Brooklyn Nets Fall to New York Knicks in Preseason

27. 98. 147. Final. 116

The Brooklyn Nets faced the New York Knicks tonight at Madison Square Garden. They failed to secure a win against their crosstown rivals.

The Battle of the Boroughs returned tonight, with the Brooklyn Nets visiting the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Brooklyn was coming off an impressive win against the Detroit Pistons. The Knicks, on the other hand, were looking for redemption after a disappointing 27-point loss against the Houston Rockets.

Brooklyn decided not to play Jeremy Lin and Luis Scola. New York was without Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah.

Both sides got off to a slow start, with each only scoring eight points four minutes into the game. The Nets were able to keep the score close throughout the first period, as both sides traded baskets.

The first quarter saw many Nets taking shots from the outside, with Randy Foye, Joe Harris, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, and Justin Hamilton each knocking down one. With under a minute left, Brooklyn began pulling away with two back-to-back buckets from rookie Isaiah Whitehead. This brought the Nets to a 27-22 lead. New York closed in on the gap however, and the game was tied at 27 at the end of the first period.

The second quarter followed the same storyline as the first. More treys were attempted, including one by Brook Lopez to open up the period, though he failed to connect. Brooklyn’s first bucket in the second quarter came over two-and-a-half minutes into the period off a driving layup from Greivis Vasquez. Luckily for the Nets, the Knicks struggled to make shots as well, and Brooklyn only trailed 48-49 to end the first half.

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In the third quarter, the Knicks began to pull away. Led by their second unit of Brandon Jennings, Ron Baker, and Chasson Randle, New York went on a 7-0 run midway into the quarter to extend their lead to 69-58. The Knicks outscored the Nets 39-27 in this period, and the period was marked by the Nets missing shot after shot. At the end of the third, New York held a sizable 88-75 lead.

Early in the final period, the Knicks had sloppy ball handling. New York committed three consecutive turnovers, though Brooklyn failed to take advantage of each possession. Consequently, the Nets only fell behind even more. With 6:46 remaining in the game, the Knicks had their largest lead of the game at 99-79. The Nets failed to ever close the gap, and it quickly became evident what the outcome would be.

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Anthony Bennett led the Nets with 15 points and five rebounds. Sean Kilpatrick added 13 points. New York was led by Carmelo Anthony‘s 16 points, four rebounds, and three assists.

Brooklyn will face the Miami Heat on Tuesday.