Tag: New York Knicks

Player grades: Mikal Bridges has 36 as Nets lose to Knicks 108-103

Here are your Brooklyn Nets player grades following Tuesday’s 108-103 loss to the New York Knicks.

NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets welcomed the New York Knicks to Barclays Center on Tuesday as part of Rivals Week and lost 108-103.

For the Nets, Mikal Bridges had 36 points and five assists while Cam Johnson had 19 points and five rebounds. Cam Thomas had 14 points off the bench and Nic Claxton had eight points.

For the Knicks, Julius Randle had 30 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists while Jalen Brunson had 30 points and four assists. Donte DiVincenzo had 11 points and OG Anunoby had 10 points.

In the first half, it was a back-and-forth contest as neither team could sustain efficient offense for a decent stretch. Mikal Bridges did his best to keep the Nets in the game as he scored 15 points in the half, but Jalen Brunson scored 18 points for the Knicks.

In the second half, the Nets took control of the game in the third quarter as they were able to force Randle and Brunson into some tough shots while forcing some turnovers out of the Knicks which led to some easy points. However, as has been the case throughout this season, the Nets let go of the rope in the fourth quarter in a disappointing way as they allowed the Knicks to change the game with their physicality and timely shot-making from Randle and Brunson.

Here are your Nets player grades following Tuesday’s loss:

Nets vs. Knicks preview: How to watch, TV channel, start time

Here is the preview of the Brooklyn Nets’ matchup against the New York Knicks on Tuesday.

The Brooklyn Nets (17-25, 11th in the Eastern Conference) welcome the New York Knicks (26-17, fifth) to Barclays Center on Tuesday in another Battle of the Boroughs matchup and if you’re wondering how you can watch all the action live, you’ve come to the right place!

The Nets come into this game following a 125-114 loss at the Los Angeles Clippers in which Brooklyn led by as many as 18 points in the fourth quarter. However, the Clippers made an incredible comeback that included ending the game on a 22-0 run due to their four future Hall-of-Famers catching fire at the right time.

The Knicks enter this matchup after beating the Toronto Raptors on Saturday 126-100 to increase their current winning streak to three games. Knicks lead guard Jalen Brunson had another instance of showing that he can carry New York to victories as he put up 38 points and nine rebounds in the blowout.

Here’s when and where you should tune in:

NBA Power Rankings: Clippers stay hot behind Paul George’s sensational run

Rookie Wire looked at the NBA through games played on Thursday and ranked each team from worst to first.

The 2023-24 NBA season has reached the midway point of the schedule, as most teams around the league have played in at least half of their games to this point.

The league is less than three weeks away from the trade deadline on Feb. 8, but some teams are already getting a head start on their moves. Toronto stayed active this week after trading two-time All-Star Pascal Siakam to Indiana for players and picks.

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The Pacers drastically improved their chances of returning to the playoffs for the first time in four years with the acquisition of Siakam. The group now has its sights on not only breaking its playoff drought but also making a deep run this year, led by Tyrese Haliburton, Siakam and others.

To make further sense of it all, Rookie Wire looked at the NBA and ranked each team from worst to first. We will return each week and provide our latest assessment of the best teams and those that are rising.

Regressed: Jalen Brunson sinks Rockets in finale of miserable road trip

In the finale of Houston’s miserable 1-5 road trip, Fred VanVleet and the Rockets couldn’t keep pace with Jalen Brunson (30 points, 7 assists) and the Knicks.

The Rockets ended a brutal road trip with Wednesday’s 109-94 loss (box score) to the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

Houston (19-21) went 1-5 on the trip and is multiple games below .500 for the first time since early November. New York improved to 24-17.

After missing two games with a calf injury, Jalen Brunson returned to New York’s lineup and led the way with 30 points and 7 assists, shooting 11-of-21 overall (52.4%) and 4-of-9 on 3-pointers (44.4%).

As it heads home, Houston finds itself outside of the top 10 in the Western Conference standings (and with that, a berth in the play-in tournament for the 2024 playoffs) for the first time in weeks.

