Nets beat crosstown rival Knicks to end skid at home

Thaddeus Young #30 of the Brooklyn Nets puts up a shot in the first half against Derrick Williams #23 of the New York Knicks at Barclays Center on Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2016 in Brooklyn, New York. Credit: Jim McIsaac
When the Nets were on offense, the crowd chanted “defense” Wednesday night at the Barclays. They cheered Kristaps Porzingis, booed when Thaddeus Young put the Nets ahead in the fourth quarter. And they really booed when actor Ethan Hawk was shown on the scoreboard, unbuttoning his shirt to reveal a Nets shirt underneath.
Going into last night’s win against the Knicks, it had been over a month since the Nets had won at home — 10 straight — and the idea of home court advantage had been little more than a cruel tease. It turns out, hearing and feeling what a loud New York crowd can be like was all the motivation they needed.
This, said coach Tony Brown, is what they want one day.
“Let’s be honest, there’s a lot of Knick fever in New York right now and I understand it,” Brown said. “But we’re trying to get that same fever in that building. Games like this are going to help turn our fan base around. If we keep playing in this fashion, we’ll fill the seats, but we have to show them first.”
The Nets, abundantly more relaxed since Brown took over, succeeded where they so often failed in the past. They took advantage of Carmelo Anthony’s absence, outscored the Knicks in a 36-29 fourth quarter that included a 10-2 run, and avoided the second-hand collapses that have dominated this 11-28 season.
And with every basket, every stop, the “home” crowd of Knicks fans voiced their displeasure. When a call went for the Nets, they booed the referees. Of the Lopez brothers, Robin won the stands but Brook, with 20 points, won on the court.
“The environment is so much fun out there,” Brook said. “It was just live. We’re hoping to get something like that each and every night . . . We can get people coming to games. It’s something great to feed off of.”
It won’t come instantly. Not even close. The Nets don’t own their own draft pick until 2019 and, though they’re involved in an urgent search, they don’t have a general manager with the trade deadline approaching in a little more than a month. But the vibe in the locker room is relieved. Lopez said as much, when he noted that despite the recent losing stretch, “there’s a great feeling.”
“Guys are up and it’s something we need to continue,” he said. “Each and every one feels great.”
It manifested in his own play and that of Thaddeus Young, who handily defended Porzingis and ended up with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Before the game, Brown said he would sometimes limit Joe Johnson’s minutes, not wanting to tax the veteran, but not Wednesday, when a pumped Johnson played almost 39 minutes and scored 14. Shane Larkin — gleeful to be playing against his old team and succeeding — scored 17 off the bench.
“Whenever you play a crosstown rival . . . there’s always going to be a little more energy in the building,” Larkin said, adding that it was hardly the first time the Nets have had to deal with an unfriendly home crowd. The Spurs brought a hefty contingent on Monday, too.
“We’ve just got to keep winning games and build a culture here so we have fans that come and cheer for us every single game and they give us the type of energy that they gave us tonight,” he said. “We’ve just got to keep winning, keep building here, keep gaining fans and keep moving forward and represent Brooklyn.”