On an icy Wednesday night, the New York Knicks went into battle against the Brooklyn Nets without a key cog, as Carmelo Anthony is out with a right ankle injury he suffered against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night.
An MRI revealed no serious damage, so Anthony was a precautionary sit to rest the aching ankle.
Therefore, the Knicks were brought the task of taking on a depleted Nets team who just cleaned house, firing their head coach Lionel Hollins. The Nets have lost 10 straight games on their home court prior to the night, and the rolling Knicks came in winning five of their last six matchups.
The Nets got out to a sluggish lead early against New York, leading by nine at the end of the first period. But this was a relatively slow-paced game at its beginning, as both teams searched and overreached for offense as the game wore on.
Brooklyn continued to find answers, wrapping up the night with six different players contributing double-digit scoring efforts, highlighted by Joe Johnson's effort to put the Knicks away. Johnson buried back-to-back jumpers in the final two minutes of the contest that ultimately placed a comeback effort from the orange and blue to rest. Brooklyn sealed the deal with a Brook Lopez tip-in off of a Johnson missed jump shot.
The Knicks chipped away at the deficit coming into halftime, cutting the lead to only three. From then on, the scrimmage began to heat up as both clubs traded shots and strong defensive stretches, but a late 10-2 run in the final five minutes of the fourth put Brooklyn over the hump.
The Nets went on to snap their 10-game loosing streak at Barclays Center, and delivered their first win to new head coach Tony Brown. Brooklyn made valuable shots down the stretch, including a jump shot in crunch time followed by multiple free throws from Shane Larkin, who scored a season-high 17 points. Larkin also dished out five assists, while playing with sass and a competitive fire against the Knicks squad who dumped him and his talents during the offseason after just one season with New York.
Brook Lopez finished with a orchestrating effort of 20 points, eight rebounds and five assists. While his twin, Robin Lopez, had nine points along with seven offensive rebounds and a blocked shot.
Derrick Williams was the usual lightning bolt off the bench for New York, tearing up the Barclays Center for 31 points on a hyper-efficient 9-of-11 shooting from the floor, which included and-one plays and ferocious dunks that sparked the offense as a whole. This tied Williams' career-high he accomplished with the Sacramento Kings, and ultimately showcased Williams' offensive skillset and overall athleticism.
The Knicks stand one game below the .500 mark once again, now with a record of 20-21, while the Nets still sit in the depths of the strengthened Eastern Conference, earning just their 11th win of the season.
Hopes are strong for New York to have their main man Carmelo Anthony back into action for their must-win matchup on the road against the Memphis Grizzlies (21-19) on Saturday night. The Knicks will have two days of much-needed rest after back-to-back games against the Celtics and Nets.
The Brooklyn Nets will hope to continue their balanced effort from Wednesday and attempt to go on a streak as they host the Portland Trailblazers (16-24) on Friday night.