NBA: Jalen Brunson, Julius Randle carry Knicks over Nets

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New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson reacts after making a 3-pointer during the second half of the team’s NBA basketball game against the Brooklyn Nets, Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

NEW YORK — Jalen Brunson scored 30 points, Julius Randle added 30 points, nine rebounds and seven assists and the New York Knicks extended their winning streak to four games with a 108-103 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night.

The Knicks trailed by nine points at the start of the fourth quarter and outscored the Nets 32-18 in the period, closing out the win with a 10-3 run over the final two minutes.

Donte DiVincenzo scored 11 points and OG Anunoby added 10 for the Knicks.

Brunson, who shot 50% from the field, called the fourth quarter the Knicks’ best 12-minute stretch of the game.

No quit in this team 🔒

Randle 30 PTS | 9 REB | 7 AST
Brunson 30 PTS | 4 AST | 3 REB
Donte 11 PTS | 5 REB | 1 STL
OG 10 PTS | 5 REB | 4 STL pic.twitter.com/ZCIeb1xYBK

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) January 24, 2024

“We just kept grinding. Obviously, they were pretty much beating us all game. They were playing well. They started the game pretty well,” he said. “We couldn’t do anything about what we did in the past, we could only just be better going forward, and the best quarter was the fourth tonight.”

Mikal Bridges hit a career-high seven 3-pointers and scored 36 points for the Nets, who blew a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter in the second consecutive game.

Brooklyn led by as many as 18 points before squandering a 14-point advantage in a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday. Against the Knicks, Brooklyn was up by 10 late in the third quarter.

“We just got to stay together, that’s the biggest thing,” Bridges said. “When a team makes a run, makes a push, we just got to handle adversity a little better.”

Cameron Johnson scored 19 points and Cam Thomas added 14 off the bench for the Nets, who had lost the last three meetings against the Knicks.

The contest was close for the first two quarters before Brooklyn built a 10-point lead late in the third quarter on a 6-0 run that was capped by a Nic Claxton dunk that extended the lead to 81-71 with 1:16 left in the period.

Prince Achiuwa hit a layup to make it a one-point game following a Randle miss at the rim, giving the Knicks a 98-97 lead with 3:57 left.

Dorian Finney-Smith answered with a 3-pointer to put the Nets back in front with 3:47 remaining.

New York missed consecutive 3-pointers before Randle connected and put the Knicks ahead for good, 101-100, with 2:19 left in the game.

After a wild sequence that included three blocked shots by both teams, Randle brought the Knicks’ supporters to their feet with a two-handed dunk that made it 103-101.

Claxton first blocked Brunson’s attempt 2 feet away from the rim and the New York defense picked up its intensity as Josh Hart blocked Dennis Smith Jr.’s layup attempt before Anunoby denied Johnson’s floater.

Hart grabbed the loose ball and passed it to Randle, whose pass near mid-court found Bronson, who fed Randle for the score.

“That’s our team,” Randle said. “Me and Jalen get a lot of shine just scoring points and stuff like that, but those are the plays that win us games. Those are the plays that maybe go unnoticed. But they’re winning plays and they help us win games.”

Finney-Smith missed a 3-pointer and Jason Hart followed with a basket at the other end to extend the Knicks’ lead to 105-101, forcing the Nets to call a timeout.

Bridges hit a 13-foot pullup jumper to close the deficit, but New York sealed the game with three consecutive free throws.

Brunson had 10 of his 18 first-half points in the second quarter to help the Knicks to a 50-49 lead at the break.

NEXT SCHEDULE

Knicks: Host the Denver Nuggets on Thursday.

Nets: Host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday.