Dallas, TX
Knicks’ Jalen Brunson will play against ex-team Mavericks in Dallas for first time
Jalen Brunson finally will play his first game in his former home arena Thursday night, and the Knicks will return to Dallas for the first time since a historic collapse there without him barely one year ago.
Brunson, who left the Mavericks to sign a four-year contract with the Knicks as a free agent in the summer of 2022, sat out their lone visit there in late December of last season due to a hip injury.
The Knicks also lost RJ Barrett in the opening minutes of that game, and they flushed a nine-point lead with 33 seconds remaining in regulation before losing in overtime in a 60-point triple-double performance by Luka Doncic in their lone appearance at American Airlines Center.
Brunson was on the bench that night and received a rousing ovation during a first-half video tribute, but he will be on the court with the Knicks’ five-game winning streak on the line Thursday night against the Mavericks, who will be without Doncic (sprained ankle).
“That place meant a lot to me, it means a lot to me,” Brunson said after Tuesday’s home win over the Trail Blazers. “My first four years [in the NBA], they introduced me to the league, they gave me my chance, they built me up. The organization and those guys over there, they mean a lot to me.”
Of course, there also was a great deal of back-and-forth between the two franchises late last season, with the Mavericks tanking games and missing the playoffs to prevent a top-10 protected first-round pick from the 2019 Kristaps Porzingis trade from conveying to the Knicks.
Former Mavs owner Mark Cuban also made headlines last April when he blamed Brunson’s parents, including Knicks assistant coach Rick Brunson, for the point guard’s defection to the Knicks in free agency the previous summer.
“Where it went south was when Rick took over, when the parent took over, or parents took over,” Cuban said.
The “Shark Tank” star added that the Mavericks weren’t permitted to negotiate with Brunson and his agents before the free-agency period opened on June 30, and the former Villanova star inked a four-year deal worth $104 million.
“We didn’t know what the bid was,” Cuban said. “They never gave us a number. Knowing the numbers now, I would’ve paid it in a heartbeat, but he wouldn’t have come anyway. There’s just no possible way that it was about money.”
The 27-year-old Brunson returns to Dallas now with a strong case to receive his first All-Star designation this year after being overlooked for the honor in his first season with the Knicks. The reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week is averaging career highs in points (25.6 per game), assists (6.4) and 3-point shooting percentage (42.6) through the Knicks’ 22-15 start.
Brunson declined to answer a question Tuesday night about last year’s giveaway loss in Dallas, in which his former backcourt mate, Doncic, became the first player in NBA history with at least 60 points and 20 rebounds in a triple-double. That included an intentionally missed free throw and game-tying put-back by Doncic with one second remaining in regulation and seven more points in overtime.
NBA teams had been 0-13,884 over the previous 20 seasons when trailing by at least nine points with no more than 35 remaining in regulation, according to ESPN Stats and Info.
More than one year later, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau still was lamenting blown officiating calls from that loss.
“We had everyone out in that game … and basically, it was a free-throw rebound at the end of the game,” Thibodeau said after Tuesday’s game. “And I think that we had some calls go against us that were incorrect. I remember it vividly.”
The search for the next general manager or president of basketball operations of the Dallas Mavericks has begun. They terminated Nico Harrison in November, which was about nine months too late, and gave any available candidates clear notice that they were open for business.
The plan was always to wait until after the season to start the search. While names popped up as the season reached an end, they didn’t begin turning over the staff until the Monday after the season ended. However, Dallas Mavericks fans are not going to like how the team is going about the search.
Patrick Dumont Leading Search for General Manager
NBA insider Jake Fischer reported that the Mavericks are not hiring a search firm in their hunt for a new lead executive. Instead, team governor Patrick Dumont is “acting as his own point person.”
This is an… interesting decision, to say the least. Dumont is not a basketball person whatsoever, and most organizations usually hire a search firm. The Chicago Bulls hired one as they look for their replacement for Arturas Karnisovas. Just because a firm is hired doesn’t mean a team will listen, though.
The Mavericks hired a firm in their last search for a GM. They let Donnie Nelson go in 2021 after a long tenure with the Mavs. Instead of listening to the firm, though, Mark Cuban ignored it to hire Nico Harrison, who had no previous NBA front office experience. Harrison had been an executive with Nike, which gave him connections with players like Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis, and plenty of others.
For a while, that seemed to be working out okay. While he still had some questionable transactions, such as trading for Christian Wood and letting Jalen Brunson walk in free agency, they were still able to make a run to the NBA Finals in 2024. Then, he blew it all up, trading away Luka Doncic for an older and injured Anthony Davis, and the team hasn’t been the same since.
