The Nets stole the NBA’s imagination and even stole Wednesday’s televised game against the Knicks.
Imagine when their entire super team – and not just Kevin Durant – shows up in the garden next time.
Tom Thibodeau’s knicks couldn’t even defend the Brooklyn Lite. The Nets became the Brooklyn Nine after a four-team blockbuster deal to add a third superstar to James Harden and went on to beat the Knicks, 116-109, in the Empty Garden.
Of course, Durant was still on the field. In his first game against the Knicks since being dismissed as a free agent in July 2019, he scored 26 points in 30 minutes – 12 of them in the third quarter. Durant hit 10 of 18 shots – including 3 of 5 from the 3-point range.
“We want to finish the second half back-to-back, especially with a team that is right across the bridge,” Durant said. “And we know what this rivalry is like and we know the intensity with which this team plays. So we really wanted this game tonight and everyone played like that. ”
The garden was not completely empty. Knicks owner James Dolan, who is no longer sitting on his base near the team’s bench during this pandemic season, has seen second-level dirt in the 100-yard line. He had to stab Dolan after chasing Durant’s jumpers and saw his club lose their fourth straight to fall to 5-7.
Although the crime had been Achilles’ heel for the Knicks, this time it was the defense that disappointed Thibodeau.
“We were disappointed that we could have played better defensively, yes, but more determined to do well,” Thibodeau said. “I like the fight I showed at the end, but it was too late. I went into a hole too big. We need to get back to work. Sometimes you go through stretches where you don’t have the opportunity to practice too much, so I think the practice would be good for us. ”
Harden will arrive soon, but the Nets were without Kyrie Irving (personal reasons) and the players they changed – Caris LeVert, Jarrett Allen, Prince Taurean and Rodions Kurucs.
While the Nets turned Brooklyn into a star paradise, Knicks striker Julius Randle continued to play as one. He beat the Nets for 30 points and five assists, but didn’t have enough. Slumping RJ Barrett, who didn’t have a goal in the first half and missed the first six shots, came too late and finished with 20 points.
Durant scored a late 15-2 run with a steal and a quick break in the final minute of the second quarter to give the Nets a 61-45 break lead. He scored in the first possession of the game and was graceful at the Garden in the white uniforms of the Nets.
Thibodeau is not surprised that Durant did not show the fall from recovery from his injury to the Achilles tendon.
“He will win everything in front of him,” Thibodeau said. “It’s a gymnastic rat. He’s a player. He is a great student of the game. And he has an incredible skill set. And the undervalued part is altruism, his desire to pass. It sure is a wonderful one of all time. So it doesn’t surprise me.
The beginning of the Knicks, Immanuel Quickley, a colleague from Maryland, seemed a little startled during Durant’s time.
“Probably the greatest basketball player I’ve ever played against,” said Quickley, who came out of his fall to score 19 points in 22 minutes in a bright Knicks spot. “He shot me and it was like a video game. I was right there and he emptied everything clean. And I was just going down to the yard when we were offended and I said to myself, “God, that was crazy.” He’s a great player and he’s from Maryland, so I’m glad he’s dressed. ”
Nets under the game team played a clean game, hiring only a turnover in the first half. Sharpshooter Joe Harris scored 15 points, hitting three triples. Nets goalkeeper Bruce Brown, with 15 points and 14 rebounds, looked much more efficient and faster than Barrett. In one play, he overcame the Knicks defense for a quick half.
To make matters worse, the choice in the second round of the Nets, striker Reggie Perry, was called and scored 11 points when shooting 5 of 7.
Perry of Mississippi was ranked 57th in the November draft. The Knicks could have had the 33rd pick, but they traded it into a complex deal with a second round in 2023 because they felt there was no place on their list.
Going 18, 3:23 left and Durant on the pin, the Knicks made a late push to make the final score look more competitive than it actually was.