There was no suspense in this first New York derby of the season, held in Brooklyn, as the locals outclassed their Manhattan neighbors (112-85). An unbalanced meeting, during which the Nets, realistic and effective in attack (30 assists out of 42 baskets, 48% in shots), were never led in the score, and led them, at most, by… 35 points, under the impetus of a great Kevin Durant in triple-double (29 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists), and several “role players” perfect to assist him.
Opposite, Knicks ineffective as possible on offense (32% on shots, 15 ball losses) and destitute in defense, who could only count on a consistent Julius Randle (24 points, 11 rebounds and 3 assists), in this evening nightmarish, to be quickly forgotten.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– One quarter was enough for the Nets. To any Knicks fans who fell asleep at the end of the first quarter: don’t worry, you didn’t miss a thing. We would even dare to say that you made the right choice, after 12 absolutely indigestible first minutes from Tom Thibodeau’s troops, trailing by 16 points (38-22) after this first act. A first act at 60% shooting on the Nets side, which was more than enough to take cover, since the gap then increased to +25 (69-44) at halftime. Before a second half to be summed up concretely as a “garbage time” of 24 minutes.
– The good surprise Edmond Sumner. The only back in the major five, alongside three wingers (Durant, Harris and O’Neal) and a pivot (Claxton), the former Pacers player made his presence felt during the 19 minutes he spent on the field, with 18 points (7/10, including 3/4 behind the arc), 5 rebounds and 2 assists. In the absence of Kyrie Irving, whose unavailability is still unclear, he clearly has something to play for.
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ The Nets’ major five. Unlike those of the Knicks, all in the negative, the five starters of the Nets all finished with a largely positive +/-. The most prominent: Kevin Durant obviously (+32), imperial throughout, leader by example and who offers himself a bulky triple-double (29/12/12). Nice game also for Royce O’Neale and his enormous +44, discreet in attack (6 points at 2/7) but active everywhere else (10 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals). A bit more discreet, Joe Harris (+27) and Nic Claxton (+14) were still perfect complement players, the first bringing movement without the ball and two award-winning shots, the second rebounding size and hands ready to receive the leather near the circle.
✅⛔️ Julius Randle. In this infamous evening for the Knicks, he was the best player, or the least bad. His record is indeed mixed because despite a double-double at 24 points and 11 rebounds, he finished with the weakest +/- of the team, with -29. Strange evening for the strong winger of New York.
⛔️ The Knicks. After a performance of such poor quality collectively, the whole team must be criticized, after a catastrophic outing: 85 points at 32% on shots including 28% at 3-pts, a ratio of 21 assists for 15 losses of the ball and a lost rebound battle (63 against 56), despite the fact that the only pivot of the Nets, Nic Claxton, played only 19 minutes. Without forgetting, of course, a desperate defense, both in the execution itself, and in the desire and motivation. In short, the Knicks played their worst game of the season.
THE FOLLOWING
– Nets (5-7) : trip to Los Angeles, to face the Clippers on Saturday evening (10:00 p.m.)
– Knicks (5-6) : reception of the Pistons, on the night of Friday to Saturday (01:30)
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