Jalen Brunson was held to 17 points but scored the game-winning basket with 2:18 left for the New York Knicks on the road, struggling offensively for much of the fourth quarter before making enough plays late in the game to edge the Brooklyn Nets 99-95 on Tuesday.
Brunson missed 10 of his first 14 shots before making three and scoring eight points in the final 2:18 to give New York its ninth straight win over the Nets.
His first game-winning shot was a 13-footer from near the baseline that gave the Nets a 91-90 lead on a pass from Karl Anthony-Towns. Brunson added a layup in traffic on a pass from Josh Hart for a 93-90 lead with 1:56 remaining.
After Brooklyn’s Keon Johnson hit two free throws, Brunson hit a jump shot from near the foul line to make it 95-92 with 1:25 remaining. After a dunk by New York’s OG Anunoby, D’Angelo Russell hit a 3-pointer to bring Brooklyn within 97-95 with 52 seconds remaining.
Brunson had a chance to win it but missed a runner in the lane with 32.3 seconds left. After Brooklyn took its final timeout with 23 seconds left, the Nets’ Cameron Johnson missed a deep 3-point attempt from the top of the key with 15.3 seconds left. Brunson hit two free throws with seven seconds left to ice the ball.
Towns had 25 points, 16 rebounds and six assists. Anunoby added 20 points for the Knicks, who earned the win despite scoring just 15 points in the quarter.
Russell led the Nets with 23 points and 10 assists but was 6-of-17 from the field. Cameron Johnson added 13 points but was 6-of-20 from the field. Brooklyn shot 37.2 percent, lost its eighth straight home game and fell for its ninth time in 10 games overall.
The game marked Mikal Bridges’ return to Brooklyn after the Nets traded him to the Knicks for five first-round picks last summer. Bridges was held to 10 points on 3-of-12 shooting.
Towns made a three-point play with 4.7 seconds left in the second quarter to give the Knicks a 59-51 lead at halftime. The Knicks opened a 76-64 lead on Hart’s layup with 4:46 left in the third quarter before building to an 84-75 lead in the fourth.