After allowing nearly 135 points per game in their previous two losses, Houston’s defensive effort was much improved against the Knicks. However, it couldn’t withstand a regression on offense.

As a team, Houston shot 8-of-30 on 3-pointers (26.7%), and five of those makes were by Fred VanVleet (24 points, 12 assists). Outside of VanVleet, the Rockets shot 3-of-18 from distance (16.7%).

Backcourt mate Jalen Green had 15 points and 7 rebounds, but he finished with a team-high five turnovers and went 0-for-5 on 3-pointers. Alperen Sengun tallied 18 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks, but some of those statistics came after the game had long been decided. By and large, Sengun struggled to make his usual impact versus Knicks big man Isaiah Hartenstein.

Second-year forward Tari Eason remained sidelined by a lower left leg injury, which traces back to a preseason stress reaction.

Here’s our look at Wednesday’s highlights and postgame interviews from New York, along with reaction by media members and fans. With the road trip complete, the Rockets will finally return to Houston for a three-game homestand starting Saturday versus the Utah Jazz (22-20). The tip is 7 p.m. Central from Toyota Center.

The Rockets are 15-6 at home but only 4-14 on the road this season.

Rockets at Knicks, Jan. 17: Lineups, how to watch, injury reports, uniforms

Ime Udoka’s Rockets (19-20) will wrap up an increasingly miserable road trip with Wednesday’s game versus the Knicks (23-17) at Madison Square Garden.

The Rockets (19-20) will wind down an increasingly miserable road trip with Wednesday’s game versus the New York Knicks (23-17).

Houston is  4-14 on the road this season, and it is 1-4 on the current six-game trip against Eastern Conference opponents. This road stretch is Houston’s longest of the 2023-24 season and the longest for the franchise in more than a decade. As the days have mounted, the performances have grown gradually worse.

In the second and third games, the Rockets lost in overtime in Chicago before winning at Detroit. Since then, they were dominated in losses at Boston and Philadelphia.

The good news is while the Knicks are a quality team, they are generally viewed as a tier below the Celtics and 76ers. Thus, before heading home, Alperen Sengun and the Rockets have a realistic opportunity to climb back to .500 and keep pace in an extremely tight race for the No. 10 spot in the Western Conference standings (the final spot of the West play-in tournament).

Houston remains without valuable second-year forward Tari Eason, who has struggled with recurring soreness in his left lower leg since suffering a stress reaction in the 2023-24 preseason.

NBA Power Rankings: Thunder surge past Celtics for the No. 1 spot

Rookie Wire looked at the NBA through games played on Thursday and ranked each team from worst to first.

The NBA is approaching the halfway point of the season, as the contenders and potential playoff teams have emerged after a competitive schedule thus far.

The rumor mill is beginning to heat up with the trade deadline now less than a month away (Feb. 8). Players are beginning to find their names linked in some potential trades as teams look to solidify their futures this season or beyond.

The league is also close to revealing its All-Stars for this season. Two rounds of voting results have been released. The top players appear on the voting leaderboard from each conference, with some newcomers sprinkled into the mix, as well.

To make further sense of it all, Rookie Wire looked at the NBA and ranked each team from worst to first. We will return each week and provide our latest assessment of the best teams and those that are rising.

NBA Power Rankings: Thunder on the rise; Pacers move up after hot run

Rookie Wire looked at the NBA through games played on Thursday and ranked each team from worst to first.

The calendar has flipped to 2024, and teams in the NBA have started to hit their stride after stringing together some impressive performances on the court of late.

The past week of action has seen some of the championship contenders pick up key wins, proving how dangerous they can be. Other teams around the league have seemingly struggled of late and have fallen down the standings some.

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The collective basketball community is also getting a clearer picture of the players approaching All-Star status after the league released the first batch of voting results on Thursday. The list featured some of the usual candidates and some newcomers.

To make further sense of it all, Rookie Wire looked at the NBA and ranked each team from worst to first. We will return each week and provide our latest assessment of the best teams and those that are rising.

