Friday was a good day for the basketball teams that call New York City home. The New York Knicks played the second of two straight road games against the Chicago Bulls. Just as they did on Wednesday, the Knicks won, defeating the Bulls 114-91. The Brooklyn Nets, meanwhile, were also on the road. They defeated the Toronto Raptors 119-116 on a buzzer-beating three-point shot from Kyrie Irving. And New York’s run of good basketball extends beyond Friday night.
For the Knicks, Friday’s win was the sixth straight. New York’s last loss came on December 3 against the Dallas Mavericks. Since then, the Knicks have defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers, Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Sacramento Kings and now, the Bulls twice. The Nets, meanwhile, now have five straight wins. Since falling to the Celtics on December 4, Brooklyn has beaten the Hornets, Hawks, Indiana Pacers, Washington Wizards and now, the Raptors.
So, New York’s two NBA teams have winning streaks of five or more games. The last time it happened, George W. Bush was still in his first termas United States President. From a basketball standpoint, the Nets still played in Brooklyn, LeBron James and Udonis Haslem are the only active NBA players who were in the league at the time and Victor Wembanyama, the presumptive No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, was a month old.
The Knicks and Nets haven’t enjoyed simultaneous five-game winning streaks for the better part of 20 years.
The last 18 years have not been great for either team on the floor. New York has only one postseason series win since the start of the 2003-04 season. Brooklyn has done better with five series wins in the same window, but has never gotten beyond the second round.
Both teams also sit above .500. The Knicks are 16-13 and occupy the No.6 spot in the Eastern Conference while the Nets are 18-12 and hold the No. 4 seed. Both teams still have some work to do. But for the first time in a while, fans of either New York City team have good reason to be encouraged.
[ESPN Stats & Info on Twitter]
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