Brunson Shines But New York Knicks Collapse to Mavericks

The Knicks dropped a fourth straight, losing 114-97 to the Mavericks despite Jalen Brunson returning with 22 points and Karl-Anthony Towns adding 22 and 18 rebounds. New York gave up 75 points in the first half while rookie Cooper Flagg scored 18 for Dallas, and "fans lamented yet another rough defensive outing for New York." After sitting top 10 in defensive rating earlier in the year, the Knicks now rank 20th, though their offense remains third-best and they still occupy third place in the East at 25-18. Merlin sees a team split between a humming offense and a sputtering defense. If New York tightens rotations, restores focus on communication and rebounding, and leans on Brunson and Towns to set a tone, the slide can snap quickly. The pieces are there; the question is effort and adjustment.