The New York Knicks needed a win more than ever, and they got one in dominant fashion after losing nine of their previous 11 games. On Wednesday, the Brooklyn Nets came to town and got curb stomped by New York 120-66, snapping the Knicks’ four-game losing streak and setting the franchise record for the largest margin of victory.
The Knicks had one of their best defensive performances of the season
Defense has been a massive problem for New York all season, but they came out in full force against Brooklyn. Jalen Brunson held a players-only meeting after Monday’s loss to the Mavericks, and it looks as though that meeting helped them bring some intensity on that end of the floor.
The Knicks held the Nets to just 38 first half points, which is the fewest points in a first half the Knicks had given up all season, followed up by only 28 in the second half. New York showed some great defensive pressure on the Nets’ and shut down their top scoring threats.
The Knicks needed to show some fight on defense. That area has been a major weakness not only during this recent skid, but all year. However, if they can keep this level of intensity moving forward, there’s a lot of reason to feel good about their chances of finally being back on track.
The Knicks’ offense was humming
The Knicks not only played strong defense, but their offense looked back up to their standards. They scored 60 points in each half and dominated in the scoring department after scoring only 97 points on Monday against the Mavericks.
As a team, they were efficient scoring the ball, as they shot 57% from the field and 50% from three. Karl-Anthony Towns (14 points) and Brunson (20 points) led the way for the team, along with Landry Shamet who was a perfect 6-for-6 from three. They showcased that great ball movement they had earlier in the season.
The offense had stalled mightily in recent weeks, in part due to injuries to the roster. If they can get back to the high-powered, up-tempo offense that they were at the start of the season, they’ll be in prime position to continue their winning ways.
Jordan Clarkson was a notable DNP
Head coach Mike Brown shortened his rotation against Brooklyn to create more continuity, but there was one notable casualty as a result.
Jordan Clarkson, who was typically one of the first players off the bench throughout the season, did not play in the first half, and only appeared in garbage time. Clarkson has struggled over the course of this recent slide, and it appears that Brown avoided using him in favor of Shamet, who logged 15 minutes and scored 18 points off the bench.
It is unclear if this will become a new normal for Clarkson, but it appears that, at least temporarily, he has lost his spot in the rotation.
Overview
The Knicks needed a game like this badly. Over the course of this skid, they had dropped games to lesser opponents like Brooklyn. They’ll look to start up a winning streak on Saturday when they head to Philadelphia to take on the 76ers.
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