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Rivalry Week is here in the NBA, and we have battle of the boroughs as the New York Knicks (26-17, 23-18-2 ATS) take on the Brooklyn Nets (17-25, 20-20-2 ATS). The Knicks are currently the 5-seed in the East, while Brooklyn is back in 11th. The Knicks are coming off a home win over the Raptors 126-100, easily covering the spread as 7.5-point favorites. Brooklyn is coming off a road loss to the Clippers, going down 125-114 as 9.5-point underdogs. This is the second of four matchups between these teams this season, with the Knicks winning the first matchup by 21 on the road behind 26 points from Julius Randle. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 EST from the Barclays Center, and can be found on TNT.
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The New York Knicks and the Toronto Raptors recently completed a trade that sent RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley to Toronto, and OG Anunoby to New York. These teams then faced off for the first time since the trade, as Barrett and Quickley made their return to Madison Square Garden, but were sent home with a 26-point loss. Each player who was traded had modest games, Barrett finished with 20, Quickley had 12 and Anunoby had 14. The star of the game was Jalen Brunson, he dropped 38 points in the win, while Julius Randle had a triple double with 18 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists.
Tuning into the Julius Randle show ????
…last night's scheduled programming: TRIPLE-DOUBLE. pic.twitter.com/ACuQIgsuyn
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) January 21, 2024
Brunson leads the team in scoring with 26.5 PPG and in assists with 6.5 per game. He has also been the top outside shooter on the team, he makes 2.9 threes per game on 42.7% shooting from deep. Brunson has scored 30 or more in his past four games, including a 41-point game in a win over the Wizards. Julius Randle adds another 24.1 PPG, 9.3 RPG and 4.9 APG. Randle is coming off the triple double against Toronto, and recently put up 31 points in a win over Houston. OG Anunoby has now played in 11 games for New York, he is a defensive stopper who is averaging 14.9 PPG in his time with the Knicks. Over the past few games they have been starting Donte DiVincenzo (11.3 PPG) on the perimeter, and Isaiah Hartenstein (6.6 PPG, 8.5 RPG) on the inside.
Against Toronto, Precious Achiuwa, Josh Hart and Quentin Grimes got the most minutes off the bench. Hart has been the strongest contributor of the bunch, averaging 7.4 PPG and 6.5 RPG. The Knicks ar e currently ranked 9th in offensive efficiency and 8th in defensive efficiency according to dunksandthrees.com. New York plays at a very slow pace, they rank 27th in the league in tempo.
Injury Report:
Game-time decision: Isaiah Hartenstein
Out: Mitchell Robinson