The New York Knicks defeated the Dallas Mavericks, 93 - 77, at Madison Square Garden on Monday. The Knicks (4 - 6) came in losers of two straight and looking for an immediate improvement of a porous defense that had allowed an average of 110 points coming in. They were able to right both matters for the moment Monday, stifling the Dallas Mavericks (2 - 7) to the tune of a season - low point total. Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis led the way as usual, contributing a pair of 24 - point efforts. One particularly notable item from the home team's stat sheet was Justin Holiday's play as compared to that of Joakim Noah, who he replaced to start the second half. While the latter went scoreless over 15 minutes, the former posted 16 points over 25 minutes on the floor, leading the bench. The Mavericks, playing once again without Dirk Nowitzki (Achilles), were led by Harrison Barnes, who supplied 20 points, four rebounds, an assist, a steal and a block. J.J. Barea drew another start in place of Deron Williams (calf), registering 17 points, four assists and a rebound. Unfortunately for Dallas, that was it for double - digit scoring performances, as they shot just 39 percent from the field and posted an unsightly 5 - of - 28 tally (18 percent) from beyond the arc. Seth Curry paced the bench with nine points, five rebounds, three assists and a steal, but was 1 - of - 7 himself from three - point range. Anthony added seven rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block to his scoring haul, while Porzingis complemented his point total with 11 boards, an assist and a block. However, the trio of Noah, Derrick Rose and Courtney Lee combined for just 10 points on 4 - of - 15 shooting. Holiday, who helped spearhead a second - half - opening 19 - 6 run, added four rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block to his aforementioned 16 points. The Mavericks continue their tour through the Northeast with a Wednesday showdown in Boston against the Celtics, while the Knicks remain home for their Wednesday date with the Pistons.
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