The Dallas Mavericks play host to the New York Knicks at American Airlines Center on Friday.

The Knicks (29-27) enter this matchup in the midst of a four-game winning streak. That run has the Knicks in line to finish north of .500, and that's something New York fans have been waiting for, for a long time. Tom Thibodeau has come in and worked his magic, getting breakout seasons from Julius Randle and R.J. Barrett. The most important thing he's brought in is a defensive mindset, with the Knicks allowing the fewest points in the NBA. That's a crazy statistic from a club that's struggled on that end in recent years, and it's a better NBA environment when the Knicks are a competitive team.

The Mavericks (30-24) just had one of their most inspirational wins of the season on Wednesday, downing the Memphis Grizzlies, 114-113. What was really amazing is that Luka Doncic hit a miracle three-pointer at the buzzer to capture that win. They actually trailed by two with 2.2 seconds left, with the Grizzlies attempting two free throws but went on to capture that miracle of a win. Doncic finished that game with 29 points, five rebounds, and nine assists. The guy who's quietly been huge for this club is Jalen Brunson, though. He collected eight points, eight rebounds, and nine assists in that victory and has garnered some consideration for Sixth Man of the Year. He's also come in when guys like Kristaps Porzingis have been nicked up, and his presence on this team cannot be overlooked.

These teams just played on April 2, with Dallas winning 99-86. That followed up a two-game season sweep by the Knicks two years ago, with these teams not playing in 2020.