Daily Report – 11/20/25
Knicks
The Knicks got their first road win of the season yesterday, edging out the Dallas Mavericks 113-111. But the Knicks had no business winning this game.
New York shot 19-for-35 from the free-throw line, but Dallas turned the ball over just enough times for the Knicks to hang on. Dallas’ worst turnover came with less than one second remaining. As Brandon Williams drove for the game-winning bucket, he hooked Landry Shamet and got called for an offensive foul. As American Airlines Center erupted in cheers, the officials immediately called the basket off, giving the Knicks the two-point win.
The stadium went silent.
This game can be examined in two ways. On one hand, the Knicks, with Jalen Brunson back from injury, had no right to engage in such a close-scoring affair with a depleted gaggle of Mavericks. On the other hand, the Knicks were clutch at the biggest moments of this game, and the result is what matters most.
The question is, did the Knicks deserve to win this game?
Dallas certainly deserved to lose.
The Knicks won the turnover battle by a 17-9 mark. When a team like Dallas commits 17 turnovers in a game, they never deserve to win. But the Knicks defended the perimeter poorly throughout the 48 minutes, and they struggled from three-point range, shooting just 12-for-42.
With 7:57 remaining in the third quarter, Deuce McBride nailed a three-point shot that put the Knicks up 98-96. Dallas then went on a 4-2 run to extend their lead before Josh Hart knocked down a key corner three to cut the Knicks’ deficit to one point. With 3:45 remaining, Mikal Bridges tied the game at 106 with a fadeaway jumper, and at 1:03, Landry Shamet rattled in a three-pointer to give the Knicks the lead.
10 seconds later, a shooting foul on Brunson sent D’Angelo Russell to the line, but he only made one of his two free throws. That led to another triple from Shamet’s hot hand, putting the Knicks ahead by three with 31 seconds left.
After Klay Thompson missed his next three-pointer, the Knicks had a chance to put the game away as Dallas quickly fouled Landry Shamet. However, he couldn’t make either of his free throws, keeping the game well within reach for the Mavericks.
After Brandon Williams missed a three-point attempt, Mitchell Robinson got fouled as he hauled in the rebound. Robinson is not a good free-throw shooter, and it showed as he missed both of his shots.
For the first time this season, Robinson played over 20 minutes. “I feel like I adjusted pretty well,” Robinson said. “Getting out there, playing hard for whatever little short-minute bursts. Whatever. Just taking it all in.”
PJ Washington collected the rebound after Robinson missed his second free throw, and Josh Hart fouled him immediately. Washington made both of his free throws, but he intended to miss the second one.
Next, the Knicks took a timeout, allowing them to move the ball up the court with six seconds left and a 112-111 lead. Josh Hart couldn’t find an inbound lane, though, so the Knicks called a timeout again, and Jalen Brunson got fouled. The captain went to the penalty stripe, but he too fared poorly, sliding just one shot through the net.
Dallas got the ball back, and as Williams drove through a lane, he hooked Shamet. “I knew if he was calling something, it was an offensive foul,” Shamet told the media after the game. “Did I think he was going to? Down the stretch, you guys know how the whistle is, and sometimes it’s play through it, sometimes you get the call.”
The Knicks are now 1-1 on their five-game road trip, and hopefully, after killing their winless road bug, the Knicks’ away game production will begin to mirror how they play at home. They will visit Orlando on Saturday, Brooklyn on Monday, and Charlotte on Wednesday for an NBA Cup match.
Schedule
8:15 PM (7:15 PM CST): Thursday Night Football (TNF), Week 12 – Buffalo Bills (7-3) at Houston Texans (5-5); Prime Video
9:00 PM (8:00 PM CST): NYR at COL; MSG, Gotham Sports
