NEW YORK -- The Brooklyn Nets (1-6) had managed to do what they need to do in order to get their first win of the season on Sunday in a game where most of the circumstances favored them. On Monday, Brooklyn had one of their toughest challenges of the season as they visited the New York Knicks (3-4) and the Nets still have to learn to put up a fight for all four quarters.
The Nets lost to the Knicks 103-90 in a game where Brooklyn kept up with New York for the first three quarters, but they started to lose some steam in the fourth quarter and the Knicks took advantage. Forward Julius Randle finished the game with 21 points and 11 rebounds while forward Michael Porter Jr. had 18 points and five rebounds in the disappointing loss.
At the end of the third
quarter, the Nets led the Knicks 79-75, but in the fourth quarter, New York won the final period 28-11 thanks primarily to Brooklyn shooting just 18.8% from the field. The Nets were even with the Knicks in most of the statistical categories, but they were outrebounded 43-38 and New York won the fastbreak points battle 13-2.
Here are the Nets player grades following Monday's loss to the Knicks:
Nolan Traore: B+
This game marked Traore's fourth-straight game in the starting lineup and he didn't disappoint as he continued to pick his spots on the floor and make some nice passes. Traore got into some foul trouble while trying to be an active help defender for his teammates, but outside of that, there wasn't much that Traore did wrong during his time on the court.
Chaney Johnson: C-
Johnson remained in the starting lineup as one of the guards, but his primary job was to guard Jalen Brunson to the best of his ability and he gave it all he had. Brunson is one of the best players in the league for a reason and while Johnson didn't necessarily force him into many tough shots, he caused him to work hard for his open looks on the possessions that he scored.
Michael Porter Jr.: B
Porter had a slow start to this game as the Knicks were trying to prevent him from seeing open looks beyond the three-point line, but he caught fire in the third quarter to keep Brooklyn in the game. Most of Porter's offense comes from cutting and spacing the floor for his teammates and when he gets going, there are few players that can shoot the ball like he does.
Julius Randle: B
Randles continues his stretch of tough shooting as he tries to get to his spots on the floor before the opposing team is able to help, but he isn't having much luck with that lately. While Randle struggled with his shooting, he did a great job of getting to the free-throw line and rebounding as he tries to help the team in those areas as much as he can.
Day'Ron Sharpe: C-
Sharpe had a tough time operating on the offensive end of the floor as Karl-Anthony Towns seemed to give him no space to work with around the basket. Sharpe did a good job of rebounding and not letting Towns have whatever he wanted on the floor, but he also got into some foul trouble that once again limited how aggressive he could be defending the rim.
Noah Clowney: B-
Clowney didn't make much of an impact on the offensive end of the floor as the ball did not come his way much within the flow of the offense, but he did affect the game in other ways. Clowney did a great job of rebounding the basketball and using his length and athleticism to bother the Knicks either on the perimeter or inside the paint.
Mo Wagner: D
Wagner came into this game playing his best brand of basketball since his slow start to the season, but this game did not present what he had been showing over the past few games. Wagner struggled to score around the rim, but he did a good job of passing the ball as his way of opening up the offense for his teammates.
Keon Ellis: B
Ellis has been coming off the bench over the past few games and while he could've retreated within himself given the change in role, he has managed to stay engaged and willing to do his job regardless of his minutes. Ellis struggled shooting the ball overall, but he did a great job of defending on the perimeter, especially against players like Brunson.
Mikel Brown Jr.: B-
Brown was back in the lineup after missing Sunday's win over the Pacers due to the team's injury management program for his back and he looked like he had been ready to play again for awhile. Brown did a good job of shooting the ball overall even though he struggled mightily from behind the three-point line, but he also made some nice plays out of the pick-and-roll.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets player grades after 103-90 loss to Jalen Brunson, Knicks
