DALLAS — Kyrie Irving's new uniform.
Same winning result when he played against the Knicks.
The controversial point guard and former Nets destroyer blasted Tom Thibodeau's dribbling wizard guard and scored 44 points in the Mavericks' 128-124 win Thursday night. dropped.
Irving, who has kept a low profile since forcing his way out of Brooklyn, has won eight straight against the Knicks since 2014 with a 17-2 record.
And on at least one dominant night, Irving made us forget the Mavericks' disastrous decision not to re-sign Jalen Brunson when they had the chance.
Still, Brunson and the Knicks almost snatched the victory.
The Knicks mounted a ferocious comeback in the final quarter, cutting the deficit from 10 points to one point in less than two minutes.
However, despite allowing three offensive rebounds on the most important possession of the game, Josh Green made a 3-pointer off an assist from Irving with 27 seconds left, giving Dallas a 124-120 advantage.
On the Knicks' next possession, OG Anunoby threw up a brick (22-16), ending the game.
Brunson was underwhelming in his first game as a Knick in Dallas until he caught fire in the final minutes. He couldn't match Irving's firepower.
Things seemed set for a Knicks victory.
Thibodeau's team has been in total domination since acquiring Anunoby from the Raptors, winning five straight games.
The Mavericks were without MVP candidate Luka Doncic, who was out with an ankle sprain.
Doncic had a 60-point triple-double with the Knicks last season. This season it was street clothes.
Injury-plagued Dallas is without three regular starters, while the Knicks are missing only Mitchell Robinson.
But Anunoby, a defensive giant since joining the Knicks, couldn't stay in front of Irving.
And Brunson's return to Dallas was mostly a disappointing and frustrating performance.
Brunson, who not only missed 12 of 22 shots but also scored 30 points in 39 minutes, became angry with the officials and was given a technical for complaining in the second quarter.
Brunson insisted on court that his words were directed at Thibodeau, not referee Daniel Scott.
Then, near the end of the first half, Brunson inexplicably speared Mavericks forward Grant Williams, causing him to commit an offensive foul.
The Knicks trailed by 19 points at halftime and never fully recovered.
Brunson has a checkered history with the Mavericks.
On the other hand, his career started with the team that drafted him.
He went from being a second-round pick to a budding star.
He helped lift the franchise to its highest point since the 2011 championship and served as Doncic's wingman heading into the 2022 conference finals.
However, the breakup was tragic.
The Mavericks dropped the ball by not re-signing Brunson for a modest amount when they had the chance, and then suffered when he bolted to the Knicks.
A tampering investigation followed, and Leon Rose, a close family friend of the Brunson family, was removed from the team as a second-round pick.
Mavs owner Mark Cuban publicly accused Brunson's father, Rick, of sabotaging free agency negotiations.
There were many reasons for Brunson to put more effort into this match.
But, predictably, he downplayed the sentiment.
“Next game,” he said. “That's always been the case. No matter where you are, no matter what situation you go to play somewhere else, it's always something you can use as extra juice. But it's the next thing I'm looking forward to playing. It's a place. A place I've called home for four years. It's special to me, but it's just another game.
Isaiah Hartenstein wasn't too impressed, pointing out that Brunson had his hair styled before the game.
“Maybe he's trying to make a good impression on the people in Dallas,” Hartenstein said before the game. “But we know it's always something special. … He's been here a long time. Maybe he won't show it. We'll see what happens, but if he… I know it feels a little bit fresh.”
The new Doe was useless against Irving.
