The New York Knicks have finally won a game. Who stepped up during the stunning 107-86 domination of the Brooklyn Nets?
The New York Knicks entered Friday, October 27 as the only team in the NBA that hadn’t yet won a game. It also entered Friday night as one of the worst defensive teams in the Association, which created the widespread belief that it would struggle against the Brooklyn Nets’ revamped offense.
Instead, the Knicks shocked the basketball world by dominating the Nets on both ends of the floor, thus securing a 107-86 victory and improving to 1-3.
New York secured its first win of the 2017-18 NBA regular season by getting back to the basics. It defended with speed, communication, and attention to detail, thus holding the Nets to a combined 58 points during the second, third, and fourth quarters.
Considering Brooklyn entered Friday ranked No. 1 in the NBA in points per game, the Knicks’ performance on defense was nothing if not surprising.
Offensively, five players scored in double-figures, and the Knicks crashed the boards for 31 second chance points. New York also shot 9-of-27 from beyond the arc, which was an upgrade over its league-worst shooting through three games.
The question is: Which players stepped up in order to make it possible for the New York Knicks to defeat the Brooklyn Nets and improve to 1-3?