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Nets rally but can’t ‘close’ out Knicks

Brooklyn falters down stretch in Rivalry Week defeat

January 22, 2025 By John Torenli, Sports Editor Brooklyn Daily Eagle
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Nets rookie coach Jordi Fernández had the Knicks right where he wanted them during the NBA’s nationally televised Rivalry Week showdown in Downtown Brooklyn.

With his team down by two points and the clock showing 15 seconds, Fernández watched from the bench as Cam Johnson uncorked a 26-footer that could have put his team in front.

Instead, the ball clanged out and Brooklyn’s East River rivals escaped a sold-out Barclays Center with a 99-95 win, leaving the Nets to lament their ninth consecutive loss to the Knicks and fourth in a row overall in front of a split crowd of 19,926 Big Apple basketball fanatics.

“I thought it was a great battle. It was fun,” admitted Fernández despite the Nets’ eighth consecutive home loss. “I hope it was fun for everybody here watching and everybody on TV.”

“I think they did an amazing job,” he added. “From my experience in the NBA, everybody loves to play on national TV. … The environment out there was great.”

The national audience did get a rare eyeful of Brooklyn’s rebuilding project.

D’Angelo Russell scored 23 points and handed out 10 assists in his best performance since being acquired from the Los Angeles Lakers earlier this month.

Johnson added 16 points and Tyrese Martin had 13 off the bench for the Nets (14-30), who have won just once in their last 10 games and will try to avoid a season high-tying fifth straight defeat here Wednesday against Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns.

After trailing by as many as 13 points in the third quarter, the Nets put together a push over the game’s final 15 minutes, locking down the Knicks (29-16) during a 21-7 spurt that gave them an 88-87 lead with 5:18 to play on Keon Johnson’s 3-pointer.

The intracity rivals swapped the lead a pair of times thereafter, but Net killer Jalen Brunson saved his best for last.

He put New York in front to stay with a 12-foot pull-up with 2:18 remaining and added a floater in the lane moments later to give the Knicks a 93-90 lead with just under two minutes left.

Keon Johnson made a pair of free throws, but Brunson burned Brooklyn again by nailing a 12-foot step-back and rebounding Russell’s missed 25-footer to start a break the other way, resulting in OG Anunoby’s thunderous dunk and a 97-92 cushion for the visitors from Manhattan.

Russell splashed his next 3-ball with under a minute to go and Brunson finally missed before Cam Johnson’s ill-fated shot from beyond the arc failed to drop.

“I wouldn’t set it up any other way, but to have the ball in Cam’s hands in that situation,” Fernández insisted.

Karl-Anthony Towns had 25 points and 16 rebounds, Anunoby added 20 points and Brunson finished with 17, though the eight he put up in crunch time mattered most for New York, which won its second straight and improved to 3-0 vs. Brooklyn this season.

Former Net Mikal Bridges and the Knicks won their ninth in a row vs. Brooklyn despite 23 points and 10 assists from D’Angelo Russell. AP Photo by Adam Hunger

Former Net forward Mikal Bridges, traded across the river for five first-round draft picks last summer, had a quiet game with 10 points and a pair of steals.

But the NBA’s Iron Man enjoyed extending his streak of consecutive games played to 518 in his first trip back to Brooklyn as a Knick.

“It was cool. Saw a lot of my old teammates and staff and everybody, so it was great to see them,” Bridges said.

Day’Ron Sharpe and Noah Clowney finished with 10 points apiece and Nic Claxton added eight points and 12 rebounds for the Nets, who held the Knicks to 15 fourth-quarter points.

“I think that it speaks to the identity of the team, the resiliency. I’m happy to see that,” Fernández said of Brooklyn’s comeback. “As long as you come back to fight, our purpose and focus was right there today.”

Russell, who was questionable to play due to a sore hamstring, also blocked three shots and picked up a steal in 31 minutes, his longest appearance since arriving Downtown.

“His impact in the group has been very positive,” Fernández said of his floor leader, who also made a game-high four 3-pointers.

“He impacts the game in many ways and he understands the game and communicates. It makes his teammates better because he makes things simple for everyone else.”

Winning has been anything but simple for these Nets, who have gone 5-20 since an inspiring 9-10 start to this renovation campaign.

They’ll have to deal with former Brooklyn superstar Durant and the Suns (21-21), who are battling to stay in Western Conference playoff contention while the Nets’ lottery position in the draft improves with every hard-fought loss.

“I’m very happy with the fight, the performance and I want to see it again tomorrow,” Fernández noted.

Tip-off Wednesday is at 7:30 p.m.

Even Nets owner Joe Tsai and Brooklyn film director Spike Lee got entangled during Tuesday’s Rivalry Week game at Barclays Center. AP Photo by Adam Hunger

NOTHING BUT NET: The Nets beat Durant the Suns in Phoenix on Nov. 27 behind a career-high 30 points from Martin. Brooklyn dropped a 136-120 decision to the Suns here last Jan. 31 as Durant returned to Barclays with a 33-point performance. … The Nets are still waiting for high-scoring guard Cam Thomas to return from his ongoing hamstring issues, which have kept him out since Jan. 2. Thomas, who has only played two games since absorbing the initial injury in Sacramento on Nov. 25, has resumed non-contact on-court activities, according to Fernández. … Brooklyn, which hasn’t won at Barclays since Dec. 4 vs. Indiana, will host Miami here on Saturday and the Kings on Monday.





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