Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry each scored 20 points and the Dallas Mavericks routed New York 128-78 on Sunday, rolling to the most lopsided NBA victory in their 30-year history.
Playing without Jason Kidd because of a family matter and Erick Dampier because of a left knee injury, the Mavericks shook off the absence of two starters to deliver their eighth victory in a row over the Knicks in the past four years.
“They took our heart out of us,” Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni said.
Drew Gooden, filling in for Dampier, scored 15 points and grabbed 18 rebounds for Dallas, which broke the team record for win margin set in a 149-104 romp over Golden State in 1985.
“They were discouraged and you could tell early,” Terry said. “If you’re getting stops and then coming down and making buckets, that deflates a team. It’s human nature.”
It was the Knicks’ worst home loss and the second-largest loss in New York’s 64-year club history, after a 162-100 loss at Syracuse on December 25, 1960.
“We’re a better team than this,” said Jared Jeffries, whose 14 points led the Knicks. “We’ve got to come out, give effort and have a little fight. We just didn’t have it.”
The Mavs shot 58 percent from the field, including 12-of-22 from three-point range, and made 16 of 17 free throws. Dallas led by as much as 53 in the blowout, the largest lead any team has enjoyed over another in the NBA this season, an honor held by the Knicks earlier this month when they led Indiana by 48 points.
RAPTORS 106, LAKERS 105
Hedo Turkoglu made two free throws with 1.2 seconds to play on Sunday as Toronto edged the NBA champion Lakers.
Andrea Bargnani scored 22 points, Chris Bosh and Jarrett Jack added 18 apiece and Marco Belinelli chipped in 15 for the Raptors, who improved to 6-0 at home this season against Western Conference opponents.
In other NBA action, it was:
● Clippers 92, Wizards 78
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