New York Knicks beat the Brooklyn Nets 120-66: Back on track

The New York Knicks trounced the Brooklyn Nets, 120-66. They snapped out of their recent lull and broke recent worrisome trends.

Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson came out the gate swinging, and the entire team followed suit. Most importantly, New York played quality defense, holding the Nets to no more than 20 points in any quarter. The Knicks were up by 18 points after the first quarter, and increased their lead from there.

By halftime, the lead was 22, and it only got worse for Brooklyn. The Orange and Blue took a 32-point lead into the fourth quarter, then started the fourth on a 16-0 run. By the end of the game, the Knicks set a franchise record for victory margin.

New York looked healthy, playing at a frenetic pace we haven’t seen in ages. This felt like a warm-up for tougher competition to come, but it’s exactly what the Knicks needed.

Let’s take a victory lap by looking through player contributions.

The Captain shook off most of his rust from the last game. Jalen Brunson dropped 11 points in the first quarter, then settled into an effective role distributing the ball while Brooklyn sent double teams for most of the game. Brunson rarely looked off shooters, picking his spots effectively.

The only lingering sign of rust is Brunson’s poor three-point shooting. He got good looks, but couldn’t get them to fall.

Speaking of setting the tone in the first quarter, Karl-Anthony Towns scored seven points in his first six minutes of action. Any time the big man got cross-matched with a forward like Michael Porter Jr., he attacked relentlessly. I especially liked seeing Towns set up deep post position a few times when he saw the advantageous matchups.

KAT lost some momentum by running himself into foul trouble in the second quarter. He picked up two offensive fouls by forcing his dribble from the top of the key. Towns played well, other than that brief lapse in judgment.

The “take what you give me” approach looks better when the Knicks have a comfortable lead. Mikal Bridges’ mentality fit perfectly with the extra passing and smart shot selection of the Knicks. Nearly all his attempts came with ample space, and he was happy to pass when someone else was more open.

OG Anunoby’s only two field goals were emphatic dunks. He didn’t get much to do offensively otherwise, but I can’t blame him. The ball typically found Anunoby when a swing pass was the best choice. With no one forcing the issue, OG never had to take on defenders in isolation.

I honestly believe that Brooklyn’s unwillingness to drive muted Anunoby’s ability to disrupt things defensively. It’s rare that he doesn’t pick up a single steal or block, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t defend well.

Like Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart seemed to shake off the rust that showed up in his last performance. He played faster, and while others started the night with quick scoring, he started with impressive rebounding.

Hart’s typically at his best in transition, but his jumper in half-court sets might have been his most potent scoring weapon tonight. He didn’t just hit a three; he knocked down middies, too.

This was Landry Shamet’s “welcome back” moment. Shamet spent the night making every three-pointer he took.

Shamet’s defense was also infectiously good. His steals and block came from pure hustle, and they led to quick, easy counters for New York. Shamet’s a reliable addition that New York’s rotation needed.

We can’t overestimate a performance against the lowly Nets, but this was a record-setting night. The Knicks needed a win like this, and they’ll have extra time to rest and enjoy their success.

The elephant in the room is that Brooklyn lacks anyone who puts pressure on the rim off the dribble. The Knicks have had a nightmare keeping players out of the paint, and they didn’t get a chance to show improvement in that facet of defense. But they held an opponent to 66 points in 2026! I’ll take it.

The Knicks have one game in the next six days, a chance to avenge the bad losses to Philadelphia. We’ll discuss it here next time, Knicks’ fam!