Game ID: 22300368
New York Knicks @ Brooklyn Nets
Wednesday, December 20, 2023 at 7:30 PM ET
Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
BKN 20 31 26 25 102NYK 32 28 30 31 121
BKN vs NYK ScoutingBKN vs NYK Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
BKN availability going into 12/13 · 1 day's restOUT Simmons missed 15 since 11/08, out tonight
OUT Smith Jr. missed 2 since 12/08, out tonight
OUT Walker IV missed 4 since 12/02, out tonight
OUT Clowney missed 7 since 11/26, out tonight
OUT Keo. Johnson missed 17 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Whitehead missed 7 since 11/26, out tonight
BACK Thomas back 11/30 after 9, 30 min since (95% of 31)
BACK Wilson back 12/11 after 15, 4 min since (26% of 16)
BACK Brooks back 12/11 after 5, 4 min since (38% of 10)
BKN availability going into 12/14 · back-to-backOUT Simmons missed 16 since 11/08, out tonight
OUT Smith Jr. missed 3 since 12/08, out tonight
OUT Walker IV missed 5 since 12/02, out tonight
OUT Clowney missed 8 since 11/26, out tonight
OUT Keo. Johnson missed 18 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Whitehead missed 8 since 11/26, out tonight
BACK Wilson back 12/11 after 15, 4 min since (26% of 16)
BACK Brooks back 12/11 after 5, 4 min since (38% of 10)
BKN availability going into 12/16 · 1 day's restOUT Simmons missed 17 since 11/08, out tonight
OUT Smith Jr. missed 4 since 12/08, out tonight
OUT Walker IV missed 6 since 12/02, out tonight
OUT Clowney missed 9 since 11/26, out tonight
OUT Keo. Johnson missed 19 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Whitehead missed 9 since 11/26, out tonight
BACK Wilson back 12/11 after 15, 10 min since (67% of 16)
BACK Brooks back 12/11 after 5, 10 min since (92% of 10)
BKN availability going into 12/18 · 1 day's restOUT Simmons missed 18 since 11/08, out tonight
OUT Smith Jr. missed 5 since 12/08, out tonight
OUT Walker IV missed 7 since 12/02, out tonight
OUT Clowney missed 10 since 11/26, out tonight
OUT Keo. Johnson missed 20 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Whitehead missed 10 since 11/26, out tonight
BACK Wilson back 12/11 after 15, 10 min since (68% of 16)
BACK Brooks back 12/11 after 5, 10 min since (92% of 10)
BKN availability going into 12/20 · 1 day's restOUT Simmons missed 19 since 11/08, out tonight
OUT Smith Jr. missed 6 since 12/08, out tonight
OUT Walker IV missed 8 since 12/02, out tonight
OUT Clowney missed 11 since 11/26, out tonight
OUT Keo. Johnson missed 21 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Whitehead missed 11 since 11/26, out tonight
OUT Brooks missed 2 since 12/16, out tonight
BACK Wilson back 12/11 after 15, 10 min since (63% of 16)
BKN availability going into 12/22 · 1 day's restOUT Simmons missed 20 since 11/08, out tonight
OUT Smith Jr. missed 7 since 12/08, returns tonight: 19 min (103% of 19)
OUT Walker IV missed 9 since 12/02, out tonight
OUT Clowney missed 12 since 11/26, out tonight
OUT Keo. Johnson missed 22 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Whitehead missed 12 since 11/26, out tonight
OUT Brooks missed 3 since 12/16, out tonight
BKN availability going into 12/23 · back-to-backOUT Simmons missed 21 since 11/08, out tonight
OUT Walker IV missed 10 since 12/02, out tonight
OUT Clowney missed 13 since 11/26, out tonight
OUT Keo. Johnson missed 23 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Whitehead missed 13 since 11/26, out tonight
OUT Brooks missed 4 since 12/16, out tonight
BACK Smith Jr. back 12/22 after 7, 19 min since (103% of 19)
BKN availability going into 12/26 · 2 days' restOUT Simmons missed 22 since 11/08, out tonight
OUT Walker IV missed 11 since 12/02, out tonight
OUT Clowney missed 14 since 11/26, out tonight
OUT Keo. Johnson missed 24 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Whitehead missed 14 since 11/26, out tonight
OUT Brooks missed 5 since 12/16, out tonight
