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Final: Brooklyn Nets defeat New York Knicks: 96-89

Nets win their third straight game and take over first place in the Atlantic Division.

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Bruce Bennett

Superstorm Sandy forced them wait 25 extra days, and after battling it out on the Barclays herringbone they had to wait five extra minutes, but finally there was a victor in the inaugural Battle of New York - and it was the Nets.

Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks with 35 points, but his last second shot in regulation scraped off the front rim. Deron Williams (16 points, 14 assists) was then able to launch a bomb from just inside the mid-court line, but it bounced away to force overtime.

In the OT session, the Nets seemed energized by the home crowd.

"It was a lot of fun, man. You hear the crowd.", said Williams "They were amazing tonight. We just had a lot of energy for this game. We were ready for this game, and we gave the fans a show."

"Every time some sort of Knick contingent started to cheer, our fans got louder," added Avery Johnson. "This is what we've been dreaming about since I've been here. Its a nice feeling. I'm glad we rewarded our fans with a victory. They deserve it."

The teams traded baskets to start, with Tyson Chandler (a career-high 28 points, 12-13 shooting) capping a fantastic game with a dunk and Brook Lopez (22 points, 11 rebounds, 5 blocks) connecting on a driving layup, but a Raymond Felton miss (3-19 shooting) seemed to take the air out of the Knicks.

The Nets took over from there, with Gerald Wallace driving to the basket twice for scores and Jerry Stackhouse draining a clutch corner three - his fourth of the game.

The teams are now tied at 9-4 and lead the Atlantic Division. They are also second in the Eastern Conference, a game behind the Miami Heat, and have the NBA's fifth best record.

Quick Notes:

- The Knicks shot 38% despite Chandler's heroics. With his 12-13 removed they shot a dismal 21-72 (29%).

- The teams combined for 25 offensive rebounds. Lopez and Chandler had 7 apiece, Anthony had 6 and Reggie Evans collected five of his own.

- Speaking of Evans, there was a sequence in the second quarter where he showed the blue-collar ethic that makes him stand out to fans and teammates. With the game tied at 31, he pulled down two offensive boards, finally assisting on a C.J. Watson basket. In the next defensive possession, he did it again - grabbing one off the glass and knocking another out of bounds off of Chandler. Joe Johnson scored and the Nets had a four point lead. Evans had 14 rebounds in 17 minutes.

- Jerry Stackhouse continues to take us on a tour of 2001 - except with better shooting! He was 4 of 5 from three point land and he hit them at crucial times, including another late dagger in OT.

- The Knicks were streaky. They had a 10 point run straddling halftime, but they missed 13 consecutive shots spanning the third and fourth quarters.

- In the third quarter, Deron Williams either scored or assisted on 8 of the Nets' 12 baskets. Carmelo Anthony scored 11 points on 5-6 shooting.

- Got this one from NBA-TV. Jerry Stackhouse outscored the Knicks bench 14-13.

Find more at Posting and Toasting.