By: Norman Castro, EBC Sports International, New York Bureau
NEW YORK (Eagle News) — After going 3-4 on their seven-game road trip, the Knicks came back to Madison Square Garden to face the Brooklyn Nets for their fourth and final game against their crosstown rival this season.
Kristaps Porzingis’ 28 points and Enes Kanter’s 20 point, 20 rebound performance helped the Knicks dominate against the Nets with a 111-95 victory on Tuesday night.
The Knicks sweeped the series 4-0 against the Nets, a feat that was last accomplished during the 2010-11 season.
The Knicks showcased their aggressive nature from the start of the second quarter led by Michael Beasley attacking the rim early and Kyle O’Quinn contributing on the defensive side. With five minutes left, it was showtime at the Garden for Porzingis, scoring 10 points in the quarter, highlighted by two deep threes to help the Knicks build a 20-point lead, 61-41 at the half.
The Nets went on an 11-1 run in the third and rallied to cut the lead down to 10 points in the fourth quarter as the Knicks looked deflated. Porzingis came off the bench with the spark the team needed, hitting a three-pointer and continued to be in a zone to keep the Knicks above double digits.
Porzingis finished the night shooting six threes on eight attempts. Kanter, who needed seven stitches in his lip after being elbowed by Doug McDermott in practice, received an ovation from fans for his double-double performance.
“Enes was a monster today, just bulldozer,” Porzingis said. “He did what he does and just great game for him, 20-20. Maybe he was mad from yesterday that he got hit in the mouth.”
Tim Hardaway Jr. added 15 points for the Knicks and Beasley had a strong performance off the bench with 12 points and 13 rebounds.