Mavericks defeat Knicks in Chandler’s return to NY

NEW YORK — Tyson Chandler made an emphatic statement early on in his return to Madison Square Garden Tuesday to face the New York Knicks.

The Dallas Mavericks center, traded from New York over the summer, recorded three dunks, four rebounds and a blocked shot in the first six minutes of the Mavericks’ 107-87 win over the Knicks.

Chandler, who received a nice ovation during the player introductions, finished with eight points and 14 rebounds. He’s one rebound shy of becoming the 68th player in NBA history to collect 8,000 boards in a career.

Dirk Nowitzki paced Dallas (18-8) with 16 points. Shooting guard Monta Ellis contributed 14 points, forward Chandler Parsons added 13 and guards Devin Harris and J.J. Barrea scored 11 and 10 points, respectively.

New York forward Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks (5-22) with 26 points, marking the 20th time this season he has topped the team in points. Guard Tim Hardaway Jr. added 14 points.

The Knicks failed to score at least 100 points for the 21st time this season. They are 3-11 at home and have lost by as many as 20 points on three occasions.

Dallas used the long ball early in the fourth quarter to seal the win. Barrea nailed two treys and Harris added one for a 92-75 Mavericks lead.

The Knicks never led and trailed by as many 19 points in the first quarter. The closest they got in the fourth quarter was 10 points (83-73) with 10 minutes to play, but Dallas used an 18-7 blitz to pull away.

Chandler came to New York a few months after helping the Mavericks win the 2011 NBA championship. He won a Defensive Player of the Year award while helping the Knicks to a division title and two playoff appearances.

But he had a disappointing, injury-plagued 2013-14 season and was traded back to Dallas on the eve of the draft along with guard Raymond Felton for guards Jose Calderon and Shane Larkin and center Samuel Dalembert.

The 7-foot-1 Chandler entered the game third in the league in shooting from the field (68.2) and went 4-of-5 on the night in 25 minutes. He came in fifth in the NBA in rebounds, averaging 11.5. No Knick is averaging in double figures rebounding this season.

“I had a positive experience here, besides last year,” Chandler admitted. “I enjoyed my time here with my teammates and the city. To get a positive response from the fans felt great because I felt great about them.

“I wouldn’t say there is any vindication. It was a little weird coming over here into the visitor’s locker room, but it was good to get it out of the way, not for me, but everybody makes a big deal about coming home or coming to your former team. It was good to get it out of the way early in the season.”

Anthony’s 17-foot jump shot brought the Knicks to within 76-66 in the third quarter, but a quick 5-0 run by Dallas made it 81-66 with 1:15 remaining in that period. Nowitzki scored three points in the run, all from the line after getting fouled by Knicks guard Pablo Prigioni beyond the arc.

Nowitzki and Parsons scored 10 points apiece in the first half, helping the Mavericks to a 54-44 lead.

New York went on a 10-2 spree to start the second quarter and close to within 38-34. Hardaway Jr., who was making just his fourth start at shooting guard this season, supplied four points in the run. Dallas countered with a 9-2 burst to move the cushion to 47-36 with 5:07 left in the second.

Dallas opened the game on a 29-11 run, with Nowitzki accounting for 10 of those points, en route to a 36-24 lead. The Knicks recorded six turnovers in the quarter, three from Anthony. The Mavericks connected on 14 of their 19 shots from the floor.

Knicks coach Derek Fisher pulled all of his starters just 6:40 into the game and his team down 26-11.

“The guys who started the game were a disappointment to their teammates,” Fisher lamented. “Guys who start the game have to be mentally and physically ready to play.”

Anthony thought the slow start was the difference in the game.

“They (Mavericks) came out guns blazing,” said Anthony. “They came out shooting the ball extremely well. It got us on our heels early.

“We were fighting ever since that first quarter. We worry about not losing so much that we kind of lose focus on believing and having faith that we can win the basketball game.”

NOTES: Dallas F Chandler Parsons returned to the lineup after missing one game with lower back soreness. He scored 13 points and registered six assists in 23 minutes. “I’ve been doing tons and tons of rehab,” he said. “You kind of forget about any pain once you are playing.” … Dallas had 30 assists on 42 made baskets. The Mavs are 12-0 when they hand out at least 25 assists. … New York was without G Iman Shumpert (dislocated left shoulder) and G J.R. Smith (sore left heel). … Dallas G Ricky Ledo was recalled from the Texas Legends of the NBA Development League. … Mavericks G Raymond Felton has yet to play this season due to a sprained right ankle. … The Mavericks began the night first in the league in points per game (110). The Knicks were 27th (93.9). … The Knicks have used 13 different starting lineups in 27 games.