The rainy weather was fitting.
A dark cloud is hovering above Madison Square Garden these days — at least when the Knicks are in action.
The building has become a house of horrors for Tom Thibodeau’s team. Saturday afternoon was the latest example, an abject second-half no-show in which the previously struggling Mavericks treated the Garden like their own personal playground.
In getting off to an underwhelming 10-11 start, the Mavericks clearly missed Jalen Brunson. Coach Jason Kidd said as much Saturday morning.
One game against the Knicks, however, soothed what was ailing them.
After trailing by 15 points in the second quarter, the Mavericks morphed into the team that reached the Western Conference finals last year, ripping apart the Knicks over the final two-plus quarters to hand them their fourth straight loss at the Garden, 121-100, in ugly fashion.
The Knicks were outscored 41-15 in an embarrassing third quarter that refused to end, and have lost seven of the last eight at home. They are now three games under .500 at 10-13, their low-water mark of the season. At one point, the Mavericks had 50 of the total 70 points scored, and the large crowd let the home team hear their displeasure with thunderous boos.
While much was made of Brunson facing his former team, one-time Knick Tim Hardaway Jr. was the one who enjoyed seeing his old team the most, pouring in 28 points and eight 3-pointers. After sinking one of his wide-open, long-range shots, Hardaway yelled out: “I own this city.” After a quiet first half, Luka Doncic went off for 19 of his 30 in the final two stanzas, as Dallas sank 24 3-pointers.
Julius Randle followed up a 21-point first half with just three after the break. RJ Barrett and Brunson each had 13. Thibodeau mercifully emptied his bench early in the fourth quarter with the result well in hand and the Cavaliers in town on Sunday for the second game of a back-to-back.
Dallas’ early cold-shooting and Randle’s fast start — he scored 14 first quarter points — enabled the Knicks to get out to an early nine-point lead. They pushed that advantage to 38-23 but couldn’t sustain it.
The Mavericks responded with a 20-5 run to get even at 43 that was aided by three Knicks turnovers in the span of four possessions and a Thibodeau technical foul arguing a questionable call. Randle ensured the Knicks didn’t trail the break, scoring their last seven points, and they entered intermission up seven.
Despite shooting just 33 percent from the field, the Mavericks were able to hang close due to eight offensive rebounds leading to 10 second-chance points and the Knicks’ inability to defend without fouling, a recurring problem. Dallas went to the free-throw line 13 times in the opening half, and made 11 of them.
The Knicks’ turnover problems carried over into the second half, and halfway into the third quarter they were behind by double figures. In a 29-6 run, the Mavericks hit seven 3-pointers, five from Hardaway. Twice, Thibodeau used timeouts to try to slow down Dallas as the Knicks floundered at both ends of the floor. It didn’t work. By the end of the ugly quarter, the Knicks trailed by 19 and boos were bouncing off the walls of the arena. That quarter included six Knicks turnovers, a 4:41 scoring drought and allowing the Mavericks to hit nine of 17 3-pointers.
