The New York Knicks scored their first victory of the season on Friday, October 27, after blowing out the Brooklyn Nets at the Madison Square Garden, 107-86. Leading the charge for the Knicks was Kristaps Porzingis, who is now the face of the franchise for the Knicks.
Kristaps Porzingis had an excellent shooting night in the New York Knicks' win over the Brooklyn Nets. He went 13-of-24 from the field to finish with a game-high 30 points. Porzingis also had nine rebounds, a steal, and three blocks.
Helping Porzingis were Courtney Lee, Enes Kanter, Doug McDermott, and Tim Hardaway Jr.
All of them also scored in double figures for New York. Lee had 13 points, while Kanter tallied 12 points. McDermott had 12 as well, though he came off the bench. Hardaway added 11 points. Aside from them, another bright spot for the Knicks in the win was Frank Ntilikina. The rookie registered nine points, two rebounds, five assists, and one steal as a member of the second unit.
D'Angelo Russell, Nets struggle
For D'Angelo Russell and the Brooklyn Nets, the loss to the New York Knicks was the first time this season that they failed to score at least 110+ points in a game. Their offense struggled, with only three players reaching double-digits in scoring. Russell top-scored for the Nets as he tallied 15 points in his return from a one-game absence.
Quincy Acy and Trevor Booker, who are reserves for Brooklyn, aided Russell on offense. Acy chipped in 12 points, and Booker contributed 10.
After the game, Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson praised the Knicks. According to Atkinson, the Knicks had more energy and physicality. He lauded the defensive effort of the home squad. "We were lethargic and we paid for it," Atkinson added.
Next games
Kristaps Porzingis and the New York Knicks finally made it to the win column by ending a three-game losing slide. However, there is no time to celebrate the recent success. On October 29, Porzingis and the Knicks are heading to Ohio for a road game versus the defending Eastern Conference champions, the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Following this is a five-game homestand from October 30 to November 7.
Meanwhile, the Brooklyn Nets are heading back home after falling to the Knicks. The Nets will have their own (two-game) homestand which starts on October 29. They are hosting the Denver Nuggets first. Two days later (October 31), the Phoenix Suns are the ones scheduled to visit them at the Barclays Center.
