After a tough loss on Wednesday, the New York Knicks (2-6) head to American Airlines Center for a Friday night matchup against the Dallas Mavericks (2-6).

The Knicks fell at home to the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday by the score of 107-101. Indiana outscored them 30-20 in the final stanza and 13-4 over the last three minutes. In the losing effort, Tim Hardaway Jr. hit a career-high seven three-pointers and his 37 points were just two shy of tying a career-high. According to ESPN, he is the first player to score at least 24 in seven of his team's first eight games this season.

The Mavericks now currently are on a five-game losing streak after they lost in a close affair with the Los Angeles Lakers 114-113 on Wednesday. LeBron James hit a free throw with two seconds left which gave the Lakers their one-point margin of victory. Wesley Matthews led Dallas with 21 points while Harrison Barnes scored 19.

Team injuries

New York: Out - Kristaps Porzingis (knee), Courtney Lee (neck), Kevin Knox (ankle)

Dallas: Out - Dirk Nowitzki (ankle), Devin Harris (hamstring)

Projected starting lineups

New York: PG - Frank Ntilikina, SG - Tim Hardaway Jr., SF - Damyean Dotson, PF - Noah Vonleh, C - Mitchell Robinson

Dallas: PG - Dennis Smith Jr., SG - Wesley Matthews, SF - Luka Doncic, PF - Harrison Barnes, C - DeAndre Jordan

Team stat leaders

New York: Points - Tim Hardaway Jr.

26.0, Rebounds - Enes Kanter 11.0, Assists - Frank Ntilikina, Trey Burke 3.6

Dallas: Points - Luka Doncic 19.6, Rebounds - DeAndre Jordan 14.9, Assists - J.J. Barea 6.4

What to know and watch for in Friday's game

This will be the Knicks' first-ever look at electric rookie Luka Doncic. In the Mavericks' first eight games, the third overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft is averaging 19.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 4.4 assists in 34.8 minutes per contest.

New York will have to guard the three-point line against a Dallas team that leads the NBA with 36.4 attempts from downtown per game. While they chuck up a lot of shots from deep, they do rank just 22nd connecting on 33.7 percent of their three-point tries.

The Knicks are 0-3 in away games and this will be their first road game against a Western Conference team.

They are scoring nearly seven points less away from home (101.7) compared to when they play at Madison Square Garden (108.6).

Knicks/Mavericks regular season history

According to Land of Basketball, there have been 74 times where the Knicks and Mavericks have encountered each other in the regular season. Dallas holds a 40-34 edge in the win column.

Dallas had won five in a row over New York heading into the 2016-17 season, but the teams have split their two-game series in each of the last two seasons. The Knicks won by 100-96 on January 7, 2018, which was the last time they met each other at American Airlines Center.
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