1 week Ago
The New York Knicks know they haven't been playing well to start the season. At least not up to their full potential. To start the NBA Cup, though, New York has shown just a sliver of what they can be down the stretch this year - even without some of their better players.
© Brad Penner-Imagn Images Without Karl-Anthony Towns or Miles McBride, the Knicks still find themselves up by double digits over the Brooklyn Nets in the second game of NBA Cup Group play by a 68-59 lead at the half. New York got balanced scoring from their other wing stars minus Towns to start Friday's contest. They jumped out to a 37-32 lead at the end of the first quarter behind 10 points from OG Anunoby, and seven points each from Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Mikal Bridges in the first frame.
It's the first game Bridges is playing against his former team since New York sent Brooklyn five first-round picks as a way to reunite the Villanova Wildcat National Championship team of 2018. Not to be undone, though, the Nets continued to play their cross-town rivals hard. Especially thanks to the sharpshooting capabilities of Cam Thomas.
Related: 'Shocked & Flabbergasted' KAT 'Gets to Work' The 27th overall pick from 2021 enjoyed a breakout campaign last season and is off to another strong start to the season for the scrappy Nets. In the first half on Friday, Thomas was a sensational 10-11 from the field for 27 points including a strong 5-6 from beyond the arc. In total, Brunson led the way for New York with 16 points while Anunoby and Bridges each nabbed 14 to their account.
Related: Mikal Bridges Named Second-Best Knick in Top 100 Player Rankings.
