Jalen Brunson’s game-winner helps Knicks escape with win over Nets

This time Jalen Brunson hit the shot. 

Two nights after his potential game-winner bounced in and out, Brunson’s trey with six seconds remaining beat the Nets on Friday night, 124-122, and avoided an epic collapse at MSG. 

On the following possession, Dennis Schroder was rejected by Mikal Bridges at the buzzer and the Knicks wildly celebrated a victory that turned way too close for comfort. 

With Karl-Anthony Towns injured, spectator Tom Brady tossing footballs into the crowd during a timeout and the court looking like a sunset to commemorate the NBA Cup, the Knicks led for all but 11.5 seconds of the final 37 minutes.

That’s when the Nets, who recovered from a 21-point deficit, took a one-point lead on Schroder’s 3-pointer. 

Brunson responded on the next possession by squaring up on Nets defender Dorian Finney-Smith and igniting the crowd with an iso jumper. 

Bridges, who the Knicks acquired from the Nets in the summer for a boatload of draft picks, dropped an efficient 22 points in 41 minutes, easing the criticism, though certainly not shutting them up, about his rough start in Manhattan. 

But Bridges also did nothing for most of the fourth quarter, pulling a Houdini until that final game-saving block on Schroder.

The victory required clutch buckets from Brunson, who finished with 37 points in 34 minutes. 

And a strong showing from OG Anunoby, the top player of this young Knicks season. He defended Brooklyn’s top scorer, Cam Thomas, and scored 25 points with eight boards.

Anunoby also was the target of a furious shove by Finney-Smith, who took issue with the Knicks forward’s physical attempt to get through a screen early in the fourth quarter.

Finney-Smith tossed Anunoby to the ground, then squared up like he was ready to fight. Somehow the refs settled on a double technical and the Nets started a run that led to the thrilling finish. 

The Knicks are now 2-0 in the NBA Cup with convincing wins over Philly and Brooklyn. 

Towns was a late DNP after being listed as questionable because of a knee contusion he sustained two nights prior against the Bulls.

Miles McBride was also absent because of an illness, forcing the Knicks to adjust the starting lineup for the first time this season by putting Jericho Sims at center.