BACK Smith Jr. back 12/22 after 7, 19 min since (101% of 19)
BKN availability going into 12/27 · back-to-backOUT Simmons missed 23 since 11/08, out tonight
OUT Walker IV missed 12 since 12/02, out tonight
OUT Clowney missed 15 since 11/26, returns tonight: 24 min (150% of 16)
OUT Keo. Johnson missed 25 since 11/04, returns tonight: 21 min (170% of 12)
OUT Whitehead missed 15 since 11/26, returns tonight: 21 min (178% of 12)
OUT Brooks missed 6 since 12/16, returns tonight: 29 min (278% of 10)
BACK Smith Jr. back 12/22 after 7, 20 min since (105% of 19)
NYK availability going into 12/13 · 1 day's restOUT Fournier missed 10 since 11/18, out tonight
BACK McBride back 12/05 after 2, 6 min since (31% of 21)
BACK Sims back 12/05 after 2, 12 min since (97% of 12)
NYK availability going into 12/15 · 1 day's restOUT Robinson missed 2 since 12/11, out tonight
OUT Fournier missed 11 since 11/18, out tonight
BACK McBride back 12/05 after 2, 6 min since (31% of 21)
BACK Sims back 12/05 after 2, 14 min since (114% of 12)
NYK availability going into 12/16 · back-to-backOUT Robinson missed 3 since 12/11, out tonight
OUT Fournier missed 12 since 11/18, out tonight
BACK McBride back 12/05 after 2, 5 min since (23% of 21)
BACK Sims back 12/05 after 2, 15 min since (121% of 12)
NYK availability going into 12/18 · 1 day's restOUT Robinson missed 4 since 12/11, out tonight
OUT Fournier missed 13 since 11/18, out tonight
NEW Sims 12 to 19 min over the last 4
NYK availability going into 12/20 · 1 day's restOUT Robinson missed 5 since 12/11, out tonight
OUT Fournier missed 14 since 11/18, out tonight
NEW Hartenstein 26 to 31 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 12/23 · 2 days' restOUT Robinson missed 6 since 12/11, out tonight
OUT Fournier missed 15 since 11/18, out tonight
NEW Hartenstein 26 to 32 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 12/25 · 1 day's restOUT Robinson missed 7 since 12/11, out tonight
OUT Fournier missed 16 since 11/18, out tonight
OUT Sims missed 2 since 12/20, out tonight
NEW Hartenstein 26 to 32 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 12/27 · 1 day's restOUT Robinson missed 8 since 12/11, out tonight
OUT Fournier missed 17 since 11/18, out tonight
OUT Sims missed 3 since 12/20, out tonight
NEW Hartenstein 26 to 33 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 12/29 · 1 day's restOUT Robinson missed 9 since 12/11, out tonight
OUT McBride missed 2 since 12/25, out tonight
OUT Fournier missed 18 since 11/18, out tonight
OUT Sims missed 4 since 12/20, out tonight
NEW Hartenstein 26 to 34 min over the last 5
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Brooklyn comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 123, shooting 45 percent and 38 from three, 20 free throws a game; Thomas at 26 and Bridges at 17 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Simmons (19 straight), Smith Jr. (6 straight), Walker IV (8 straight). One day's rest. New York comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 125 a night and allowing 124, shooting 51 percent and 40 from three, 26 free throws a game; Brunson at 29 and Randle at 28 a game. Without Robinson (5 straight). One day's rest.
So: New York wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where New York has been plus-2 a night and Brooklyn minus-5 and the line, where New York takes 26 free throws a game to Brooklyn's 20. Call it New York 119, Brooklyn 117, Brooklyn keeping it close.
12/13 @ PHX 116-112 — BKN notes
BKN won 116-112. BKN shot 46% (41 of 89) to PHX's 48%, 15 of 41 from three. BKN turned it over 7 times to PHX's 12. The glass went 36-49 against them. Thomas led with 24 (6 of 17, 4 of 8 from three, 8 of 8 at the line); Bridges added 21, Dinwiddie 16. The hinge was Q1, 31-22: from level to 9 ahead, and the lead reached 15. O'Neale was the night's best plus/minus at +19.
