Mavericks 91, Knicks 89
DALLAS -- Mavericks reserve guard J.J. Barea scored 26 points in a must-have game, and Dallas rallied past the New York Knicks 91-89 Wednesday night at American Airlines Center.
Dallas (37-38) moved into a tie with the Houston Rockets for eighth place in the Western Conference standings -- the last playoff position. A loss to the lottery-bound Knicks would have been devastating for the slumping Mavs.
Instead, Barea led a fourth-quarter charge. Dallas came back from seven down to start the period, with Barea coming up big down the stretch.
The high-energy backup tied the game at 86-86 with a 3-pointer with 2 1/2 minutes remaining. After Knicks star Carmelo Anthony gave the visitors an 89-88 lead with 1:01 remaining, Barea came back with a driving layup for put Dallas back on top.
Anthony misfired on two shots on the ensuing possession, but the Knicks rebounded both misses. Anthony, with the ball back in his hands, turned it over after a timeout.
The Knicks (30-46) had one last chance, but guard Langston Galloway's 3-pointer at the buzzer glanced off the rim.
Mavs guard Wesley Matthews scored 16, including seven points in the fourth. Dirk Nowitzki had 11 points and struggled with his shot all night, missing 18 of 23 attempts.
Anthony made 11 of 22 shots, led all scorers with 31 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Derrick Williams scored 15 and had eight boards starting in place of rookie sensation Kristaps Porzingis (sore right shoulder).
Porzingis had averaged nearly 21 points over the past four games, and he scored 28 in the meeting against the Mavericks earlier this season.
New York, which led by as many as 11 late in the third period, had just two players score in double figures.
Dallas ended a run of changing the starting lineup in five straight games, sticking with a unit that included rookie swingman Justin Anderson and second-year forward/center Dwight Powell.
Anderson had seven points and season-high nine rebounds.
The Mavericks head off a two-game road trip beginning Friday at Detroit. New York returns home Friday to host the Brooklyn Nets.
NOTES: Knicks SG Arron Afflalo stuck to his story that has hasn't spoken to coach Kurt Rambis since being demoted from the starting lineup. Rambis told reporters he had spoken to Afflalo about the demotion. "It is what it is," Afflalo said. "People can have their opinion of what they feel you bring to a team. That's their opinion. My opinion may be different." Afflalo can opt out of his contract after the season. ... Dallas PG Deron Williams missed his fourth consecutive game with groin and abdominal strains. "We hope it's a short-term situation, but there's no timetable," coach Rick Carlisle said. ... New York PF Kristaps Porzingis (sore right shoulder) was out, missing just his fourth game this season.