Instant Analysis: Knicks Win Dogfight Against Neighbouring Nets To Extend Winning Streak Over Rivals

The New York Knicks extended their winning streak against the Brooklyn Nets to 8-0, defeating them 114-104 tonight in their second consecutive game against each other. After the Nets put up an amazing fight against the Knicks on Friday night, the Knicks looked to be more in control tonight.

Karl-Anthony Towns was brilliant, as he put up 26 points (10-16 FG), 15 rebounds, six assists, one steal and one block. OG Anunoby was also excellent, as he delivered 24 points (9-17 FG), eight rebounds, and one block. Mikal Bridges had another positive outing against his former team, with 21 points (9-18 FG), six rebounds, one assists, one steal, and one block.

There were no stand-out performances on the Nets outside of Cameron Johnson. The two-way wing continued to up his value for any potential trade with another good outing, putting up 22 points (7-12 FG), five rebounds, and five assists. Cam Thomas had a rare slow night scoring, as he put up just 16 points (4-11 FG), five rebounds, three assists, and one steal.

It was an important win for the Knicks, who now stand fourth in the Eastern Conference, behind the Orlando Magic. There is no doubt the Knicks started the season slow, especially considering the expectations surrounding them. But they seem to be slowly building the momentum fit for a team with championship aspirations.

Here are three keys to the Knicks' victory over the Nets:

Starting Players Deliver Big Performances

The Knicks' starters all had big scoring tonight, as four out of the five players put up 20+ points. Josh Hart had one of his best games this season, scoring 20 points (8-13 FG), eight rebounds, and eight assists. Jalen Brunson had a rare off-night shooting the ball, putting up just 12 points (3-14 FG), 10 assists, five rebounds, and two steals.

The Knicks starters combined to score 103 of the Knicks' 114 points. Their combined points contribution almost matched the scoring output of the entire Nets' team, which is really impressive. Head coach Tom Thibodeau will hope that his starters can click together like this more often for the remainder of the season.

These kinds of scoring nights for all starters are bound to be rare, but if the Knicks can get all their starters to put up respectable double-digit scores for a majority of the season, the team will benefit greatly in the standings in the Eastern Conference.

Brunson Compensates With Playmaking

As mentioned above, Jalen Brunson did not have a good night shooting the basketball. However, he took note of his struggles while trying to score and focused on getting his teammates the ball. Brunson led the game with 10 assists, helping his teammates who had the hot hand get good, clean looks.

While a rough scoring night is far from ideal, the Knicks will be hoping Brunson gets in his playmaking bag at this level more often. This season, Brunson is averaging 24.3 points, 6.8 assists, 3.1 rebounds, 0.5 steals, and 0.0 blocks per game. His assist numbers improving would be a big boost to the team's performance.

With a point guard like Brunson on the court, the Knicks can have the best of both worlds, as he can adequately score and set his teammates up with good passes. He just needs to put everything together to make that happen this season.

Nets Can't Punish Weak Knicks 3-Point Shooting

Despite the win, the Knicks do have some problems they need to address. The team's three-point shooting was far from ideal tonight, as they shot 13-40 from deep, with a meager 32.5% as a squad. The Knicks have shot the three-ball well this season, ranking fifth in the NBA for three-point percentage with 38.8% as a team.

However, they rank 11th when it comes to three-pointers made with 13.3 threes made per game and 22nd when it comes to three-pointers attempted with 34.6 threes attempted per game. These numbers have to improve as the season goes on, as the NBA heavily emphasizes the three-pointer for team success.

They escaped tonight without being punished as they faced a weak Nets team that is expected to be one of the worst teams in the league. But another bad night like this against another contender like the Celtics could see them get absolutely punished.

For now, the Knicks can rest easy that their noisy neighbors across the river weren't able to cause them too many problems. But they will have to quickly turn their focus to the Washington Wizards tomorrow night at 7:30 PM EST. Another home game against a weak team could allow the Knicks to start a winning streak and build some more much-needed momentum.