Nets and Knicks Blog

Knicks End Their Season On a Good Note Beating the Hawks 136-131

The Knicks 136-131 overtime win was a masterpiece by all aspects. They were dominant virtually the entire game, but late they let the Hawks creep back to send it to overtime. The Knicks refused to give this one up as they came out victorious. While the game was going on, the NBA announced that they suspended all games for at least the next two weeks due to the Coronavirus.

In the first quarter the Knicks got going and got up by as many as 15 points in the first quarter. Moe Harkless scored nine points and paced the Knicks. Atlanta moved into a zone to try and counteract the Knicks early success on offense. The zone stood no chance though as the Knicks outstanding ball movement tore it apart.

Kevin Knox had his best shooting night in a while, for once the Knicks were not outscored from the three point line. The Knicks were firing on all cylinders as they had Elfrid Payton, Kevin Knox, and Julius Randle leading the way into the third quarter.

RJ Barrett warmed up in the third quarter and remained hot for the rest of the game. His double digit scoring in the third quarter helped the Knicks to take a 96-73 lead. When Trae Young is on the court, no lead is safe. Trae poured in 27 points in the fourth quarter as well as the game tying layup. The Knicks were still going to have 15 seconds to try and win but they could not even get a shot off.

In overtime the Knicks stayed strong and a RJ step back three gave them some breathing room. This helped the Knicks end on a good note with hope for next year.

Nets Remain in the 7th Seed After Huge Win Over the Bulls

Brooklyn entered Sunday’s game a half a game ahead of the Orlando Magic in 7th place in the East. So this game was huge against the Bulls for the Nets to stay in the 7th seed. Caris LeVert scored 23 points on Sunday night as the Nets starters combined for 84 points. This was great to see that they were scoring large amounts of points after losing their coach, as well as picking up a 110-107 win.

DeAndre Jordan got the start at center over Jarrett Allen, in Vaughn’s first move as head coach. Before the game Vaughn’s told the media that he hoped this decision would impact the team on “both sides of the ball.”

Well, the Nets played well in the first quarter, shooting 50 percent from the floor and hitting 4-of-7 threes. Although they had some ups, they turned the ball over 9 times in 12 minutes.

Brooklyn ended the first half with a 22-9 run. Caris LeVert added 16 points, while DeAndre Jordan had just 4 points but grabbed 8 rebounds. Jarrett Allen off the bench had 8 first-half points.

In the second half, the Nets decided to focus on cleaning up the turnovers. They did not do this as they ended the game with 29 turnovers to Chicago’s 6 turnovers. The Nets were only in the game because they were red hot from the three point line while the Bulls could not even buy a shot.

The Nets on the backs of Harris, Dinwiddie, and LeVert who scored 70 points kept the pace to pull out the 110-107 win, as well as keep their 7th seed in the East.

Nets Get Completely Embarrassed in Huge Loss to The Grizzlies, 118-79

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The Nets were just utterly embarrassed by the Grizzlies last night. After a huge 21-point comeback and win over the Celtics, it was like they decided to take a night off when playing the Grizzlies. The Nets lost 118-79, and those 79 points is the least they have scored all season as they fell to 27-34.

After a huge 51 performance against the Celtics Caris LeVert was nowhere to be found. He shot 6-of-19 from the field and 0-for-5 from three. LeVert came into the game averaging 25 points on 38 percent shooting since the All Star Break. LeVert also had no help from his teammate Spencer Dinwiddie who shot 1-of-9 from the field and 0-for-7 from the three point line.

The Nets could not get a rebound as they were destroyed 59-42 in the battle. Memphis absolutely dominated in every aspect of the game, as they scored 26 fast break points, had 61 points off the bench, and scored 21 second-chance points. The Nets could not compare scoring 15 fast break points, 27 points from the bench, and only 10 second chance points.

The Crowd at the Nets home court emptied early in the fourth quarter as they had given up on their team. It was a huge disappointment for Nets fans as a lack of effort from Nets players has been a huge issue this year. As of now the Nets are the 7th seed in the eastern conference and looking to make the playoffs. If they continue to play like this though they will not have these hopes for long.

Caris LeVert Drops 51 in Huge 129-120 Win Over the Celtics

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Celtics fans were pretty confident with their 21 point lead in the third quarter. The Celtics fans were chanting “WHERE IS KYRIE!!” as it looked like they the Nets were going to lose their fifth straight loss. And then, Caris LeVert began a run like no other, and the Nets began a charge. LeVert had 14 points to close out the third quarter, and it did not stop there. When the buzzer rang at the end of the fourth, Celtics fans could not believe what they saw. The Nets put up a 51 point quarter and came back to tie the game. The Nets continued their run into OT and Chris LeVert went on an 11-2 run by himself. He finished with 51 points, 37 of them in the fourth and OT. No NBA player in the last 20 years had ever done that.

