The Brooklyn Nets defeated the New York Knicks 109-99. The Nets have now won 8 straight games at the Barclays Center. This game was a little closer than the Nets would have liked, but they still got the job done. This team continues to impress night in and night out. The Nets and Knicks played evenly in the first half. The Nets turned the ball over a lot in the first half, and the Knicks were hitting their threes early. The Nets then made a run at the end of the second quarter to tie the game at 60 heading into halftime. The Nets came out like themselves in the third quarter, outscoring the Knicks 27-22. The Nets again outscored the Knicks 22-17 in the fourth quarter to secure the victory. This game certainly wasn’t the cleanest game, but a win is a win. The Nets were a little sloppy due to the absence of Spencer Dinwiddie, but Shabazz Napier and Theo Pinson stepped up in his absence. The Nets have firmly established that they own New York basketball. The Knicks have been irrelevant for years, while the Nets are a team on the rise. Brooklyn is now the Mecca of New York basketball.

The Nets bench stepped up big to lead them to victory. Ed Davis had a monster game, finishing with 17 points and 16 rebounds. Davis has been a tremendous rebounder all season, and has shown that he was worth every penny of his one year deal. The Nets should definitely resign Ed in the offseason. Theo Pinson had his best NBA game yet, finishing with 19 points and 8 rebounds. Shabazz Napier also had a nice game, finishing with 18 points and 3 assists. In a game where D’Angelo Russell was not himself (just 12 points on 5-11 shooting), Pinson and Napier stepped up big. I expect Pinson to enter the rotation now that Spencer Dinwiddie is out due to a thumb injury. RHJ had his best game since his return from an adductor strain, recording 10 points and 7 rebounds. RHJ did bump heads with Noah Vonleh at the end of the game, and will likely require stiches. RHJ cannot catch a break with injuries this season, and hopefully he does not have to miss any time. Lastly, shoutout to Mitchell Creek who recorded his first point in the NBA today. Creek played 9 seasons overseas before finally getting his opportunity tonight. Hopefully he can get some minutes, and prove he’s worth another 10 day contract.

For the Knicks, it was all Trey Burke and Noah Vonleh. Burke led the way with 25 points on 10-19 shooting. Burke stepped up in the absence of Emmanuel Mudiay, and showed that he deserves to get his minutes back. Noah Vonleh recorded 22 points and 13 rebounds on 9-18 shooting. Vonleh came out hot, hitting 2 of his first 3 threes), but then went cold from deep (just 1-8 to finish the game). Vonleh has been one of the few bright spots for the Knicks this season. In a season full of forgettable games, add this one to the list for Knicks fans. The Knicks dominated the Nets last year, finished 4-0 against them, and now have seen themselves become the second option in New York basketball. Brooklyn finishes the year 3-1 vs the Knicks. The Knicks will look to get revenge on Brooklyn in 2019-20 with a healthy Kristaps Porzingis and just maybe Zion Williamson.

What’s Next?

Brooklyn travels to Boston to take on the Celtics Monday night, while the Knicks return home to face the Heat on Sunday afternoon.

#WeGoHard