Knicks' Jalen Brunson hits game-winner vs. Nets, then Mikal Bridges slams door with game-saving block

Getty Images

The New York Knicks are doing all they can to tread water right now. The offense has been spectacular, the defense has been anything but, and it has added up to a 6-6 record after Jalen Brunson hit a game-winner to defeat the Brooklyn Nets, 124-122 on Friday.

New York didn't make it easy on itself. After leading by 21 in the closing seconds of the third quarter, the Knicks managed just four points over the first four-plus minutes of the fourth quarter. The drought allowed the Nets to come back, and the Knicks found themselves trailing by a point when they called a timeout with 11 seconds left in the game. 

That's when Brunson did his thing, isolating against Dorian Finney-Smith in the left corner, clearing space with a swing through, and rising up for the go-ahead 3-pointer. 

🚨 JALEN BRUNSON WINS IT FOR NEW YORK 🚨 pic.twitter.com/09RSbhs3Qj

— NBA TV (@NBATV) November 16, 2024

That shot didn't officially end it, however, because the Nets, now down two, still had six seconds to work with. It looked like Dennis Schroder was on his way to a game-tying layup as he raced back down the court and got behind Knicks forward and Brunson's Villanova teammate Mikal Bridges, with a clear path to the rim. But Bridges stayed in range and was able to block Schroder's shot from behind to finish Brooklyn off. Here's the final sequence in its entirety:

SCHRÖDER FOR THE LEAD.

BRUNSON RESPONDS.

BRIDGES BLOCK FOR THE WIN.

Interborough THRILLER. #EmiratesNBACup pic.twitter.com/E1tyBP1kvH

— NBA (@NBA) November 16, 2024

Brunson and Bridges each finished with season-high scoring totals, Brunson with 37 and Bridges with 22. Bridges, who has shot lights out from inside the arc this season but had yet to get his 3-point stroke going (30% entering Friday), made four of his seven 3-pointers, while Brunson finished 12-of-20 overall and 10 of 12 from the free throw line with 16 fourth-quarter points.

Cam Thomas led the way for the Nets with a monster 43 points on 7-of-10 3-point shooting. Brooklyn is not a team anyone wants to play right now. They bring the fight every night, and the Knicks were already behind the eight ball with Karl-Anthony Towns, who has been off-the-charts great to start the season, out on Friday.