NBA: Knicks snap losing streak with historic beatdown of Nets

Jalen Brunson scored 20 points Wednesday night as the New York Knicks snapped out of their slump with a historic 120-66 win over the visiting Brooklyn Nets.

The victory marked the largest margin of victory in franchise history for the Knicks, surpassing their previous record of three 48-point wins. The most recent was a 130-82 rout of the Philadelphia 76ers on April 21, 1994.

A 3-pointer by Nets guard Danny Wolf with 8.5 seconds remaining prevented New York from securing the largest margin of victory in the NBA this season. The Charlotte Hornets posted a 150-95 win over the Utah Jazz on January 10.

Brooklyn’s 66 points were the fewest scored by an NBA team since March 16, 2015, when the Hornets lost to the Jazz 94-66. It was also the fewest points allowed by the Knicks since their 103-65 win over the Washington Wizards on April 13, 2012.

For the Nets, the 66-point total was their lowest since a 90-65 loss to the Miami Heat on March 12, 2005, back when the franchise was still based in New Jersey.

Landry Shamet added 18 points off the bench, while fellow reserve Miles McBride scored 14 for New York. The Knicks ended a four-game losing streak and earned only their third win in the last 12 games, following reports that Brunson held a players-only meeting to address the team’s recent struggles.

Starters Karl-Anthony Towns (14 points), Josh Hart (11) and Mikal Bridges (11) also reached double figures.

The Nets, who have lost 11 of their last 13 games, had only two players reach double digits: Michael Porter Jr. with 12 points and reserve Ziaire Williams with 11.

Brooklyn last led at 6-4 before Towns scored seven points during a 14-0 run that gave the Knicks control of the game. The Nets managed to close the gap to seven points twice, the last time at 24-17, before New York ended the first quarter with a 14-3 surge to lead 38-20.

Towns’ 3-pointer with 7:39 left in the second quarter pushed the lead to 20 points at 47-26. The Knicks went into halftime ahead 60-38 and later extended the lead to 30 points for the first time at 76-46 on Brunson’s jumper with 4:59 left in the third. New York led 88-56 after the third quarter.

The Knicks opened the fourth quarter with a 16-0 run and led by as many as 59 points before the Nets scored the final five points. Brooklyn shot just 3-of-17 from the field in the final period.

—Field Level Media/Reuters