Perhaps the chants got Caris LeVert going, he could not miss, 3 pointer after 3 pointer. LeVert with two minutes left pulled the Nets to within 2 points. He was not done there though.

The Celtics did everything they could to escape with the win. With a minute left they went up by six points. But Chris Chiozza hit a step back midranger to bring the Nets within three. The Nets came up with a stop on the defensive end and got the ball in LeVerts hand at the free throw line. He made the first but missed the second, but somehow got the rebound to then miss the potential game winner. The Celtics then went down to go up by five points with 10 seconds left. The Nets went down and got their big man a dunk, three point deficit. With less than three seconds the Nets trapped Kemba Walker and were able to get LeVert the ball at the three point line and he was fouled. LeVert hit all three to send the game to OT. LeVert then went on a tear in OT to give the Nets a well fought win to stop their losing streak.

New York Knicks finally snap losing streak in 125-115 win over Bulls

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New York nicks finally picked up a win and snapping a three game losing streak. They took on the Chicago Bulls on February 29 and won 125-115. Six Knicks players hit double digit points in their win which was a pleasant surprise for Knicks fans as they could get something going offensively. It was a sense of hope for the future for Knicks fans and for the first time in a while was fun to watch. Reggie Bullock and Dennis Smith Jr. were both out but Frank Ntilikina and Taj Gibson were back for the Knicks.

Gibson was right back in his rhythm and had a dominant first quarter, putting up nine points. Mitchell Robinson dropped eight points in the first quarter. At the end of the first the Knicks held onto a six point lead. The Bulls took a brief lead in the second just before the Knicks went crazy. They went on a 16-2 run to end the half capped by a RJ Barrett step back 3 putting the Knicks up by thirteen at halftime.

The third quarter was completely dominated by the Bulls. Denzel Valentine scored Chicago’s final seven points entering the fourth to pull them within three points going into the fourth. The Knicks had a wake up call going into the third when Bulls outscored the 33-23. In the start of the fourth the Knicks hit back to back threes to put them up 101-93. The Knicks finished the night strong and finally got a win. They were never really threatened and had strong performances from every player they put in. It was just fun to watch and gave fans so hope for the future of the Knicks program.

Knicks drop third straight against the Hornets, 107-101

The New York Knicks record dropped to 17-41 with the teams 107-101 loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night.

The Knicks starters Julius Randle and RJ Barrett could get absolutely nothing going offensively, but for the Knicks their bench was the shining star of the night. Allonzo Trier, who has barely even seen the floor this season played a pivotal role in why the Knicks stayed in the game.

Allonzo Trier played 16 minutes and scored 15 points while having a very efficient night shooting. He shot 6-8 from the floor tonight. In the fourth quarter Trier was a key part of the comeback that the Knicks launched. The comeback ultimately came up short though as the Knicks dropped another crushing loss. After the game last night Trier told reporters that although he has not played a lot this year, he has done anything he could do to help out the team.

For the Knicks on Wednesday, Randle shot 7 of 14 from the floor and scored 18 points. Barrett scored just five points on a tough 2-11 shooting. These are not numbers that a team’s star players should be putting up. If the Knicks hope to finish out the season with some wins they will need Randle and Barrett to step up. If not, it will be a tough rest of the season.

The Knicks have had a tough season and just seemed to be in a rebuilding year. They have now lost three games in a row and will have a tough game tonight against a very good 76ers squad.

Knicks drop another game to the Rockets 123-112

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The Knicks had no answer for James Harden in the Knicks 123-112 loss to the Rockets. The Rockets came into the game without Russell Westbrook, but with James Harden they did not need them. Harden paced the Rockets offense with 37 points.

The Knicks kept it close in the first quarter, and even extended their to as many as three points. The Rockets refused to go away though and ended the first quarter with a three point lead. In the second quarter the Rockets went on a run and outscored the Knicks 36-24. They headed into halftime with a 72-57 lead.

Coming out of the half the Knicks had good energy and was able to stay with the Rockets. Both teams dropped 29 points in the third quarter. The fourth was a different story though. The Knicks could not get a rally going and ended up losing the quarter 26-22. This put the Rockets up by 11 and they won the game 123-112.

