The Knicks took on the crosstown rival Brooklyn Nets on Sunday night and handled business. Making it New York’s 11th straight win over Brooklyn, where they have not lost to the Nets since January of 2023, nearly three years ago.
Mike Brown’s impact cannot be understated, he has this Knicks team looking like the Harlem Globetrotters. The ball movement is beautiful to see, and despite New York having a nearly identical roster to last year, they are playing with a different level of confidence.
New York came out of the gates red hot, scoring 40 first-quarter points building an early 18-point lead, which a 1-8 Nets team would attempt to come back from. The odds were not in their favor. However, Brooklyn did have a fantastic second quarter of their own, scoring 40 points as the young group of players seemed to find some chemistry heading into halftime down 77-62.
But unfortunately for Brooklyn, that was the closest they would get for the rest of the night, as the Knicks came out of the half and put up a 35-point quarter to the Nets 17. As good as the Knicks offense was, the defense played lights out and forced the young Nets roster to take contested shot after contested shot. This mentality is what will carry the Knicks throughout the year — playing just as hard when they are up 20 or if it’s a one-score game, never taking their foot off the pedal.
New York went on to win 134-98, making it their fourth straight win while improving to 6-0 at home this year, the best record in the NBA. This blowout was led by “The Big Bodega” himself, Karl-Anthony Towns, who put up 28 points and 12 rebounds. Jordan Clarkson continues to play well as he made his impact with 11 points and 3 assists off the bench shooting 5-8 from the field.
Brooklyn’s Michael Porter Jr. finished his night with 25 points, the leading scorer for the Nets where he tried to carry the team as much as possible. Nets rookie guard Egor Demin looked solid, putting up 10 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists. At just 19 years old he looks like a promising prospect for the franchise.
The Knicks have now improved to 6-3 on the season and will face off against Ja Morant and the Grizzlies Tuesday night. As for the Nets, they now drop to 1-9 on the year, with their next matchup against the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday night. It is going to be a long year for Nets fans.