With one dramatic shot on Friday night, Jalen Brunson might have delivered a defining moment for the New York Knicks while showing the Brooklyn Nets just how far they’ve come in their rebuilding process.
Brunson and the Knicks will look to build on Friday’s last-second victory when they host the Nets again on Sunday night in another local rivalry clash.
It’s the second consecutive game between the teams, who were off on Saturday after Brunson’s game-winning 3-pointer with 6.2 seconds left lifted the Knicks to a 124-122 victory over the visiting Nets in NBA Cup Group A action.
Brunson’s timely shot improved the Knicks to 2-0 in Group A play and helped them avoid a second straight disappointing defeat. New York had overcome a 22-point third-period deficit on Wednesday but fell to the Chicago Bulls 124-123 when Brunson’s buzzer-beater attempt rimmed out.
On Friday, the Knicks squandered a 21-point third-period lead and fell behind for the first time since the first quarter when Dennis Schroder hit a 3-pointer with 12 seconds left in regulation.
After a timeout, Brunson took an in-bounds pass from Mikal Bridges, sized up Dorian Finney-Smith, and launched a jumper that hit nothing but net.
The Nets, who were out of timeouts, rushed up the court, but Schroder’s layup was blocked by Bridges. Ariel Hukporti secured the rebound as time expired.
With the win, the Knicks, who were expected to challenge for the NBA title after adding Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns during the summer, evened their record at 6-6 and avoided falling two games under .500 for the first time since November 2023.
Brunson’s heroics cost the rebuilding Nets a chance at a statement win in their Group A opener.
Brooklyn signaled its rebuilding intentions by trading Bridges to the Knicks in July for a package that included seven draft picks. Yet, the Nets (5-8) have exceeded expectations under first-year head coach Jordi Fernandez, entering Saturday within three games of the third-seeded Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference.
Although the Nets have lost four of their last five, they have held fourth-quarter leads in that span against the Knicks, defending NBA champion Boston Celtics, and unbeaten Cleveland Cavaliers. The Celtics secured a 108-104 overtime win on November 8 before the Cavaliers edged Brooklyn 105-100 the following night.
Brooklyn’s lone recent lopsided defeat came in a 139-114 loss to the Celtics on Wednesday, where Fernandez criticized his team’s effort and response. However, Fernandez found encouragement in the Nets’ furious fourth-quarter rally on Friday, where they outscored the Knicks 40-24.
