Knicks 114, Nets 104: “Terrific passing.”

33 assists tonight, and four Knicks starters score at least 20 to beat Brooklyn—and none were Jalen Brunson!

The New York Knicks (7-6) nearly blew a game against the Brooklyn Nets (5-9) on Friday and welcomed them back to Madison Square Garden tonight for a rematch.

The Knicks led the Nets 60-57 at halftime thanks to strong contributions from OG Anunoby and a dominant 11-0 run early in the second quarter. They took control in the third quarter, building a double-digit lead with excellent ball movement and sturdy defense, while Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges worked hard to secure the win in the fourth. Final score: 114-104.

Quoth DeuceJuice: “Terrific passing.” Agreed! New York excelled in ball movement and protection, finishing with 33 assists to just eight turnovers—marking their second-most assists in a game this season (35). When their offensive is humming, the song is sweet, my friends.

Karl-Anthony Towns returned after missing Friday’s game (knee) and recorded a 26-point, 15-rebound double-double, plus six assists. OG Anunoby was in beast mode from the start, ending with 24 points, eight boards, and a block on 9-of-17 shooting. Not to be outdone, Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart played the entire second half, scoring 21 and 20 points, respectively. A demon all night, Josh also tallied eight rebounds and assists. On a quiet night, Jalen Brunson scored a season-low 12 points on 3-of-14 shooting but matched his season-high with 10 assists.

Hats off to Cameron Payne, who added nine points and six assists from the bench in 17 minutes. Jericho Sims had a solid showing with four boards and a block. For Brooklyn, Cam Johnson led with 22 points, while Cam Thomas, who scored 47 on Friday, finished with just 16 tonight.

Great win! Wizards come in tomorrow.

First Half

Mikal Bridges started the game with a pick-six, kicking off a 10-4 New York run. Brooklyn caught up, however, and the teams took turns leading for much of the quarter. Neither club shot well initially, making only a quarter of their attempts, but both picked up momentum as the frame progressed. Cam Thomas, who scored 47 points on Friday at the Garden, got off to a slow start tonight, collecting 13 through the half.

KAT’s passing continues to be underrated. Here’s another behind-the-head dime to a cutting Anunoby for an easy flush.

The Nets’ sophomore Noah Clowney came off the bench and knocked down two triples to bolster Brooklyn’s lead. However, tighter defense and a 7-0 run (two more Anunoby dunks and a Cam Payne three-pointer) gave the home team a 30-29 edge heading into the second quarter.

New York continued its dominant play, starting the second frame with an 11-0 run powered by Towns, Bridges, and Josh Hart. With Miles McBride out (knee), Knicks rookie Pacome Dadiet saw first-half action and was a team-high +14 in his first-half minutes. Nice D, rook!

Although the Nets chipped away at their deficit, Anunoby was on fire in the first half, scoring a team-high 18 points while shooting 7-of-11 from the field and 3-of-5 from three-point range. Hart and Bridges were partying, too—here, Josh’s aggressive defense leads to a Mikal swish:

From the bench, Brooklyn’s sophomore Jalen Wilson shot perfectly for 13 points, cutting New York’s lead to 60-57 at halftime. The Knicks had bested Brooklyn on the boards, scoring in the paint, and assists, but the Nets had taken 15 free throws to New York’s nine. New York had four starters in double-digits, while Jalen Brunson had shot 0-of-5 from the floor, logging a quiet six assists and three points.

Second Half

The Nets had four first-half turnovers but surrendered the ball three more times in the first six minutes of the third quarter. Their folly allowed the Knicks to climb to an 11-point lead, their largest yet. Our heroes continued to move the ball well, though the referees kept blowing the whistle.

Check out this clean block by Towns, though!

After the Knicks extended their lead to 14, Brooklyn’s coach Jordi Fernández Torres adjusted by sending Noah Clowney into the paint on consecutive possessions, benefiting from a favorable whistle. Just how favorable was Tony Brothers and the crew toward Brooklyn tonight? Here’s a personal foul on Dadiet that went unnoticed.

There was a scary moment late in the third when Towns landed hard on his back, writhing on the floor before walking it off. He seemed to wrench it on his next drive, too, but stayed in the game. Don’t be surprised if he appears on tomorrow’s injury report.

Meanwhile, OG Anunoby seems almost clairvoyant at times. Look at his awareness and perfect positioning on this coverage.

New York entered the final quarter ahead, 95-81. Fourth quarters have been nerve-wracking for the Knicks lately; on Friday, the orange and blue boys blew a 21-point lead in the final frame. Tonight, Brooklyn turned up the defense and outscored New York by six in the first five minutes. A fifth foul sent Towns to the bench with plenty of time remaining. Rookie Ariel Hukporti, who played 30 minutes on Friday, was a DNP tonight. Jericho Sims, subbing in for Towns, committed back-to-back fouls but redeemed himself with an alley-oop dunk (Hart assist) and a big block that sent the ball into the third row.

Josh Hart took over in the fourth, dishing, scoring, and playing high-energy defense to hold off the aggressive Nets. He and Mikal Bridges combined for a 7-2 run, pushing the Knicks’ lead to 15 with just over two minutes left. From there: smooth sailing!

Notes

• Ben Simmons is a mess.

• OG Anunoby had 11 games of 20+ points last season. With tonight, he’s already at six this season.
• Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges played the entire second half.
• Jamal Crawford will join MSG’s Mike Breen on the call for the upcoming five-game road trip.
• The Nets’ bench outscored New York’s, 42-11.
• The Knicks all-time record against the Nets is now 109-107.

Up Next

Stay where you are—the Knicks play the Wizards at home tomorrow. Rest up, Knickerbockers.

Box Score