Jeremy Lin put on yet another stellar performance on Sunday afternoon with 28 points and 14 assists as he and his New York Knicks defeated the NBA champion Dallas Mavericks 104-97 to end their six game win streak. Dallas fans can take heart that their team is merely suffering the same fate as the rest of the league when they take on Lin and the Knicks. And honestly, just to see your team compete against (and almost beat) someone like Jeremy Lin who is playing at such a high level makes you appreciate the sport of basketball just a little bit more, and certainly have more appreciation for the remarkable athleticism of the top players in the game.
The first half of this game was a tale of two quarters, with the Knicks winning the first quarter 32-20 and the Mavs the second quarter 25-16. Dallas continued to build momentum in the third quarter,adding another six points and moving out to a brief double-digit lead. But Lin and the Knicks rallied in the fourth quarter, taking advantage of several Dallas turnovers to pull away for the win. Knicks reserve Steve Novak was a huge part of the comeback with 14 points all in the fourth quarter, including 4 three pointers.
Dallas was led by Dirk Nowitzki who had a phenomenal 34 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists in a losing cause. Shawn Marion added 14 pints and 7 rebounds. New York was led by sensation Jeremy Lin with 28 points and 14 rebounds, and newcomer JR Smith showed he was in game shape by scoring 15 points and pulling down 3 rebounds in limited minutes.
Dallas drops to 20-12 with the loss, which ended a six game win streak. New York moves to 16-16 with the victory, their eighth out of the last nine.
Clayton Browne lives in Austin, Texas and is a big-time NBA fan. He follows both the Mavs and the Spurs closely.