Nets vs. Knicks preview: Sunday night at The Garden

SB Nation

Couldn’t make it two. The Brooklyn Nets came home on Friday night to face the Detroit Pistons. The Nets got off to a solid start, but the Pistons gradually found their footing and came away with a 125-107

victory. The L made Brooklyn 0-1 in NBA Cup play with a -18 point differential.

The opponent tonight is looking good. The New York Knicks have been off for the past few days after they beat up the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Garden November 5. That’s a lot of rest during an NBA season.

Where to follow the game

Got a lot of options tonight. MSG and YES Network on TV. WFAN and ESPN radio on streaming. Gotham Sports app on streaming. Tip after 6:00 p.m. And if you’re really into it, you can catch the Long Island Nets at 3:00 p.m. on NBA TV or Gotham Sports app.

Injuries

No Cam Thomas or Haywood Highsmith. And reading Brian Lewis report Sunday, we may see Highsmith’s debut with the Nets before we see Thomas return.

Nothing doing for the Knicks.

The game

Josh Hart is having an especially difficult time at Hart has been dealing with a nerve injury in his right hand that sometimes leads to numbness. He’s also taking on a new role this season as he’s coming off the bench after being an indispensable starter for Tom Thibodeau last season. It’s a lot to deal with, but Hart is taking it all in stride:

“For me, I knew it would take a little bit of time. Obviously, normally you’ve got the preseason to kind of get the wind under you. So I knew it was gonna take a minute to get back in shape and get my legs under me and be confident in some of those shots. So I figured I’d give myself a week, week-and-a-half of grace before I get too frustrated with myself, but for me it’s still getting into a good rhythm. New role, I’ve gotta know one through five, I’ve gotta know everything else. So it’s a little bit of a process and I’ve just gotta figure it out.”

As one of the more versatile players in the Association, I think he’ll figure it out soon enough.

After a rough start to the season, Noah Clowney is starting to shine. In his last three games, he’s averaging 17.0 points a game on 44/40/75 shooting splits. He’s been excellent as a starter this week and figures to keep that spot going forward. You’re starting to see more confidence in his game, especially from 3-point range. Jordi Fernandez mentioned in postgame on Friday that Clowney needs to get better defensively, and tonight will be a great challenge for him. He’ll have to tussle with one of the game’s best rebounders in Mitchell Robinson. Robinson recently returned from injury, but that hasn’t stopped him from feasting on the boards. Expect to see Day’Ron Sharpe faced off with Robinson as well.

We’ll see an old friend of ours tonight. Year Two in orange-and-blue has gone pretty well for Mikal Bridges. He’s shooting a career best 46.5 percent from 3-point range on five attempts per game. For Bridges, he excels when he’s lower on the usage scale and isn’t tasked with being a lead engine on offense. It also helps that he’s taken the most shots inside of three feet since the 2021-2022 season with the Phoenix Suns. At a reduced role, he can give you more on the defensive side of the ball and with the Knicks trying to take that championship step, Bridges will be essential to that goal.

Without Thomas, Michael Porter Jr moves to the top of the scouting report. MPJ has scored at least 17 points in each of the last four games and has scored 30+ twice. Brooklyn will likely need 30+ if they want to hang in there

Ultimately, if the Nets want to pull off the upset, they’ve got to stop Jalen Brunson. JB is one of the most electric players in basketball and someone that’s always a threat to take over a game. Even at his size, he’s a tough and crafty finisher at the rim. Life in the NBA has been a crash course for Egor Dëmin, and this is shaping up to be his toughest challenge so far.

This will be the 129th game in the rivalry absent exhibition games between the NBA Knicks and ABA Nets. The Knicks, after winning 10 straight, now hold a 116-112 advantage. A win today by New York would match the longest winning streak in the rivalry, 11 by the Nets in better times.

Beyond the Battle of the Boroughs, there’s another rivalry. Mike Brown and Jordi Fernandez have a long history. Brown hired Fernandez to be his son’s trainer, noticed some positives in the young Spaniard, then mentored him throughout his NBA career. Brown hired Fernandez as an assistant in Cleveland, then again in Sacramento. For three seasons before last year, Brown was head coach of the Kings and Fernandez his No. 2 as associate head coach.

Player to watch: Karl-Anthony Towns

Utilizing your stars in various ways is incredibly valuable. When you know they’re excellent in one area, you can expand their horizons a bit to see what else is possible. It’s something new coach Mike Brown spoke about in training camp:

Amazingly, this is Year 11 for Towns, the New Jersey native. It doesn’t feel like it, but it is! Towns can score from anywhere on the court and has been a foul magnet this year, averaging close to seven free throw attempts a game on 90.9 percent shooting, both career highs. When Towns avoids silly fouls, he’s one of the best and most difficult players to slow down in the league.

Nic Claxton has done well as of late and will have a tall task awaiting him. Towns will draw Claxton out to the three point line, but Clax has shown an ability to handle himself out there. The Knicks are ninth in shot attempts inside the restricted area, so Brooklyn will have to work hard to keep them on the perimeter. Claxton will have to limit the Knicks effectiveness on the inside and handle himself on switches. He’s played much better in the past five games, and an MSG showcase would be the cherry on top of a good run.

From the Vault

On Friday evening, it was announced that former New York Liberty head coach Richie Adubato passed away at the age of 89.

Adubato coached for close to three decades and spent some time in the mid 80s as an assistant with the Knicks. With that in mind, we’re taking two trips to the Vault. First up, his last win as a head coach in the NBA