As it turned out, it wasn’t an afterthought. With four players on their way to other teams and another four hurt, James Harden’s new team could’ve been excused if they were distracted by the day’s events.
Instead, it was all Nets at Madison Square Garden as Brooklyn and their nine active players defeated the Knicks, 116-109. With the win, Brooklyn improves to 7-6 on the season (3-2 on the road) while New York falls to 5-7. The Nets have won both games in a back-to-back for the first time since November of 2019.
Kevin Durant led the charge for Brooklyn, finishing with 26 points, three rebounds, and six assists in 30 minutes of play.