National Basketball Association

Brooklyn Nets vs. New York Knicks Takeaways and Player Grades

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 7:37 p.m. ET

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Nov 9, 2016; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks point guard Derrick Rose (25) controls the ball against Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez (11) during the second quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The Brooklyn Nets lost the second half of a back-to-back falling to the New York Knicks 110-96 at the Garden. Brooklyn falls to 3-5 on the season and the Knicks improve to 3-4 on their season.

The Brooklyn Nets fell apart in the fourth quarter. After losing their ten-point first quarter lead, the Knicks kept it close. Then, in the fourth quarter, Brooklyn fell apart. Down by only one after three, the Knicks outscored Brooklyn 38-25 in the final frame. That led to New York’s 14 point win.

Brooklyn’s big men, Brook Lopez and Justin Hamilton played well tonight as they both put up 21 points, leading the team. Kristaps Porzingis and Carmelo Anthony led New York with 22 and 21 respectively.

As a team, Brooklyn shot 41.3 percent from the floor against the Knicks. Long range balls seemingly hurt the Nets again tonight. Once again, Brooklyn tossed up over 30 three’s as they went 11-of-33 from long range.

Isaiah Whitehead is in concussion protocol today after getting landed on last night. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Sean Kilpatrick got the backcourt starts tonight. Greivis Vasquez was waived before tonight’s game due to him needing ankle surgery. Add in Jeremy Lin being out, and the point guard position is looking suddenly thin. This allowed Yogi Ferrell to get his first career NBA action. Ferrell put up five points in 14 minutes.

Nov 9, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez (11) shoots against New York Knicks center Joakim Noah (13) and New York Knicks power forward Kristaps Porzingis (6) during the second quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Takeaways:

1. RHJ and Sean Kilpatrick may not be the best backcourt combo

RHJ and Sean Kilpatrick combined for 15 points on 3-of-13 shooting. RHJ was 1-of-4 from the floor with 8 points and Kilpatrick was 2-of-9 from the floor with seven points. They combined for nine assists and seven turnovers; not the production you want. Maybe Kilpatrick is better as a sixth man. Certain players, like Jamal Crawford are simply better coming off of the bench. Maybe Randy Foye or Yogi Ferrell is better off starting and running the point. Either way, this combination simply did not cut it tonight.

2. Yogi Ferrell may be a better Lin replacement than Isaiah Whitehead

Yogi Ferrell only saw 14 minutes of action tonight but went 2-of-3 from the field and made his only three ball for five points. Ferrell also dished out three assists and got himself a steal. For someone that was not even technically with the team this morning, he played pretty well. The New York spotlight inside the Garden did not seem to phase him. Whitehead struggled his first few games, and noticeably so. Ferrell remained calm and composed throughout his action.

3. Brook Lopez is on fire

Brook Lopez put up over 20 points yet again. This time he did it on 8-of-12 shooting and 1-of-5 from long range. While his three point shot may not be the most consistent out there, the fact that he can make them allows Brooklyn to stretch the floor more often. Lopez has shot over 50 percent from the floor his second game in a row as well. Lopez’s production since Lin went down has been imperative for this Nets team, as they probably would not be competitive, or winning, without his contributions offensively.

Nov 9, 2016; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks power forward Kristaps Porzingis (6) controls the ball against Brooklyn Nets center Justin Hamilton (41) during the second quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Player of the Game:

Justin Hamilton

PF/C, Brooklyn Nets

AHamilton had a huge night for Brooklyn. Coming off of the bench, Hamilton scored 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting and 5-of-7 from long range. Hamilton also tallied four rebounds and a steal. While Hamilton definitely has had his struggles this season, when he is on, he is on. Hamilton’s three-point shot goes in almost every time when he is feeling hot. With Kilpatrick starting tonight, Hamilton really gave this bench a boost.

Wildcard:

Yogi Ferrell

PG, Brooklyn Nets

AYogi Ferrell got called up to Brooklyn this morning after the team released Greivis Vasquez. Ferrell, as expected, saw limited action. But, he made the most of his action tonight. In a mere 14 minutes, Yogi nailed 2-of-3 of his shots and his only long ball for a total of five points. Getting three assists and a steal also shows his value as a point guard. Moving forward, with Lin still out, look for Ferrell to get more playing time. He may need time to develop and get comfortable, but he sure seemed poised and controlled tonight. What a first outing for the un-drafted point guard out of Indiana.

Up Your Game Please…

Bojan Bogdanovic

SG/SF, Brooklyn Nets

Now sitting at 3-5 and winless on the road, Brooklyn starts a west coast swing. They head to Phoenix to square off against the Suns on Saturday night. The Knicks, at 3-4, Boston for a divisional match-up with the Celtics on Friday night.