Nets vs. Knicks Recap: Nets Take Over in Overtime, Defeat Knicks 96-89

In the long-awaited and once-delayed Battle of the Boroughs, Brooklyn defeated Manhattan Monday night as the Nets topped the Knicks 96-89 in overtime. In a game that was not a pretty watch through most of the evening, the Nets grinded out another win despite poor shooting nights from several of their best players.

Though he shot only 6 of 17 for 14 points, Deron Williams finally had the breakout game in Brooklyn that proved his status as a top tier point guard. Williams recorded 14 assists on the night, constantly breaking down the Knicks' defense with dribble-drive penetration and last second dishes to Brook Lopez. Though he didn't have his most efficient night shooting the ball, Lopez did finish with 22 points and an impressive (for Brook) 11 rebounds, as well as 5 blocks. Lopez did at times appear to be getting beat up inside, allowing a career high 28 points to the Knicks' Tyson Chandler, but stayed tough on the glass until the end. Carmelo Anthony was the leading scorer for the Knicks with 35 points, but did so on only 11 of 25 shooting and killed his team's chances in overtime with a revert to his patented hero ball.

The Knicks were hurt by the game-time scratch of Jason Kidd, out with a lower back issue, and their offense surely showed it. Much to many NBA fans' surprise, the 39-year-old Kidd and his backcourt partner Raymond Felton looked great sharing the run of the offense at the start of this 2012-13 season, but with Kidd out tonight, Felton looked as awful as his worst days in Portland, shooting only 3 of 19 en route to just 8 points and 5 turnovers. Kidd's effect on a team's ball movement was clearly evident tonight, as outside of Carmelo's isolation scoring and Chandler's bullying on the offense boards, the Knicks' offense looked utterly hopeless, with no other Knick scoring in double figures.

The Nets do deserve a good amount of credit of their own for the Knicks' offensive struggles, however, and this game continued a promising trend of defensive improvement from Avery Johnson's squad. Pegged to be a dismal defensive team, and at times looking like it to start the season, the Nets have been steadily improving over the last several games, due in large part to the return of Gerald Wallace and the surprising defensive contributions from not well lauded defensive players in Brook Lopez and Reggie Evans. Evans in particular has been a huge key to the Nets success with his rebounding and effort in the paint, so much so that he has relegated Kris Humphries to the bench regularly late in games.

Gerald Wallace's play will often go unheralded throughout this season, as he doesn't produce the kind of highlight reel passes of Deron Williams or skilled post maneuvers of Brook Lopez, but Wallace was big tonight. Anthony's late game struggles were largely a result of the tough defense Wallace employed on Anthony throughout the night, as Anthony appeared to be worn out by overtime. The Nets also got a big boost from the old guy, Jerry Stackhouse, who hit 4 of 5 three-pointers for 14 points on the night, besting Joe Johnson's disappointing 8 points.

With a huge win tonight, the Nets appear to be closer to finding their identity as a team, which is to grind out games at a snail's pace with tough defense and isolation driven offensive sets. It isn't always pretty, but the Nets are clearly getting the job done late in games, and they have enough offensive weapons to win in this style even when one of their best (Johnson) is having a very off night. Deron Williams in particular showed what he is capable of tonight as a playmaker, exhibiting excellent court vision, especially for Lopez down low. Though I would like to see the Nets explore the fast break a bit more than they have been doing (Lopez appears quite capable of catching and finishing on the go), and I'm none too pleased with the benching of MarShon Brooks, it's hard to argue with Brooklyn's methods if these are the kind of results they get. A great, tough win over a team that's sure to become an even bigger rival in the matches and years to come.

Final Result: 96-89, Nets
Dissapointing Stat of the Game: 0 minutes for MarShon Brooks
Promising Stat of the Game: 38.8% shooting for the Knicks from the field
Scary Moment of the Game: The Knicks take a 84-81 lead off the Tyson Chandler put-back
Best Moment of the Game: Deron Williams' gorgeous fast break threading of the needle to Brook Lopez

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