Knicks overwhelm Nets in fourth quarter, extend rivalry winning streak to 15 games

C.J. Holmes, New York Daily News on Nov 2, 2026

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NEW YORK — Josh Hart grabbed the rebound and took off.

Moritz Wagner had just missed an open layup that could have helped Brooklyn protect its fourth-quarter lead. Hart saw something better, an opportunity to run. He raced upcourt, found OG Anunoby for a 3-pointer and suddenly the Knicks were back in front.

They weren’t about to give the lead away again.

The Knicks overwhelmed the Nets down the stretch Monday night at Madison Square Garden, turning a four-point deficit entering the fourth quarter into a 103-90 victory that extended their winning streak against their crosstown rival to 15 games.

Landry Shamet scored a team-high 22 points, Jalen Brunson added 19 and Anunoby finished with 18. But Hart helped engineer the decisive turnaround, contributing eight points, seven assists, six rebounds and three steals in a performance that was considerably more influential than his scoring total suggested.

The Nets had spent the third quarter threatening to rewrite the rivalry’s recent history. They outscored the Knicks 35-24 behind Michael Porter Jr.’s hot shooting, Mikel Brown Jr.’s aggressive drives and Julius Randle’s relentless pursuit of contact.

Brooklyn carried a 79-75 lead into the fourth. Then everything changed.

Hart opened the final period’s scoring with a 3-pointer. Wagner missed at the other end, and Hart pushed the ball ahead to Anunoby for another triple. Anunoby connected again on the Knicks’ next possession, with Hart supplying another assist.

A four-point Brooklyn advantage had become a five-point deficit.

Hart wasn’t finished. He intercepted a Randle pass and scored in transition, then later found Tyler Kolek cutting for an uncontested layup. Jordan Clarkson buried a 3-pointer, and the Knicks’ advantage reached double digits with 7:48 remaining.

The Knicks ultimately outscored Brooklyn 28-11 in the fourth, holding the Nets to 3-for-16 shooting and forcing seven turnovers.

The 11 points represented a startling collapse after Brooklyn’s explosive third quarter.

Mike Brown’s rotation decisions were as intriguing as the turnaround itself.

Mikal Bridges, mired in an early-season shooting slump, finished with six points on 1-for-7 shooting in just 16 minutes. He exited with 8:44 remaining in the third quarter and never returned.

Instead, Brown leaned on Shamet, Hart, Anunoby and an assortment of reserves. Clarkson scored seven points, while Kolek contributed two after sitting through the first three quarters.

The unconventional combinations delivered with Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns providing relatively little fourth-quarter scoring. Towns finished with 11 points and 16 rebounds after going scoreless in the first half.

Shamet, meanwhile, was the Knicks’ most reliable offensive option for long stretches. He shot 6 for 8, made four 3-pointers and converted all six free throws.

Brooklyn’s best opportunity came in the third quarter, when Porter scored 13 of his 18 points and connected on three triples. During that surge, Porter reached 7,000 career NBA points, another milestone in a game that briefly appeared capable of producing a more significant breakthrough for his team.

Brown Jr. supplied timely offense after Nolan Traoré picked up his fourth foul, beating the Knicks’ defenders off the dribble for consecutive layups that prompted a Knicks timeout.

The rookie finished with 13 points. Traoré added 17, shooting 5 for 6 from 3-point range.

Randle, returning to the arena where he spent five seasons as a Knicks cornerstone, received a warm reception during pregame introductions and responded with one of his most physical performances of the young season. He finished with 21 points and a season-high 11 rebounds, including six offensive boards, for his first regular-season double-double in 23 appearances.

But the production came with considerable inefficiency. Randle shot 5 for 16, missed all four of his 3-point attempts and committed four turnovers. Brooklyn’s other complementary pieces struggled to provide consistent scoring, leaving the Nets increasingly dependent on individual creation.

Porter went scoreless in the fourth. Brown Jr. missed all four of his shots in the period.

The Knicks, meanwhile, rediscovered the defensive urgency and offensive decisiveness that had been missing during much of the first three quarters. The Knicks finished with 17 3-pointers and outscored Brooklyn 13-2 in fast-break points.

For the Nets, the historic drought continues.

Their last victory against the Knicks came on Jan. 28, 2023, when Kyrie Irving was still wearing a Brooklyn uniform. Their last win at Madison Square Garden came even earlier, on April 6, 2022.

Fifteen meetings have come and gone since that January victory.

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