Towns, Brunson lead Knicks to gritty win over Nets
The New York Knicks gutted out a hard-fought victory over the Brooklyn Nets, with Karl-Anthony Towns anchoring the effort and Jalen Brunson delivering in crunch time.
Towns led the way with a monster stat line of 25 points, 16 rebounds, and 6 assists, while Brunson scored 8 of his 17 points in the final 2 minutes, including the crucial buckets that sealed the win in the final seconds.
“These are games that are good tests for us to see how truly close this team is. I’m proud of us.”
– Karl-Anthony Towns
Brunson sank a pair of free throws with seven seconds left to give the Knicks the breathing room they needed, sealing the 99-95 win. It was, in all ways, an intense ending at Barclays Center.
The Knicks, who led by as many as 13 points late in the third quarter, found themselves trailing 89-90 with just over two minutes left. That’s when Brunson stepped up, sinking a pull-up jumper and a tough layup to give the Knicks a 93-90 advantage.
The Nets weren’t done, though. Keon Johnson’s free throws trimmed the lead to one before Brunson answered again with a silky step-back jumper. OG Anunoby then pushed the lead to 97-92 with a clutch dunk.
The drama didn’t end there. De’Angelo Russell, who had a strong night with 23 points and 10 assists, hit a deep three-pointer with 52 seconds remaining to make it 97-95, keeping the crowd on edge.
For most of the game, it seemed like the Knicks were in control. They built an 85-75 lead early in the fourth after dominating the paint and holding the Nets to tough shots. Earlier, a driving layup by Precious Achiuwa had given the Knicks a commanding 13-point lead with just over three minutes left in the third quarter.
However, the Nets clawed their way back with a 13-2 4th quarter run, taking their first lead since the first quarter and setting the stage for a tense finish.
Anunoby was a steadying force throughout the game, scoring 20 points and hitting key shots down the stretch. Achiuwa also provided a spark off the bench with 11 points in 18 minutes, one of the rare bright spots in an otherwise bench-heavy game for the Knicks.
Coach Tom Thibodeau stuck with a nine-man rotation, with Miles McBride also logging 18 minutes, while Cameron Payne and Landry Shamet saw just 9 and 6 minutes, respectively. The starters carried the bulk of the load, with Towns, Brunson, and Josh Hart each playing 39 minutes.
The Nets put up a fight behind Russell and Cameron Johnson, who scored 16 points. Tyrese Martin added 13 points and 7 rebounds off the bench, contributing to the Nets’ fourth-quarter surge. But Brooklyn struggled to capitalize in the paint, where they were outscored 56-38, and turned the ball over at critical moments.
Mikal Bridges had a tough night against his former team, managing just 10 points on 3-of-13 shooting, an uncharacteristic performance that made the Knicks’ win even more impressive.
Despite shooting just 8-of-28 from beyond the arc, the Knicks hit 46% of their shots overall and maintained composure when it counted.
Up-next: Knicks (29-16) will host the Kings (22-20) on Saturday from 7:30pm.