Barrett shines as Knicks halt streaking Mavs

RJ Barrett of the New York Knicks tries to get past Reggie Bullock of the Dallas Mavericks at Madison Square Garden on January 12, 2022 in New York City.  (Getty Images via AFP)

LOS ANGELES – Knicks forward RJ Barrett starred again on Wednesday, scoring 32 points to lead New York to a 108-85 victory over Dallas that halted the Mavericks’ six-game NBA winning streak.

The 21-year-old Barrett posted his second straight 30-point game, after scoring 31 in a rout of San Antonio on Monday.

Mitchell Robinson added a season-high 19 — including three dunks in a third-quarter dominated by the Knicks.

All five Knicks starters scored in double figures.

That included Julius Randle, who chipped in 17 points, pulled down 12 rebounds and handed out eight assists in a performance that will likely go some way to easing his recent strained relations with New York fans he had chastised for booing the struggling home side.

With 1:13 remaining, fans were chanting Barrett’s name when Randle got the ball to Barrett in the corner for a three-pointer that sparked a celebration in Madison Square Garden.

“It felt great,” Barrett said of a victory that saw the Knicks improve to 21-21 for the season. “It felt great especially because so many guys played well.

“Even that last shot, for me to get 30 (points), you know (that was) Julius being unselfish.

“Doing it as a team is what’s getting us these wins,” Barrett added. “Any time you have five starters in double figures, that’s a recipe for success.”

Luka Doncic led the Mavs with 21 points and 11 rebounds.

But Dallas — who halted the Chicago Bulls’ nine-game winning streak on Sunday — struggled offensively.

Doncic connected on just eight of 23 shots from the field, and the Mavericks as a whole shot 41 percent overall. They made only eight of 37 three-point attempts, a dismal 21.6 percent success rate.

Heat scorch Hawks

The Miami Heat again found a way to win with stars Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler sidelined, beating the Hawks 115-91 in Atlanta.

Tyler Herro led the Heat with 21 points, one of seven Miami players to score in double figures.

Caleb Martin added 18, and Duncan Robinson and Gabe Vincent added 14 points apiece off the bench as the Heat shook off a slow start to post a second straight double-digit win.

Miami trailed 27-21 after a tough first quarter in which they coughed up seven turnovers and made just one of five three-point attempts.

Herro keyed the comeback with 16 points and eight assists in the first half as Miami took a 56-51 lead at halftime.

They opened the second half with a 16-0 scoring run and took a 19-point lead into the final quarter.

The Heat held Hawks star Trae Young to 15 points on four-of-15 shooting. They’ll try to double-down on the Hawks when they open a four-game homestand against them on Friday.

The Boston Celtics shrugged off their recent road woes with a 119-100 victory over the Pacers in Indianapolis.

Jaylen Brown scored 34 points and pulled down seven rebounds, and Jayson Tatum contributed 33 points for the Celtics, who had lost their last six games on the road.

They beat the Pacers for the second time in three days, seizing control early and keeping the accelerator down.

Boston jumped to a 10-point lead and led 54-49 at halftime. They out-scored the Pacers 33-22 in the third quarter and led by as many as 24 in the fourth as they powered to the line.

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