Knicks snap skid with record 54-point rout of Nets
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The New York Knicks ended a four-game slide in emphatic fashion on Wednesday night, crushing the Brooklyn Nets 120-66 at Madison Square Garden for the largest victory margin in the franchise’s 80-year history.
New York’s 54-point win eclipsed the previous team record of 48, achieved three times. The Knicks led by as many as 59, fired 57.5% from the field and held the Nets to 29% shooting.
Jalen Brunson paced the Knicks with 20 points, while Landry Shamet added 18 in just 15 minutes, drilling all six of his three-point attempts. With the starters finished after three quarters and the score at 88-56, the reserves opened the fourth period on a 16-0 burst that stretched the gap to 104-56.
“We’ve been in the midst of a pretty rough stretch,” Shamet said. “Fourth-quarter blowout, cool, whatever. It’s an opportunity to build on things we’re trying to improve.”
The Knicks had dropped nine of their previous 11 outings and were booed two nights earlier after falling 114-97 to Dallas, a game in which they trailed by 30 before halftime. Following that loss, Brunson organized a players-only meeting to address the team’s January struggles, according to ESPN.
“A win—that was the most important thing,” forward Karl-Anthony Towns said. “Consistency is what makes champions, and we’ve got to bring this intensity every night.”
The lopsided result extended New York’s dominance over Brooklyn to 13 straight games across three seasons. The Knicks also handed the Nets their second-worst defeat of 2025-26; the first was a 134-98 drubbing on Nov. 9, also at the Garden.
Head coach Jordi Fernandez accepted blame for Brooklyn’s latest setback, saying, “Tonight was even worse, and I’m the one responsible for it.”
New York outscored Brooklyn 12-0 in second-chance points and 29-4 in transition. Next up, the Knicks visit Philadelphia on Saturday; the 76ers have won both previous meetings at Madison Square Garden this season.
Source: ESPN
