The Battle of New York has yet to turn into some kind of exciting rivalry, mainly because over the past two seasons the Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks have not been consistently good despite their high-paying rosters. However, both teams have put together some solid games in recent weeks that could make this Friday matchup in the Big Apple at least fun to watch.
The Nets are suddenly looking like they could make some noise in the Eastern Conference. Brooklyn is fresh off back-to-back wins against the Toronto Raptors and Los Angeles Clippers that have them in second play in the Atlanta Division. The Nets snapped a seven-game losing streak at the Barclays Center by defeating the Los Angeles Clippers before heading to Toronto and beating the Raptors in a game where five players reached double figures. It was the Raptors first loss in 10 games to a division opponent. Now, the team is the verge on a three-game win streak, their first since the end of December.
Head coach Lionel Hollins has been playing with the starting lineup which has made a difference. Alen Anderson has started the past four games, providing a boost to the tune of 13.3 points per game while shooting 52.9 percent overall. That included a 22-point performance against Toronto. The Nets also have most of their roster relatively healthy for the first time and Deron Williams and Brook Lopez both made comebacks while Jarrett Jack and Mason Plumlee continue to excel.
The New York Knicks have some wins of their own as they prepare for heavy trading at the deadline. While playing in Brooklyn can hardly be considered a road game since it is just a hope over the East River, the Knicks are 3-21 away from Madison Square Garden this year which does not speak well for this game. The Knicks are also dealing with lingering injuries that have hurt depth on the roster going forward. New York manages to play in Brooklyn, averaging 102.0 points and winning the past three of five on the road versus the Nets.
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