The New York Knicks and the Dallas Mavericks teamed up for one of the bigger trade deals of the offseason that did not include Kevin Love. The Knicks needed to empty salary cap space, so they sent Tyson Chandler back to Dallas with Raymond Felton to get Jose Calderon, Samuel Dalembert and Shane Larkin in return. The move gave Dallas defensive help and Knicks the room to re-sign Carmelo Anthony. Now the two teams meet up for the first time this season as Chandler reunites with his old team.
The Mavericks are slumping, The team is on the verge of a three-game losing streak as their offense continues to sputter. The team currently leads the league averaging 109.3 points per game. However, in the past three games their offense has stalled after defeating Philadelphia and the Los Angeles Lakers by big margins. Then the Mavericks faced Houston and put up just 92 points. It was the third time all season they were held to under 100 points. They followed that up with a loss to Indiana.
The Mavericks have only lost three straight one other time this year and they are hoping that facing the down Knicks will help get them back on track. Their defense will have to step up if Carmelo Anthony is healthy, something that is not certain. The Mavericks are holding teams to just 99.6 points per game on 45.1 percent shooting, but Anthony is the reigning scoring champion. However, he is injured after leaving the game against Houston with back spasms.
The Knicks have lost all six of their road games since defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers on Oct. 30. Not having Anthony in the lineup could certainly hurt. however, the team is getting back Calderon who had been out with a strained calf. Andrea Bargnani remains out with a calf injury as well while Cleanthony Early is gone for a month following surgery. The Knicks have major holes to fill which is contributing to their struggles. Now to mention they are getting very little roster help as Dalembert is averaging just 3.3 points per game and Quincy Acy is putting up just 5.1 points per game.
