickly.
The dominance of Dallas in the second half overshadowed Brunson’s reunion with his only team before signing a four year contract worth more that $100 million with this offseason’s Knicks.
Hardaway and Doncic both admitted that it was strange playing against each other – in Doncic’s case, they were both in the 2018 NBA Draft class together. Brunson stated that it was difficult for him to enjoy the experience, given the way the game went.
Brunson admitted, “It wasn’t fun,” after being asked how the reunion went. He had finished with 13 points, 3 assists, and 27 minutes. “They played great tonight. They deserve credit. My approach is the same regardless of who’s on either side.
“Seeing them after they played, shaking their hands, that was quite cool. I respect them and hope that all goes well. We will see each other in a month.
Doncic was averaging 30 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists. He’s looking ahead to next month’s Dallas Knicks matchup to recoup his loss wager on the Eagles-Cowboys.
He smiled and said, “We have another game coming, and we play at home. So we’ll get another wager and they’re coming quickly, so we will see.”