In what is becoming a regular occurrence, the Dallas Mavericks started slow in front of a raucous New York crowd booing Kristaps Porzingis every chance they could get. Luka Doncic was about the only thing that went right for Dallas in the third quarter, single handedly keeping the team afloat with 13 points on seven made free throws on nine attempts. Porzingis started the game extremely flat missing his first three shots and looking completely out of sorts as the Knicks took a 27-23 lead.
The second quarter can be summarized in one tweet:
The Mavericks inability to hit threes was a problem but the team stayed within striking distance by earning 25 trips to the free throw line (making 19 of them) compared to the Knicks seven attempts as New York maintained a 58-53 lead into the half.