“This is the next step for us and so we have a chance to protect it, so we should.
2 spot in the East with a win Sunday over the Bulls and a loss by the Bucks (also 49-32) in their final game.
3 seed with a win Sunday in their regular-season finale, but a loss could push them down to the No.
Still, they missed their first five shots — four by Brunson — and spotted the out-of-it Nets an 11-0 lead.
A fter managing the next five points, the Knicks allowed another double-digit splurge for a 21-5 Brooklyn advantage.
The Knicks put up 40 in the second, but Thomas finished the half with 22 of his game-high 41 as the Nets carried a 63-54 advantage into intermission.
The Nets intentionally fouled Mitchell Robinson — a 56.2 percent free-throw shooter this season — four times in the closing minutes.
And we found a way to win in the end, and that’s the bottom line.”
The Knicks looked like a tired team playing the last two games of a back-to-back after an eight-day road trip, not like a team hoping to finally secure home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
The Knicks, however, persevered as they have done all season, rallying from a significant first-half deficit and overwhelming the eliminated Nets in the third quarter to secure a 111-107 victory and a spot no worse than the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
“[Home court] is very important. Jalen Brunson expressed his excitement, “I can’t wait to start that. We have an opportunity to safeguard it because this is the next step for us, and we really ought to.
However, by the end of the year, we aim to be the best team possible. “.
There’s still a chance for Tom Thibodeau’s squad (49-32) to win the No. a victory over the Bulls on Sunday and a defeat (49-32) by the Bucks in their last game to secure the second spot in the East.
In addition, the Knicks can clinch the No. win in their final regular-season game on Sunday, they would hold the No. 3 seed; however, a loss could drop them to the No. 4th place in a three-way tiebreaker against the Cavaliers and the Bucks (48-33).
“Look, that’s how we’re looking at it; we want to cross the finish line,” Thibodeau remarked.
We want to get better. It is what we want to play. “.
After a slow first half, Brunson rallied for a team-high 30 points, which included two game-winning free throws with 4:01 remaining following a forceful shove by Cam Thomas.
The Knicks won the four-game season series against their Brooklyn-based rivals, winning all 15 of OG Anunoby’s points after halftime. Anunoby fouled out on Thomas in response to loud chants of “OG.”.
“Just curious as to what that was about. Anunoby remarked, “I felt it was an excessive push.”. “I would never want to witness a teammate being shoved. That’s all there is to it. “.
After falling behind by as much as 17 points in the second quarter, the Knicks outscored Brooklyn 30–13 in the third quarter to improve to an incredible 19–3 in 22 games since Anunoby was acquired in late December in a trade that sent RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley to the Raptors.
Nevertheless, they missed their opening five attempts, four of which were from Brunson, and gave the out-of-form Nets an 11-0 advantage. * A.
Following a five-point run, the Knicks gave up another double-digit basket to give Brooklyn a 21-5 lead.
After going 5-for-20 (55.0%) from the field, the Knicks were outscored 30-14.
With 4:15 remaining in the first half, Brunson missed his first six shots of the game before finally scoring his first points.
The Knicks scored forty points in the second quarter, but Thomas ended the half with twenty-two of his game-high forty-one, as the Nets led 63-54 at the half.
However, to start the third quarter, the Knicks increased their intensity.
They tied the game with two minutes remaining after Anunoby scored two dunks off turnovers, Josh Hart scored a basket, and Brunson executed a classic three-point play.
Anunoby closed out Thomas at the other end, going scoreless during the quarter to give the lead eight points going into the final quarter. Anunoby also added two 3-pointers to finish the quarter with fifteen points.
In response, Thomas scored ten points in the first six minutes of the fourth quarter. With 2:50 left, Trendon Watford’s drive brought the Nets within one at 99-98.
Mitchell Robinson is a 56.2 percent free-throw shooter this season. In the final minutes, the Nets intentionally fouled him four times.
Nevertheless, he made 5 of 8 free throws, including two with 2:03 remaining, and Brunson finished with two short jumpers and four free throws.
Thibodeau remarked, “We got really muddy early in the game.”. “We have a busy schedule. I do like that we have responded, though. We arose from our ashes. We resolved it. The main point is that we managed to emerge victorious in the end. “.
