MANILA – Brooklyn Nets survived a late uprising by the New York Knicks to pull off a 117-112 victory in the 2020-2021 National Basketball Association (NBA) Season on Monday night (Tuesday in the Philippines) at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Holding to a 107-96 lead midway in the fourth quarter, the Nets suddenly saw its lead chopped to 108-112 by a huge Knicks’ run but free throws by Kyrie Irving and James Harden widened Brooklyn’s lead to 115-108 with 28.6 seconds left.
Back-to-back hits by New York’s RJ Barrett and Julius Randle allowed them to trim the deficit further at 115-112. The Knicks even had a chance to tie but Randle committed a turnover that led by Harden’s two free throws to seal the win for Brooklyn.
Irving finished the match with 34 points, including four triples, while Harden added triple-double 21 points, 15 rebounds, and 15 assists as the Nets remained at second place in Eastern Conference with 27-13 win-loss slate.
Jeff Green contributed 20 markers, with 17 coming in the opening half, while Joe Harris chipped in 13 markers for the Nets, which played without injured Kevin Durant and Blake Griffin.
Julius Randle paced the Knicks, 20-20, with 33 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, and three steals while Barrett and Immanuel Quickley added 23 and 21 markers, respectively, for the Knicks.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles Lakers (26-13) dominated the Golden State Warriors (20-20) from start to finish to score a lopsided 128-97 victory at the Chase Center in San Francisco, California.
Montrezl Harrell top-scored for the Lakers with 27 points, while LeBron James tallied triple-double 22 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds for the Lakers. Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 27 points.
Denver Nuggets leaned on the solid game of Nikola Jokic for a 121-106 domination over Indiana Pacers. Jokic finished the match with double-double 32 points and 14 rebounds.
In other results, Phoenix Suns eclipsed Memphis Grizzlies, 122-99; Los Angeles Clippers edged Dallas Mavericks, 109-99; San Antonio Spurs prevailed over Detroit Pistons, 109-99; Charlotte Hornets whipped Sacramento Kings, 122-116; and Milwaukee Bucks devour Washington Wizards, 133-122.
BOX SCORE:
BROOKLYN 117 – Irving 34, Harden 21, Green 20, Harris 13, Jordan 8, Johnson 6, Brown 6, Claxton 6, Shamet 3, Luwawu-Cabarrot 0.
NEW YORK 112 – Randle 33, Barrett 23, Quickley 21, Bullock 19, Burks 12, Gibson 4, Noel 0, Ntilika 0, Toppin 0.
Quarterscores: 35-30, 67-55, 96-84, 117-112./PN
