Barnes scores 23 to lead Mavericks over Knicks, 103-95
DALLAS (AP) - Harrison Barnes scored 23 points and Seth Curry had 20 as the Dallas Mavericks beat the New York Knicks 103-95 on Wednesday night.
Dirk Nowitzki added 19 points for Dallas, which was coming off a 49-point blowout of the Los Angeles Lakers. The last-place Mavericks (16-29) have won five of seven.
Carmelo Anthony, the subject of trade talk, scored 30 points to lead the Knicks. Courtney Lee had 23 for New York, which has lost 14 of 18.
Dallas led by as many as 10 in the third quarter, but the Knicks rallied to get within one twice in the fourth quarter.
Down 89-88, the Knicks had the ball on a fast break, but Ron Baker missed a 3-pointer from the right corner.
Curry followed with a long jumper at the other end, keying an 8-0 run as New York turned the ball over on three consecutive possessions.
Nowitzki gave the Mavericks the lead for good at 65-63 in the third quarter when he scored off an offensive rebound. Dallas went on a 14-2 run capped by Dorian Finney-Smith's 3-pointer with 3:08 left in the period, giving the Mavericks their biggest lead at 75-65.
Anthony scored 14 points in the first quarter and 22 in the opening half, but Dallas led 52-51 at the break.
TIP-INS
Knicks: Kristaps Porzingis played only five minutes in the first half after picking up three fouls. He scored all 13 of his points after halftime. . New York coach Jeff Hornacek said forward Lance Thomas had a mask to protect his fractured orbital bone, but was still experiencing headaches during workouts so the team will take its time returning him to action.
Mavericks: The team signed guard Pierre Jackson to a second 10-day contract. If the Mavericks want to keep Jackson longer than 10 days, they would be required to sign him for the rest of the season.
MEDICAL UPDATE
Injuries keep piling up for the Mavericks. Deron Williams came up limping after he stepped on Joakim Noah's foot late in the first half. Williams hit a 3-pointer later in the same possession but asked out of the game and went straight to the locker room. He was diagnosed with a left big toe sprain and sat out the second half.
Dallas played without guard Wesley Matthews, who strained his right hip on Sunday. Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said Matthews will miss at least one more game.
On the plus side, Andrew Bogut returned to action after missing six straight games with a right hamstring strain.
NO DISTRACTIONS
Despite reports that the Knicks were discussing potential trades for Anthony, Hornacek said both the player and team could block out any distractions.
"Carmelo has been around long enough," Hornacek said. "He understands the trade deadline. We try to tell our young guys, 'If your name comes up in things, just ignore it.' There are so many things that get out there during this time and a lot of them are not true. On Carmelo's part, he understands it so he goes out and just plays."
UP NEXT
Knicks: Host Charlotte on Friday for their only home game in a six-game stretch.
Mavericks: Visit Oklahoma City on Thursday for the first of three matchups this season with the Thunder.