On Saturday, the Nets lost a so-called "statement game to a Suns team on a 16-game winning streak. Understandable. But it would have been a far more damaging statement when the Nets coughed up a 16-point third-quarter lead to the crosstown rival Knicks before pulling out a 112-110 win Tuesday night at Barclays Center.
The Knicks cut that 16-point deficit to four and then opened the final quarter with an 8-2 surge, taking a 92-90 lead on a three-pointer by Immanuel Quickley with 8:53 left. That was the first of 10 lead changes in the fourth period. The last came on a Kevin Durant jumper at 1:36 and was followed by a Durant foul shot for a 108-105 lead after the Knicks’ Julius Randle drew a technical foul.