Dec. 25, 1981
In their third Christmas Day game as part of the NBA, New Jersey finally secured its first win on Dec. 25 in 1981. In a game at Madison Square Garden, the Nets went back-and-forth with the Knicks in an evenly-matched contest.
At the half, New Jersey led New York by five points, but the Nets found themselves down, 72-69, entering the final quarter of play. Ray Williams was the difference-maker for New Jersey in the final 12 minutes, scoring 12 points. James Bailey knocked down a jump shot with 19 seconds left to play to seal the victory before the Knicks missed the potential game-winner.
Ironically, both teams hit 36 shots from the field. New Jersey shot 43.5% and New York 41.9%. That’s not the only similar statistic that was shared. The Nets finished with 23 assists, while the Knicks contributed 22. Even the total number of fouls was almost identical — New York had 29, New Jersey had 28.
The Nets were led by Williams with 24 points (7-of-12), with reserve James Bailey contributing 18 (6-of-9), Otis Birdsong adding 15 (7-of-14), and reserve Albert King finishing with 12 (6-of-11).
Micheal Ray Richardson scored a team-high 20 points for the Knicks.
New Jersey escaped with a 96-95 victory to break its 11-game losing streak at the world’s most famous arena. The Nets left Manhattan that day with a 10-12 record and New York dropped to 12-15.