Naji Marshall and Brandon Williams always warm up together before games.
Sometimes they compete to see who can make the most 3-pointers in a row. Other times they’re just trying to make each other laugh.
But with the Dallas Mavericks leading by a single point in the fourth quarter Wednesday night, Williams fired a fast-break pass to Marshall instead of taking what looked like a sure layup himself.
Williams celebrated Marshall’s finish just as loudly as he did his own made 3-pointer earlier in the game.
That bond was evident, but Knicks guard Landry Shamet made two 3-pointers with less than two minutes remaining in the game to propel New York to a 113-111 win against the Mavericks at the American Airlines Center.
New York missed a plethora of free throws late in the fourth quarter, but Dallas could not capitalize.
The Mavericks have struggled from beyond the arc this season, but their fortune flipped against New York. Dallas made 16 of 44 (36.4%) from deep.
While the Knicks entered the game ranking No. 6 in made 3-pointers (211), the Mavericks were just 29th (157). But big shooting nights from D’Angelo Russell, Klay Thompson, Marshall and Max Christie swung the gap.
Marshall exploded in the first half, scoring 19 of his 23 points before halftime. He kept Dallas afloat as no other teammate reached double digits in the first two quarters. Russell took over from there.
Russell scored 18 of his 23 points in the second half, including four 3-pointers.
The Mavs will face the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday.
