Mavericks 126, Knicks 121 (OT): “We can’t have nice things.”

The Knicks drop their fourth straight game as they let the lead slip late in Dallas.

The Dallas Mavericks came back to defeat the New York Knicks 126-121 in overtime in Dallas as they handed New York their fourth straight defeat in heartbreaking fashion.

With 33 seconds left in regulation, the Knicks had a nine-point lead over Dallas but were not able to finish off what would’ve been their best win of the season.

Luka Doncic capped off the comeback at the end of regulation with an intentionally missed free throw and when Miles McBride and Quentin Grimes let the rebound slip through their fingers, he seized the moment and put the rebound in with one second left to send the game to overtime.

Doncic finished with 60 points, 21 rebounds and 10 assists in what was one of his best regular season performances as an NBA player. Spencer Dinwiddie had 25 points and hit a big shot down the stretch to help the Mavericks erase the deficit.

Dallas took the lead in overtime after not leading since it was 9-8 in the first quarter and never looked back as they went on to sweep the season series with the Knicks.

For New York, R.J. Barrett left the game after two minutes of play with a right index finger laceration and Jalen Brunson was already sitting this one out through a hip injury.

However, the Knicks received some heroic performances from the backcourt led by the 33 points from Grimes and the 13 points and 14 assists from Immanuel Quickley. Julius Randle had 29 points and 18 rebounds in a strong overall performance. Mitchell Robinson dominated the glass and finished with 20 points and 16 rebounds. McBride had 14 points off the bench and hit five of his six free throws including some big ones in the final seconds that nearly set the Knicks up for victory.

All of it was for naught in the end as late game execution and missed free throws came back to bite the Knicks again. New York missed nine free throws in the game and many of them came in the final minutes of regulation and overtime in the defeat.

It has been a recent theme during this losing run and it has helped to turn an eight game winning streak into a gut-wrenching four game losing streak. The Knicks lack of consistency continues to show and their ability to close out games has not been addressed. In this game, Brunson sat out and Randle had to step up in the final minutes. However, the Knicks made enough plays to win. They missed free throws and the all important rebound that would’ve seal the game. Those moments led to the defeat in the end along with some Luka magic mixed in.

The tremendous performances the Knicks put in with two important players out should be commended and deserved a better fate, but it’s the NBA and in the end the way the game finished is how this one will be remembered. New York will have to get over this mental hurdle of finishing games if they want success this season.

New York will need to stop the bleeding against the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night as their road trip continues in Texas. Tip off is scheduled for 8 p.m. on the east coast.