The New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets both spent last week visiting various Western Conference teams and experienced differing results.
As a result of those outcomes, the Knicks are attempting to go a season-best five games over .500 while the Nets are trying to avoid falling under .500 for the first time in nearly a month Wednesday night when the intracity rivals convene in Brooklyn.
The Knicks are making their first visit to Brooklyn since Jan. 28 of last season — shortly before Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant sought trades and were ultimately dealt at the deadline.
At 15-11, New York is four games over for the fourth time so far this season. The last time was Friday when Jalen Brunson scored a career-best 50 in a 139-122 victory at Phoenix.
Brunson’s dynamic performance was part of a 2-2 trip out West. The Knicks followed it up with one of their worst defensive showings of the season in a 144-122 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday but responded nicely with a 114-109 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday.
Brunson scored 29 and is averaging 28.4 in his past nine games since he was held to 12 in New York’s 24-point win over Charlotte on Nov. 28. Julius Randle added 27 and 14 rebounds and is averaging 27.3 over his past 11 games since being held to 13 in New York’s two-point win over the Miami Heat on Nov. 24.
Besides Brunson and Randle’s showings, the Knicks allowed their fewest points since losing Mitchell Robinson to ankle surgery that will sideline him for at least two months. Two nights after allowing the Clippers to shoot 56.8 percent, New York also held the Lakers to 42.4 percent from the field, which was the fourth-lowest field-goal percentage for a Knicks opponent.
“We took a step forward tonight, and we’re going to try to keep moving forward,” Brunson said Monday. “We’re learning how to bounce back, but we’ve got to continue to stack wins. You can’t be comfortable after just one. Keep stacking them, keep being resilient and just stick together.”
At 13-13, Brooklyn is at .500 for the first time since it was 9-9 following a one-point loss to the Hornets on Nov. 30. The Nets are at the break-even point for the seventh time this year.
The Nets entered their trip on a three-game winning streak and with six wins in seven games, but they wound up losing four of five. The only win was last Wednesday’s four-point victory in Phoenix. The Nets allowed at least 124 in the four losses, and three were by double-digits.
The trip ended with Monday’s 125-108 loss at Utah when they were outscored 71-49 after halftime and 48-30 in the final 14-plus minutes. Brooklyn faltered by getting outrebounded 51-36 and allowing 30 fast-break points while leading scorer Mikal Bridges struggled offensively.
Cam Thomas scored 32 points, but Bridges was held to 13 on 4-of-16 shooting. Bridges scored a total of 40 points in the final three games of the trip and was 13-for-41 from the field in those games.
“Just did everything bad today,” Bridges said Monday. “Missing shots, free throws, not defending, not rebounding.
“Just a bad one, you know? Pretty much just out there and letting my teammates down, coaches down, playing five-on-four out there basically while I’m out there.”
The Nets won nine straight meetings, but the Knicks secured double-digit victories in the final two meetings last season at Madison Square Garden, including a 142-118 rout on March 1 when New York shot 60.7 percent and Brunson scored 39 on 15-for-18 from the floor.
–Field Level Media
