Jalen Brunson had just nailed a deep 3-pointer with about three minutes left in the third quarter.
Instead of his trademark celebration, he simply just threw his hands in the air in exasperation — a move that could’ve been directed at himself for an off-shooting game or his clear lack of frustration with the officiating.
It was that kind of afternoon for Brunson.
He didn’t play well.
And it didn’t matter.
Miles McBride and Donte DiVincenzo more than made up for Brunson’s misses, combining for 57 points on 10 3-pointers as the Knicks ran away from the Nets in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s 105-93 victory at MSG.
With Patrick Ewing in the house, McBride played all 48 minutes and dropped 26 points on 9-for-16 shooting.
DiVincenzo added 31 on 12-of-24 shooting.
Isaiah Hartenstein also continued his upward trajectory while managing his improving Achilles pain, finishing with 17 points and nine rebounds while logging 25 minutes.
Brunson only scored 17 points — his lowest total since Jan. 9 (not counting the 47 seconds he played in Cleveland before injuring his leg).
The Nets (26-45) stopped fighting in the fourth quarter, folding yet again in their sixth straight loss while getting 18 points from Mikal Bridges.
Brooklyn is a wreck.
It’s playing out the string of a lost season under a lame-duck interim coach and destined for the draft lottery, just one year removed from trading Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant.
But there’s always extra juice from the upper levels of the organization to topple the Knicks.
It’s driven by a Younger Sibling Syndrome, the constant reminders in NYC that they’re No. 2 in the boroughs, at least in terms of popularity.
That didn’t matter Saturday.
After the Nets dominated the rivalry while Durant wore black, the Knicks now own a five-game winning streak.
