The Knicks have had success playing small this season. The Nets beat them yesterday by playing big.
The Nets emerged with a hard-fought 88-85 victory over the Knicks in the Martin Luther King Day matinee thanks to the pounding Brook Lopez, Kris Humphries and the rest of the Nets’ frontline delivered to their intra-city rivals.
The Nets outrebounded the Knicks 52-37, with nearly half of those rebounds coming from Lopez, who had 11, and Humphries, who finished with 13.
“Our main game plan was to make them take contested shots and keep them off the 3-point line and win the rebound game,” Gerald Wallace said. “We did that, and for the most part, we said if we do that, we’ll win.”
In what may have been his final chance to appeal to coaches around the league as they prepare their selections for the All-Star reserves, which will be announced Thursday night, Lopez outplayed his opposite number Tyson Chandler, another potential All-Star selection.
Lopez finished with 14 points to go with the 11 rebounds — including five offensive boards — but his biggest contribution may have come in the pair of blocked shots he had in the fourth quarter, first stopping Amar’e Stoudemire dead in his tracks on an attempted dunk and then denying a layup to Carmelo Anthony.
“I wasn’t really happy with the way I was helping our guys out [defensively] in the first half,” Lopez said after finishing with four blocks. “So I wanted to come out in the second half more aggressive.
“It’s great whenever our team gets a stop. We try to play off that energy and push the ball on the fast break.”
In the case of Humphries, yesterday’s 11-point, 13-rebound performance was a welcome one after Humphries has spent the past few weeks receiving inconsistent minutes due to injuries and then periods of ineffective play.
But he took advantage of the opportunity presented to him yesterday, going 5-for-8 from the field and also grabbing five offensive rebounds in more than 27 minutes.
“I think, for us, it was just being aggressive defensively,” Humphries said. “We just played hard and executed.”
Humphries was not shy about showing he enjoyed getting a win in the Garden, where fans last year were merciless in the wake of his divorce from reality star Kim Kardashian, loudly booing him whenever he touched the ball.
“I love playing here,” he said with a broad smile. “Everyone’s so passionate. They love their Knicks, and to come in and get a win is great.”