Payback - 128-94

David Lee and the Knicks avenged a 50-point loss earlier in the season to put an end to the Mavs 13-game winning streak. (AP Photo/Mike Fuentes)

It had to come to an end at some point.

What better way for the Dallas Mavericks (45-22) to lose their first game in nearly a month than to the team they set a franchise-record against for biggest win margin earlier this season - the New York Knicks (23-43).

For the first time in the last 13 games, nothing went right for the Mavericks. The Knicks shot 58 percent from the field, 53 percent from three (16-30) and scored 46 points in the paint against a Dallas team that couldn't cover anybody. Man-to-man, 2-3 zone, small-ball, two 7-footers - it didn't matter what the Mavs tried - N.Y. smoked all of it.

Combine that with the fact that Dallas shot 43 percent from the field while committing 15 turnovers (their most turnovers in a game since 17 on Feb. 24 against the L.A. Lakers) and you see why this was such a lopsided game. This Mavs team simply let a more hungry team beat them tonight.

"We felt they'd take us lightly," said rookie Toney Dougless (Who?), who scored 21 points and dished out eight assists for the Knickerbockers. "A lot of teams look at the schedule and say, 'Oh, that's the Knicks. That's a win.' But we've got to come out and compete every night."

Some Mavericks' players were even told by the New York players that payback was coming tonight.

"They remembered [the blowout in New York]," said Shawn Marion, who had 14 points and eight rebounds but shot only 6-15 from the floor. "They even said something to me about it before the game. They said they were going to give us a spanking."

I don't know how anybody else feels about that, but when the other team tells you they are going to spank that ass in the game, shouldn't that give you some extra motivation? Maybe you don't win (even though in this case you have over 20 more victories than your opponent) but maybe you, I don't know, not lose by 34 points at home.

What. A. Beating.

(Portions of this article were taken from The Associated Press)