Jalen Brunson, Julius Randle help Knicks grab late lead and hold off Nets
Knicks forward Julius Randle reacts against the Brooklyn Nets late in the second half of an NBA game at Barclays Center on Tuesday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
For most of the first half between the Knicks and Nets, the most exciting thing wasn’t on the court. It was actor/model Tyra Banks sitting courtside at Barclays Center between two furries and looking as bewildered as fans were.
The weird sight nearly upstaged a battle of former Villanova teammates in Mikal Bridges and Jalen Brunson. Brunson and Julius Randle, however, teamed up in the fourth quarter to carry the Knicks to a 108-103 win at Barclays Center on Tuesday.
Brunson made one of two free throws with 19.8 seconds left to put the Knicks (27-17) up three. Cam Johnson missed a potential game-tying three-pointer and Randle, who had nine points in the fourth, secured the rebound and made two free throws that closed the game.
Brunson and Randle each finished with 30 points. Bridges had 36 points, including a career-high seven three-pointers. Randle also had nine rebounds and seven assists as the Knicks improved to 10-2 since trading for OG Anunoby.
“Our bench gave us a big spark at the start of the quarter, got our momentum going,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “And then when the starters came back, there were a number of hustle plays, stops, loose balls, blocked shots, steals. They got us some easy buckets.
“Just did whatever we had to do to win the game, which is huge for us.
The Knicks took advantage of the Nets’ (17-26) late-game struggles this month. Trailing 95-87 with 7:33 left, the Knicks went on an 11-2 run to take the lead on a Randle layup.
The Nets, who gave up a 22-0 closing run in a loss to the Clippers on Sunday, made one field goal over the final 3:47. They gave up five offensive rebounds in the fourth, leading to nine second-chance points.
“I thought, overall, the shots that we did get were shots that we made throughout the course of the night,” Nets coach Jacque Vaughn said. “Unfortunately, we went on a little cold streak in the fourth but a big part of that was their ability to put pressure on us and offensive rebounding.”
Randle made critical plays late to put the Knicks ahead for good. He made a three-pointer with 2:19 left to give the Knicks a 101-100 lead. Randle later gave the Knicks a 103-101 lead on a fastbreak dunk with a minute remaining after Josh Hart and Anunoby blocked consecutive Nets shots.
Randle then assisted to Hart, who drove for a tough layup, pushing the lead to four with 25.3 seconds left. “Our best quarter was the fourth tonight. Find a way to win,” Brunson said. “We got stops, the ball was going through for us and it was a big-time finish to the game.”
The Knicks have now beaten their crosstown rivals in four straight games. They won the first meeting, 121-102, at Barclays Center on Nov. 20 and once again, Knicks fans drowned out the home crowd with “Let’s go Knicks” chants down the stretch.
While Brunson called it amazing seeing the support, Bridges felt another way seeing his home court taken over.
“It’s not fun when you feel like you’re in an away game at home,” Bridges said. “So that’s for any person sitting in here, any person alive.”
Bridges had 18 points in the third quarter. Johnson, who had been mired in a shooting slump the previous seven games, had eight of his 19 points in the period as the Nets outscored the Knicks 36-26.
Yet it went for naught, just like Nic Claxton’s career-high 17 rebounds. The Nets, who’ve lost five of their last six, were outscored 32-18 in the fourth quarter and saw the Knicks celebrating on their home court for the second time this season.
“Obviously we’ve got to be better in the fourth quarter,” Johnson said. “That’s the bottom line there.”
Four in Olympic pool
Brunson, Hart, Bridges and Johnson were named to Team USA’s 41-player pool that’ll determine which 12 players make the U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team playing this summer in Paris.
All four played with Team USA in last summer’s FIBA World Cup.
Hartenstein update
Jericho Sims started in place of Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein, who missed Tuesday's game with left Achilles tendinopathy. Sims had six points, four rebounds and a career-high four blocks. Thibodeau said Hartenstein remains day-to-day.
Ben Simmons update
Ben Simmons will remain out through this week, according to coach Jacque Vaughn but is making progress from the nerve impingement in his back. Vaughn said that he’ll continue to work out with more bodies around him and could practice in Long Island with the Nets’ G-League affiliate in the near future.
Evan Barnes covers the Nets for Newsday. He previously covered Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
