Watch Jalen Brunson score 40, help Knicks end 9-game skid vs Nets Justin Holiday reportedly near buyout with Rockets, to sign with Mavericks Ja Morant on not fearing West: ‘I said what I said, and I mean that’ As expected, Boban Marjanovic re-signs with Rockets the rest of season Three things to Know: Warriors go ahead with Gary Payton II trade after all

NEW YORK (AP) — Kevin Duran And Kyrie Irving gone, as was the Nets’ dominance of New York’s basketball rivalry.

Jalen Brunson scored 40 points Josh Hart added a season-high 27 in Game 2 with his new team, and the Knicks snapped a nine-game losing streak against Brooklyn with a 124–106 win on Monday night.

40 points
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Jalen Brunson led @nicnikx to defeat rivals in the city 😤 pic.twitter.com/PBXF2xzsaE

— NBA (@NBA) February 14, 2023

Julius Randle the Knicks had 18 points and 10 rebounds to beat the Nets for the first time in three years. Brooklyn never lost to the Knicks when Durant or Irving played.

“You have to give them credit. They’ve been really good the last couple of years and they’ve been great tonight,” Brunson said, “but I think we just got the upper hand in the second half and we extended it a bit and walked away with the win.”

The Knicks, who finished in seventh place, were two games behind the Nets and finished in fifth place in the Eastern Conference. The top six teams receive guaranteed places in the playoffs.

Spencer Dinwiddie scored 28 points for the Nets, which once again showed just how difficult it can be to score after the two All-Star trades last week. Cam Johnson was 14 but Mikal Bridgeswho came with him from Phoenix in exchange for Durant was 2 for 8 with seven points.

“It was a common task just to put the ball in the basket,” said Nets coach Jacques Vaughn. “And that’s something we’re going to work on and emphasize as a group.”

The Knicks beat the Nets twice in 2019-20, which Duran missed while recovering from Achilles tendon surgery. Irving was injured from one Knicks win and then left Madison Square Garden after learning of Kobe Bryant’s death before his most recent death on January 26, 2020.

Brunson scored 17 points in the crucial third quarter en route to his third 40-point game of the season after not scoring a single regular season in his first four years with Dallas.

“Of course I saw him play in college and he was amazing and I knew he was going to have a long NBA career, but I didn’t think he would play the way he does now,” said Hart, fellow Brunson on command at Villanova. “And he’s someone who should be an All-Star and he’s playing at an All-Star level.”

Brunson changed the game forever in the Knicks’ favor after being tied at 80 at the end of the third quarter. Brunson had a basket and a 3-pointer to start the Knicks’ run at 13-3 and his 3 at 93-83.

Hart, who signed from Portland last week, converted a three-pointer to extend the lead to 12 with 7:05 left, and the Knicks were never in danger again.

Bridges’ streak, the longest in the NBA, has reached 367 despite missing the Nets’ game against Chicago last Thursday. Bridges was unable to play after his trade from Phoenix in the blockbuster to Durant was not approved in time, and the league decided he should not be penalized for not playing in a game he was not eligible for. Bridges has never missed an NBA or college game.

with core Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic, the Dallas Mavericks are looking to fill their roster with defensemen and shooters who can complement their stars, especially with Dorian Finney-Smith traded the deal for Irving’s land.

Veteran guard enters Justin Holidaywho is set to sign with the Mavericks after he completes a contract buyout with the Rockets, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reports. Holiday was traded from the Hawks to the Rockets on time as part of the economical move Atlanta.

Holiday played a limited role for the Hawks this season, playing in 28 games, averaging 4.5 points in 14.7 minutes per game.

There was some hype that the Rockets wanted to keep him around, but the feeling was apparently not mutual. There were also reports that Holiday was the main target of the Mavericks.

I am Morant caused a stir early in the season when he was asked about the teams the Grizzlies should be concerned about and mentioned the Celtics but not a team in the West, “No, I feel good in the West.”

The Grizzlies didn’t quite run off with the West – they lost 9 of 12 – and the conference seemed open enough for the Mavericks to add Kyrie Irving next to Luka Doncic, and the Phoenix Suns rocked the league and immediately became rivals by trading the blockbuster for Kevin Duran.

You really didn’t expect this to change the stance of the cocky Morant, did you? Here’s what he said Sunday after the Grizzlies lost to the Celtics. Khary Thompson of the Boston Globe.

“I don’t care. Honestly. I said what I said and I mean it,” Morant said on Sunday. “The confidence I had when I said it is the confidence that led us to where we are now, by becoming the best team in this league.”

“Yes, my confidence will never change,” he said Sunday. “I don’t care what anyone says about it.”

Of course, Morant remained just as sure of himself, but in the West, the Grizzlies do not scare anyone. One of the things that annoys other teams in the league is the Grizzlies’ chatter and self-respect despite the fact that they haven’t won anything yet. If they want to win this season, they need to get better on the road (11-17 away from the FedEx forum), better in clutch (-8.9 net rating in games within five points in the last five minutes, 25th in league), and it would be helpful if The Jackson Jr. can stay out of trouble.

Morant can say whatever he wants about the West, but he and Grizzly will have to prove it in a way they haven’t done before.

To complete the three-team deal that sent Eric Gordon from Houston to the Los Angeles Clippers, the Rockets had to forgo fan favorite big man Boban Marjanovic to make room in the roster. However, Houston always planned to re-sign him.

They did it on Monday.

Roster Update: The Rockets have announced the signing of Boban Marjanovic after he cleared waivers.

The Rockets needed to waive Marjanovic on February 10 to complete two deals by the NBA trade deadline. pic.twitter.com/zXmA7QWq61

— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) February 13, 2023

Houston refused Danny Green (which is heading to Cleveland) and John Wall to open a place in the registry.

Marjanovic’s role on the court is limited – this season he has played 17 times, averaging 2.8 …