NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets come into Wednesday’s game at the New York Knicks looking to end a 12-game losing streak that goes back to the 2022-23 season. Brooklyn is technically on the road, but they fortunately don’t have to leave New York City because they’re facing their cross-town rival in the Knicks. With that, the Nets know they have to be better than they were in the previous matchup.
“The first one obviously was not a pretty one. Not a lot of good things to take from that one. We want better than that. That’s just not us,” Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez said prior to Wednesday’s matchup at New York. The Nets and Knicks have played each other twice this season, but Brooklyn has lost both games by an average of 24.5 points per game.
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“The second one, we found good shots. I think we shot 29% [from three-point range], which was not good enough. Their main two players scored easily. I think they combined for 64 points, so we know that’s what they do,” Fernandez continued. “The focus has to be there. The three-point line is the main focus and rebounding. It’s good you play the third time against this team and the type of team they are. They’re built for the postseason, and it’s exciting.”
In the first matchup between the Nets and Knicks on Nov. 9, Brooklyn lost 134-98 thanks to their poor start in the first quarter and their collapse in the third quarter that allowed New York to turn the game into a blowout. The second matchup between these two teams on Nov. 24, the Nets lost 113-100, but as Fernandez said, Brooklyn shot just 38.0% from the field and 29.0% from three-point land while guard Jalen Brunson and center Karl-Anthony Towns combined for the aforementioned 64 points.
“Last game, basically, we didn’t give ourselves a chance because of the poor start, most likely. we made an incredible effort at the end of that second quarter and cut it to four points, but we didn’t really find the pace and physicality of the game until a little later,” Fernandez explained. The good news for the Nets is that the Knicks are currently riding a four-game losing streak so it’s possible that Brooklyn could pull off an upset as New York is dealing with some adversity.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets need a better start to end double-digit losing streak vs. Knicks
