Brooklyn Nets come up short in improbable, awkward comeback against New York Knicks, lose 99-95

Mikal Bridges’ return to Barclays Center went largely unnoticed, and the basketball matched that malaise. And somehow, the Nets had a golden chance to steal a win.

After returning from a six-game road trip where, frequently battered by injuries, they went 1-5, the Brooklyn Nets had their chance to shine on Tuesday evening.

Not counting their four appearances on NBA TV, Jordi Fernández’s team was playing their only nationally televised game of the season (on TNT) against the New York Knicks, a frequent opponent on or around Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

After ending their road trip with three straight losses, including two blowouts (one of them of historic proportions, the Nets would bring it on Tuesday. It was the Knicks, it was a chance to get right, they’d be facing Mikal Bridges in Barclays Center for the first time since last June’s trade.

“From my experience in the NBA, players love to play on national TV. For me, it’s longer timeouts and a few more interviews, but for players, it’s different,” quipped Jordi Fernández.

Of course, they wouldn’t get a boost from actually being in Barclays Center, given their opponent. Knicks fans packed the building as you’d expect, especially given Brooklyn’s subpar record, but the atmosphere wasn’t rollicking. It wasn’t even contentious until late in the fourth quarter. Aside from a couple moderate chants for Deuce McBride and flashes of blue and orange in the crowd, it felt more like a neutral-site game. The Nets can thank Mr. Whammy for putting the team on his back…

The stakes never felt that high. The theoretical man of the hour, Mikal Bridges, received a simple “welcome” message on the big screen ten minutes before tip-off. Just a picture of his face with the words “welcome back, Mikal” flashing above it. It was hardly noticed.

After an early 3-pointer, he really didn’t do much. Bridges would finish with 10/1/2 on 3-of-12, and made no single play as significant as his game-sealing, last-second block in an earlier matchup at Madison Square Garden.

Bridges wasn’t alone in his lackluster performance. Karl-Anthony Towns brought the funk early, finishing right through Nic Claxton on his drives, but the rest of the Knicks didn’t match his energy. They didn’t play poorly, getting efficient performances outside of Bridges and Jalen Brunson (7-of-18), but, on the second night of a back-to-back, they didn’t have any thump.

When the Nets didn’t gift them turnovers, New York’s half-court offensive possessions frequently brushed up against the end of the shot-clock, and on the other ends, the visitors couldn’t clean the defensive glass.

Neither team deserved to win, really. D’Angelo Russell and Cam Johnson played, and while their mere presence organized Brooklyn’s offense, Johnson shot just 6-of-20. Russell couldn’t make shots until late in the game, but he was undoubtedly more effective, tossing ten dimes.

“Dude, I’ll never take being able to play free basketball like this for granted again,” he said postgame. “This is style and a play that — obviously we got the best performance team as well. They keep guys fresh, they keep guys in shape. They keep them prepared for the minutes and the load that they’re about to play in. So for me, my body is not prepared for this. I didn’t prepare for this all season, all summer, so it’s an adjustment for me as well.”

Still, the Nets shot just 30% from three. Throw in Nic Claxton’s tragic, sudden inability to finish at the rim, and it’s a wonder they crawled back from three different double-digit deficits…

Despite Claxton’s 4-of-11 shooting night, Fernández was pleased with his starting center postgame: “I liked his energy. He was vocal, he was engaged the whole game, and that’s the Nic Claxton I want. And if he continues to do that like he’s been doing, he’s going to help us win. The good thing is: He has high standards for himself, and I love it.”

Energy, unfortunately, can’t put the ball in the basket, so Brooklyn had to find another method of scoring.

So the Nets clawed their way to the line (with a friendly whistle), getting 25 attempts on the night. Russell made all seven of his en route to a team-high 23 points. And credit where it’s due, the Nets did play hard, if a bit ugly. They scored 12 of their 21 second-chance points in the third quarter alone, erasing the last of those big deficits.

Day’Ron Sharpe was only credited with two of those o-boards, but he forced fouls on a few more opportunities, and was clearly Brooklyn’s best big on the night. Despite playing just 14 minutes, the Nets won his minutes by a whopping 15 points, and it damn sure felt like it, thanks to his ten points, three boards, and two blocks…

When asked if his sparse minutes were due to game flow or a minutes restriction, Fernández replied, “A little bit of both, and I had Nic in good rhythm right there, him playing well and getting stops, and I decided to bring Nic [in]. So it’s a little bit of both, but I’m very happy with what Day’Ron did.”

Tyrese Martin was the only Net who made at least half his threes (3-of-6) and Brooklyn needed every one of them. Thanks to Martin, and the Knicks shooting just 28.6% from deep themselves, Brooklyn miraculously had a chance late in the game.

