Dallas extends NBA win streak to 3 in New York drubbing

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The Dallas Mavericks went down on enemy turf with cruel intentions, demolishing the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, 114–97, during an interconference NBA regular-season matchup on Jan. 20, 2026.

Carrying oozing confidence and momentum after blowing out the Utah Jazz twice in three days, the Mavericks picked up where they left off and sent the Knicks to their fourth consecutive loss in front of 19,812 fans.

From the opening tipoff, Dallas never allowed New York to gain a lead for four full quarters and bagged its first wire-to-wire win in two weeks.

The Mavericks received a timely boost from the returning Cooper Flagg, who missed the last two games due to a left ankle sprain.

Dallas head coach Jason Kidd immediately placed the Rookie of the Year top candidate in the starting unit, and the young skipper delivered after setting the tone with aggressive drives to the basket.

Flagg’s relentlessness in attacking the paint put early pressure on New York’s frontcourt personnel, specifically Karl-Anthony Towns, who had to sit out with 7:41 remaining in the first quarter due to foul trouble.

Towns’ absence in the shaded lane allowed the Mavericks to build a nine-point lead heading into the second quarter, 31–22, and balloon it to 28 points at halftime, 75–47.

During the lopsided second quarter, the trio of Naji Marshall, Max Christie, and Klay Thompson ignited a 17–1 scoring run that forced New York head coach Mike Brown to call back-to-back emergency timeouts.

Marshall kicked off Dallas’ clinical quarter with a floater and a layup, capped by Christie’s and Thompson’s deadly shooting from three-point range.

New York gained some steam early in the third frame after Jalen Brunson finally got it going from the field, but a closing 11–3 run by the Mavericks officially shut down the Knicks’ comeback attempt as Dallas ballooned its biggest lead of the game to 30 points.

The Knicks decided to throw in the towel with eight minutes remaining in the final canto, as Brown pulled all of his starters.

Christie led the charge for the visiting Mavericks after dropping 26 points on eight drained three-pointers, along with six rebounds and two assists.

Marshall sustained his steady play as the two-way bruising guard chipped in an all-around effort of 19 points, eight rebounds, and four assists, while Flagg added 18 points, seven rebounds, and three assists.

On the other hand, the Knicks entered their worst stretch of the season after losing for the fourth straight time despite a healthy lineup.

Towns and Brunson paced New York with 22 points each in the loss, but the rest of the roster failed to reach double figures in scoring, except for Mitchell Robinson, who delivered 12.

The Mavericks will gun for their fourth win in a row on Jan. 23, 2026, against the Golden State Warriors, while New York aims to arrest its skid on Jan. 22 against the Brooklyn Nets.