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New York, NY (Sports Network) - Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry led seven players in double figures with 20 points apiece, as the Dallas Mavericks demolished the New York Knicks 128-78 at Madison Square Garden.
Drew Gooden ended with 15 points and a game-best 18 rebounds, while Shawn Marion added 15 points for Dallas, which recovered in a big way after suffering a 92-81 loss at Philadelphia on Friday.
The Mavericks, winners of four of their last six overall, made 58.1 percent of their shots, including 12-of-22 from three-point territory. It was their largest margin of victory in team history, surpassing a 45-point win at Golden State on January 15, 1985.
The Mavericks were without guard Jason Kidd (personal reasons) and center Erick Dampier (knee).
Jared Jeffries finished with a team-high 14 points and David Lee donated 11 points to go along with 14 boards for the Knicks, who fell 115-105 to the reigning NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers on Friday. New York has dropped four of five.
Center Eddy Curry (knee) and guard Nate Robinson (hamstring) missed the game for New York.
Jeffries' jumper closed out the first quarter, but Dallas still held a slim 27-25 after the opening 12 minutes. Then with the Mavericks up 35-30 early in the second, Rodrigue Beaubois made a layup to start a 15-6 run and after Nowitzki finished it off with a jumper, the hosts had a 50-36 lead with 3:15 left. Dallas took a comfortable 59-43 lead into the intermission.
Things got ugly for the Knicks in the third as Marion and Nowitzki bookended a 22-8 burst to begin the period and Dallas was in front by 30, 81-51, with 4:59 left. The margin swelled to 43 and the Mavs were up by an insurmountable 97-56 score heading into the final 12 minutes.
The fourth quarter proved to be much of the same as Dallas at one point was up by as many as 53 points, 113-60, with 6:34 to play.
The Mavericks have won eight straight in the series versus New York and 15 of the last 16 meetings overall...Beaubois ended with 13 points, six rebounds and five assists off the bench, while J.J. Barea, filling in for Kidd, chipped in with 11 points and four assists.