The Brooklyn Nets (11-28) defeated the New York Knicks (20-21) 110-104 on Wednesday.
The Nets secured their first victory under interim head coach Tony Brown–and broke a 10-game home losing streak–with some uncharacteristic offense that included a late 10-2 run. Brooklyn had astoundingly failed to reach 90 points in four straight games coming into Wednesday, and had not even managed to hit the 80-point mark in three of those contests. Meanwhile, New York came in sporting a Top 10-ranked defensive unit in terms of points allowed, but did learn shortly before game time that superstar Carmelo Anthony would sit out with the ankle sprain that had caused him to leave Tuesday's showdown with the Celtics early. Despite an outstanding performance from Derrick Williams off the bench that helped make up for a large part of the points Anthony took with him to the bench, it was a resurgent Nets squad that got key contributions from a combination of starters and reserves that helped key the win.
Williams did lead the visitors with a season-high 31-point performance, his best outing since he amassed the same total versus the Mavericks back on December 9, 2013 while a member of the Sacramento Kings. He also added seven rebounds and a pair of steals over 32 action-packed minutes. Arron Afflalo continued his solid stretch of shooting with 18 points on an 8-for-16 effort from the field. He also hauled in three rebounds and added two assists. Jose Calderon made it a productive night for the Knicks backcourt with 16 points, seven rebounds, four assists and a pair of steals. The frontcourt wasn't bad either, beginning with rookie sensation Kristaps Porzingis, who tallied a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double despite only shooting 5-for-17 from the field. Robin Lopez also put together a solid game versus his brother Brook, tallying nine points and 12 boards.
The Knicks fell to 20-21 and are now in third place in the Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division. They head to Memphis to face off with the Grizzlies on Saturday.
Brooklyn's attack was, as customary, spearheaded by Brook Lopez, who put up 20 points, eight rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block in an inspired performance against his brother, Robin. The most encouraging effort of the night however, may have been that of Thaddeus Young. Mired in a slump over recent games, Young bounced back with an outstanding 19-point, 11-rebound double-double that also included a trio of assists and a trio of steals. It was the first double-double over the last five games for Young, who'd made such performances the norm at one point earlier in the season. Veteran Joe Johnson stuffed the stat sheet with 14 points, seven rebounds, six assists and a steal. Brown also decided to give the starting backcourt of Wayne Ellington and Donald Sloan an opportunity at redemption after a lackluster first game together, and they responded with slightly better production. The former managed 10 points, a pair of rebounds and a pair of assists, while the latter provided eight points, four rebounds, three assists and a steal. However, Sloan was outplayed by the man he usurped for the starting point guard spot, Shane Larkin, as he paced the Nets' bench with 17 points, five assists and a pair of rebounds over 25 minutes.
The Nets improved to 11-28 and continue entrenched in fourth place in the Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division. They remain home for a Friday night match-up against the Portland Trail Blazers.
