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Knicks top Nets as Madison Square Garden mourns Kobe Bryant

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The Garden’s exterior was lit in purple and gold. Inside, the mood was just blue.

Playing hours after Kobe Bryant and his daughter were killed in a helicopter crash in California, the Knicks and Nets played before a subdued Garden crowd after a touching tribute before tipoff.

Nets star Kyrie Irving, who was close to Kobe Bryant and considered him his idol, left the arena after he warmed up, declining to suit up. That allowed the Knicks to beat the Nets in an anticlimactic 110-97 triumph that had the feel of a preseason jaunt with its quiet throng and lack of energy in the early going.