In four career games against the Knicks, Luka Doncic is 1-3 with averages of 26.3 points, 10.3 rebounds and 8.0 assists.
Mavericks (25-21) at Knicks (24-24)
7:30 p.m. ET, NBA TV
• Luka Doncic ranks second in the league in drives (21.7 per game) and produces 12.7 points and 2.6 assists per game off those drives. Doncic averages 9.5 passes and 8.5 shot attempts off his drives; he converts on 58.2% of those shot attempts – tied with De’Aaron Fox for the highest field goal percentage among the 37 players with at least five shot attempts off drives per game.
• Among qualified rookies, Immanuel Quickly ranks fourth in scoring (12.5 ppg) and fifth in 3-pointers made (1.3 per game) despite ranking just 16th in minutes played (19.9 mpg).
• The Knicks allow the third-fewest points in the paint (42.6 per game), with Nerlens Noel playing a major role in anchoring the defense. Among the 56 players that defend at least four shots at the rim per game, Noel allows the fifth-lowest percentage (51.0% on 6.0 FGA). Noel also ranks fourth in the league in blocks (2.0 bpg).
• The Mavericks (44.4%) rank fourth in percentage of unassisted field goals made, with Luka Doncic ranking seventh in field goals made (2.2) and third in ppg (5.0) from isolation plays. Doncic also leads the league in scoring as the ball handler in pick-and-roll plays (14.2 ppg) with an effective field goal percentage of 58.7% – the second highest among the top 60 in field goal attempts on those plays.
• Julius Randle is one of only five players in the league to average at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and five assists so far this season. For Randle, his 23.1 ppg, 10.8 rpg and 5.8 apg are all career highs in his seventh NBA season.
The Bucks have won four straight and eight of the last nine games against the Blazers, dating back to the 2016-17 season.
Bucks (30-17) at Trail Blazers (29-18)
10 p.m. ET, NBA TV
• Damian Lillard leads the NBA with 26 30-point games so far this season; Giannis Antetokounmpo is tied with Stephen Curry for fourth place with 19 30-point games. The Blazers are 19-7 in those games, and have won four in a row when Lillard reaches 30 points. Lillard leads the NBA in scoring since the All-Star break (29.8 ppg).
• The Blazers enter Friday looking for their fifth straight win. During their current four-game win streak, CJ McCollum has led the team in scoring (26.0 ppg) and field goal attempts (21.3 per game), with 10 of those attempts coming from 3-point range. Damian Lillard has averaged a team-best 10 assists while appearing in three games, while newcomer Norman Powell as added 16.3 ppg in his first three games since being acquired at the trade deadline.
• Milwaukee’s Jrue Holiday (1.8) and Portland’s Robert Covington (1.7) rank first and fifth, respectively, in steals per game. Both players also rank in the top 10 in deflections, with Covington third (3.7 per game) and Holiday 10th (3.1 per game).
• The Blazers (16.2) and Bucks (14.7) rank second and fourth, respectively, in 3-pointers made per game. While the Blazers have two of the top three most prolific 3-point shooters in the league with CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard each averaging 4.2 3-pointers made per game (trailing only Stephen Curry), the Bucks do not have a single player ranked in the top 50 in 3-pointers made per game. The Bucks are led by Khris Middleton’s 2.2 3-pointers made, which ranks 57th in the NBA. However, the Bucks have nine players averaging at one 3-pointer made per game, compared to seven for the Blazers.
• Of the 146 players in the league that have logged at least 1,000 minutes, 14 have a net rating differential of at least 10 points – meaning their team’s point differential per 100 possession is at least 10 points better when the player is on the court compared to when they are off. The list features a mix of Kia MVP candidates and key role players that impact the game on both ends of the court. Portland’s Robert Covington ranks sixth on the list (12.3), while Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo is tied for 12th (10.2).
- Rudy Gobert (UTA): 17.4
- Patty Mills (SAS): 15.5
- Mike Conley (UTA): 15.0
- LeBron James (LAL): 13.7
- Fred VanVleet (TOR): 12.6
- Robert Covington (POR): 12.3
- Joel Embiid (PHI): 11.9
- Thaddeus Young (CHI): 11.8
- Paul George (LAC): 11.5
- Jamal Murray (DEN): 11.3
- Jimmy Butler (MIA): 10.4
- Giannis Antetokounmpo (MIL): 10.2
- Nikola Jokic (DEN): 10.2
- Garrett Temple (CHI): 10.2