Knicks' Mitchell Robinson Addresses Heated Altercation, Mike Brown Admits He Was Outcoached vs. Nets

The New York Knicks narrowly avoided a brutal loss on Friday night against the Brooklyn Nets, using a huge third quarter to steal a 93-92 win in a very physical contest that saw things get contentious at times between the two teams.

One such instance came in the second quarter when Mitchell Robinson stood over Nolan Traore under the basket, leading to Danny Wolf coming up to defend his teammate.

"You get physical back. That's how it's got to be," Robinson told reporters after the game about the situation. "Got to stand on business about that."

Knicks-Nets Highlights

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Robinson and Ziaire Williams, who also got involved, were both assessed technical fouls. OG Anunoby and Nic Claxton received technical fouls in the third quarter after a brief skirmish.

As for the game itself, Knicks head coach Mike Brown acknowledged he was outcoached by Jordi Fernández and the Nets outplayed them most of the way.

"Jordi outcoached me," Brown said during his postgame press conference. "They outplayed us in a lot of areas. And we were just able to find a way to get a win."

Even though the Knicks have won five straight games, their performances within this streak have left a lot to be desired. Their opponents have been the Nets, Utah Jazz, Indiana Pacers (twice) and Golden State Warriors.

The Knicks trailed late in the third quarter against Utah, only led by two late in the fourth quarter in the first game against the Pacers on March 11 and trailed by as many as 19 points against the Warriors when neither Draymond Green nor Kristaps Porziņģis played for Golden State.

One reason for New York's struggles on Friday was Jalen Brunson had a rough game after missing the previous game due to neck and ankle injuries. He scored 17 points on 7-of-19 shooting and had to play 41 minutes because it was a close contest.

Ultimately, the Knicks were able to come away with a win to remain within two games in the loss column of the Boston Celtics for the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. But their play has to get better if they hope to beat better teams.

The good news for the Knicks is the schedule doesn't look too daunting until a March 29 matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Their next game is at home against the Washington Wizards on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. ET.