Tim Hardaway Jr. Rondae Hollis Jefferson
ESNY Graphic, Getty Images

The New York Knicks picked up their second win of the season, beating those Brooklyn Nets at Madison Square Garden.

Geoffrey Campbell

The Fiz kids got their second start of the season and most of them impressed. But it was a strong first half from veteran Enes Kanter and a monster game from Tim Hardaway Jr that was the catalyst for their second win of the season.

The Knicks also saw good play from Frank Ntilikina and some highlight-reel plays from Mitchell Robinson.

The orange and blue got off to a rough start with D’Angelo Russell hitting two threes and Joe Harris adding another before David Fizdale called a timeout.

But from that point on, the Knicks stepped up their intensity on defense. At one point, the Knicks were down nine, but orchestrated a 19-point turnaround and led by eight at the half. The turnaround, in large part, was due to Kanter, who finished the first half with ten points and twelve rebounds.

The boards were of particular importance, as the last time the Knicks and Nets got together, the Knicks were outrebounded by a large margin. However, it seemed no coincidence that heading into the second half of Monday night’s game, that the Knicks were winning and also a plus-13 on the boards.

For the Nets, Russell led the Nets with nine points on three of five shooting, who continued his good form over the last few games.

In the second half, the home crowd came to their feet after a thunderous breakaway dunk from Mitchell Robinson. Robinson also added another awe-inspiring alley-oop. Hardaway Jr. also continued his hot streak, hitting shots from the perimeter and driving to the hoop.

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At one point, the lead ballooned up to 24 points, and while the Nets fought back, timely hoops from Kanter and Trey Burke kept Brooklyn at bay in the third quarter.

In the fourth Ntilikina continued to impress as the starting point guard. Tough defense and a key three-point play helped to put the finishing touch on a home win. The second-year guard finished the game with 16 points, and he added five rebounds and four assists.

The Knicks next play Indiana Wednesday night as Kyle O’Quinn will play his first game at the garden after signing with the Pacers in the offseason.

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