Knicks destroy listless Nets, 110-81

Tuesday night at Barclays center was an emotional outing that capped a 30-12 run that saw the Nets go from the bottom of the Eastern Conference on New Year's Eve to clinching a playoff spot on April Fool's Day.

Wednesday night in Madison Square Garden saw them facing a rested, desperate team that was one game removed from the final playoff spot and possess no first round pick in this year's draft.

And it went about how one might expect it to go.

The Knicks scored 63 points and shot 69% in the first half against a flat Nets squad that left their defense and their intensity back in Brooklyn.

And even though the Nets turned up the defensive intensity in the third, they never got close enough to really scare the Knicks. An 8-0 home team run near the end of the quarter led to extended garbage time.

The Knicks were led by J.R. Smith, who showed his full skillset - shooting 9 for 16 for 27 points and adding 8 rebounds and 6 assists.  They also got a big contribution from Tim Hardaway, Jr., who put in 12 on 5-7 shooting and keyed the Knicks' initial run to the lead.  Amar'e Stoudemire was an early focus for the Knicks as well, and he came through with 13 points on only six shot attempts.

The only bad news for the Knicks was the possible loss of PG Raymond Felton, who took a scary third quarter fall on his right arm and shoulder that culminated in a sickening thud that echoed throughout the Garden.  However, even that turned out well for them as Felton returned in the fourth and seemed OK.

The Nets were led by nobody.  Deron Williams and Joe Johnson put up 12 and 16 respectively, but shot poorly.  Williams had zero of the Nets' 11 total assists.  The bench contributed only 36 points and that is with an entire quarter of garbage time and no starter playing more than 27 minutes.

MSG fans ended the game with a hearty "Brooklyn Sucks!" chant, which was accurate in regards to today's game but must have felt strange for some in the crowd as the Knicks remain 10 games under .500.

Next up for the Nets is a home date Friday with the Detroit Pistons and a Saturday trip to Philadelphia to take on the reeling 76ers.  They will be big favorites in both contests, and they will need to play well to gain back the ground they lost to the Toronto Raptors, who beat the Houston Rockets to go up by 2.5 games in the Atlantic Division.

• Box Score - NBA.com
• Two-Way Player (Video) - NBA.com
• Steal And Slam (Video) - NBA.com
• Tim's Buzzer Beater (Video) - NBA.com
• VIDEO: Amar'e Stoudemire Throws Down Vintage Slam - The Brooklyn Game
• GIF: Solid Defense, Knicks - The Brooklyn Game
• Carmelo: 'We Wanted It More Than Them' (Video) - Chris Broussard - ESPN New York
  
• Knicks Thump Nets (Video) - ESPN New York
• J.R. Smith 3-pointer (Video) - ESPN New York
• Stoudemire 1-handed jam (Video) - ESPN New York
• Knicks defeat Nets, 110-81, reach tie with Hawks for final playoff spot - AP
• Knicks draw even with Hawks as J.R., Melo drive rout of Nets - Fred Kerber - New York Post
• Felton takes fall, but keeps on ticking - Fred Kerber - New York Post
• No doubt which team has motive - George Willis - New York Post
  
• How the Knicks were left eating the Nets’ dust - George Willis - New York Post
• Nets blow chance to gain ground in East - Tim Bontemps - New York Post
• Kidd, Johnson hit with technicals - Tim Bontemps - New York Post
• Knicks' Mike Woodson, Nets' Jason Kidd Have Different Coaching Philosophies, Futures - Chris Herring - Wall Street Journal
• Knicks' Playoff Hopes Still Alive After Nets Blowout - Alex Raskin - Wall Street Journal
  
• Nets rattled by crosstown rival Knicks - Rod Boone - Newsday
• Knicks shove aside Nets, tie Hawks for last playoff spot - Al Iannazzone - Newsday
• Tim Hardaway Jr. sparks Knicks with 17 points - Barbara Barker - Newsday
  
• With Rout, Knicks Have Playoff Spot, for Now - Scott Cacciola - New York Times
• Lacking Discipline, Nets Meet Punishment - Andrew Keh - New York Times
• Rapid Reaction: Knicks 110, Nets 81 - Mike Mazzeo - ESPN New York
• Nick Cannon booed at New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets halftime - ESPN
  
• Brooklyn Nets defense didn't travle to MSG against New York Knicks - Mike Mazzeo - ESPN New York
• Starting Five: Can the Nets win the Atlantic? - Mike Mazzeo - ESPN New York
  
• Kidd on tech: 'That was an accident' - Mike Mazzeo - ESPN New York
• Opening Tip: Make noise in playoffs? - Ian Begley - ESPN New York
• New York Knicks get bump from Iman Shumpert - Ian Begley - ESPN New York
• Raymond Felton: I will play Friday - Ian Begley - ESPN New York
• Carmelo Anthony: New york Knicks control their own destiny, playoffs - Ohm Youngmisuk - ESPN New York
• Jason Kidd, Brooklyn Nets Blow Opportunity To Keep Pace In East - Steve Lichtenstein - WFAN
• The Extra Pass: Knicks fighting for something Nets have in odd role reversal - Brett Pollakoff - NBC Sports
  
• Nets Come Up Empty Against Knicks - Lenn Robbins - Brooklyn Nets
• Jason Kidd loses it on refs as Nets get blown out by Knicks at MSG - Stefan Bondy - New York Daily News
• Joe Johnson picks up technical foul as Nets fall to Knicks - Stefan Bondy - New York Daily News
  
• Knicks trounce Brooklyn Nets at Garden, creeping up into Eastern Conference playoff picture - Peter Botte - New York Daily News
• Knicks know there's no tanking in New York - Steve Popper - The Record
• Nets notes: Team misses opportunity - Andy Vasquez - The Record
• Nets lose valuable ground in playoff race in loss at Knicks - Josh Newman - SNY Nets
  
• So, that's not good: Knicks 110, Nets 81 (GAME GRADES) - Devin Kharpertian - The Brooklyn Game
• Nets blown out as Manhattan rolls - Devin Kharpertian - The Brooklyn Game
  
• 22 Adorable Puppies That Will Help You Forget That The Knicks Throttled The Nets - The Brooklyn Game
• Knicks cut down Nets in latest rivalry rout - Jason Schott - Brooklyn Fans
• Nets disappear in meaningful game - Gregory Hrinya - Examiner
• NBA ref Bavetta's ironman streak hits 2,633 games - AP