It’s imperative that the Mavericks get this hire correct. The interim Co-GM setup with Matt Riccardi and Michael Finley has performed admirably, but the 2026 NBA Draft is important for the Mavs to get right. It’s their best chance to pair Cooper Flagg with another young star, as they don’t own their first-round pick again until 2031 after this.
Hiring the right GM could help bring in more draft capital by bringing in bad contracts or flipping veterans into picks.
Dumont was able to convince Rick Welts, a Hall of Famer, to come out of retirement to be the CEO and lead the charge for a new arena. Maybe Dumont pulls another rabbit out of his hat for the GM.
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For a moment, it looked like FC Dallas was on its way to another statement win at home tonight.
Petar Musa scored two first half goals, to extend his Golden Boot leading tally to nine goals. But after Dallas grabbed control, the Galaxy found a way back before halftime with goals from Lucas Sanabria and Joseph Paintsil.
The second half brought more chances and more frustration for Dallas, which finished the night with 13 shots to LA’s nine. In the end, the point stretched Dallas’ unbeaten run to five games, though just like last week, it felt like another match where Dallas left points on the table.
Key Moments
7’ – GOAL! After a poor pass back by a LA defender, Petar Musa was free to go one-on-one with the LA goalkeeper. After a touch to get ahead of a defender, Musa slotted home his eighth goal of the season from outside the penalty box.
21’ – Offside! Joaquin Valiente sent a floating ball over the Galaxy defense, where Musa was able to get behind the defense and make an easy play for what appeared to be his second goal of the night. The play was called offside despite a fairly lengthy review period.
38’ – GOAL! This one counts! Musa gets his second of the night off a great ball from Chris Cappis. Logan Farrington picked off the ball in the midfield. He then played Cappis wide to the left of the penalty area. Cappis immediately played a ball back across the goal for Musa to slide in and finish for his ninth of the season.
43’ – Goal LA. Lucas Sanabria got the ball near the top of the penalty area. He took a couple of touches to get outside the penalty box before firing a shot that beat Michael Collodi at the near post.
45+4’ – Goal LA. Gabriel Pec got the ball near the top of the penalty area. He pulled the ball back a bit, which caught a pair of Dallas defenders. This allowed Joseph Painstil to get free behind the Dallas defense as Pec played him through inside the penalty area. Pec immediately smashed home a shot above Collodi to tie the game.
75’ – Another offside goal. This time on a corner kick for Dallas, after a scrum in the penalty box, Kaick hammered home what looked to be the go-ahead goal. But after a few seconds the flag was raised due to a deflection on Osaze Urhoghide, who was in an offside position.
Instant Reaction
Yeah, this is another disappointing result for this team. In a real way, it felt like the first half against Houston from last month. Dallas grabbed the lead, looked in control, but some defensive miscues opened the game up for the visitors to climb back.
With a double-game week coming up, this will certainly be another game where Dallas will wonder ‘what if’ more than anything else…especially when you factor in the two goals called off for offside.
About the Subs
Eric Quill went to his bench for the first time in the 66th minute, as he brought on Santiago Moreno for Logan Farrington. Quill went to his bench again 81st minute with Ran Binyamin and Nolan Norris coming on for Sebastien Ibeagha and Deedson. The final sub came during stoppage time with Herman Johansson and Joaquin Valiente coming off for Sam Sarver and rookie Nick Simmonds, who made his MLS debut.
Man of the Match
No question about it tonight, it has to be Musa.
Where does this fit into the season
As of this writing, the draw puts Dallas into a three-way tie for 5th place with Real Salt Lake and Seattle. Both are in action right now and look firmly in control of their games. I’d expect Dallas to be in 7th place by the end of the night.
What’s next for FC Dallas
Dallas wraps up a three-game homestand next Wednesday night as they host Minnesota United.
Dallas, TX
Akheem Mesidor selected by Cowboys by Blogging The Boys in SB Nation’s community mock draft
Akheem Mesidor, Edge, Miami
Pass rush has been an issue since the Micah Parsons trade. The Rashan Gary trade helped, but Dallas still needs an injection of talent. Akheem Mesidor fits here because his body size allows for some versatility inside and out, something DC Christian Parker utilizes. Mesidor is also a high-motor player with a deep bag of pass rush moves.
His last season at Miami was full of disruption in the offensive backfield and he shows an all-around game, not just a bend-around-the-edge pass rusher. Yes, he’s a little older than you’d like in a rookie (25), but his motor, pass rush toolbox, and ability to play the run matches up with a need and makes him a quality pick at number 20.
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