Behind the star atop their roster and a rookie somewhere in its weeds, the Knicks had just enough to wring out the win

On Friday night the New York Knicks took on the Brooklyn Nets, the crosstown rivals with whom they completed a rare and massive trade this summer. Mikal Bridges faced his former team for the first time with the Knicks coming off a heartbreaking last-seconds loss to the Chicago Bulls. To add to the adversity, earlier in the day they learned they would be without star center Karl-Anthony Towns and sharpshooting sixth man Miles “Deuce” McBride (in addition to already being shorthanded due to injuries to Precious Achiuwa and Mitchell Robinson). 

The Nets came in just a half game behind the Knicks, a feisty upstart so far in what is widely expected to be a rebuilding year. Just last week they had the defending champion Boston Celtics on the ropes with a 20-point lead before falling in overtime. Shorthanded, against a team that always brings a little extra to this matchup, and having not looked their best for much of the season – how would the Knicks respond?

The first quarter saw both teams deliver haymakers. Budding Nets star Cam Thomas came out like a man possessed. The gifted isolation scorer was hitting (literally) everything, from deep threes to midrange fadeaways, supplementing his outside firebombing with slick drives to the rim and trips to the free throw line. Thomas carried the Net offense, finishing the first quarter with 19 points on a perfect 7-of-7 from the field. 

The Knicks were more balanced, attacking early with OG Anunoby and quickly getting all five starters in the scoring column, with Jericho Sims in place of Towns. Jalen Brunson was not quite as prolific, but hit some big jump shots to counter Thomas, while Bridges chipped in 7 points as in the frame and Josh Hart continued to fill in everywhere as needed, including a contested 3-pointer (it almost feels like he shoots better on those than when he’s wide open) and a gorgeous lob to Sims for a thunderous slam. By the end of a frenetic first, the Knicks led 37-32. 

Given the injuries, Tom Thibodeau had to dig deep into his bench, playing Ariel Hukporti, Tyler Kolek and Pacôme Dadiet together – all rookies. Thibodeau has been notoriously reticent in years past to play rookies before they’ve earned his trust, but it turns out the kids are all right. Hukporti, in particular, made a game-changing impact, providing size and rim protection the Knicks have sorely lacked this season. He tallied three blocks in the second quarter and finished with four, doing an impressive job sliding his feet with drivers, deterring shots and contesting without fouling. 

And his contributions were not limited to the defensive end. Hukporti’s mobility, ability to put the ball on the floor, passing and touch around the rim were immediately on display. When Brunson came back into the game, the Nets aggressively trapped him close to halfcourt off of screens. Brunson repeatedly fed Hukporti as an outlet, even throwing some difficult to handle bounce passes; the rookie not only handled them, he repeatedly made plays for himself and others in those 4-on-3s. Hukporti went through multiple reads like a quarterback to find the open man against the scrambling help defense, finished through traffic, and even made a beauitful soft-touch baby floater on the move. With his combination of body control, passing, coordination and touch, it was tough not to be reminded of another German center who recently wore #55 for the Knicks. (Ed. note: Dikembe Mutombo was not recently a Knick, and never German)

The other rookies ate valuable minutes as well, even if their contributions were more muted. Kolek provided steady ballhandling alongside Cameron Payne against an aggressive Brooklyn defense while holding up better than expected on defense. And while the Diaper Dandy Dadiet is clearly still adjusting to the NBA, his energy popped. He had a great sequence forcing a steal after a terrific closeout to generate a fastbreak and get to the foul line. Dadiet’s only shot was a confident, quick-release three off of an assist from Brunson that he swished.

Buoyed by the bench, as well as timely scoring from Bridges and Brunson, the Knicks got out to an 11-point lead at halftime that very well could have been more if not for a disastrous end-of-half sequence in which Brunson turned the ball over after being trapped at halfcourt with no Knick providing an outlet. 

