The New York Knicks did not have to travel far for their last game as they visited Barclays Center in another "Battle of New York" that ended in favor of the Brooklyn Nets. With the victory, the Nets guaranteed their stay atop the Eastern Conference standings.
Speaking before the game, Julius Randle had nothing but praise for Kevin Durant's and other members of the Nets Big 3. Fortunately, they had one less player to worry about as Kyrie Irving is still unavailable due to New York City's covid-19 mandate, prohibiting him from competing without taking the vaccine.
“He’s the best player in the league, for sure. [I’ve] never seen a 7-footer that skilled…[He can] do anything, everything, on the court. No weakness. That’s him. He’s tough. Great player, but I love competing against him.”
“Kyrie is another one that’s really, really good. Probably haven’t seen a player like him in the league before. So he offers like a whole other dynamic to their team. But what I’ve seen, KD has been playing great, James [Harden] has been the point guard kind of steering the ship and their other guys are contributing nicely and filling in their jobs. … But I think we’ll be up for the challenge.”
While the game was decided by the final whistle, Durant was not the Nets player who inflicted the most damage against the Knicks. Although he took over in the fourth quarter, scoring 11 of his 27 points in the period, Harden was the most threatening Net on the floor.
Despite being unsure whether to shoot or pass in his previous games without Kyrie, it seemed like Harden has figured out a balance. He finished the game with 34 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists.
The Nets were also without Joe Harris, who is out indefinitely due to an ankle injury. But they managed to secure the victory against the Knicks 112-110, despite being undermanned.
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