NBA: Jalen Brunson prevents Knicks meltdown in narrow win over Nets

Jalen Brunson hit two critical baskets down the stretch to help the New York Knicks withstand late shaky play and hang on for a 93-92 victory over the host Brooklyn Nets on Friday.

The Knicks (46-25) beat the Nets (17-53) for the 14th straight time -- a streak that began Feb. 13, 2023 -- and did so after blowing a 14-point lead early in the fourth. A putback by Karl-Anthony Towns gave New York an 84-70 lead with 9:34 left but the Knicks did not score again for the next six-plus minutes.

During New York's drought, the Nets ripped off 17 straight points, capped by an Ochai Agbaji dunk and a pair of free throws from rookie Nolan Traore to make it 87-84 lead with 3:33 to play.

Towns hit two free throws to end the drought with 3:13 remaining and, following a missed 3 by Traore, Brunson put the Knicks ahead for good by hitting an 11-footer near the baseline over rookies Danny Wolf and Ben Saraf with 2:19 left.

After Josh Minott missed at the rim, Brunson gave the Knicks a 90-87 lead with a jumper over Wolf with 94 seconds left. Towns drove to the hoop for a five-point lead with 1:04 left but the Knicks struggled to finish it.

The Nets trailed 93-92 after Traore sank a 3 with 5.4 seconds. After Towns missed two free throws with 4.9 seconds left, Saraf got the rebound and Brooklyn called its final timeout.

Rookie Drake Powell had his first inbounds pass deflected by Mitchell Robinson and the game ended when Saraf missed a 3-point heave as time expired

Brunson scored 17 while Towns led the Knicks with 26 points and 15 rebounds. OG Anunoby added 16 points as the Knicks survived committing a season-worst 22 turnovers and shooting 40.8%, including 8-of-29 (27.6%) from 3-point range.

Minott scored 22 points off the bench and Ziaire Williams added 17 for the Nets, who dropped their sixth straight and lost for the 16th time in 18 games. Traore added 11 points as Brooklyn was significantly more competitive than its previous two losses to Portland and Oklahoma City.

The Nets shot 39.5% and made 14 3s in a game when they held a 13-point lead in the second quarter. After Williams dunked to give the Nets a one-point lead with 3:28 left in the third, the Knicks scored the final 11 points of the quarter for a 75-65 lead into the fourth.

-Field Level Media/Reuters