DALLAS — There is a curiosity factor now, and maybe there always will be, when the Knicks and Mavericks match up. The games allow a head-to-head look at the final major move of the Phil Jackson era for the Knicks, measuring up the player he selected with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft against the player the Mavs grabbed one pick later, another point guard, Dennis Smith Jr.
Judging the two lottery picks, however, is tempered by their differing skill sets and by the styles implemented by their coaches. The numbers may tell you that Smith took this latest incarnation of the rivalry, easily outscoring Ntilkina with 23 points.