BY: ANDREW LAM – SPORTS ON AIR USA CORRESPONDENT
BROOKLYN — The 1-2 punch of Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle proved too much for the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night when the crosstown rivals met at the Barclays Center.
Brunson and Randle each had 30 points and combined for 12 rebounds and 11 assists to power the Knicks to a 108-103 victory.
Donte DiVincenzo added 10 points and the Knicks, who shot 46.5 percent from the field (40-of-86) on the road, won for the fourth straight time to improve to 27-17 and fifth place in the Eastern Conference standings.
Powered by Mikal Bridges’ 36 points, Brooklyn soared to a 85-76 cushion at the end of the thid quarter. But that bubble burst in the fourth period when the Knicks went to 32-18 finishing kick.
“We just kept grinding. Obviously, they were pretty much beating us all game. They were playing well . They started the game pretty well . We couldn’t do anything about what we did in the past, we could only just be better going forward, and the best quarter was the fourth quarter,” Brunson said at his post-game media availability.
OJ Anunoby had 10 points and five rebounds. Since acquiring him from the Toronto Raptors last December 30, the Knicks have been on a 10-2 romp.
Meanwhile, the Nets’ struggles continued.
Their won-lost record fell to 17-26, a mere 11th place in the Eastern Conference. It means that at tis pace,Brooklyn won’t even qualify in the play-in tournament at the conclusion of the 82-game regular season.
“We just got to stay together. That’s the biggest thing,” a frustrated Bridges said as he contemplated on another one that got away.
