National Basketball Association

Brooklyn Nets: Nets vs. Knicks Takeaways and Player Grades

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 1:58 p.m. ET

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Oct 8, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (24) drives to the basket past New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

The Brooklyn Nets and the New York Knicks squared off in the first Battle of the Boroughs game of the season. The Knicks defeated their rivals 116-98. While this game may be a preseason game, the Knicks made a statement against their cross borough rivals.

The Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks finally square off for the first time this season. This is our first look of the new look Nets and Knicks facing against each other. No matter who is on each roster’s respectively, the Nets and Knicks will always go at each other. This game had Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah inactive for the Knicks and for the Nets, Jeremy Lin, Luis Scola as notable names. However, for the Nets, players like Bojan Bogdanovic and Isaiah Whitehead made their season debuts. The Nets didn’t have the same stride like they did on Thursdays win against the Detroit Pistons.

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Anthony Bennett led the Nets with 15 points in 20 minutes of action. Most of his points were from the free throw line, where he was 11-of-14 (78.6 percent on the line). He was only 2-of-5 on field goals (40 percent). Joe Harris scored 11 points and he shot 3-of-4 from long distance. Sean Kilpatrick also added 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting.

Justin Hamilton led the Nets with seven points and seven rebounds off the bench. Yogi Ferrell led the Nets with three assists.

This game also marked the preseason debuts of Isaiah Whitehead and Bojan Bogdanovic. Whitehead scored six points, had an assist and grabbed two boards in 14 minutes of action. Bogdanovic scored only three points, also had an assist and grabbed two boards in 12 minutes of action.

Oct 8, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Yogi Ferrell (10) drives to the basket between New York Knicks forward Mindaugas Kuzminskas (91) and New York Knicks guard Chasson Randle (4) during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

Takeaways

1. The Nets didn’t play the way they did against the Detroit Pistons

It seems like wishful thinking that the Nets should play like they did in their first preseason game against the Pistons, but they didn’t even show a glimpse of that in Saturday’s game. The Nets won’t always shoot 41 percent from three, but there was lack of movement during the game. The Nets weren’t moving the ball around a lot as the ball stuck to one person.

There were frequent drive and pass plays with errant passes, which led to turnovers or fast break points. If the Nets want to ensure success this season, they have to be intelligent with their passing, play smarter and take smarter shots. The Nets had 18 turnovers against the Knicks and they would like to limit that.

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2. Lack of effort in the second half

Throughout the first half, especially in the second quarter, the Nets made the Knicks take really tough shots and made the game close. It was a back and forth game between both teams. However, during the third quarter, the Knicks scored 39 points. Even in a preseason game, the third quarter point-total was unacceptable as the Knicks got their way. In the fourth quarter, the Nets looked like they gave up and allowed the Knicks score at will. The Nets will have to address that type of energy in their next game.

3. Poor Defensive Effort

As mentioned before, the Knicks scored 39 points on the Nets in the third quarter. That is unacceptable on any night. It wasn’t just Saturday’s game that defense was an issue. It was an issue in Thursday’s preseason game. If one looks at how many points the Knicks scored against the Nets, that speaks for itself. The Nets have to get better defensively.

The Starters

Greivis Vasquez

PG, Brooklyn Nets

C-Greivis Vasquez didn’t do much for the game. He only played 13 minutes and scored two points in 20 percent shooting. He also grabbed two boards. He didn’t do anything that benefitted the Nets tonight.

Randy Foye

SG, Brooklyn Nets

B-In 20 minutes of action, Randy Foye did make slight contributions in Saturday’s game despite the loss. He scored 9 points on 2-of-8 shooting (25 percent). He also grabbed four rebounds. Foye will look to make more of a statement during the season.

Brook Lopez

C, Brooklyn Nets

C-Brook Lopez doesn’t deserve a harsh grade due to him only playing 13 minutes. He scored three points on 1-of-3 shooting while grabbing a board and an assist. It’s the preseason though, so let’s all calm down.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson

Small Forward, Brooklyn Nets

BIn 19 minutes of action, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson scored nine points on 4-of-10 shooting. He grabbed two boards and had a steal that resulted into a fast break dunk during the second half of the game. Hollis-Jefferson was all over the court and he played hard on defense as usual. He gave Carmelo Anthony a bit of a hard time until Melo scored that and one three-pointer on Hollis-Jefferson. Nonetheless, Hollis-Jefferson stood out in terms of hustling and playing hard.

Trevor Booker

Power Forward, Brooklyn Nets

BTrevor Booker was another player that stood out. Booker only scored five points on 2-of-5 shooting and grabbed five points, but Booker always dove for loose balls and hustled to get rebounds. The Nets need the hustle from Booker and as the season starts, he will play with hustle because that is his style.Next: Bench Grade

Brooklyn Nets Bench

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