After a successful four-game road trip, the New York Knicks return home Saturday afternoon to take on the rival Brooklyn Nets.
The Knicks won their first three games on the West Coast against Portland, Sacramento and Golden State before dropping their final game 113-100 at Denver on Thursday.
New York trailed by 8.5 points against the Nuggets, cutting a 12-point lead in the fourth quarter to two with eight minutes remaining. Nevertheless, Denver pulled away with the win and covering the spread.
Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 26 points, his lowest total on the road trip.
The Nets stagger into the Garden, trying to end their losing streak at five. Brooklyn suffered a 115-108 loss to Milwaukee on Thursday, but somehow managed to escape with a 9.5-point deficit.
Since defeating the Pistons in back-to-back games in late December, the Nets are just 11-28 in their last 39 games, and have only covered back-to-back wins and losses once during the period.
The Knicks have won four straight games against the Nets, including the first two games of the season. New York entered Barclays Center on Dec. 20 and defeated Brooklyn 121-102, then won 108-103 in late January.
The Nets haven't officially been eliminated from postseason contention, but they are close to missing the playoffs for the first time since 2018. Nevertheless, Kevin Ollie's side continue to show fight even as the losses pile up.
Mikal Bridges (24 points against Milwaukee), Nic Claxton (22 points) and Cam Thomas (21 points) have not yet made offseason plans. Thomas leads the Nets in scoring this season with 21.5 points.
In this third matchup, the Nets are an underdog compared to the first two meetings, catching up with the Knicks on a winning road trip across three time zones.
Would you like to bet on the NBA?
Let's think of the Nets as “dogs” here.
play: Nets +7.5
