The New York Knicks are scheduled to take on the Brooklyn nets on Monday evening, but the challenge doesn’t scare them. Brooklyn currently sits at 34–15, good for second place in the Atlantic standings, tied with the Philadelphia 76ers.
With Kevin Durant expected to make a return this week, Brooklyn could feature James Harden, Durant, and Kyrie Irving, which would pose a significant threat to a Knicks team that is coming off a few unfortunate losses to below-average teams.
However, New York did walk away with a victory over the Detroit Pistons on Saturday night, finishing 125-81. In the contest, Julius Randle scored 29 points, and Reggie Bullock finished with 22, stating after the game that they don’t fear Brooklyn and their star-caliber players.
In fact, when asked about Brooklyn’s big 3 and if they will be fazed by them, Reggie Bullock responded with a perfect quote, “we got a big 5.â€
Randle quickly chimed in, saying, “we got a big 15.†It is nice to see the confidence from the stars against Detroit, who combined for 53 points and 13 total rebounds. Bullock is one of the Knicks’ only sharpshooters, hitting 6-of-10 from behind the arc on Saturday. When he’s playing at the top of his game and hitting shots, the Knicks’ offense is vastly improved basketball.
“We’re not really concerned about their Big three. We know what type of basketball we’ll be able to come into the game and play. We’ll focus on our team. The game plan that coach draws up. Other than that, that’s all we’re focued on. The Knicks.â€
Ultimately, New York does host the best defense in basketball, but stopping Brooklyn will be extremely difficult considering they have won four straight and scored no fewer than 111 points.
Luckily for the Knicks, they will be coming off a game on Sunday night, so they might be a bit fatigued. The team doesn’t lose very often, especially with three players averaging over 25 points per game. The Knicks can simply play their game, hoping for a few big defensive stops, but they must hit shots late in games, which is something they have failed to do in recent days.