Nets fail to show up in fourth in third loss to Knicks
The Knicks outscored the Nets 36-23 in the fourth quarter to secure a 119-104 victory Monday in Brooklyn.
New York has won all three matchups of the crosstown rivalry this season.
Kristaps Porzingis scored 26 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Michael Beasley scored 23 points on 10-18 shooting from the field.
New York's bench provided the spark in the win. The Knicks' bench accounted for 70 points.
DeMarre Carroll led Brooklyn with 22 points and eight rebounds. Caris LeVert scored 20 points on 3-5 shooting from three.
The Nets struggled to find open shots in rhythm throughout the contest. Brooklyn shot just 36.8% from the field while New York shot 51.2%.
New York jumped out to a 10-point lead at the half. Brooklyn was able to slowly cut into the lead and entered the fourth trailing by just two points.
However, New York would score the first 11 points of the quarter and dominate the Nets throughout the period. Brooklyn lacked energy as the Knicks imposed their will using their size.
Brooklyn has failed to find a lineup that works well against a sizable Knicks squad. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson did all he could defensively but struggled to contest shots against the 7'3" Porzingis.
Kenny Atkinson decided to go with a small lineup for the majority of the second half. Atkinson opted not to play Tyler Zeller, Jarrett Allen or Jahlil Okafor together at any point in the contest as has been the case for most of the season.
Atkinson stated his small lineup was an attempt to spread out the Knicks shot blockers. “Because they were at the rim, we needed to spread them out. Going small helped us get back in the game. You could argue staying small, they took advantage of that. I just felt we weren’t scoring the ball. We had to change. That’s why we went small,” Atkinson said.
The Nets will attempt to pick up their first win of the series in the final matchup with the Knicks Jan. 30 at the Garden.
The loss drops Brooklyn to 16-28 on the season. The Nets have dropped five of their last six. Brooklyn will remain at home for matchups with San Antonio Wednesday and Miami Friday before setting off for a five-game road trip.