Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo Impress NBA Fans as Knicks Cruise Past Nets

New York belongs to the Knicks, at least for Wednesday.

The Knicks defeated the Brooklyn Nets 121-102 at the Barclays Center in the first of four matchups between the Eastern Conference foes this season. New York improved to 16-11 overall with its second straight win, while the Nets fell to 13-14 with their fourth consecutive loss.

Julius Randle (26 points, seven rebounds and four assists) and Donte DiVincenzo (23 points, eight rebounds, three steals and 5-of-10 from deep) led the way in a balanced effort for the Knicks, who saw six players score in double figures.

New York’s defense also held Mikal Bridges to 4-of-21 shooting, which helped keep the Nets at bay even as Cam Thomas and Cameron Johnson each scored 20 points and hit four three-pointers.

Social media was impressed by the Knicks’ efforts, especially from Randle and DiVincenzo:

It was more of the same for the Nets from the start.

The Knicks jumped out to a double-digit lead in the first quarter before taking a nine-point advantage into intermission as Randle consistently drew contact in the lane and got to the free-throw line.

Throw in DiVincenzo finding his shooting stroke and New York’s defense flummoxing Bridges during a slow start for one of Brooklyn’s go-to options, and the visitors were in full control.

Thomas and Johnson did what they could to keep the Nets within striking distance, but Bridges’ struggles didn’t make it either. Neither did DiVincenzo catching fire from deep for a stretch in the third quarter as Jalen Brunson was facilitating and running the offense.

Immanuel Quickley and Josh Hart then helped put the game away as sparks off the bench in the fourth quarter, which was fitting given how many players contributed to the winning effort.

New York will now look to keep things going when it hosts the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday, while the Nets will attempt to end their losing streak with a home matchup against the Denver Nuggets on Friday.