Mavericks find recipe to beat Knicks without Luka Doncic on Thanksgiving Eve

He’s an offensive guy – like, the offensive guy, maybe — and one of the biggest standout stars in professional sports history, but even Tom Brady could have told you that a little defense and a little depth go a long way.

Maybe that’s what the seven-time Super Bowl champion quarterback passed on to Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd as the two Bay Area natives caught a first-quarter break Wednesday night at the American Airlines Center.

The Mavericks — undermanned on Thanksgiving Eve and all — beat the New York Knicks 129-114 without the help of Luka Doncic or Klay Thompson. Six different Mavericks players finished in double figures: Naji Marshall (24 points), Kyrie Irving (23 points), Quentin Grimes (21 points), Spencer Dinwiddie (21 points), PJ Washington (19 points) and Dereck Lively II (12 points ) ).

“We’re passing the ball at an elite level and playing together,” Washington said, “and it’s looking beautiful right now.”

Brady, for the record, was courtside and in town to call Thursday’s Cowboys vs. New York Giants game for Fox Sports. He attended Junipero Serra High in San Mateo, California, which was just across the San Francisco Bay from Kidd’s alma mater, St. Joseph Notre Dame in Alameda.

“He’ll probably tell you he went to the better high school,” Kidd said. “I have known Tom for a long time. He is the GOAT, he is good at what he does. I asked how his new job was going. He loves it, it was great to see him at the game tonight. He has to work tomorrow, so I think he left a little early.”

The hardwood matchup between the Big D and the Big Apple might have given the future Hall of Famer a better show than the backup quarterback duel that takes place on Thanksgiving Day at AT&T Stadium.

Well, maybe better defense, at least.

The Knicks shot 4 for 21 from the field in the first quarter and were 0 for 8 from 3-point range until Mikal Bridges made one in the first minute of the second quarter. New York’s 15 points in the first quarter were the fewest the Mavericks have allowed in any quarter this season.

They hardly allowed more in the second quarter. Dallas opened the stanza on a 15-7 run and took a 21-point advantage when Irving stepped in for a 3-pointer that gave the Mavericks a 43-22 lead with 7:05 left in the first half. The Mavericks led by as many as 24 points in the quarter, led 60-38 at halftime and held the Knicks to 11-for-41 (27%) shooting in the first half.

“It’s just us being able to talk,” said Washington, who had two blocks and a steal. “I think talking is big for us. We obviously have an elite shot blocker in Lively. Just being able to talk, rebound, limit everybody to one shot and try to get out in transition.”

Grimes, who played his first 2½ seasons with the Knicks before being traded to the Detroit Pistons last season, scored 13 of his season-high 21 points in the second half to help Dallas pull away. He made a corner 3-pointer, got fouled and made his free throw to give Dallas a 97-74 lead with 10:27 left in the game, then scored nine more points in the fourth. Grimes hit 4 of his 8 3-point attempts. The Mavericks made 17 of their 33 attempts (.515) as a collective unit and five different players hit two or more shots from deep.

The 24-year-old Houston-area product has hit double figures in four of his last five games after averaging just 3.2 points in his first 10 as a Maverick. He was doubtful to play Wednesday with an illness.

“We were a little worried about his energy level,” Kidd said. “But I think when you play your old team, I think that’s something that gives you some juice.”

Grimes said, “I didn’t really have any extra juice, that’s just the way things work.”

Former Mavericks guard Jalen Brunson had 37 points, seven assists and three rebounds for the Knicks, but fell to 0 for 3 against Dallas since signing with New York before the 2022-23 season. New York big man Karl-Anthony Towns, whose Timberwolves lost to the Mavericks in last year’s Western Conference Finals, scored 25 points and had 14 rebounds. Towns — who once declared himself the “greatest big man shooter of all time,” a slight insult to Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki — drew “overrated” cheers from the AAC crowd during a fourth-quarter free throw.

The Mavericks were without Doncic (right wrist sprain), Thompson (left foot plantar fascia), Daniel Gafford (illness) and Dante Exum (right wrist). Kidd said Doncic, who has missed five of Dallas’ last six games, is not far from a return.

“Everything has come back and he’s looking good,” Kidd said, “and he’s getting closer to coming back.”

Not that there is any significant rush. The Mavericks are 4-1 this season without Doncic, and four of Dallas’ next five games are against teams near the bottom of their respective conference standings: Utah Jazz (4-14, 14th in the West), Portland Trailblazers (7 -12, 13th in the West), the Washington Wizards (2-15, 15th in the East) and the Toronto Raptors (5-14, 13th in the East) are on the schedule between Saturday and 7. december

“Without Luka right now, we find ways to win,” Kidd said. “With Luka, we find ways to win. We’re not going to go undefeated, we’re going to lose some games and understand that we can learn from those losses. But right now, the energy is at a high level.”

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