Tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET, the Dallas Mavericks (34-23) and New York Knicks (21-35) tipoff live from Madison Square Garden. The game can be live streamed here. Dallas fans can hear all of the action on 105.3 The Fan while New York fans can do the same on 98.7 ESPN New York.
The Mavericks have carried the momentum from Dirk Nowitzki's knack for scoring into a playoff position while the Carmelo Anthony-led Knicks have struggled this season and find themselves on the outside looking in.
The Mavericks have won nine of their last 12 games and are looking for a sweep of a three-game swing after defeating the Philadelphia 76ers and Detroit Pistons. The Mavs have averaged 107.5 points in their last 12 games.
Nowitzki has helped the Mavericks surge into the eighth spot in the Western Conference and is averaging 24.5 points on 57.0 percent from the floor in his last 12 games. Dallas is coming off of a 113-102 victory over the Pistons on Saturday that saw Nowitzki notch 24 points.
"It helps when you're not turning the ball over, plain and simple," guard Vince Carter told the team's official website. "We can score and we get the job done when we're efficient and we take care of the ball. We were just sharing the ball and I think guys were finding the open man. Guys were making shots, but we were just making plays for each other."
Anthony has been playing well for the Knicks, but the team hasn't been able to put it together thus far this season. The same happened Saturday when Anthony put up 34 points but the Knicks still fell to the Atlanta Hawks 107-98.
"It's same things, different days," Anthony said via NBA.com. "It's starting to get tough to handle. It's definitely tested me. The frustration has definitely sunk in."
Coach Mike Woodson has heard rumors of losing his job all season long, but he hasn't given up on his team.
"I'm going to keep coaching and I'm going to keep pushing," Woodson said per NBA.com. "If it means being naggy or whatever, that's my job. But I've got to get them over the hump, man. I've got to get them over this funk that we're in."
The Knicks defeated the Mavericks 92-80 in Dallas on Jan. 5 and will look to defeat them again while the Mavericks look to keep their spot in the playoff hunt alive when they take the court at Madison Square Garden tonight in New York City.
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