Knicks seeks to defeat an injury-plagued Brookyln team in tonight’s latest Battle of the Boroughs.
Playing their second game of a back-to-back, the New York Knicks (28-16) will hop across town to face the Brooklyn Nets (14-29) at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn tonight.
Yesterday, in a physical MLK Day game at Madison Square Garden, the New York Knicks defeated the Atlanta Hawks 119-110. Jalen Brunson led the team with 34 points and Karl-Anthony Towns (with a bum thumb!) dished seven nifty assists. Today they will face a Nets team that has dropped eight of their last ten games, including a 127-101 loss in Oklahoma on Sunday.
New York has already won two games of the season series. When last they met, on November 17, 2024, the Knicks defeated the Nets 114-104 to extend their winning streak against Brooklyn to eight games.
Brooklyn Coach Jordi Fernández Torres faces additional hurdles with several players sidelined due to injuries. Cam Thomas, Trendon Watford, Ben Simmons, Ziaire Williams, and Bojan Bogdanovic will all miss tonight’s tilt, and the participation of D’Angelo Russell remains uncertain.
Statistically, Brooklyn isn’t great at anything, besides hitting their free throws and a mid-level percentage of three-pointers. Wing Cameron Johnson has emerged as a key player, averaging 19.5 points per game. The Nets’ backcourt will feature D’Angelo Russell and/or Keon Johnson, depending on injuries. Forward Noah Clowney (9.5 PPG, 3.9 RPG) makes 38% of his threes while taking about seven per game, and with center Nic Claxton (9.7 PPG, 7.4 RPG) will round out the frontcourt.
Prediction
Will this be Mikal Bridges’ first game back at the Barclays? I think it is. Knicks are favored by ESPN.com at 65% in this Battle of the Boroughs. Sounds about right. New York might be a little laggy, given all the unwhistled whacks they suffered yesterday, but if they have big aspirations, they need to dispatch a team that rates near the bottom for offense, points per game, net rating, etc. And so they shall: New York by +12.
Game Details
Teams: New York Knicks (28-16) at Brooklyn Nets (14-29)
Location: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
Start Time: 7:30 PM ET
Broadcast: TNT
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