Donte DiVincenzo takes over as Knicks beat Nets at MSG
Donte DiVincenzo #0 of the New York Knicks reacts during the fourth quarter against the Brooklyn Nets at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, Mar. 23, 2024 in New York City. Credit: Jim McIsaac
With the Knicks and Nets meeting Saturday afternoon, it wasn’t a shock to expect a Villanova player to affect the outcome. Four former Wildcats were on the court.
Yet it was Donte DiVincenzo — not All-Star teammate Jalen Brunson nor the Nets’ Mikal Bridges — who made the biggest impact in the Knicks’ 105-93 win at Madison Square Garden.
DiVincenzo scored 10 of his 31 points during a 12-0 Knicks run in the fourth quarter that broke open the game. It was his fifth 30-point game of the season and his first since Feb. 8.
After the Nets’ Dennis Smith Jr. hit a three-pointer to tie the score at 80, DiVincenzo scored seven points on three consecutive possessions. He then hit a three-pointer to push the lead to 92-80.
For good measure, he added a steal and a breakaway dunk as the Knicks took a 104-86 lead and won for the fifth time in the last six games.
“I wasn’t even paying attention to the score,” said DiVincenzo, who added six rebounds and five assists. “I was just trying to make the right play, be aggressive . . . They were giving me space at the rim, and I took advantage of it.”
“That may have been his best game,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “Just timely baskets, big plays, hustle plays defensively.”
DiVincenzo’s fourth-quarter play fired up the Knicks’ defense as well. After tying the score at 80, the Nets missed their next 11 shots as the Knicks held them without a field goal for 8:03.
The Nets scored only 16 points in the fourth quarter and 36 in the second half.
Brunson was held to 17 points and shot 7-for-24, with Bridges leading the defensive pressure against his former Villanova teammate.
This time, DiVincenzo and Deuce McBride carried the scoring load. McBride made six three-pointers for the second time in three games and finished with 26 points while playing all 48 minutes.
“I thought we did a good job on him,” Nets coach Kevin Ollie said of Brunson, who had eight assists. “They have capable players when Brunson is not in. They got capable players. That’s why they got the record that they got, and those guys finished us out.”
Isaiah Hartenstein had 17 points, nine rebounds and four steals and Josh Hart had 13 rebounds and five assists for the Knicks.
The fourth-place Knicks (42-28) moved a half-game ahead of the Magic and one game behind the third-place Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference standings.
Cam Thomas led the Nets with 19 points but also had five of their 15 turnovers. It was the first time in eight games that he didn’t crack 20 points. Bridges had 18 and Cam Johnson added 13.
The Nets (26-45) lost their sixth consecutive game, their longest losing streak of the season.
The Nets, who have 11 games remaining, are 5 1⁄2 games behind the Hawks for the final play-in tournament spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Knicks are 3-0 against the Nets this season. A fourth game awaits April 12 at the Garden.
Bridges swished a 62-foot three-pointer just before the halftime buzzer sounded to give the Nets a
59-57 lead. They led 72-68 in the third quarter before the Knicks went on a 12-2 run. Brunson gave the Knicks a 76-74 lead with a three-pointer and DiVincenzo made it 80-74 with a layup.
For the second consecutive game, the Nets were close in the fourth quarter but were unable to finish down the stretch against a playoff contender.
“I keep saying it, counter-punching is important,” Ollie said. “Talking loose balls, offensive rebounding, it has nothing to do with talent and it has nothing to do with the ball going in. It’s those little things that we have to get better on.”
The Knicks outscored the Nets in the paint 48-34 and crushed them on second- chance points 26-3, thanks to 16 offensive rebounds.
The win was a reminder that the Knicks’ depth can carry them some nights when Brunson struggles.
“When you play the right way and play within the system, everybody can have a big night,” DiVincenzo said. “Obviously, we lean heavily on Jalen. But nights where it doesn’t fall for him necessarily, he can do other things. He can create for everybody else around him.”
Evan Barnes covers the Nets for Newsday. He previously covered Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
