Brooklyn Nets: The Hoops of Flatbush Defend Home Turf

From the desks: THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH & KICKING CANS DOWN 33RD STREET WITH JIMMY

MONDAY

Knicks    112

Nets       117

FINAL

Top Spot in Conference Continues Eluding Flatbush

I - BKN 116; NYK 109

In a match-up pitting the NBA's 2nd most prolific offense versus the league's stingiest defense, Las Vegas set Brooklyn as 7.5 point favorites.  Forty-eight minutes later, the visiting Knicks proved better than the handicappers anticipated and damn near pulled off an upset.  

Knicks fans might argue they - Julius Randle, that is - got screwed by Kyrie Irving and the guys with whistles.  I didn't see it that way.  But a clearly upset Julius Randle would later storm off the court in a bit of a huff.  That's good; it will make the next encounter between teams that much more intriguing.  In any event, the Nets win by five, and if it's any consolation, the Knicks cover—an otherwise entertaining, tightly contested game to be enjoyed by all, sans the final score.

As if ...

Manhattan falls to 9-13 away from their island and sinks back to par with a 20-20 record.  They remain in the Conference mix at number seven.

The Nets are now winners of five in a row and 9-1 in their last ten games.  If you care to extend it further, they are winners of 13 of their last 14 games.  Brooklyn's problem is Philadelphia going 8-2 over their last ten.  The Nets remain hot on Philly's tail, but for some time now, they have been unable to break through that last half-game barrier.

Julius Randle finished the game with both a team-high 33 points and 12 rebounds in 41 minutes.  RJ Barrett contributed 23 points in 35 minutes, and Immanuel Quickley had 21 points in 34 minutes.

Brooklyn did a better job of ball distribution and well outscored the Knicks in the paint.  Kyrie Irving was an exceptional 13/18 from the field en route to a game-high 34 points.  James Harden went triple-double yet again, with 21 points, while leading the floor with 15 rebounds (all defensive) and 15 assists.  Jeff Green also had the Midas touch shooting 8/11 from the field, including 2/2 from behind the arc and 2/3 from the line for 20 points.