The Knicks would stretch their lead in the third, with the defense locking up and Anunoby, Brunson and Bridges too much for a young Nets defense. New York repeatedly punished Brooklyn’s traps and attacked mismatches with their long, skilled wings. Hart continued to be opportunistic in transition and on the glass, while Brunson showed why he finished fifth in MVP voting last season, relentlessly attacking the defense and flashing a return to form shooting the ball that has been more effervescent this season than last. 

The Knicks led by as many as 20 in the third and headed into the final period with a commanding 18-point lead. The Nets had put up a fight, but the Knicks look to clearly be a class above, even with all the injuries. Time to put the champagne on ice and get some nice reps for the kids, right?

The Nets had other ideas. 

Slowly chipping away at the lead while wearing down Brunson and the Knicks with full-court pressure and aggressive trapping, the Nets’ high-variance strategy started to pay off: the Knicks would score only 24 points after cresting 30 in each of the previous three quarters. Meanwhile, Thomas came alive again, carving up the Knicks’ defense, finishing with 43 on 16-of-22 shooting, including a torrid 7-of-10 from three. His early-season performance has to be very encouraging for Nets fans. 

Several crucial calls also went the Nets’ way. Anunoby and Nets shooting guard Dorian Finney-Smith got into an altercation after Finney-Smith shoved Anunoby to the ground while setting a screen. Both players were assessed technicals, and after review Anunoby was called for his fifth foul. The Nets would also win two controversial challenges, including the play that fouled out Anunoby after an out-of-bounds call – initially ruled off Brooklyn – was overturned because Anunoby had pulled his man’s jersey before the inbounds pass was thrown. 

With Anunoby fouled out, the Nets took the lead after an offensive rebound led to a three from Dennis Schröder. The Knicks had done a good job on the pride of Braunschweig all evening, but he hit what was to that point the biggest shot of the night. Down 122-121 with 11.5 seconds left and missing Anunoby (whose 25 were second-most among Knicks), there was little doubt the Knicks would try to get Brunson the final shot. 

However, the Nets had done a terrific job down the stretch of getting the ball out of his hands and forcing others to make plays. Additionally, the memory of Brunson’s not-to-be game-winner against Chicago two days earlier – which rimmed out halfway down – was fresh in the minds of Knicks fans. Another heartbreaker in a game the Knicks seemed to have full control over just a few minutes earlier would be a bitter pill to swallow.

This time, Brunson delivered. The Knicks were able to get him the ball in the left corner isolated on his former Mavericks teammate Finney-Smith. Finney-Smith didn’t give him much room, and had his hand up, but after a jab-step Brunson fired away from three and hit, putting the Knicks up two with six seconds left. The Nets quickly inbounded to the lightning-quick Schröder, who went the length of the floor to the rim with Bridges in his pocket. And in a poetic ending, Bridges secured the victory against his former team with a block of Schröder’s layup at the buzzer. 

The Knicks would win 124-122, two days after being on the other side of a 124-123 loss. It was ugly at times, but good teams find a way to fight through adversity and get the job done, and ultimately that’s what the Knicks were able to do. 

Notes

• Stopping Brunson was once again priority #1, #2, and #3 for the Nets, who played physical, aggressive full-court defense all night long. While there were still plenty of up and down moments, the captain delivered when it mattered most and finished with a season-high 37 points (12-of-20 shooting, 3-of-8 from long range) and seven assists to just three turnovers. After the torrent of 40-point performances last season, it’s a bit surprising to note that this was “only” Brunson’s third 30-point effort this season. With Towns out, it was clear Brunson realized he needed to take on a larger scoring load. While he struggled earlier in the season to finish in the paint and get to the foul line, he has started to hit a groove and he hit big shots all night. 

• Don’t look now, but Brunson is up to season averages of 25.3 points, 6.6 assists and 2.3 turnovers on 48/38/82 shooting (58.6% true shooting). He’s capable of much more, but if this is “struggling,” I’ll take it. 

• Bridges has been highly scrutinized given the cost of acquiring him, but he shined with 22 points on 8-of-17 shooting, 4-of-7 from three. His midrange jumper feels automatic and he does a nice job running the floor in transition. The Knicks as a whole struggled on defense, especially against Thomas, but Bridges was active on that end and did a much better job communicating with Hart (something I felt was an issue against Chicago in particular). Knicks fans would do well to remember that even the vaunted Heatles team that featured LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh got off to a lukewarm 9-8 start. It takes time for new pieces to gel, but it certainly looks like Bridges is starting to. 

