PREVIEW: The Dallas Mavericks (17-26) have won five games in their last eight as they prepare for a Monday afternoon matchup against the New York Knicks (25-17) at Madison Square Garden. The Mavs' recent success has come primarily against the tanking Utah Jazz in back-to-back victories , setting up a significant step up in competition. Dallas boasts strong perimeter defense, ranking 2nd in limiting three-point attempts and 3rd in preventing quality three-point looks , which could prove valuable against a Knicks team they'll face without several key contributors. With P.J. Washington, Daniel Gafford, and Anthony Davis all sidelined by injuries, the Mavericks will lean heavily on bench contributions, though Cooper Flagg has been upgraded to questionable. New York has hit rough waters in the new year, losing eight of their last ten games dating back to December 31st. The trouble intensified when Jalen Brunson went to the bench early with an ankle injury during Sacramento's midweek matchup and hasn't suited up since , though his status remains up in the air for this contest. The Knicks feature elite offensive rebounding ranked 3rd in the league and efficient three-point shooting at the 4th spot , giving them weapons to exploit even with their star point guard potentially unavailable. When these teams last met on November 19th, New York escaped with a 113-111 victory at Dallas behind 28 points and five assists from former Maverick Jalen Brunson , establishing themselves as the favorites despite their recent slide.