NEW YORK — Dirk Nowitzki scored a season-high 14 points in what might have been his final appearance at Madison Square Garden, Luka Doncic warmed up after an airball on his first shot in the arena to score 16, and the Dallas Mavericks routed the New York Knicks 114-90 on Wednesday night.
Dennis Smith Jr. had his second career triple-double, and Harrison Barnes led the Mavericks with 19 points, but most of the focus was on the team’s star rookie and 21-year veteran, who may be in his final season.
Doncic also grabbed eight rebounds and made two 3-pointers, both in the fourth quarter after the game was long secured.
He shot airballs on two of his first four attempts and wasn’t nearly as good as in his previous game, when he scored a season-high 35 points Sunday against Toronto, becoming the first teenager in NBA history with multiple triple-doubles.
Then again, he didn’t need to do nearly as much against the team with the NBA’s worst record. The Knicks (10-40) lost their 11th in a row, though at least gave home fans something to cheer by giving Enes Kanter some playing time.
They also cheered Nowitzki when he walked toward the table to check in late in the first quarter, and stood and cheered when he got into the game. Nowitzki made his first three shots for nine points in seven minutes, then didn’t come back on again until the fourth quarter, when he nailed another 3.
Kevin Knox scored 17 points and Trey Burke had 16 for the Knicks, and Kanter had five points in nine minutes.
Fans began chanting “We want Kanter! We want Kanter!” in the third quarter. He waved from the bench and clapped along, then was actually inserted into the game a few minutes later, ending the former starting center’s streak of four straight games where he didn’t play. He kissed the Knicks logo at center court when he walked onto the floor.
Kanter’s first shot was an airball before he got on the board with a dunk.
NUGGETS 105, PELICANS 99: Nikola Jokic had 20 points, 13 rebound and 10 assists for his eighth triple-double of the season as Denver won at New Orleans.
Malik Beasley scored 22 points, and Monte Morris added 20 to help the Northwest Division-leading Nuggets win their fourth straight.
Kenrich Williams hit 5 of 9 3-point shots and scored a career-high 21 for the scrappy Pelicans. For the second night in a row, they played without four usual starters and a top reserve. Their only available starter, Jrue Holiday, had 22 points, including a step-back, straight-on 3 that cut Denver’s lead to 100-99 with 1:32 left.
But Jokic responded with consecutive powerful driving reverse layups while guarded by Jahlil Okafor to make it 104-99 with 42.4 seconds left, and the Pelicans never recovered.
BULLS 105, HEAT 89: Bobby Portis scored 22 of his 26 points in the second half, Wayne Selden added 20 and Chicago ran away in the second half to win at Miami.
Lauri Markkanen had 14 points and 13 rebounds for the Bulls, who finished January with a 2-13 record – the franchise’s second-worst mark ever in that month. Kris Dunn scored 14 and Robin Lopez added 13 for Chicago, which shot 51 percent.
Tyler Johnson scored 15 points for Miami, which got 14 from Justise Winslow and 13 apiece from Bam Adebayo and Wayne Ellington. The Heat shot 38 percent, including 12 of 42 from 3-point range.
The Heat fell to 11-14 at home.
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