• Bridges’ role has changed significantly the past few seasons, from being a 3-and-D third option in Phoenix to the number one offensive option in Brooklyn to a secondary creator and point-of-attack defender for the Knicks. On that last point, the Knicks were noticeably better defending Thomas with Anunoby than with Bridges. Bridges is a very talented defender, but still adjusting to consistently guarding the other team’s top perimeter threat every night (especially quick guards who run him through a million screens). All that said, it was nice to see him play a strong game and get the game-sealing block against his former team.

• For large parts of the night, Anunoby looked like the best Knick on the floor. While he struggled to find the range from three, he made all nine of his 2-pointers, scoring 25 while punishing Brooklyn trying to hide smaller defenders on him and consistently getting ahead of the pack for easy breakaway layups and dunks. Anunoby added two steals; for all the worries about the Knicks’ defense, he has been everything we’ve come to expect from him on that end, jumping passing lanes, swallowing drives and forcing turnovers that lead to transition opportunities. The offense, however, has been a real revelation, with Anunoby continue to show an effective midrange game on higher volume to complement his catch-and-shoot ability and consistent finishing.

• It feels almost blasphemous to get this far with only cursory mentions of a guy who finished with a near-triple double (14/9/9, plus 2 steals), but that is often the unfortunate fate of Josh Hart on a team loaded with offensive stars. Hart was terrific once again, getting to the rim in transition, making plays for others and fighting on the glass for every inch against a long and scrappy Brooklyn team. Excuse the bad pun, but he really is the heart and soul of this team. Hart even showed off the perimeter shooting, going 2-of-5 from three. It will always be important for him to be a threat from the perimeter as teams key in on Brunson, and he has not disappointed. 

• As mentioned earlier, Hukporti brings a skill set the Knicks have sorely missed this season. With Robinson and Achiuwa injured, Hukporti is far and away the best rim protector, and his game looks advanced beyond his years. I don’t actually think Sims has played that poorly this season, and he’s a talented rebounder on both ends, though not an intimidating presence as a rim protector due to his (lack of) size. There was a noticeable difference in the Knicks’ defense with Hukporti. Knick perimeter defenders were more confident and Net drives were deterred and re-routed much more than we’ve seen this season. 

• On offense, Hukporti’s footwork, coordination, touch and passing make him an excellent pick-and-roll partner for the Knick guards. And while it’s only one game, he looks to have a strong grasp of verticality, which will prevent him from playing himself off the floor with fouls. Again, it’s only one game, but this was an emphatic statement from Hukporti. He’s earned an extended shot at rotation minutes.

• Dadiet does not look out of place on an NBA floor. He shoots with confidence, knows where to be on both ends and has a nose for the ball, often in the mix for loose balls. His next step will be securing those. The biggest area for improvement looks to be physical strength (not unexpected for a young man who just turned 19). He gets redirected on his drives and can’t get to his spots. It is interesting that Matt Ryan got zero minutes in this game (Dadiet played 11), so he might have supplanted him in the rotation. Dadiet should be a serviceable depth piece this season who can eat minutes, bring energy and knock down some shots, but I think he is a summer in the weight room from starting to realize his true potential as a high-impact rotation player.

• The Knicks need to have a better solution for ball pressure. Teams are picking up Brunson full court with long, pesky defenders, and officials are allowing a lot more physicality this season. Using Bridges and Hart to help bring the ball up in addition to having a big man escort Brunson are possible ways to counter. Moving Brunson off-ball can also stress the defense, and we know Hart is adept at finding him. But too often the Knicks take 8-10 seconds just to get into their offense, with Brunson at halfcourt and his back turned to the basket. The Knicks have too much talent to consistently struggle with this.

That’s all from me. Having improved to 6-6, the Knicks look to get back over .500 with a Sunday night rematch against the Nets at MSG.