Nets-Knicks: A New York derby fire!

A derby between two teams of the top 8 of the Eastern Conference which is played on the last possession: New York had not known this for a long time. Worn by Kyrie Irving, the Nets managed to string together a fifth consecutive success by resisting the return of the Knicks (117-112) in an epic end to the game. The 34 points behind, the game’s leading scorer, almost wasn’t enough. As Brooklyn headed for easy success with its 12-point lead at the start of the fourth quarter, Steve Nash’s men had to work hard to stay ahead to the end and snatch the victory. Ten seconds from the buzzer, Julius Randle (33 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists) had brought his own to three points.

In the process, New York managed to regain possession thanks to a very strong defense and especially after a successful challenge from Tom Thibodeau. It was then that Kyrie Irving achieved her most important action of the evening. At Julius Randle’s marking, he lightly touched the ball as the Knicks All Star tried to equalize with a 3-point shot. The interior who had kept control of the leather thought he could start dribbling again but the referee decided otherwise. Three seconds from the end of the match, New York lost the ball and any hope of hitting an overtime.

To chain victories, Brooklyn learned to defend

« I was going to make a mistake quickly but I saw him cocking his shot. I felt I could get my hands on the ball and the referee whistled a deal. Julius made the right decision, I could have made a mistake and sent him to the free throw line “, Explained the number 11 of the Nets in a press conference. Furious, his opponent tried to explain himself to the referee trio at the end of the match but he finally had to wait for a statement from the NBA to understand Scott Foster’s whistle. ” The defender touched the ball but not enough to dislodge it from his opponent’s hands. In this situation, Randle couldn’t start dribbling again », Specified the referee. On this fact of the match, the meeting shifted in favor of Brooklyn.

While the Nets are renowned for their offensive punch, they’ve proven they can also win by raising the tone defensively. « We made huge progress in defense, that’s why we win so many games “Said James Harden, author of a triple-double for his first New York derby (21 points, 15 rebounds, 15 assists). With him, the return of the Knicks to the fore and this stormy end of the game, the New York rivalry could take on an unprecedented scale in the weeks to come.

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