Weren’t the Nets supposed to be the team in disarray?
If you didn’t know any better, you might think the Knicks were the club that had a suspended superstar and had been toying with the idea of hiring disgraced former Celtics coach Ime Udoka.
The Knicks appeared distracted and out of sync Wednesday night, treating defense like an optional exercise. The Nets, perhaps relieved after the organization opted not to hire Udoka and instead made Jacque Vaughn their head coach as Steve Nash’s replacement, treated their intracity rivals like the junior varsity in as thorough a performance as their fans have witnessed all season at Barclays Center.
The Nets blitzed the Knicks early and often in a 112-85 blowout that was never in doubt. The Nets led by 16 points after 12 minutes, by 25 at halftime and by 35 at one juncture in the fourth quarter. The Nets (5-7) defended, shared the ball (30 assists) and shot it at a high level to win their third game in four tries since star guard Kyrie Irving’s suspension for his repeated refusal to disavow and apologize for promoting a film that contained anti-Semitic views.
Kevin Durant was dominant, notching a triple-double of 29 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists, but so were the other Nets. Edmond Sumner outplayed the Knicks’ Jalen Brunson, scoring 18 points, and Seth Curry snapped out of an early shooting slump to sink six 3-pointers and score 23.
Julius Randle led the Knicks with 24 points and 11 rebounds, but also had four turnovers. Brunson (14 points) equaled a season-low with two assists as coach Tom Thibodeau’s team had by far its worst performance of the young season and lost for the fifth time in seven games.
The Knicks came out flat and never really gained their footing. Their defense was poor, the ball didn’t move and they were frequently outhustled. The Nets hit nine of their first 13 shots and built a 24-8 lead just 6:15 in. Early in the second quarter, the Knicks drew within 11, but that was only momentary momentum. Curry answered with 12 points himself (three 3-pointers and three free throws after being fouled taking a trey) on a 12-3 run, and the Nets held a 20-point lead.
It grew worse for the lackadaisical Knicks later in the quarter, on the wrong end of a 17-5 run to close out the half. It ended in a fitting manner. Randle was stripped from behind by Ben Simmons — nobody communicated that a defender was trailing him — and Joe Harris hit a 3-pointer, one of several wide open looks for the Nets from beyond the arc throughout the one-sided evening.
The Knicks did get within 15 late in the third quarter, and had two chances to get closer. But Evan Fournier and Brunson both missed open looks and nobody boxed out Simmons on a Durant miss, which led to an easy dunk. The Knicks didn’t score again in the frame and trailed by 21 entering the fourth quarter.
The Nets’ lead grew to 35 after yet another Curry 3-pointer with 6:06 to go, the low point for the Knicks on a night full of them.
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