Nets Even Up Season Series vs. Knicks, Notch 13th Win of Season

The Brooklyn Nets defeated the New York Knicks on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden. This was Jeremy Lin’s first game playing in MSG as a Net. He finished with 15 points and eight assists.

The Brooklyn Nets came into this game coming off of a loss to Oklahoma City on Tuesday, which was preceded by a win against the Knicks at home on Sunday. However, both teams were not at full strength in this game.

The Nets were without Sean Kilpatrick and Joe Harris. They also decided to rest Trevor Booker in the front-end of a back-to-back. Kristaps Porzingis was sidelined with a thigh injury for the Knicks.

Brooklyn, giving Lin all the touches he wanted, jumped out to an early lead in the first. The Harvard alum shot four shots in the first three minutes of regulation.

Kenny Atkinson remained content with matching up Randy Foye on Carmelo Anthony, as he did on Sunday night. Anthony continued to take advantage of this matchup, leading to an 11-0 run from New York. The game then became a back-and-forth affair down the stretch of the first quarter.

MUST READ: Nets’ Small Ball Beginning to Match Atkinson’s Vision

K.J. McDaniels, who is expected to see extended minutes in Kilpatrick’s absence, showed superb hustle in his short time on the court in the first quarter. His tenacity, combined with a couple of forceful plays from Quincy Acy, resulted in the Nets remaining competitive.

After another 10-0 run, the Knicks led 33-28 after twelve minutes of play.

The Nets opened up the second quarter shooting 1-of-8 from the behind arc, quite the opposite of the team’s miraculous shooting performance on Sunday night. Both teams refused to give an inch in the first few minutes of the second quarter. Despite shooting 48 percent from the field, Brooklyn’s cold spell from three continued. The Nets were shooting an abysmal 2-of-12 from three-point land at that point in the game.

The Knicks’ lead then stayed around seven points as halftime approached. Lin failed to have an impressive first half, as he shot 2-of-8 from the field and 0-of-4 from behind the arc. His defense on Derrick Rose was also a sore spot. Rose abused Lin and had 12 points, along with two dimes in the first half. New York led at the half, 61-54.

MUST READ: Nets’ Rebuild in Early Stages of “The Process”

Despite trailing at the half, the Nets were still out-rebounding their cross-borough rivals. They led the rebounding battle, 24-17, heading into the second half.

The Nets were still not quite able to close the gap in the opening moments of the third. Despite a rejuvenated effort from Lin, the Knicks seemed to punch back harder every time Brooklyn would go on a small run.

Brooklyn’s three-point shooting picked up to begin the second half as well. The Nets shot 5-of-6 from behind the arc in the beginning of the third. This dominance resulted in Brooklyn regaining the lead.

MUST READ: Whitehead, Dinwiddie Helped Solve Nets’ PG Dilemma

The Nets were clicking on all cylinders by the time the fourth quarter approached. They cracked 80 points with a couple of minutes to spare in the quarter. Brook Lopez led this attack, notching 20 points on 8-of-16 shooting late in the third.

The third quarter, which has traditionally symbolized a breaking point for the Nets, was quite the opposite on Thursday night. Brooklyn shot at an astounding rate, including multiple “and-one” situations. Each player seemed to contribute, resulting in a five-point deficit for the Knicks heading into the fourth.

Acy kicked off the final quarter with a series of frisky plays. He knocked down a three and got to the line to push the Brooklyn lead to ten. To make matters worse for New York, they found themselves with three players who had four or more fouls.

More from Nothin' But Nets

Heading into crunch time, the Nets had increased their three-point shooting percentage to 35 percent. While this isn’t particularly impressive, it is nearly a 20 percent increase from their first half total. Eight different Nets had contributed a three to add to the team’s impressive total.

Brooklyn was able to keep its lead above ten points for most of the fourth. The Knicks never came close to regaining the lead. As the final buzzer sounded, the final score read, Nets-121, Knicks-110.

Next: Small Ball Beginning to Match Atkinson's Vision

This game signals the last meeting of the year for these two teams. The season series finishes in a tie at, 2-2. The Nets will return home tomorrow night to battle the Boston Celtics.