The Nets and Knicks remain at the top of the Atlantic divison after picking up Ws on Friday night. The Nets got their fifth-straight win with a 98-86 victory over the Magic. The Nets were without center Brook Lopez but were able to pull out the win behind 22 points from Joe Johnson and 20 from Gerald Wallace. Meanwhile, the Knicks cruised to a 108-87 win over the Wizards thanks in large part to J.R. Smith‘s 20 points and six dimes. Here’s more on the Knicks and the rest of the Atlantic..
- Ronnie Brewer has proved to be a fantastic pickup for the Knicks and a more-than-adequate replacement for Landry Fields, writes Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com. The Knicks picked up Brewer for the minimum this summer while Fields inked a three-year, $18.7MM deal with the Raptors.
- The best solution for Andrea Bargnani‘s career would be for him to move on from the Raptors as soon as possible, opines Emiliano Carchia of Sportando (via Twitter). Toronto reportedly isn’t looking to move the big man just yet, but they believe there would be a market for him if they had a change of heart.
- The Knicks are anxiously awaiting the return of point guard Jason Kidd, but they have been doing just fine without him thanks to the play of Pablo Prigioni, write Zwerling and Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com. The 35-year-old rookie had eight points, five assists, and no turnovers in 25 minutes off the bench last night against the Wizards.