Feb 27, 2023; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks forward Julius Randle (30) shoots a three point shot against the Boston Celtics during the third quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
In the New York Knicks’ final matchup of the regular season against their crosstown rival, the Knicks dominated, taking the Nets down,142-118. This is not only New York’s seventh consecutive win, but the team has won five of those games by a double-digit margin.
The Knicks have looked absolutely unstoppable recently and it continued last night, as the team had one of the best offensive games in franchise history. This was due in large part to Jalen Brunson and Quentin Grimes, who both played at an insanely high level.
As the Knicks enter a relatively tough stretch of games on their schedule, wins like this cannot be understated. Especially when you consider the fact that New York is now just 1.5 games behind Cleveland for the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference.
Knicks put on historic offensive display against crosstown rival Nets
To name just a few of the feats New York accomplished tonight, they scored 81 points in the first half (47 in the first quarter), which ranks third-most in franchise history, and hit 14 threes in the first half, which ties for the most in franchise history. Alongside this, Jalen Brunson had 30 points in the first half, setting a new career high for a half.
By the time the game was over, Brunson had 39 points, six assists, and five rebounds on a ridiculous 15-of-18 shooting performance from the field and 5-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc. Brunson was unstoppable in the first half and while he slowed down as the game went on, this wasn’t necessarily a bad thing as the Knicks’ offense was flowing incredibly well to where he didn’t need to score in bunches.
This was the Knicks’ highest-scoring game of the entire season, surpassing their 140-point total they racked up against the Pistons back in November. What makes this even better is that they likely would have scored more if they weren’t beating the Nets by so much.
Out of all the games the Knicks have played this season, there may not be a better one than last night. The offense was flowing nearly perfectly, the defense looked incredible, and the players looked like they were having tons of fun on the court.
There were really no disappointing players from this game, as guys were contributing on all areas of the floor. Whether it be Mitchell Robinson’s fourth consecutive double-double, Quentin Grimes’ fourth game scoring 20+ points, or Julius Randle’s near triple-double, there wasn’t a thing Brookyln could do to stop New York.
With the Knicks set to take on the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics in their next two matchups, we are going to need to see the team continue their hot streak if they want to make their push to the fourth seed.
Who would have thought that at this point in the season, the Knicks would be pushing for a top-four seed in the East and the Nets would be slipping further and further down the conference standings?The downfall of the Nets has been absolutely hilarious to witness especially when you consider how loud their fans were talking before the collapse. It seems as if Brooklyn “fans” will go back into hiding for the time being until their team becomes relevant once again.
