The Brooklyn Nets had a real chance to do something they hadn’t done in nearly four years. They led late at Madison Square Garden, they stayed within striking distance for three quarters, and they even carried a seven-point edge into the final period.
Then the fourth quarter happened.
Brooklyn was outscored 23-5 over one stretch and never recovered, falling to the New York Knicks 103-90 for a 15th straight loss in the series. The Nets had been close in one sense and nowhere near it in another, and the closing minutes made the difference plain.
Nolan Traoré was the bright spot for Brooklyn from the opening tip. He started with the same five that beat Indiana the night before and immediately carried over the momentum, drilling a deep three and later setting up a Day’Ron Sharpe dunk on the third and fourth possessions.
Traoré finished with 17 points and four assists, shooting 5-6 from deep. He also had two turnovers, a steal, and a block.
The early offense was there. The early defense was not.
Brooklyn struggled to sort out New York’s spacing and kept giving up corner threes, whether from missed switches or help that came too late. The Knicks hit 6-14 from beyond the arc in the first quarter and moved ahead 27-21 after one.
Julius Randle, back in the Garden and introduced with Brooklyn’s starters, had a shaky opening. He missed his first three shots and committed a turnover before assisting on a Mikel Brown Jr.
ATO three. Brown Jr., playing in Madison Square Garden for the first time, looked comfortable from the start.
The 20-year-old rookie scored five first-quarter points on 2-3 shooting and capped the frame by driving past Landry Shamet and Duece McBride to find Mo Wagner for an and-one with five seconds left.
Randle settled in during the second quarter. He scored four points in the first four minutes of the period as Brooklyn opened with a 9-0 run and briefly reclaimed the lead.
But the Knicks answered when a Traoré pass went awry and Mikal Bridges raced the other way for an uncontested dunk. That was one of the few moments Bridges had to show for himself; he finished 1-7 from the field and played just 16 minutes.
Even with Brooklyn’s offense humming at times, the Knicks kept hanging around. Traoré stayed perfect from deep in the first half, and Brown Jr. added another triple in the second to give him 11 points and two assists before intermission.
But the Nets’ perimeter defense kept bleeding points, and the free throw gap helped New York stay afloat. The Knicks went 15-16 at the line in the first half while Brooklyn was 4-6, and New York had only 13 made field goals by halftime.
The whistles didn’t tell the whole story, though. Brooklyn fouled late in possessions, gave up three-point attempts, and let the Knicks keep collecting easy points at the stripe. That left the Nets trailing 51-44 at the break.
The third quarter turned into a back-and-forth stretch before Brooklyn made its move. New York put together a 7-0 run in the middle of the period and looked ready to stretch the margin, but Brown Jr. sparked the response with two quick finishes at the rim. That led a 13-0 run for Brooklyn, finished off by threes from Porter Jr. and Wagner, and suddenly the Nets were back in front.
They carried a 79-75 lead into the fourth, their first lead over the Knicks going into the final quarter since January of 2024.
It vanished almost immediately.
New York opened the fourth with a 9-0 burst after Brooklyn missed two deep shots and Wagner missed a layup. The Knicks got out in transition, found space, and kept the pressure on.
A string of Brooklyn turnovers followed, and the lead ballooned into a 16-2 run. By then, the game had slipped away.
Traoré briefly slowed the surge with his fourth three-pointer, cutting it to 91-84 with 6:31 left, but Brooklyn never found another answer. The Nets kept missing around the rim and losing loose balls, and the Knicks pulled away to 98-84 with 3:50 remaining.
From there, it was over.
Randle finished with 21 points and 11 rebounds, though he went 1-3 from the field and had four turnovers in the fourth. Porter Jr. scored 18 points and hit 4-11 from three, but he was scoreless in nine fourth-quarter minutes and went 0-2 in the period. Brown Jr. added 13 points, three assists, and two rebounds, but he was 0-4 in the fourth and committed a turnover.
As a team, Brooklyn shot 3-16 in the final quarter.
Milestone Watch
Julius Randle recorded his first double-double of the season tonight vs. NYK with 21 points and a season-high 10 rebounds. It is his first regular-season double-double in 23 outings, last recording one on 3/3/26 (MIN vs MEM).
With his 17th point tonight vs. NYK, Michael Porter Jr. reached 7,000 points in his NBA career. He is one of six players since his debut in 2019-20 to total 7,000 PTS, 2,500 REB and 1,000 3PM, joining Luka Dončić, James Harden, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Lauri Markkanen.
Next Up
Brooklyn has a day off before returning home to face the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. EST. That starts a stretch that also includes Atlanta, Dallas, and New Orleans.
In Other News...
Julius Randle Just Added A New Twist To Nets Knicks Rivalry
Julius Randles path back into the New York basketball conversation has taken an unusual turn, and it now includes a stop on the other side of the city rivalry. Before the Nets and Knicks met at Madison Square Garden, the former Knicks forward was introduced to a warm reception from the crowd, a reminder of how much of a footprint he left over five seasons in New York.
Randle made three All-Star teams with the Knicks and was one of the franchises most productive players of the era, averaging 22.6 points, 9.9 rebounds and 4.7 assists during his time there. After New York sent him to Minnesota in a three-team deal, he landed with Brooklyn in a four-team trade, adding a fresh layer to a rivalry that already had plenty of history and giving the Nets a player who knows the local spotlight as well as anyone. [Read more 🡒]
Nets Trade Deadline Could Reveal Their True Rebuild Plan
Brooklyns rebuild is starting to look less like a straight line and more like a test of priorities, with the trade deadline looming as a chance to decide what kind of timeline this front office really wants to follow. The Nets have been weighing ways to accelerate the process, and Michael Porter Jr. has emerged as the kind of player who could draw real interest from teams trying to push forward, including Detroit and Orlando.
What makes the next few weeks so interesting is the range of directions Brooklyn could choose from in return. The names being floated reflect very different kinds of upside, from a polished wing to a developmental swing and even a young big with long-term appeal, and each would say something different about how aggressive the Nets want to be about the reset. For now, it all depends on how the season develops and how willing Brooklyn is to turn one of its bigger pieces into a future-facing move. [Read more 🡒]
Nets Fans Have One Big Reason To Watch Porter Right Now
Michael Porter Jr. keeps giving Nets fans reasons to pay attention, and his latest milestone only adds to the intrigue. Against the Knicks, he reached 7,000 career points and joined a small group of NBA players with at least 7,000 points, 2,500 rebounds and 1,000 three-pointers, a reminder of how productive he has been as his role in Brooklyn has grown.
Since arriving with the Nets, Porter has looked more comfortable as a scorer, coming off a career-best 24.2 points last season. The bigger question now is what comes next, because the sides have yet to find common ground on an extension, leaving his long-term future in Brooklyn very much in play as the season unfolds. [Read more 🡒]