Jalen Brunson's hits trey, and Mikal Bridges' block seals Knicks victory over Nets, despite Cam Thomas' 43 points
New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson is defended by Brooklyn Nets guard Dennis Schroder in the first half of an NBA basketball game at Madison Square Garden on Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Mikal Bridges’ Knicks tenure has been inconsistent since the Nets traded him this summer.
Seeing his former team for the first time Friday, Bridges got back in realignment.
He had his best game of the early season but it took a backseat to his new teammates fighting off his old ones. Jalen Brunson’s go-ahead three-pointer gave the Knicks a 124-122 win at Madison Square Garden in Emirates NBA Cup play
Bridges had the final say by blocking Dennis Schroder’s attempted game-tying layup as time expired. He was mobbed by the Knicks (6-6) while his old team walked away. For Brunson, it was another defining moment in his Knicks tenure to save his team from a near collapse.
The Nets (5-8) rallied from a 21-point third-point quarter deficit to lead 122-121 on a corner three-pointer by Dennis Schroder with 11.5 seconds left. Brunson, without hesitation, pulled up from the corner over Dorian Finney-Smith to give the Knicks the lead with 6.2 seconds left.
Brunson’s 37 points overshadowed Cam Thomas’ season-high 43 points for the Nets. It was Thomas’ second straight 40-point game at the Garden after he scored 41 points last season on April 12.
Bridges had 22 points in his reacquaintance with the Nets. OG Anunoby added 25 points before fouling out with 4:15 left.
With Karl-Anthony Thomas (knee) and Deuce McBride ruled out pregame, Brunson had an answer as the Nets tried to rally. His three-pointer made it 107-98 after a 10-0 Nets run, and he later had a three-point play that made it 114-108.
When the Nets got within 118-115 on a Cam Johnson layup with 1:53 left, Brunson answered again with a three-point play.
Bridges had 14 points in the first half on 6-of-7 shooting. He cooled off in the third but made a 21-foot jumper in the face of Cam Johnson, who suited up with Bridges for 283 games over five seasons.
After his second three of the period, his fourth total, he held his form longer than usual and said some words toward the Nets bench.
It was expected, given Bridges played 109 games in Brooklyn over the past two seasons. But Thomas reminded why he’s hard to stop when he gets going.
Thomas was 7-for-7 in the first, including five threes, and had 19 points in the period. He extended his field-goal streak to eight in the second quarter before missing a three-pointer. Thomas finished with 27 points in the first half on 10-of-11 shooting, his highest scoring first half of his career. He finished the game shooting 16-of-22 from the floor.
The Knicks were content letting Thomas go off. They limited everyone else to shoot 34.3% from the field. Josh Hart added 14 points and Cam Payne had 10 points off the bench.
But despite leading from the first quarter on, they had to sweat after their big lead in the first. The Nets, despite being without Nic Claxton (lower back strain) refused to go away until Brunson slammed the door with his final shot. The teams meet again Sunday at the Garden.
Claxton will miss at least one week with his injury, the team said.
Evan Barnes covers the Nets for Newsday. He previously covered Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