12/14 @ DEN 101-124 — BKN notes
BKN lost 101-124. BKN shot 41% (39 of 95) to DEN's 47%, 8 of 30 from three. BKN turned it over 16 times to DEN's 8, and DEN turned those into 13 steals. Dinwiddie led with 17 (5 of 11, 1 of 4 from three, 6 of 7 at the line); Thomas added 13, Giles III 11. Q4 was theirs, 34-34, but the other 3 periods went 90-67 against them. Thomas's -25 in 27 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/16 @ GSW 120-124 — BKN notes
BKN lost 120-124. BKN shot 48% (45 of 93) to GSW's 48%, 17 of 43 from three. Thomas led with 41 (15 of 24, 5 of 13 from three, 6 of 6 at the line); Claxton added 19, Bridges 18. Q3 was theirs, 35-25, the deficit cut from 16 to 6, but the other 3 periods went 99-85 against them. Dinwiddie's -6 in 40 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/18 @ UTA 108-125 — BKN notes
BKN lost 108-125. BKN shot 43% (39 of 90) to UTA's 49%, 16 of 39 from three. The glass went 36-51 against them. Thomas led with 32 (12 of 23, 5 of 7 from three); Dinwiddie added 17, Bridges 13. Q2 was theirs, 31-26, but the other 3 periods went 99-77 against them. Bridges's -19 in 35 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/20 vs NYK 102-121 — BKN notes
BKN lost 102-121. BKN shot 37% (37 of 101) to NYK's 46%, 15 of 47 from three, and got to the line 17 times to NYK's 25. Thomas led with 20 (8 of 18, 4 of 7 from three); Johnson added 20, Bridges 15. Q2 was theirs, 31-28, the deficit cut from 12 to 9, but the other 3 periods went 93-71 against them. Dinwiddie's -27 in 31 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/22 vs DEN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Brooklyn comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 121, shooting 43 percent and 36 from three, 19 free throws a game; Thomas at 26 and Bridges at 15 a game. That is 4 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Simmons (20 straight), Smith Jr. (7 straight), Walker IV (9 straight). One day's rest. Denver comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 107, shooting 49 percent and 41 from three, 21 free throws a game; Jokić at 19 and Murray at 18 a game. One day's rest.
So: Denver wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Denver allowing 107 a night to Brooklyn's 121 and the glass, where Denver has been plus-3 a night and Brooklyn minus-6. Call it Denver 116, Brooklyn 112, Brooklyn keeping it close.
12/23 vs DET — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Brooklyn comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 123, shooting 43 percent and 36 from three, 20 free throws a game; Thomas at 26 and Bridges at 14 a game. That is 5 straight losses. Without Simmons (21 straight), Walker IV (10 straight), Clowney (13 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Detroit comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 130, shooting 47 percent and 28 from three, 25 free throws a game; Cunningham at 24 and Bogdanović at 21 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 10 a night. Without Duren (7 straight), Hayes (2 straight), Knox II (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Brooklyn wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Brooklyn has been minus-2 a night and Detroit minus-10 and the arc, Brooklyn at 36 percent from three to Detroit's 28. Call it Brooklyn 119, Detroit 114.
12/26 @ DET — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Detroit comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 129, shooting 48 percent and 31 from three, 25 free throws a game; Cunningham at 24 and Bogdanović at 19 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. Without Duren (8 straight), Hayes (3 straight). 2 days' rest. Brooklyn comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 121, shooting 46 percent and 38 from three, 22 free throws a game; Thomas at 27 and Bridges at 18 a game. Without Simmons (22 straight), Walker IV (11 straight), Clowney (14 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Brooklyn wins, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, Brooklyn at 38 percent from three to Detroit's 31 and the defense, Brooklyn allowing 121 a night to Detroit's 129. Call it Brooklyn 118, Detroit 116, Detroit keeping it close.
12/27 vs MIL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Brooklyn comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 119, shooting 46 percent and 38 from three, 28 free throws a game; Thomas at 22 and Bridges at 18 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Simmons (23 straight), Walker IV (12 straight), Clowney (15 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Milwaukee comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 126 a night and allowing 118, shooting 48 percent and 36 from three, 26 free throws a game; Lillard at 31 and Antetokounmpo at 27 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. Without Crowder (21 straight). One day's rest.
So: Milwaukee wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Milwaukee has been plus-6 a night and Brooklyn minus-5. Call it Milwaukee 121, Brooklyn 117, Brooklyn keeping it close.
