Knicks 124, Nets 122: “ THE INCREDIBLE HUUUUUUK!”

Another game gets too close for comfort, but a winning shot by Brunson, a buzzer-block by Bridges, and big contributions from the bench carries NY over Cam Thomas and the Nets.

Eternally shorthanded, the New York Knicks (6-6) began their second game of Emirates NBA Cup play strong, staying ahead of the Brooklyn Nets (5-8) for much of the game. Yet again, the fourth quarter was another story.

New York had balanced scoring, with four starters hitting double digits by halftime. Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby, and Mikal Bridges combined for 44 points to secure a 68-59 lead despite 27 points from Brooklyn’s Cam Thomas. In the third, New York’s lead stretched to 21 as rookies Ariel Hukporti and Pacôme Dadiet contributed solid minutes, but Brooklyn mounted a fourth-quarter comeback. The visitors took a one-point lead with 12 seconds left before Brunson, who scored 16 in the final frame, sank a three-pointer for the 124-122 win.

With Karl-Anthony Towns out, Brunson truly was the captain. He finished with 37 points and seven assists on 12-of-20 shooting. Against his former team, Bridges delivered a season-best performance, capping a 22-point, five-rebound, four-assist game with a trailing block on Dennis Schroder as time expired. Anunoby, despite fouling out, was a one-man riot with 25 points, eight rebounds, and two steals, and Josh Hart just missed a triple-double, logging 14 points, nine rebounds, nine assists, and two steals. For Brooklyn, Cam Thomas scored an impressive 47 points on 16-of-22 from the field.

Quoth SagaciousNLoquacious: “THE INCREDIBLE HUUUUUUK!” How good was this year’s 58th draft pick? The 22-year-old Hukporti played 30 minutes and had a statline of seven points, four blocks and rebounds, and three assists. It wasn’t always pretty as he’s still getting used to NBA play, but he had Thibodeau’s trust in the second half and deserved it.

I nominate this for Knicks’ Dunk of the Year:

First Half

With Karl-Anthony Towns celebrating his 29th birthday on the bench to rest a sore knee, New York started Jericho Sims at center. They needed to find 20+ extra points from somewhere, and all five starters scored early. Josh Hart, ladies and gentlemen:

Brooklyn’s Cam Thomas showed his scoring prowess, sinking each of his five first-quarter three-point attempts. Shooting more modestly, New York saw their six-point lead flipped to a four-point deficit around the midway mark. OG Anunoby was feeling his oats, though, rattling in 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting. Four Knicks starters had seven points or more to give New York a 37-32 lead after one quarter.

When rookie Ariel Hukporti checked in to relieve Sims, he looked a little lost at first. He had three first-half blocks, though, and this bucket makes up for a multitude of sins:

New York kept a 9-0 run going through the second quarter. Rookies Tyler Kolek and Pacôme Dadiet joined the big German, Cameron Payne, and Josh Hart. Sloppiness ensued. Both teams heaved bricks for a while. Head coach Tom Thibodeau appeared to suffer stomach distress on the sideline and not from his pre-game meatball sub. His next lineup was Brunson, Josh Hart, Anunoby, Dadiet, and Hukporti, who got the game back on track with a 14-point lead.

In the next clip, Dadiet had moved the floor well to find an open three. With New York’s bench at the very bottom of the league in scoring, who here wants to see this kid more often?

And as he got comfortable on the court, Hukporti’s game sharpened. Peep this defensive sequence:

New York released the reins at the end of the half and took a 68-59 lead into intermission. Brunson had 16 points, while Anunoby and Mikal Bridges logged 14 each. Bridges thrived against his former team, making 6-of-7 from the floor in one of his best halves this season. For the visitors, Cam Thomas shot an impressive 10-of-11 from the field for 27 points.

With Brooklyn’s Nic Claxton out, New York won the paint 30-12 and out-rebounded the Nets 22-14. The home team had shot 63% from the floor, while the visitors hit 44%. So far, so good.

Second Half

Gameplay was laggardly to start the third quarter, but New York chugged along steadily on a 13-8 stretch that featured more burnin’ Bridges, Anonoby antics, and Hart heroics. Josh would catch a Keon Johnson forearm to the beak. Doesn’t matter, he can’t be stopped.

Meanwhile, Hukporti and Dadiet returned and proved an encouraging defensive duo. In the next clip, a Dadiet block leads to a fastbreak dunk. Europe’s finest!

New York took a 100-82 lead into the final frame, but back-to-back triples by Thomas and Dorian Finney-Smith cut it. The latter put a football block on Anunoby that dropped him to the floor and briefly caused a skirmish. The refs called a defensive foul on Anunoby and double-tech on both.

Brooklyn’s 15-3 run, fueled by Knicks turnovers and missed shots, cut New York’s lead to six. Brunson and Hukporti briefly regained control, but after Anunoby fouled-out and a Hart turnover, New York’s seven-point lead looked shaky with four minutes left.

Cam Johnson scored at least 10 points in Q4. He cut the differential to three with two minutes left, then Hart was dinged for a loose-ball foul that sent Schroder to the line. Cam Payne missed a three-pointer with a one-point lead at stake. New York missed a defensive rebound that resulted in a Schroder triple with 12 seconds left.

With six seconds left, Brunson redeemed the missed shot that lost the previous game against the Bulls by swishing a triple in Finney-Smith’s face. Schroder raced down the floor for a layup but was blocked from behind by Bridges as the buzzer buzzed. Ball game!

Notes

• The Nets have lost seven straight to the Knicks and five in a row at Madison Square Garden.
• The Knicks record against the Nets is 108-107.
• Tonight was Bridges’ third game of 20+ points this season. His previous season-high was 21 points versus Indiana in Game Two.
• The Knicks average three blocks per game. Tonight, Ariel Hukporti swatted down four balls.
• Coming into tonight, Cam Thomas had attempted a league-leading 35 ‘very late’ shot clock attempts (four seconds or less remaining) and made 16 of them.
• Thomas’ 43 points set a new Nets record at MSG.
• The five-man lineup of Dennis Schröder, Cam Thomas, Cam Johnson, Finney-Smith and Nic Claxton has been Brooklyn’s most-used five-man lineup this season (98 minutes before tonight). Not counting tonight, this lineup had posted an offensive rating of 117.9, a defensive rating of 104.6, and a net rating of 13.2.
• Tonight’s refs were Courtney Kirkland, Gediminas Petraitis, and John Conley. None had ref’d a Knicks game before.
• According to Clyde, the Knicks are now 2-5 in clutch games.

Up Next

The Nets again! Brooklyn returns for another game on Sunday. Rest up, Knickerbockers.

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