RJ Barrett was the shining star for the Knicks dropping 21 points as well as contributing six rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Mitchell Robinson played 26 minutes coming off the bench and contributed 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds, while having five blocks at the defensive end. Robinson also had two assists and two steals. With no Frank Ntilikina and Efred Payton meant that Dennis Smith Jr. had to get extended minutes. Smith dropped 15 points, seven rebounds, five assists and had seven steals. This was key in why the Knicks were able to stay close with the Rockets.

Nets choke a huge 19 point lead to the Magic,115-113

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The Nets blew a huge 19 point lead in a loss that would have been huge for them to have won. The Brooklyn Nets looked strong on both ends of the ball, but particularly the Nets defense only allowing 41 points in the first half. At the end of the first half the Nets held a 54-41 lead. At the start of the third quarter Joe Harris nailed a huge 3-pointer to put Brooklyn up by 19 points. At this point the Nets were flying high thinking they were going to scoop up their second straight victory.

Orlando was not going to let this happen though. They continued a streak and ended up dropping 40 points in the third quarter to get the deficit from 19 down to 6. The Nets were shocked they let this huge lead disappear.

In the fourth quarter there were 11 lead changes as Orlando continued their scoring streak going off for 34 points. They hit 10-16 from the three point line in the second half and seemed unstoppable. The Magic scored 74 points in just 24 minutes and absolutely dominated the Nets on their home floor. Brooklyn finally lost their 19 point deficit with 44 seconds left when it became a two point deficit. They came up with a stop and put Taurean Prince up to hit a three to put them up, but he missed. The game seemed to be over but a sensational stop by the Nets on the inbounds. When the Nets had the chance to win it went back to Prince who missed the three again as time expired.

The Nets will be on the road to play the Wizards on February 26 at 7:00 p.m.

The Nets End The Raptors 15-game win streak before the All-Star Break

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The Brooklyn Nets played in their final game before the All-Star break, hosting a 40-15 Raptors squad. The Raptors coming into the game with a 15 game win streak with no intention of ending it any time soon. The Nets had other ideas though entering the All-Star break in winning their second game in a row, and sixth in the last eight, while ending Toronto’s 15 game win streak, 101-91. The Nets might end up seeing the Toronto Raptors in the first round of the as the Nets hold the seventh seed and Toronto holds the second.

If this stays as is, the Nets will need to play like they did Wednesday in order to have any chance of getting to the second round.

The Nets came out in the first quarter with a ton of energy on defense holding a high scoring Raptors squad to just 19 points. They ended the first quarter with a 4 point lead being up 23-19. They continued their defense in the second quarter and extended their lead to double digits. They went into half-time with a 52-40 lead.

After the third quarter ended the Raptors trimmed the deficit to 10 points. In the fourth quarter DeAndre Jordan and Garrett Temple put home consecutive and-one’s to get Brooklyn a 80-65 point lead. Toronto then got chipped back into it trimming the lead to only ten, but Spencer Dinwiddie scored five straight points to get the lead back to 15 points with a little over five minutes remaining. The Nets kept their lead and snapped the 15 game win streak that the Raptors had going.

Chris LeVert was the key to success all night for the Nets finishing with 20 points, seven rebounds, three assists and four steals. He’s now averaging 24 points in the last five games and seems to be the shinning star for the Nets.

The Nets do not play again till February 20 against the 76ers to try to scoop up their 3rd straight win in a row.

Nets Win 106-105 Thriller Over the Pacers

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The Nets did not disappoint in a huge 106-105 win over a talented Pacers squad. After a big loss to the Raptors by one point the Nets went on the road to take on the Pacers. The game was going very similar to how it went against the Raptors where the Nets had a lead and failed to keep it. In the third quarter they held on to an 8 point lead that quickly went to a 3 point deficit entering the fourth. The fourth was a ton of back and forth action with many lead changes. With 26 seconds left Joe Harris hit a three pointer to put the Nets up by one point, but Domantas Sabonis had other plans putting in a layup to give the Pacers a one point lead with 9.9 second left. The Nets were looking like they were going to lose their second straight by one point, but Spencer Dinwiddie refused to go down without a fight.

Dinwiddie had the hot hand and got the call to attempt the game winner, and he did not disappoint nailing a elbow jumper. The Nets then forced a miss from Malcolm Brogdon and picked up a huge one point win. Dinwiddie ended the game with 21 points, with 12 points coming in the fourth quarter. He hit 13 of 15 at the free throw line, 4 of 15 from the field to go along with 11 assists and 6 rebounds. This would now be Dinwiddie’s seventh double-double of the season, tying his career high double-doubles in a season.

The Brooklyn Nets will be hosting the Toronto Raptors on February 13 at 7:30 p.m. eastern time. This will prove to be a hefty task for the Nets, with the Raptors continuing a 15 game win streak.