Dec 20, 2023; Brooklyn, New York, USA; New York Knicks forward Julius Randle (30) drives to the basket against Brooklyn Nets forward Royce O’Neale (00) during the second quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
NEW YORK (AP) — The Knicks have regained control of New York’s NBA basketball rivalry. They even won in Brooklyn again.
Julius Randle scored 26 points, Donte DiVincenzo added 23 and the Knicks beat the Nets 121-102 on Wednesday night for their first victory at Barclays Center in four years.
Immanuel Quickley had 19 points and Jalen Brunson finished with 16 points, eight assists and seven rebounds for the Knicks, who lost nine straight meetings when Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving were in Brooklyn. The Knicks have easily won all three matchups since the Nets traded the two stars last season.
Now the Knicks have ended a six-game losing streak across town, where they hadn’t won since Dec. 26, 2019.
“Everything’s back to normal I guess,” Randle said.
Both teams were playing their first games back after returning from trips to the West, and the Knicks played with far more energy while leading nearly the entire game. DiVincenzo made five 3-pointers and grabbed eight rebounds, while Josh Hart had 10 points and 13 rebounds off the bench.
“We both were on the West Coast. Nobody can use that as an excuse,” Nets coach Jacque Vaughn said. “They came back home, we came back home, played a game, same amount of rest, and they were better than us tonight in all facets of the game.”
The Knicks were technically still on their trip, finishing 3-2 after beating the Lakers in Los Angeles on Monday. Coach Tom Thibodeau said his team wouldn’t allow the schedule to be an excuse.
“When they tell us the ball’s going up at this time, we’re ready,” Thibodeau said.
Cam Thomas and Cam Johnson each scored 20 points for the Nets, who lost their fourth straight. Mikal Bridges continued to struggle, missing his first eight…
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