Knicks embarrass Nets in night of two very different records

Wednesday night’s New York City showdown between Manhattan and Brooklyn ended in an unprecedented beatdown at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks crushed the Nets by 54 points, a margin that represents the largest victory in franchise history. The final score, 120-66, barely captures how lopsided the game felt from start to finish.

Knicks emphatically silence boo-boys

The Garden crowd, starved for a feel-good moment after a rough couple of weeks, reveled in every possession. This was not so much about beating the Nets as it was about releasing frustration. Despite still holding third place in the Eastern Conference entering the night, New York had dropped nine of its previous 11 games. In their last home outing against Dallas, the boos rained down from a fan base famous for its impatience.

Jalen Brunson took that personally. Earlier this week, he reportedly called a team meeting, stepping into the role of unquestioned leader and urging his teammates to wake up. Against Brooklyn, the response was emphatic.

A historic margin, and an alarming collapse

The numbers are jarring. A 54-point differential is not just a blowout. It is a statistical outlier in NBA history, and the worst loss the Nets have ever suffered against their city rivals.

What made it worse was how the game ended. Brooklyn completely folded in the fourth quarter, getting outscored 32-10 when the only remaining goal was to salvage a shred of dignity. Rivalry games are supposed to have edge and pride. Even when teams are headed in different directions, there is an unspoken code. This crossed that line.

Tank-watch logic does not excuse it. Yes, teams near the bottom of the standings jockey for better lottery odds every spring. That reality is nothing new. But professionalism still matters, especially in one of the league’s most heated regional matchups.

Nets crumble after early promise

The Nets actually opened the night with a flicker of optimism. Egor Demin knocked down two early 3-pointers, accounting for nearly all of his offensive contribution. After that, everything unraveled quickly.

A 14-point Knicks run flipped the game on its head, and Brooklyn never recovered. Head coach Jordi Fernández shouldered responsibility afterward, as captains do when the ship takes on water. The Nets remain ahead of the Wizards and Pacers in the East, and the Pelicans and Kings in the West continue to slide as well. Fernández has consistently avoided talk of losing on purpose since taking over. Based on nights like this, however, the standings say what the coach will not.

Numbers that tell the story

Brooklyn shot just 29% from the field and was crushed on the glass by 29 rebounds. With numbers like that, competing with anyone is impossible.

Brunson finished with 20 points despite struggling from deep, while Landry Shamet added 18 and went a perfect 6-for-6 from 3-point range. Those two stood out for New York. For the Nets, Michael Porter Jr., a potential trade candidate as the rebuild continues, led the way with 12 points. That was as good as it got.

Knicks steady the ship after a brutal January

January had been a slog for the Knicks, thanks in part to one of the league’s most congested schedules. Still, expectations are different for a franchise that believes it is on the verge of something bigger.

When New York parted ways with Tom Thibodeau and hired Mike Brown, the message was clear: this team wanted to take the next step and contend deep into the postseason. The uneven start to the calendar year raised real concerns, even prompting internal conversations among players.

After Wednesday night, the panic has eased. At least for now, things feel back on track.

A rivalry in name only

The contest was effectively over by the end of the first quarter, with the Knicks racing out to a 38-20 lead. There was no hint of a comeback, only increasingly lopsided runs by the home team.

That allowed the Garden to get extended looks at players who rarely see meaningful minutes: Hamidou Diallo, Tyler Kolek, Ariel Hukporti. By then, the outcome was long decided.

There was little drama left. Just history, and a night the Nets will want to forget as quickly as possible.

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New York Knicks

Stats

8 OG Anunoby
3 Josh Hart
32 Karl-Anthony Towns
25 Mikal Bridges
11 Jalen Brunson
0 Jordan Clarkson
4 Pacôme Dadiet
51 Mohamed Diawara
55 Ariel Hukporti
13 Tyler Kolek
2 Miles McBride
23 Mitchell Robinson
44 Landry Shamet
28 Guerschon Yabusele

Stats

	Min	Pts	TR	OR	DR	Ast	Los	Rec	Blk	S1	S2	S3	RF	CF	Val
8 OG Anunoby	29	5	5	1	4	3	3	0	0	1/2	2/4	0/0	0	2	0
3 Josh Hart	25	11	9	0	9	3	2	1	0	0/0	4/4	1/1	0	2	0
32 Karl-Anthony Towns	20	14	8	1	7	3	2	1	0	2/2	3/5	2/3	0	3	0
25 Mikal Bridges	24	11	4	0	4	4	0	1	1	0/0	4/6	1/3	0	2	0
11 Jalen Brunson	30	20	4	0	4	5	2	0	0	3/4	7/9	1/8	0	2	0
0 Jordan Clarkson	12	3	3	0	3	2	1	1	0	1/2	1/2	0/2	0	1	0
4 Pacôme Dadiet	6	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
51 Mohamed Diawara	7	7	3	2	1	1	0	0	0	2/2	1/3	1/1	0	0	0
55 Ariel Hukporti	10	2	5	0	5	0	0	0	1	0/0	1/2	0/0	0	1	0
13 Tyler Kolek	9	6	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	1/1	1/2	1/2	0	1	0
2 Miles McBride	19	14	6	1	5	4	0	1	0	1/2	2/6	3/4	0	0	0
23 Mitchell Robinson	16	7	7	3	4	0	1	1	2	1/2	3/3	0/0	0	3	0
44 Landry Shamet	15	18	1	0	1	2	0	2	1	0/0	0/1	6/6	0	0	0
28 Guerschon Yabusele	11	2	1	0	1	0	0	1	1	0/0	1/1	0/2	0	1	0

Brooklyn Nets

Stats

21 Noah Clowney
17 Michael Porter Jr.
33 Nicolas Claxton
8 Egor Demin
4 Drake Powell
14 Terance Mann
13 Tyrese Martin
20 Day'Ron Sharpe
24 Cam Thomas
88 Nolan Traoré
1 Ziaire Williams
22 Jalen Wilson
2 Danny Wolf

Stats

	Min	Pts	TR	OR	DR	Ast	Los	Rec	Blk	S1	S2	S3	RF	CF	Val
21 Noah Clowney	23	8	4	1	3	0	0	0	0	0/0	1/3	2/4	0	0	0
17 Michael Porter Jr.	25	12	6	1	5	1	2	0	0	1/1	1/5	3/9	0	0	0
33 Nicolas Claxton	23	4	4	0	4	1	0	1	2	2/4	1/5	0/0	0	2	0
8 Egor Demin	20	6	1	0	1	3	2	0	0	0/0	0/1	2/6	0	2	0
4 Drake Powell	25	6	1	0	1	3	0	1	0	2/2	2/5	0/4	0	1	0
14 Terance Mann	10	2	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0/0	1/4	0/1	0	1	0
13 Tyrese Martin	10	3	2	1	1	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/1	1/2	0	0	0
20 Day'Ron Sharpe	23	6	2	1	1	1	2	2	0	2/2	2/3	0/2	0	3	0
24 Cam Thomas	15	5	1	0	1	2	0	0	0	2/2	0/1	1/5	0	0	0
88 Nolan Traoré	18	0	1	0	1	3	3	0	0	0/0	0/2	0/1	0	3	0
1 Ziaire Williams	19	11	1	0	1	0	1	1	2	0/0	4/7	1/3	0	0	0
22 Jalen Wilson	10	0	2	0	2	1	2	0	0	0/2	0/0	0/1	0	2	0
2 Danny Wolf	12	3	2	0	2	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/2	1/2	0	2	0