Doncic, Hardaway carry Mavs over Knicks

LOS ANGELES

Dallas star Luka Doncic and Tim Hardaway Jr took it to the New York Knicks in the third quarter on Dec. 3 on the way to a 121-100 NBA victory at Madison Square Garden.

Doncic scored 30 points and Hardaway added 28 against his former team, the two combining for 36 points in the third quarter alone when the Mavs outscored the Knicks 41-15 to take control of the contest.

Both Doncic, with 19 third-quarter points, and Hardaway, with 17, outscored the Knicks in the period, a stat-line that Mavs coach Jason Kidd called “pretty impressive.”

Five of Hardaway’s eight three-pointers came in the third quarter, his fifth from beyond the arc in the period giving Dallas a 10-point lead.

Jalen Brunson, who departed Dallas for the Knicks in free agency after last season, finished with just 13 points.

Julius Randle led the Knicks with 24, but with the Mavs dialing in on him defensively, he scored just three in the second half.

Elsewhere, the Milwaukee Bucks earned a bounce-back win despite the absence of two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo, beating the Hornets 105-96 in Charlotte.

In Los Angeles, Sacramento center Domantas Sabonis connected on 10 of his 11 shots from the field on the way to a game-high 24 points, as the Kings whipped the Clippers 123-96.

Sabonis was a perfect six-for-six with two three-pointers in the opening quarter, scoring 15 points as the Kings took a 38-24 lead after the first period.

They never trailed after that, dealing the injury-hit Clippers their biggest defeat of the season.

Sabonis added five rebounds and six assists. Keegan Murray scored 23 points and D’Aaron Fox chipped in 14.

Brandon Boston scored 18 points off the bench to lead the Clippers, who were again without injured stars Paul George and Kawhi Leonard along with Luke Kennard and Norman Powell.