MANHATTAN, New York –  the New York Knicks, who were playing in their home arena, defeated the Brooklyn Nets 124 to 106 after Jalen Brunson scored 17 of his team-high 40 points in the third quarter.

The Knicks’ most recent huge performance by Brunson helped them snap a nine-game losing streak versus the Nets. The victory over Brooklyn marked New York’s first since January 26, 2020.

Brunson scored 40 points for the third time in his career as the Knicks defeated the Nets 66 to 45 in the second half. He shot 15 of 21 shots, including 6-for-9 from beyond the arc. With 3:51 left, Brunson left to a standing ovation after each of his 40-point games this season with the Knicks.

From the bench, Josh Hart, a close friend of Brunson’s from their time at Villanova, contributed a season-high 27 points and connected on 10 of 14 shots. The Knicks shot 54.9 percent and won for the fifth time in seven games thanks to the contributions of Julius Randle (18 points, 10 rebounds), Immanuel Quickley (14 points), and Julius Randle.

Although he shot 8 of 21 and had 28 points, Spencer Dinwiddie, the Nets’ leading scorer, was clearly irritated with the refereeing for the majority of the contest. In contrast to Mikal Bridges, who scored 23 points in his Brooklyn debut on Saturday, Cameron Johnson contributed 14 points, Nic Claxton had 11 points, and Mikal Bridges was restricted to only 7.

With 5.2 seconds left, Brunson’s 3-pointer gave the Knicks a 32 to 26 advantage as they closed out the first quarter by making eight straight shots. Dinwiddie led Brooklyn to a 61 to 58 lead at the half with 13 points in the final 6:14 of the second quarter, including a 3-pointer with 34.4 seconds left.

With 2:10 remaining in the third quarter, Brunson broke the 80 to 80 deadlock with a crossover layup around Joe Harris to record his third straight game of 30 points or more. With 12 seconds left, Brunson hit a 3-pointer from the right side over Johnson to give the Knicks a 93 to 83 lead heading into the fourth. The game-tying shot had sparked a 13-3 run, and the Knicks had taken the lead 93 to 83.

When Brunson and Randle came back with 8:07 remaining, New York had a 100 to 91 lead. Hart’s three-point play gave the Knicks a 10 to 94 advantage with 7:05 left in the game, and Brunson’s 10-footer gave them a 110 to 96 advantage with 5:33 left to put the game out of reach.