12/13 @ UTA 113-117 — NYK notes
NYK lost 113-117. NYK shot 44% (41 of 94) to UTA's 44%, 9 of 39 from three, and went to the line 32 times to UTA's 21 — 22 points from the stripe to their 15. NYK turned it over 8 times to UTA's 15. Randle led with 32 (14 of 23, 2 of 6 from three); Brunson added 23, DiVincenzo 21. Q1 was theirs, 31-22, but the other 3 periods went 95-82 against them. They led by as many as 10. Grimes's -27 in 16 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/15 @ PHX 139-122 — NYK notes
NYK won 139-122. NYK shot 60% (49 of 82) to PHX's 52%, 17 of 29 from three, and went to the line 28 times to PHX's 21 — 24 points from the stripe to their 17. Brunson led with 50 (17 of 23, 9 of 9 from three, 7 of 9 at the line); Randle added 23, Barrett 21. The hinge was Q4, 42-23: NYK came in trailing by 2 and left it ahead by 17, and the lead reached 20. NYK trailed 63-68 at the half and won the second half 76-54. Hart was the night's best plus/minus at +34.
12/16 @ LAC 122-144 — NYK notes
NYK lost 122-144. NYK shot 47% (44 of 94) to LAC's 57%, 11 of 35 from three, and got to the line 26 times to LAC's 34. Brunson led with 22 (7 of 17, 2 of 5 from three, 6 of 6 at the line); Randle added 22, Barrett 18. Q1 was theirs, 33-35, but the other 3 periods went 109-89 against them. Barrett's -30 in 28 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/18 @ LAL 114-109 — NYK notes
NYK won 114-109. NYK shot 48% (42 of 88) to LAL's 42%, 10 of 30 from three, and went to the line 23 times to LAL's 13 — 20 points from the stripe to their 12. NYK turned it over 15 times to LAL's 10, and LAL turned those into 9 steals. The glass went 52-41 for them. Brunson led with 29 (10 of 21, 3 of 6 from three, 6 of 6 at the line); Randle added 27, Quickley 20. The hinge was Q3, 33-22: NYK came in trailing by 1 and left it ahead by 10. NYK trailed 57-58 at the half and won the second half 57-51. Randle was the night's best plus/minus at +17.
12/20 @ BKN 121-102 — NYK notes
NYK won 121-102. NYK shot 46% (44 of 95) to BKN's 37%, 13 of 33 from three, and went to the line 25 times to BKN's 17 — 20 points from the stripe to their 13. Randle led with 26 (9 of 20, 0 of 4 from three, 8 of 9 at the line); DiVincenzo added 23, Quickley 19. The hinge was Q1, 32-20: from level to 12 ahead, and the lead reached 25. Randle was the night's best plus/minus at +27.
12/23 vs MIL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New York comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 119, shooting 49 percent and 36 from three, 27 free throws a game; Brunson at 28 and Randle at 26 a game. Without Robinson (6 straight). 2 days' rest. Milwaukee comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 133 a night and allowing 118, shooting 50 percent and 36 from three, 33 free throws a game; Antetokounmpo at 32 and Lillard at 31 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Crowder (19 straight). One day's rest.
So: New York wins, and the game turns on the line, where Milwaukee takes 33 free throws a game to New York's 27. Call it New York 121, Milwaukee 120, Milwaukee keeping it close.
12/25 vs MIL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New York comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 121, shooting 49 percent and 38 from three, 25 free throws a game; Brunson at 31 and Randle at 25 a game. Without Robinson (7 straight). One day's rest. Milwaukee comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 131 a night and allowing 115, shooting 50 percent and 39 from three, 28 free throws a game; Lillard at 31 and Antetokounmpo at 25 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 8 a night. Without Crowder (20 straight). One day's rest.
So: Milwaukee wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Milwaukee has been plus-8 a night and New York plus-1 and the defense, Milwaukee allowing 115 a night to New York's 121. Call it Milwaukee 121, New York 119, New York keeping it close.
12/27 @ OKC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 113, shooting 53 percent and 38 from three, 21 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 31 and Holmgren at 19 a game. Second night of a back-to-back. New York comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 121, shooting 48 percent and 33 from three, 24 free throws a game; Brunson at 28 and Randle at 25 a game. Without Robinson (8 straight). One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the defense, OKC allowing 113 a night to New York's 121 and the arc, OKC at 38 percent from three to New York's 33. Call it OKC 120, New York 115.
