The very fact that with two seconds left in the latest iteration of the Nets-Knicks cross-NYC rivalry, the hometown Knickerbockers had a chance to win the game should be a loss in itself for the Nets. However, Cleanthony Early airballed a potential game-winning three at the buzzer to preserve a 100-98 win for Brooklyn, Lionel Hollins’ team fifth-straight victory.
Between the game being tied at two in the first quarter and 98 in the fourth, the Nets led the entire way, going up by double digits multiple times, only to continually let the beyond-reprieve Knicks back every single time.
Taking an early nine-point lead at the end of the first quarter, the Nets were active, making shots and looked determined not to fall prey to yet another trap game; the type of game against an opponent Brooklyn has had extreme trouble with this season. When Bojan Bogdanovic drilled a three with 10:12 left in the second quarter to put the Nets up 37-23, it felt like a possible death blow to the undermanned and undertalented Knicks, even with how early it was in the game.
Yet, New York scored the next 10 points to get right back in it and after another Brooklyn spurt to take a double-digit lead, the Knicks cut it to five at the half (58-53) for some positive momentum.
The same thing happened in the third quarter, as Brooklyn slowly strung together buckets and stops to build a 78-62 lead more than halfway through the frame. Again, it seemed like the prime point for the struggling Knicks to slink away to their 61st defeat of the year. Also, it was a good time for the playoff-hungry Nets to put the score out of reach, for good.
Although they didn’t make much of a push the rest of the quarter, the Knicks started the fourth with a lot of energy and found themselves down just 94-91 on a Langston Galloway three-pointer with under six minutes left in regulation. From then, until the buzzer, they wouldn’t go away. While never taking the lead, New York went on a mini run–capped off by an Early triple–to knot the score up at 98.
The Nets couldn’t find a way to get any points down the stretch so when Joe Johnson missed a three with 46 seconds left, giving New York the ball, panic set in. Thankfully, Thaddeus Young forced a turnover on the other end, which allowed Brooklyn to regain the ball. After a missed D-Will running layup, birthday boy Brook Lopez overshot an original tip-in but got his own rebound to put the Nets ahead with a successful tip.
Then, with the ball after a timeout with two seconds left, Derek Fisher designed a play to get rookie Early the ball behind the arc. On TV, his heave looked like it had a chance to get the win for New York but, in reality, it was a sorely missed airball. Game over. Fifth-straight win for the Nets, who remain the outright holder of the East’s final playoff spot.
Assorted thoughts: Not much production to speak off from the bench, so Brooklyn had to rely on Brook Lopez (18 points, seven rebounds, five blocks) and Deron Williams (26 points, seven assists, seven rebounds with 4-7 three-point shooting) to lead the way, and they succeeded. Deron has always had shooting success at MSG–for whatever reason–and he was highly confidence tonight, spotting up from deep with ease and attacking the hoop with speed and athleticism. He looked like his old self. For Lopez, the seven-game streak of 20+ points ends but he got his points when the Nets needed them the most, especially with his game-winning putback. Also, his five blocks exemplified Brooklyn’s strong interior defense all night….Joe, Thad and Markel Brown only combined for 35 points but each made important plays to help the Nets win. Joe only went 3-9 from the field, but made three of his five three-point attempts, each at crucial moments to extend the lead. His shooting has been inconsistent at times which makes it all the more important for him to at least provide some value on his off-nights. Thad got his usual points on broken plays and off nice passes at the hoop but also grabbed nine rebounds and make a possible game-saving defensive play in the game’s final minute. He always does the little things perfectly. Markel almost saw his night end early with a hard first quarter fall but he was able to pop right back up and provide some nice rebounding and scoring for Brooklyn. His ability to jump insanely high for boards allows him to prevent deadly offensive rebounds as well as let him explode for dunks on fastbreaks and even tight-knit defense. As an added bonus, his activity on defense resulted in three steals for him tonight, which contributed to Brooklyn’s 16 points off New York’s 16 turnovers….For the second game in a row, the Nets shot 50 percent or better from both the field and three-point range. Pretty good for both ends of a back-to-back.
Onto the next one: Friday night at Barclays against the Raptors.
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