Knicks run Nets off the court, improve to 6-0 at the Garden
New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns puts up a basket against the Brooklyn Nets in the second half of an NBA basketball game at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
As the Knicks made their way through three days off to prepare for Sunday night’s game against the Nets, they spoke about keeping their focus on a team that once was a rival but now is in a deep rebuild.
“I don’t even know how Brooklyn’s doing this year. I don’t know if they’re winning, losing, whatever it is,” Josh Hart said before the game.
When it was pointed out that they were 1-8 entering Sunday's game, he said, “Oh, they’re losing? For us, it’s always about focusing on what the team is. If you’re in the NBA, you’re capable of making good decisions and knocking down shots. If you don’t respect guys in the league, that’s when you’re going to find yourself on the losing column of games you should be winning. So we try not to focus too much on what other teams are doing and just focus more on ourselves. We’ve got a lot of room to grow. Brooklyn’s the next test and whoever after that.”
The Knicks seemed to do that just fine, playing their game as they continued to show off a potent and diverse offense. They coasted past the Nets, 134-98, for their fourth straight win, improving to 6-0 at Madison Square Garden and 6-3 overall.
The numbers were ridiculous. Mitchell Robinson was a plus-40 in only 16:36. Karl-Anthony Towns had 28 points and 12 rebounds. Jalen Brunson was a plus-36 with 19 points and seven assists. OG Anunoby (plus-32) added 19 points, eight rebounds and stifling defense. By the eight-minute mark in the fourth quarter, coach Mike Brown had begun reaching to the far end of the bench.
It took little time for the Knicks to show that their focus on themselves was work well done as they took an 8-0 lead. They piled up 77 points in the first half, giving them 160 in their last four quarters after an 83-point second half against Minnesota on Wednesday.
The only flaw in the first half was the defense that seemed to sag, allowing 62 points to a Nets squad seemingly in search of another lottery pick to add to the five first-round picks made in the most recent draft.
The Knicks corrected that, continuing to pour it on offensively with no mercy and clamping down on the defensive end. They started the second half with a 12-0 run before the Nets finally got on the board after a technical foul by Towns.
The Knicks stretched the lead to 37 points during the third quarter and outscored the Nets 35-17 in the period to take a 112-79 lead. They went ahead by as many as 39 points before Brown put all five of his starters on the bench.
“I think we’re growing as a team," Brunson said. "It was definitely a problem for us last year — third quarters, especially the playoffs, were not our friend. So we’re trying to address it as best we can. It starts with the little things.”
Said Brown, “I think you have to definitely worry about yourself. There’s just too many games to think about all the different schemes that your opponents may do and all that other stuff. So try to focus on yourself on both ends of the floor and all stuff so you have a foundation. My opinion, really critical to the success that you can have in this league, especially in the regular season. Playoffs, you have more time to hone in on really trying to make adjustments throughout the course of the game, really try to throw a trick thing in and all that other stuff. At this point in the season especially, you have to focus on yourselves.”
By not thinking about the opposition, Brown was free to run up the score on the Nets, who are coached by Jordi Fernandez, a key member of Brown’s staff in Sacramento.
“It’s great. I’m just happy for him and his family,” Brown said. “He’s got a lovely family. Great young coach. He’s got a young team, obviously, so they’ve gotta figure some things out. Any time I get a chance to see him, I always love to see him. But I want to kick his [butt].”
Said Fernandez, "I wouldn’t be here without Mike Brown. That’s all I can say. A lot of love as a person, coach, mentor, and today is a special game, but at the same time, it’s just a game where we’ll try to go out there, play really hard and try to beat them, and I’m pretty sure they’ll try to do the same thing.
“He brought me from Spain to the U.S. So I wouldn’t have been here literally without him. He also hired me as an associate head coach, I think it was a big platform for me to get a job as a head coach as well. So it’s not just those two moments but a long relationship and learning from somebody like him who was very successful and a great, great person.”
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
