Nets vs. Knicks: Score, Highlights, Reaction from 2016 Regular Season
The New York Knicks (3-4) started slow, but a second-half surge allowed them to take the year's first battle of the boroughs and defeat the Brooklyn Nets 110-96 at Madison Square Garden Wednesday night.
The win was New York's second in its last five games dating back to Nov. 1, while the Nets dropped to 3-5 after opening the month with two wins in three tries.
Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks with 22 points on 9-of-22 shooting, marking the sixth time he's crossed the 20-point threshold this season. Kristaps Porzingis added 21 points and eight rebounds, while Derrick Rose chipped in 14 points and four assists on a night when four of New York's five starters finished in double figures.
Brook Lopez and Justin Hamilton led the Nets with 21 points apiece, and they wreaked havoc early when New York's defense looked listless.
The Nets drilled six threes and shot 55 percent from the field over the first 24 minutes against a New York defense that allowed a league-worst 114.5 points per 100 possessions entering Wednesday night, per Basketball-Reference.com, and Brooklyn's bigs went ballistic during that stretch.
Lopez piled up 15 points by the time the first half was over, including a smooth move to the bucket that was documented by the NBA on Twitter:
While the Nets picked New York's hapless defense apart with Lopez's interior stylings and Hamilton's long-range touch, the Knicks took a while to get going.
The Nets outscored them 29-19 in the first quarter, and New York's early offense lacked the off-ball motion and passing necessary to get clean looks, as ESPN Radio's Alan Hahn observed:
The Knicks were able to cut the Nets' lead to five by halftime thanks to some strong three-point shooting, and a 31-point second quarter appeared to spark them.
New York's defense improved in the third frame following a couple of dismal quarters, and Anthony caught fire when he made six consecutive shots and scored 14 points in a row to catapult the Knicks into the lead with the third quarter winding down.
The NBA's official Twitter account offered a glimpse at some of Anthony's scoring:
With Anthony in a groove, Newsday's Al Iannazzone noted the triangle offense was nowhere to be found:
According to ESPN Stats & Info, Anthony scored 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting in the final 3:46 of the third quarter after generating eight points on 3-of-8 shooting over his first 26 minutes.
Anthony's scoring avalanche appeared to galvanize the Knicks, and Porzingis followed his lead with a pair of threes that stretched the Knicks' lead to nine a few minutes into the fourth quarter.
And while the Nets' woes were exacerbated by the lack of a true point guard to initiate their offense, Brandon Jennings allowed the Knicks to pull away with 11 assists off the pine. All told, the Knicks outscored the Nets by 24 points in Jennings' 27 minutes.
The NBA's official Twitter account offered a look at one of Jennings' flashier feeds:
Given how bleak things looked in the first half, the Knicks' ability to bounce back and assert themselves down the stretch was an encouraging turn of events for a team that's been mired in tactical turmoil since the season started.
The Nets, meanwhile, could be in for a reality check in the coming days.
Although their 3-4 start exceeded expectations, regression to the mean appears likely with a West Coast swing on the horizon.
Starting Saturday, the Nets will embark on a four-game stretch that includes showdowns with the Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Knicks will also hit the road, but they'll keep things in the division when they travel north for a back-to-back with the Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors on Friday and Saturday.
Postgame Reaction
"Our bench guys were great," Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek said, per the team's Twitter account. "They came in and brought the energy. It was a great second half for our guys."
Hornacek added that the team was able to succeed because "We always tell (our young guys) to be ready," according to the Knicks' Twitter account.
"We played hard," Rose added, per the Knicks' Twitter. "There's nothing like winning in this city."
The Nets, who appeared in control through two quarters, noted they needed to be more assertive in order to pull out wins moving forward.
"We have to be on the better end of that, especially on a road game," Lopez said, according to the Nets' Twitter account. "Want to go out there and be aggressive."
"It wasn't enough," guard Sean Kilpatrick told reporters in the locker room, per the team's Twitter. "Have to be able to keep playing through games like this. Keep working and getting better."
