36 Points From Bridges Not Enough
Photo: Special to the NY Beacon
By Samori Benjamin
The New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets got together for the second time this season at the Barclays Center on Tuesday night and just like their December 20th matchup the Knicks came out with the victory. Unlike their earlier meeting this season in Brooklyn when the Knicks won going away by 19, the Nets began the fourth quarter up by nine points and held the lead for most of the quarter until the 4:00 minute mark when Knicks power forward Julius Randle put the Knicks up for the first time in the quarter 98-97 on a rebound putback basket. Randle finished the game with 30 points as did his Knicks co-star Jalen Brunson. Brunson’s last made shot from the field came on a three that brought the Knicks to within 94-95 with 5:50 remaining. Randle scored nine points over the final four minutes of the game to help the Knicks secure a 108-103 victory.
Jalen Brunson’s college teammate Mikal Bridges was huge for the Nets with 36 points in 36 minutes but he made just one shot from the field in the fourth quarter which came with the Nets down by four with under 25 seconds left. He finished with just three fourth quarter points. The Nets have now lost 16 of their last 20 games and tumbling hard in the Eastern Conference standings where they are sitting outside the top ten. The Knicks have now won 10 of 12 games since the new year which is also the first game they played after acquiring forward OG Anunoby.
Once again Knicks fans made their presence felt at Barclays Center as it had many in attendance saying to themselves that the place sounded like Madison Square Garden. To the dissatisfaction of the Nets players. “I feel like any person in here,” Bridges said to a room full of reporters after the game. “It’s not fun when you feel like you’re at an away game at home. That’s for probably any person sitting here. Any person alive.”
Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle were loving the Knicks fan love in the home of the Nets. “It’s very important, Knicks fans are amazing,” Brunson said after the game. “They’re always at every game cheering as loud as anyone and so it’s always awesome to hear them.”
Randle said of the crowd that it was “lit.” “Especially when we came back the crowd really got into it. It’s good to hear the New York Knicks chants at Barclays so that’s always fun.”
Next up for the Knicks is a matchup at home against the reigning NBA Champion Denver Nuggets while Brooklyn will host the Minnesota Timberwolves who have the best record in the Western Conference. Both games are on Thursday.
