Good Grief! Brown, Martin Efforts Not Enough, Summer League Knicks Fall to Nets

A brutal second half cost the New York Knicks their second consecutive Vegas Summer League contest.

The New York Knicks' chances to make a second straight appearance in the Vegas Summer League's championship likely took a fatal blow on Sunday evening, as their prospect team dropped a 98-80 decision to the Brooklyn Nets.

Playing without veteran DaQuan Jeffries due to a hip injury, the Knicks (0-2) had several lingering areas of optimism: Overtime Elite-based project Jaylen Martin had 15 points and six assists, one tally behind leading scorer Charlie Brown Jr. 

Isaiah Roby recovered from a tough New York debut with 12 points and six rebounds while Dmytro Skapintsev matched him with a dozen off the bench, which saw Marcus Garrett lead the team with seven rebounds.

Nice middy from Jaylen Martin pic.twitter.com/mFhZknJ1kD

— Fireside Knicks (@FiresideKnicks) July 9, 2023

Alas for the Knicks, they failed to withstand a speedy Nets unit that saw them outscore their Manhattan rivals 26-2 in the fastbreak. A two-point halftime lead for Brooklyn (1-1) ballooned into a one-sided affair, as the Nets had a 51-31 advantage over the final 20 minutes. The Knicks missed each of their first eight attempts from the field to open the third quarter. New York was able to shrink its deficit to seven entering the final frame, thanks in part to Brown scoring 10 of his 16 points in the period to help the Knicks stabilize the event.

But, partly energized by third-year Summer League combatant David Duke Jr., the Nets posted a 12-3 run to open the final frame, eventually leading by as much as 20. A New York youngster once again handled a majority of the scoring on his own, Martin had 10 over the final 10. Saturday's leading scorers tallied 20 of the Knicks' 31 points in the second half.  

Charlie Brown Jr. going to work on the fast break 💨pic.twitter.com/yrVMKXsSTi

— Knicks Nation (@KnicksNationCP) July 9, 2023

Four of the Nets' five starters reached double figures, paced by 21 for Armoni Brooks. Noah Clowney, the 21st pick of last month's draft, had eight points and seven rebounds in Brooklyn's victorious effort.

The Knicks' prospects will return to action on Wednesday night when they face those of the Orlando Magic (8 p.m. ET, ESPN).

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Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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