Takeaways From the Nets Blowout Loss to the Knicks

Coming off a loss to Detroit on Friday night, the Brooklyn Nets traveled across the city for an in-town rivalry game with the New York Knicks.

The Nets had lost ten games in a row to New York entering Sunday's matchup and were looking to break that trend. What happened on the court at Madison Square Garden couldn't be further from the end of that streak. The Nets were embarrassed on Sunday, losing 134-98 to the Knicks.

Here are the three biggest takeaways from the Nets devastating loss to the Knicks.

1. Nets First Quarter Defense Falters (Again)

I sound like a broken record with this, but the Nets' first-quarter defense has been a problem all season, and it got even worse on Sunday. The Nets gave up 40 points in the first while allowing New York to shoot 65% from the field and 7-11 from behind the arc. The Nets were out-rebounded, out-hustled, and outclassed in the first quarter.

These early defense issues are killing Brooklyn this season. They've done a good job of rallying and fighting their way back into games, but constantly putting themselves behind the eight ball in games is not a recipe for success. The Nets have to start games better, or this season is going to go way off the tracks.

2. Egor Demin Shows Improvement

The Nets' 2025 rookie class has struggled for the most part to open the 2025-26 season, and that includes eighth overall pick Egor Demin. But over the last few games, Demin has started to show off some of the reasons why Sean Marks and the rest of the Nets front office so highly regarded him. After starting off the season just shooting threes, Demin has expanded his bag recently, knocking down some tough mid-range jumpers tonight.

He finished the game with ten points, four rebounds, and three assists on 4-6 shooting from the field. The young rookie is being asked to do a lot as the only true point guard on the roster, and he's starting to take on more of those responsibilities. The Nets aren't going to win a lot of games on the court this season, but if Demin can develop into a known commodity, that would be huge for the rebuild.

3. Nets Were Embarrassed

It's one thing to lose a game. It's another to be completely embarrassed and outclassed by a team that you share a city with. From the jump, the Knicks did everything better than the Nets. They scored more, they rebounded better, they shared the ball better, and they were much more sound defensively. It's hard to find a bright spot for Brooklyn in this game, outside of Michael Porter Jr.

Everyone knew that this team would struggle to win games this season, but there was hope that they would at least be competitive losses, showing hope for the future of the franchise. A loss like this is totally deflating for a team that's gotten off to a terrible start this season. This game and effort are completely unacceptable for Jordi Fernandez's squad.