(SportsNetwork.com) – The battle of New York takes center stage Friday night
when the New York Knicks take the short subway ride to Barclays Center to face
the Brooklyn Nets.
The Nets had a two-game winning streak halted Wednesday night with a home loss
to the Minnesota Timberwolves, 98-91. The Wolves scored the final nine points
of the game to leave Brooklyn with the victory.
Minnesota’s Nikola Pekovic scored the go-ahead basket and was fouled. He made
the free throw and the Timberwolves iced the victory.
“They went inside to the big boy,” said Nets coach Lionel Hollins. “You have
to give him credit. He scored a couple of big buckets for them.”
Brooklyn started a four-game homestand with a 116-85 win over injury-riddled
Oklahoma City on Monday, but trailed by as many as 15 in this one after the
Timberwolves opened the game on a 17-2 run.
Joe Johnson had 22 points and Deron Williams scored 19 for the Nets, who lost
for just the fifth time in their last 29 home games. Jarrett Jack scored 14
off the bench and Brook Lopez chipped in 10 points. Kevin Garnett grabbed 11
rebounds in the loss.
The Nets close the stay against the Orlando Magic Sunday, then head west for
three games.
The Knicks are reeling a bit. After a two-game winning streak, New York has
dropped two in a row, including a 15-point drubbing at home to the Washington
Wizards and a tough loss in Detroit on Wednesday.
The Pistons prevailed, 98-95, as Carmelo Anthony was held in check. He scored
13 points, but went 5-for-21 from the field and didn’t score a basket in the
first half.
“I thought early on he was trying to do the right thing and not look to attack
too early, make sure everybody was involved and I think that made it a little
harder for him to find his rhythm,” Knicks head coach Derek Fisher said about
Anthony.
Anthony got on track late to end with 13 points, and New York cut a 17-point
fourth-quarter deficit down to two before ultimately being dealt a second loss
in as many nights.
Tim Hardaway Jr. paced the Knicks with 20 points while filling the sixth-man
role of J.R. Smith, suspended for the game for striking Washington’s Glen Rice
Jr. in the groin on Tuesday.
Jason Smith contributed 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting for New York, which
received 15 points each from Iman Shumpert and Amar’e Stoudemire.
The Knicks won the battle of the boroughs last season, 3-1. The Knicks have
won three straight as the visitor and are 3-1 all-time at Barclays Center.