12/29 @ ORL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Orlando comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 115, shooting 47 percent and 30 from three, 26 free throws a game; F. Wagner at 24 and Banchero at 22 a game. Without Fultz (22 straight), Ingles (6 straight), Isaac (2 straight). One day's rest. New York comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 118, shooting 48 percent and 36 from three, 25 free throws a game; Brunson at 29 and Randle at 26 a game. Without Robinson (9 straight), McBride (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Orlando wins, and the game turns on the arc, New York at 36 percent from three to Orlando's 30. Call it Orlando 115, New York 114, New York keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
BKNCJ C. Johnson
CT C. Thomas
DF D. Finney-Smith
DS D. Sharpe
HG H. Giles III
JW J. Wilson
MB M. Bridges
NC N. Claxton
RO R. O'Neale
SD S. Dinwiddie
TW T. Watford
NYKDD D. DiVincenzo
DJ D. Jeffries
IH I. Hartenstein
IQ I. Quickley
JB J. Brunson
JH J. Hart
JR J. Randle
MM M. McBride
QG Q. Grimes
RA R. Arcidiacono
RB R. Barrett
TG T. Gibson
BKN/NYK the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Knicks beat Nets 121-102, win in Brooklyn for the first time in 4 years
NEW YORK -- — The Knicks have regained control of New York's NBA basketball rivalry. They even won in Brooklyn again.
Julius Randle scored 26 points, Donte DiVincenzo added 23 and the Knicks beat the Nets 121-102 on Wednesday night for their first victory at Barclays Center in four years.
Immanuel Quickley had 19 points and Jalen Brunson finished with 16 points, eight assists and seven rebounds for the Knicks, who lost nine straight meetings when Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving were in Brooklyn. The Knicks have easily won all three matchups since the Nets traded the two stars last season.
Now the Knicks have ended a six-game losing streak across town, where they hadn't won since Dec. 26, 2019.
“Everything’s back to normal I guess,” Randle said.
Both teams were playing their first games back after returning from trips to the West, and the Knicks played with far more energy while leading nearly the entire game. DiVincenzo made five 3-pointers and grabbed eight rebounds, while Josh Hart had 10 points and 13 rebounds off the bench.
“We both were on the West Coast. Nobody can use that as an excuse,” Nets coach Jacque Vaughn said. “They came back home, we came back home, played a game, same amount of rest, and they were better than us tonight in all facets of the game.”
The Knicks were technically still on their trip, finishing 3-2 after beating the Lakers in Los Angeles on Monday. Coach Tom Thibodeau said his team wouldn't allow the schedule to be an excuse.
“When they tell us the ball’s going up at this time, we’re ready,” Thibodeau said.
Cam Thomas and Cam Johnson each scored 20 points for the Nets, who lost their fourth straight. Mikal Bridges continued to struggle, missing his first eight shots and finishing 4 for 21 for 15 points, after going 4 for 16 on Monday at Utah.
The Nets missed 11 of their first 13 shots and the Knicks had a double-digit lead by the midpoint of the first quarter. They led 60-51 at halftime.
The Knicks opened the second half with an 11-0 burst for a 71-51 lead on Randle's basket. DiVincenzo had a basket and a 3-pointer during the surge, then hit two more 3s in the next few minutes to keep the Nets from building any momentum.
Brooklyn missed its first eight shots of the third quarter, but eventually put together a 16-5 run that cut it to 84-77. The Knicks got the last three baskets of the period to lead 90-77 going to the fourth, then came back with an 8-0 burst that pushed it to 98-77 and put it away.
The Knicks were down to their third starting center of the season after announcing before the game that Jericho Sims , who started all five games since Mitchell Robinson was lost to left ankle surgery that will sideline him at least two months, would miss at least a week after spraining his right ankle Monday.
Isaiah Hartenstein , who has played well as the backup and remained in that role when Robinson went down, moved into the starting lineup Wednesday. He grabbed 10 rebounds.
The Nets played for the 21st time in 27 games this season without Ben Simmons , who will be out until at least January with a pinched nerve in his lower back. The Nets said before the game the No. 1 pick in the 2016 draft was showing improved strength in the area, but still doing only individual court work and that his status would be updated again in approximately two weeks.
They do hope to have Dennis Smith Jr . (upper back) and Lonnie Walker IV (left hamstring) back on the floor next week.
UP NEXT
Knicks: Host Milwaukee on Saturday in the opener of a two-game series before they meet again on Christmas.