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Armoni Brooks scores 21 as Nets beat Knicks in summer league 98-80

LAS VEGAS — The Brooklyn Nets played their second game of the NBA2K24 Summer League against the New York Knicks and won 98-80.

For the Nets, Armoni Brooks had 21 points and three steals while David Duke Jr. had 19 points and four assists. Jalen Wilson had 18 points and Kennedy Chandler had 11 points.

For the Knicks, Charlie Brown Jr. had 16 points and six rebounds while Jaylen Martin had 15 points and six assists. Isaiah Roby had 12 points and Dmytro Skapintsev had 12 points.

In the first half, the Nets were down 49-47 despite getting 11 points from Armoni Brooks and nine points from Jalen Wilson. In a half with six lead changes, Brooklyn was able to close the gap by winning the fastbreak game 16-0.

In the second half, Duke Jr. exploded to the tune of 13 points and two steals to blow the game open. He was tenacious on the defensive end all game long and he showed a consistent motor when it came to getting to his spots on the floor. Brooklyn’s defense was incredible as they held the Knicks to 10-of-36 shooting from the field (27.8%) and scored 13 points off eight New York turnovers.

Here are the player grades for your Nets:

Kennedy Chandler: B

Chandler did a good job of running the show. He did a great job of having the ball in his hands and either driving to the rim for some incredible finishes or dishing it to an open teammate. Chandler is impressive to the rim, but there appears to be a lack of a three-point shot that could make it easier for him to score on the inside.

Armoni Brooks: A

Brooks did a great job of shooting the ball. Brooks has shown over the course of the two games that the Nets have played in the summer league that he can shoot with the best of them. Not only was he able to do that, but he also showed an ability to drive to the rim and finish among the trees. Brooks also displayed his ability to be a pest on the defensive end with the way he was playing the passing lanes.

David Duke Jr.: B+

Duke Jr. did a good job of driving to the rim. Good job pressing the ball. Duke Jr. showed the reason why the Nets converted his Two-Way contract last season into a standard one with the way he played in this one. His greatest asset is his athleticism, but he showed more than that with the way he was hitting his three-point shots. Duke Jr. showed his tenacity on the defensive end in how he was able to pressure the ball-handler essentially for all 94 feet of the court.

Jalen Wilson: A

Wilson did a good job of shooting the basketball in this one especially from three-point range. Ever since the summer league began, Wilson has looked comfortable on the floor with better competition. Wilson has a hard time finishing inside right now, but he is showing some uncanny ability to get his shot off in traffic. Arguably the most impressive thing that Wilson showed was his dominance on the defensive boards.

Clowney did not do much on the offensive end in this one, but he was aggressive when the ball came to him. Clowney has not found his shot so far in the summer league, but his willingness to take his shots is encouraging. On the defensive end, Clowney was impressive. He was a force on the boards and he picked up some blocks thanks to his length and timing.

Gray played just 12 minutes in this one, but he showed what the Nets were expecting from him. He did not score much on the offensive end, monster dunk and all, but he was doing a good job of not forcing shots and looking for open teammates. Gray was a force on the boards and on the defensive end as he was showing some good instincts when it came to defending his man. However, he turned the ball over five times so that may be a reason to keep the ball out of his hands if he can’t clean that up.

Jordan Hall: C

Hall played a solid game in this contest. While he struggled with his shot from three-point land, he was able to get something going in the mid-range and going towards the rim. The most impressive part about Hall’s game is his ability to be a secondary ball-handler and being able to get the team within the play without much going wrong.

Story originally appeared on Nets Wire