The New York Knicks have won just three games for the season and two of those wins have now come against the Dallas Mavericks.
Marcus Morris buried a clutch go-ahead three-point shot with 13.4 seconds left, and the Knicks were able to make free-throws down the stretch to shut the door on the Mavericks and relieve the pressure on the struggling franchise for at least this night.
Porzingis hears it from crowd at the Garden
Long suffering Knicks fans have been waiting for a superstar to lead them back contention for years, and for at least a little while, Kristaps Porzingis was viewed as potentially being that guy.
Instead, he was traded to Dallas at last year's trade deadline and made his first return to the Garden as an enemy, and Knicks fans were more than happy to let him know things had changed.
Porzingis would finish with 20 points and 11 rebonds on the night, but it wasn't his most efficient shooting night, as he went 7-for-17 from the floor and just 1-for-5 from beyond the arc.
KP had 20 points and 11 rebounds in his return to New York!#MFFL | @kporzee pic.twitter.com/02qXQGOtqK
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) November 15, 2019
In a rare win for Knicks fans, they would shower Porzingis with "KP Sucks" chants as time expired.
It's been an up and down start to the season for the Latvian big man, as he continues to find the touch after returning from ACL surgery on top of finding chemistry with Luka Doncic and his new teammates in Dallas.
It was a night to forget for Porzingis, but he and the Mavericks franchise are still in a strong position to continue their ascension in the West.
Morris' hot shooting lifts Knicks to rare win
Marcus Morris is shooting a career-best clip from behind the arc to start the season for the Knicks, and his team needed every single one of his long range bombs in this one.
Finishing with 20 points on 5-for-7 from three, Morris nailed the decisive shot to put the Knicks ahead, 104-101 with 13.4 seconds left to send the Garden crowd into a frenzy.
MARCUS MORRIS. CLUTCH. #NewYorkForever pic.twitter.com/Kt8DNoM0Kp
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) November 15, 2019
Now in his ninth season in the league and with his fifth franchise, Morris has climbed to 45 percent from deep through 12 games, having never shot greater than 38 percent across a season in his career.
With the Knicks languishing at the bottom of the Eatern Conference standings, they will be desperately hoping Morris' touch from long range sticks around.
Another triple-double for Luka Doncic
The second-year sensation did it again.
Doncic collected another triple double, finishing with 33 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists, giving him his fifth of the season and also his first at Madison Square Garden
Much like Porzingis, Doncic struggled from the perimeter, connecting on just three of his twelve attempts from beyond the arc, but his ability to find open teammates with precision and control continues to impress.
With tonight’s 33-point, 10- rebound, 11-assist triple-double, #Mavericks G/F Luka Dončić (20-259) became the youngest player to record a 30-point triple-double at Madison Square Garden.
— Mavs PR (@MavsPR) November 15, 2019
Indiana guard Chuck Person (22-176) was the previous youngest, recording 34-12-10 in 1986. pic.twitter.com/YU5xL5ypSX
The only question that will be raised despite his statical dominace will be the loss, as Dallas now drop to 2-3 in games where Doncic records a triple-double. They are 4-2 in games where he doesn't record the statistical feat.
The Mavericks now drop to 6-5 and find themselves right back in the Western Conference pack as the November schedule rolls on.
