NBA schedule: Mavs outlast Clippers for needed victory

“It feels like they didn’t have any shot blockers,” said Smith, who scored 32 mostly efficient points. “So take it to the basket, draw fouls, find some teammates that get open and play from there.”

And that’s pretty much how it all went down. The Knicks went to the basket and when they didn’t make shots they got offensive rebounds, finishing with a staggering 21 more attempts than the C’s, who reciprocated by turning it over 20 times.

Mavericks 109, Clippers 102 (OT)

Knicks 100, Celtics 85

For the Mavericks (35-36) it was Dirk Notwitzki who spearheaded the effort with 33 points on 12-of-21 shooting while adding nine rebounds. Mayo finished with 11 points, five rebounds and four assists.

Dallas forced 18 Clippers’ turnovers in the losing effort, but went cold from beyond the arc, shooting just 26.1 percent. They dominated inside and consistently found easy buckets in the paint, overwhelming the Clippers by a 48-32 margin to help secure the win.

I’d love to see how long Dirk’s beard can get but, if he’s going to make plays like this, I think we won’t see it around for much longer.

Both teams had a mediocre night from the field. Boston finished the game with a 44.9 percent mark while New York finished at 43.3 percent. The Knicks created opportunities for second-chance points by collecting 15 offensive rebounds against just seven by the Celtics.

• John Wall: Going insane again

What else can you say? J.R. Smith gonna J.R. Smith.

But I doubt security would let in anyone with such a large piece of equipment. So I guess this is cool enough.

• John Wall: Going insane again

The game could have a huge impact on the Eastern Conference playoff race. New York is half a game behind Indiana for the No. 2 seed and two games ahead of Brooklyn. Boston is two games behind Atlanta for the No. 6 seed and two games ahead of Milwaukee. A win for the Knicks could help set-up a first-round playoff series between these two teams.

After sitting out three straight games to deal with a sprained right knee, Carmelo has come back rejuvenated in the last week. He’s averaged 29 points a game in the last three Knicks wins, looking more like the player being talked about in the MVP race at the beginning of the season. Pierce, meanwhile, has been a rock of consistency amid an unprecedented amount of change and roster turnover in Boston this season, averaging 19 points, 5 assists and 6 rebounds on 44 percent shooting.

There are only three games Tuesday night in the NBA, but two of them are national features as the league temporarily rearranges its general weekly schedule to allow for the NCAA Tournament. None are super-amazing matchups, but if we’ve learned anything from games between the Knicks and Celtics over the past few years, that matchup should be a pretty good one.

Here’s a look at Tuesday night’s schedule: