Dallas Mavericks vs New York Knicks 1/12/22: Starting Lineups, Matchup Preview, Betting Odds, Live Stream

Dallas Mavericks vs. New York Knicks Matchup Preview (1/12/22)

The surging Dallas Mavericks will head north to the Big Apple to face the New York Knicks in a non-conference matchup. Dallas has been red hot recently, winning six straight games and seven of their past eight, despite not having Kristaps Porzingis in the lineup for the majority of them. The Mavs’ defense has been quite impressive during their winning streak, allowing an average of merely 93 points to opponents. Dallas does have a slower brand of basketball, ranking in the bottom five in pace, but it still has been filling it up on the other end with nearly 109 points per game. Meanwhile, the New York Knicks are still playing poorly, which includes a loss to the Boston Celtics in which they only scored 75 points. Ironically, the Knicks had beaten the Celtics just two days prior on an R.J. Barrett game-winning three-pointer. This type of inconsistency makes the Knicks incredibly difficult to bet on in any way. Don’t forget to look below to see my opinion on more game-specific betting information.

Dallas Mavericks vs. New York Knicks Betting Odds

The Mavs are fresh off a huge home win against the Chicago Bulls, who were riding a significant win streak of their own. There is always the possibility of a let-down game after beating one of the best teams in the NBA; however, I can’t justify taking the Knicks against the spread in this one. They are one of the few NBA teams on my black list, and it’s hard to imagine them winning this one. Additionally, the Mavs are 6-3 as a road favorite, which is third-best in the league. The Mavs giving two points does not scare me but consider the Moneyline at -126, too.

TV Schedule

Date: 1/12/22
Time: 7:30 PM ET
Arena: Madison Square Garden – New York City, NY
Channel: ESPN

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Dallas Mavericks Starting Lineup

PG: Luka Doncic
SG: Jalen Brunson
SF: Dorian Finney-Smith
PF: Maxi Kleber
C: Dwight Powell

Dallas Mavericks Analysis

Despite being without Kristaps Porzingis for the past five games, the Dallas Mavericks have won six straight and seven of their past eight games. While Porzingis is not quite as imperative to the Mavs as Luka Doncic, his absence should still bring some complications, in theory. What has helped the Mavericks recently, though, is the combination of Luka Doncic and Jalen Brunson in the starting lineup. For whatever reason, the Mavs have been super hesitant in the past to pull the trigger on that concept, but it is working beautifully now. The key to the Mavs’ recent success is their defensive effort. During their six-game winning streak, Dallas has allowed an average of 93 points, which would be far and away the best average if maintained over a year. The next closest team is Golden State, who has allowed just shy of 101 points per game throughout the season. They also held opponents to 42.5% from the field and 28.7% from behind the arc in that span, which would place them first in both of those categories as well. If Dallas continues this defensive clinic, it should take care of the Knicks in short order. Still, it is hard to say for sure, as the Mavs have been inconsistent at times this season.

New York Knicks Starting Lineup

PG: Alec Burks
SG: RJ Barrett
SF: Evan Fournier
PF: Julius Randle
C: Mitchell Robinson

New York Knicks Analysis

The NBA can be tough to predict on a nightly basis, and the New York Knicks are the epitome of that idea. The New York Knicks are entirely unpredictable and, thus, one of the more challenging teams to bet on. This season has not gone the way that most people predicted for the Knicks. Their 19-21 record currently places them at 11th in the Eastern Conference standings, despite finishing fourth last season only behind the Bucks, Nets, and Sixers. Last year, as the No. 4 seed, they lost to the Atlanta Hawks in the playoffs, who went on to have an awe-inspiring postseason run; however, they could at least chalk the season off as a vast improvement. It has been much more difficult for the Knicks in 2021-22, despite making some splashes in free agency with the additions of Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier. It is not too late to turn the season around, but it needs to happen sooner versus later.

Dallas Mavericks vs. New York Knicks Daily Fantasy Picks

It seems that the Dallas Mavericks have finally taken my advice and are starting Jalen Brunson and Luka Doncic together in the backcourt. Unfortunately for me, they took my advice without knowing that it was my advice. Regardless, the Mavericks have been on a tear recently and look like a playoff-level team, and Brunson has been a massive contributor to that. In 21 games as a starter, Brunson has averaged 19.5 points, 6.9 assists, and 4.1 rebounds per game. Truth be told, if Brunson had maintained those numbers up to this point, and the Mavericks were one of the better teams in the NBA, he would have had an outside chance at an All-Star bid. New York will be throwing everything at Doncic defensively, so Brunson should have plenty of scoring opportunities. This season, Brunson is one of my favorite DFS players, so you should always have him in mind.

R.J. Barrett has still not become the player that many were hoping for when he was drafted out of Duke. Still, that does not mean that he does not have flashes of high potential. Barrett has been quite underwhelming on the season, considering that many were expecting him to take another step forward this season. However, Barrett has averaged 21.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.2 steals in the past five games. There are not many great DFS options for you on the Knicks, and since Evan Fournier is not going up against the Boston Celtics, Barrett may be your best bet in terms of value.