Game Preview: Knicks vs Nets, Nov. 9, 2025

SB Nation

The New York Knicks (5–3) host the Brooklyn Nets (1–8) on Sunday at Madison Square Garden, in the teams’ first battle of the boroughs of the 2025–26 season.

New York enters on a three-game winning streak

and has aced five straight at home, behind an offense averaging 118.9 points per game (seventh-best in the league). Our heroes–and particularly Mitchell Robinson–continue to dominate the glass, pulling down 47.9 rebounds per outing and generating 14.3 second-chance points per game.

Brooklyn, meanwhile, is mired in the putrid patch, having dropped seven of eight tries, including Friday’s 125–107 loss to Detroit. The Nets log just 111.9 points per game on 44% shooting, ranking near the bottom in offensive efficiency. And paint protection? Fuhgeddaboudit.

Jalen Brunson has been a Steady Eddie for New York, while Karl-Anthony Towns averages north of 25 points across his recent outings. Mikal Bridges, facing his former team, continues his hot start with 18 points per game on 50% shooting.

No major injuries are reported for the Knicks.

For Brooklyn, former Nugget Michael Porter Jr. (23.1 PPG, eight RPG, 36% from deep) usually leads Brooklyn’s scoresheet, with Nic Claxton (14.9 PPG, 61.6% FG) and Terance Mann (10.9 PPG) lending support. Turnovers and rebounding remain glaring issues for Jordi Torres’ team, and their paint defense, which allowed 43.5 points inside last season, has not improved.

The Knicks swept the season series last year, winning all four matchups and outscoring the Nets by more than ten points per game. They enter this one as heavy favorites (-12.5, -800 moneyline), with the over/under at 227.5.

Prediction

ESPN.com favors the Knicks at 97%. That’s almost 100! The Knicks’ rebounding dominance should tilt the matchup in their favor, especially if Towns and Mitchell Robinson control the glass. If Brooklyn can’t find consistency from the perimeter or contain New York’s interior scoring, this could get lopsided early. Knicks by 15.