Nets Concede Franchise History in Loss to Knicks

Brooklyn allowed New York's star to make history.

Nov 17, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) collides with Brooklyn Nets forward Noah Clowney (21) in the third quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

In their second straight loss to the New York Knicks and third straight overall, the Brooklyn Nets were on the wrong side of NBA History.

Per Basketball Reference, Brooklyn allowed Karl-Anthony Towns to record the first game with 25-plus points, 15-plus rebounds and five-plus assists in under 30 minutes of action in Knicks history.

Dominant all-around performances from superstar big men are common when facing the Nets this season, highlighted by Nikola Jokic's 29 point-18 rebound-16 assist night back on Oct. 29.

The common denominator in each performance, both of which resulted in Brooklyn losses?

No Nic Claxton.

Whenever the Nets' $100 million anchor misses action against one of the league's top centers, it never bodes well for Brooklyn. Not only do they often lose, but concede monster performances, just as Towns posted last night.

It's still early in year one of the Nets' rebuild, but interior defense is a major issue. Could it be solved with the improvement of Claxton's health? Possibly. How about the eventual return of Day'Ron Sharpe? His absence certainly holds weight.

The statistics reflect a team in need of interior help.

Brooklyn allows 50.1 points in the paint per game, the 11th-most leaguewide. So in theory, Towns' making of history isn't all that surprising.

Jordi Fernandez's miraculous cultural turnaround is beyond commendable. Brooklyn now thrives through toughness and grit but needs to get healthy if it hopes to prevent further generational performances from its opposition.

The Nets continue NBA Cup play against the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. EST.

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