Knicks bench scores 41 as New York pulls away from Nets in fourth quarter
Landry Shamet scored 22 off the bench and the Knicks closed on a 28-11 fourth quarter to beat Brooklyn 103-90 and improve to 3-4.
The New York Knicks spent three quarters looking flat against a Brooklyn team that had won once all season. Then their reserves turned Monday night's game at Madison Square Garden around. New York's bench scored 41 points in a 103-90 win, its second strong night in less than a week, SNY reported. The win lifted the Knicks to 3-4.
Landry Shamet, who played for the Nets in 2020-21, led everyone with 22 points in 29 minutes. He had gone scoreless in Friday's loss in Philadelphia. On Monday he made 6 of 8 shots, 4 of 6 from three and all six of his free throws. Jordan Clarkson added seven points and a block in 11 minutes. Tyler Kolek played only five late minutes but finished plus-13. Coach Mike Brown said afterward, "Our bench was fantastic," and singled out Kolek for how he ran the offense.
The Knicks needed the help. SNY's account says New York gave up a 13-0 run in the third quarter and was outscored 35-24 after halftime, and Brooklyn took a 79-75 lead into the fourth. DAZN reported that the Knicks then won the final quarter 28-11. That margin covered the whole result. Andre Drummond grabbed nine rebounds in 13 minutes, according to DAZN. Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 16 rebounds, per NBC New York. The win was New York's 15th straight over Brooklyn, which fell to 1-6.
Brown said he started looking for answers once the offense stalled early in the second quarter. He tried Kolek, Shamet and Clarkson until a group found a rhythm and rebuilt the lead. He also praised Clarkson, who scored a season-high 18 points in 17 minutes in last week's win in Chicago, calling him a veteran willing to take a role many players would refuse. Brown is giving his reserves real minutes, and they are producing, a week after the second unit was a question mark.
What it means for Wednesday against Chicago
The Knicks host the Bulls on Wednesday, November 4. That brings back the opponent from their highest-scoring game of the season, a 133-127 win at Chicago that was part of Clarkson's big week. New York has now won three of its last four. Before that came three straight losses, to Philadelphia at home, at Boston and to Orlando. The only loss in this recent stretch was a 98-93 decision in Philadelphia.
The pattern in this short season is plain. The Knicks have not scored many points in their losses, finishing between 93 and 103 in all four. When the bench gives them a second source of offense, the results look different. Shamet's shooting and Clarkson's scoring have helped carry New York through the stretches when the starters go cold, as they did for most of Monday night. Holding Brooklyn to 11 points in the fourth quarter also showed how well this group can defend when it settles in.
The Chicago game is the first chance to move back to .500. The Knicks scored 133 on the Bulls' floor last time. If the reserves keep up even part of this week's form, New York starts Wednesday with more scoring depth than it has had all season.