Knicks wing Quentin Grimes listed as potential Bulls trade target

New York Knicks wing Quentin Grimes was floated as a potential Chicago Bulls trade target.

As the Chicago Bulls continue to traverse one of the weirdest seasons in recent memory, the NBA trade deadline will be an important market. The Bulls began the season 5-14 but have somehow managed to turn things around. They’re now fully in the mix for the Play-In Tournament and could look to make some big-time moves at the deadline.

Zach LaVine could be first on the list of players to be traded, but perhaps the more intriguing storyline to follow will be if the Bulls decide to push forward or completely tear things down. Or maybe they could look to be somewhere in the middle.

Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report recently suggested that the Bulls target New York Knicks wing Quentin Grimes in a potential trade.

“If the Knicks have another splash trade in them, Grimes feels like one of the more logical candidates to be involved,” Buckley wrote. “If the Bulls can elbow their way into that swap, they should try to be his landing spot. He’s a hard-nosed defender with a low-maintenance offensive game built around efficient shooting and sound decision-making.

“He could handle a significant role in the rotation right now and still be capable of more down the line. In other words, he could be a supporting piece with this core and perhaps help grow the next nucleus with Coby White, Patrick Williams and Ayo Dosunmu.”

At just 23 years old, Grimes’ shooting has a chance to help the Bulls compete for a Play-In spot right now, but he’s also the type of player who could still grow and improve in Chicago.

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Billy Donovan credits Jalen Brunson, Julius Randle in Bulls loss to Knicks

After the Chicago Bulls’ 116-100 loss to the New York Knicks, Billy Donovan credited Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle.

Despite sitting at the bottom of the Play-In Tournament race, the Chicago Bulls have sneakily been one of the better teams in basketball over. the past few weeks. Led by Coby White and DeMar DeRozan, they’ve made a small push. Unfortunately, they couldn’t get the job done on Wednesday night against the New York Knicks.

The Bulls ended up losing by a score of 116-100 to the new-look Knicks, who just added OG Anunoby in a trade with the Toronto Raptors. However, it was Julius Randle who ended up leading the charge for New York, outdueling DeRozan and White, who led the Bulls in scoring.

After the game, Bulls head coach Billy Donovan credited Randle and Jalen Brunson for leading the way for New York.

“We had opportunities to make some plays and we didn’t make enough, and Randle and Brunson really played well down the stretch,” Donovan said via ESPN. “We just couldn’t convert enough of our opportunities.”

Randle ended the night with a game-high 31 points to go along with six rebounds and four assists while shooting 13-of-23 from the floor and 3-of-7 from distance.

Meanwhile, Brunson put up 31 points, three rebounds, and 13 assists while shooting 13-of-22 from the field and 4-of-9 from distance.

DeRozan led the Bulls in scoring with 28 points, while White put up 26 of his own.

In addition, Andre Drummond and Isaiah Hartenstein battled it out on the glass, finishing the game with 16 and 21 rebounds, respectively.

Chicago will head into their Friday night contest against the Charlotte Hornets looking to bounce back with a win.

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Josh Hart turned the worst pass in NBA history into an audition for the Commanders

Josh Hart wants to play a new position…quarterback.

New York Knicks wing Josh Hart made a hilarious mistake while passing the ball during a victory over the Bulls on Wednesday.

Hart took the ball up the court in transition and had a 5-on-4 advantage for a fastbreak. But he got a little carried away and rather than throwing the ball to one of his teammates, he threw the ball way into the stands for a turnover.

It was a hilarious blunder to see the ball travel so far into the stands like a foul ball in baseball. It was funny on its own but even funnier when you saw his reaction to what happened.

After the game, Hart posted a meme on Twitter of this silly possession. Instead of a basketball court, the background of the photo was changed to a football field and suddenly everything made a lot more sense.

Hart looked a lot like a quarterback thinking some variation of the meme: “Screw it, my receiver is down there somewhere.”

Hart tagged the Washington Commanders on Twitter and told the NFL team to holler at him for consideration at quarterback.

This was an awesome way for Hart to turn an embarrassing situation into something that all sports fans could easily enjoy.

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