Everybody in Barclays Center, from the large contingent of Knicks fans to the players on the court, seemed surprised when Keon Johnson hit his only three of the game to put Brooklyn up 88-87 with under four minutes left…

The two teams continued trading buckets, slowly, and down by two points with the shot-clock turned off, Jordi Fernández called his last timeout to draw up the game’s most important possession.

He went simple. D’Angelo Russell dribbled the ball, Cam Johnson ghosted a screen and found himself with a semi-open 3-point look for the lead. On an NBA night that started with fellow lottery-conscious teams in Portland and Toronto winning games, Johnson’s look floated in the air for an extra long time.

How bad do you want those improved lottery odds? Enough to let the New York Knicks leave Barclays Center with a win? Wait, didn’t we just go through this in Los Angeles?

Never mind. It’s the Knicks, an extremely talented version of them that complains after every no-call, no less. And Brooklyn owns their pick this season. Maybe Portland and Toronto winning gives Brooklyn an excuse to beat these guys.

And yet, on Tuesday evening, just as it was on the West Coast, neither fate nor destiny nor will applied. Cam Johnson got a look for the win, and despite his poor shooting on the night, the ball felt destined for the bottom of the net, like he was going to steal an improbable victory from Bridges and the Knicks. Caution thrown to the wind.

Then it boomed off back rim…

Nets lose. Knicks win.

Said Jordi Fernández: “I think the guys did a great job, and we had an open shot from our best shooter to take the lead and I will sign up for that every day. So, proud of the guys, proud of the way they fought all the way until the end … I thought it was a great battle.”

With the help of Knick fans, the Nets continued to draw big crowds to Barclays Center. It was another SRO sellout of 17,926.

Final Score: New York Knicks 99, Brooklyn Nets 95

Milestone Watch

• D’Angelo Russell posted his second 20/10 assist game of the season and his first in 2024-25 in a Nets uniform. Russell also recorded a career-high-tying three blocked shots (all on strips down low).
• Despite Claxton’s rough stretches of play, he matched his season-highs for rebounds (12) and offensive rebounds (five) on Tuesday.
• Brooklyn’s 21 second-chance points tied their second-highest total of the season.
• Cam Johnson had a rough shooting night, going 6-of-20 overall, 2-of-9 from deep … although he did make both his free throws. The bad shooting night dropped him out of 50.0/40.0/90.0 territory. He’s now at 48.1/41.9/89.8. Close but not there.

Injury Report

Cam Johnson appeared to tweak his ankle yet again early in the game, despite playing 35 minutes. He appeared to be walking with a slight limp postgame, so he may not be available for Wednesday’s game against his former team.

As for Ben Simmons, who knows? It’s all about whether he can recover from an illness, a designation that is sweeping through the NBA.

Cam Thomas and Trendon Watford each missed yet another game with their hamstring strains, and it seems little has changed in their statuses. Watford is still doing on-court work, and as for Thomas, Jordi Fernández said: “Just on-court activities, no contact, and he’s doing a great job, and, you know, everything looks good.”

Time to keep waiting for good news on those injury reports.

Standings Watch

It’s time for this season’s first edition of Standings Watch! Only, we’re taking a look at the other end of the standings. You know, the important end: The NBA Draft Lottery. Thanks to the loss, Tuesday was a big day for the Brooklyn Nets, now just 2.5 games out of the second-best odds. It should noted that the top three teams in the lottery all have the same odds of winning the overall No. 1 — 14.0% — and finishing in the top four — 52.1%.

A big shout to Tankathon’s website, which we’ll certainly be visiting frequently in the coming months.

Next Up

Photo by Chris Schwegler/NBAE via Getty Images

The Slim Reaper returns once more. On the second half of a back-to-back, the Brooklyn Nets take on Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.

• Boxscore: New York Knicks 99, Brooklyn Nets 95 – NBA
• Game Highlights: New York Knicks 99, Brooklyn Nets 95 (Video) – NBA
• Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson carry Knicks to a 99-95 win over the Nets – AP
• Jalen Brunson heats up late, lifts Knicks over Nets – Larry Fleisher – Reuters
• Karl-Anthony Towns has big night as Knicks squeak out ugly win over Nets – Stefan Bondy – New York Post
• Sydney Sweeney takes in Knicks-Nets game courtside — and NBA fans lost their minds – Andrew Battifarano – New York Post
• Knicks fans travel well, especially to Brooklyn ($) – Barbara Barker – Newsday
• Mikal Bridges, Knicks improve to 3-0 against Nets this season following 99-95 win at Barclays Center – C.J. Holmes – New York Daily News
• Knicks squeeze-out 99-95 victory over Nets before schedule takes brutal turn – Kristian Winfield – New York Daily News