Tag: New York Knicks

On this day: IT goes for 38 vs. Rockets; Celtics hold Knicks to 46 points

On this day in Celtics history, Isaiah Thomas goes off for 38 points against Houston, and Boston holds New York to just 46 points.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, the storied franchise set a record for the ages by holding their opponent on the night to the fourth-lowest score in their ball club’s seven-plus decades of existence.

That record would be set in the ball club’s very first season of existence (1946-47) — incidentally, also the first season of the Basketball Association of America (BAA, a precursor league to the NBA). The game was played just two days after Boston set a record for the second-lowest score an opponent was held to in franchise history, a 48-43 win over the (now defunct) Pittsburgh Ironmen.

The Celtics nearly duplicated the feat in a 52-46 win over the New York Knicks on Jan. 25, 1947.

Nets’ Jacque Vaughn ‘pretty confident’ team can turn things around

Following Tuesday’s 108-103 loss to the New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn remains ‘pretty confident’ in a turnaround.

NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets have been one of the worst teams in the league in terms of record over the past month. While that puts Brooklyn in the company of teams that were expected to be towards the bottom of the league, unlike the Nets, there is belief that a turnaround is coming.

“I’m actually pretty confident,” Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn said after Tuesday’s 108-103 loss to the New York Knicks as part of the NBA’s Rivals Week theme. Brooklyn has been in an extended slump lately as they have won just five of their past 22 games and their meltdown against the Knicks was just one of the many examples of why this slide is occurring.

“That was a heartbreaking loss that we had in Clipper land,” Vaughn said. “Then we come back tonight and it’s 101-101 with a minute to go in the game. So, that ability for our guys to show a spirit about themselves, a competitiveness about themselves, definitely leans me into having belief and more comfort in this group to continue to push them and try to get some wins.”

The Nets went into the fourth quarter with a 85-76 lead over the Knicks thanks to the efforts of several players including Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson. However, the final 12 minutes was a different story as New York won the period 32-18 thanks to getting five offensive rebounds and getting some key stops down the stretch.

It was one of those games where Brooklyn looked like a completely different team in the fourth quarter and it seems to be a theme that’s been repeated throughout this season: the Nets cannot close games. With the trade deadline just weeks away, Vaughn and the Nets may be out of time to turn things around.

[lawrence-related id=57025,57022,57019]

Nets’ Cam Johnson on loss to Knicks: ‘can’t keep changing the way we play’

Brooklyn Nets forward Cam Johnson said after Tuesday’s 108-103 loss to the New York Knicks that the Nets ‘can’t’ change how they play.

NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets have not been able to turn their season around as the losses continue to pile up. To make matters worse, the Nets have been playing well enough to amass some fourth-quarter leads, but have found ways to lose those games too.

“I think the main thing is, we just can’t keep changing the way we play, keep changing the way we play in the fourth quarter,” Nets forward Cam Johnson said after Tuesday’s 108-103 loss to the New York Knicks. Johnson, who finished with 19 points and five rebounds, lamented how Brooklyn seems to not have a concrete way to play so they can start finishing games.

“And, you know, we need to stick with what got us there,” Johnson said. While Brooklyn entered halftime trailing the Knicks 50-49, they managed to win the third quarter 36-26 to go into the fourth quarter with a 85-76 lead.

However, the Knicks changed up how they attacked the Nets as they did not play Jericho Sims in lieu of playing Josh Hart and Precious Achiuwa down the stretch, allowing New York to dominate the glass. The Knicks also forced the Nets into taking some shots that were outside of their normal offensive structure. “That’s kind of what we’re straying away from,” Johnson explained.

[lawrence-related id=57022,57019,57016]

Nets’ Mikal Bridges reacts to team blowing 4th quarter lead to Knicks

After Tuesday’s 108-103 loss to the New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets guard Mikal Bridges gave his take on the poor finish to the game.

NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets started this season like a team that was going exceed expectations and comfortably be in the playoff race by the end of the season. Over their last 22 games, the outlook for this team appears to be the opposite of that, especially with their fourth-quarter woes.

“Just got to stay together,” Bridges said after putting up 36 points, five rebounds, and five assists in Tuesday’s 108-103 loss to their crosstown rival, the New York Knicks. After a hard-fought first half, the Nets were in a similar position as they entered the fourth quarter leading 85-76 thanks to a third quarter in which they won 36-26. However, the fourth quarter demons came back to haunt Brooklyn again.

“That’s the biggest thing when a team makes a run, makes a push,” Bridges said. “Just got to handle adversity a little bit better. We had it earlier in the year. We won some games towards the end, but kind of lost that. It’s tough when you keep losing at the end, you know? It puts your confidence down. So, we just got to keep sticking together. We’re going to be in those positions a lot. Just got to be ready.”

To sum up how bad the fourth quarter has been for the Nets lately, there is a shocking stat. In their last four losses, including Tuesday’s loss to the Knicks, Brooklyn has now been outscored by 52 points in the fourth.

While a big chunk of that is when the Nets lost the fourth quarter to the Los Angeles Clippers, it also includes double-digit deficits to New York and the Portland Trail Blazers. It looks like winning time is Brooklyn’s kryptonite at the moment.

[lawrence-related id=57019,57016,57011]

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.

[lawrence-related id=99078]

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.