Bridges had the final say by blocking Dennis Schroder’s attempted game-tying layup as time expired. He was mobbed by the Knicks (6-6) while his old team walked away. For Brunson, it was another defining moment in his Knicks tenure to save his team from a near collapse.

In a meeting of crosstown rivals, the Knicks hung on to defeat the Brooklyn Nets 124-122 in New York's second NBA Cup Group Play matchup on Friday night at Madison Square Garden.

Josh Hart was traded for one first-round pick. Mikal Bridges, the spotlighted player Friday for the interborough rivalry game, cost the Knicks five.

The Knicks landed Mikal Bridges in a blockbuster deal last summer that sent shockwaves across the NBA. Whether or not he actually forced his way out of Brooklyn, as some reported, is anyone’s guess. The move was designed to further bolster New York’s championship odds.

Jalen Brunson made a go-ahead 3-pointer with 6.2 seconds left after the Knicks had blown a 21-point lead, and New York edged the Brooklyn Nets 124-122 on Friday night to improve to 2-0 in the NBA Cup.

This time Jalen Brunson hit the shot. Two nights after his potential game-winner bounced in and out, Brunson’s trey with six seconds remaining beat the Nets on Friday night, 124-122, and avoided an epic collapse at MSG.

Friday’s matchup at Madison Square Garden marked the first time the Nets have faced their former star forward, Mikal Bridges, since last summer’s blockbuster deal.

New York got balanced scoring from their other wing stars minus Towns to start Friday's contest. They jumped out to a 37-32 lead at the end of the first quarter behind 10 points from OG Anunoby, and seven points each from Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Mikal Bridges in the first frame.

The blockbuster trade that sent Mikal Bridges from Brooklyn to Broadway for five first-round draft picks, a second-rounder and a first-round pick swap felt like a seismic move that said a lot about the directions the two franchises were headed. The Knicks were going for it. The Nets were rebuilding again.

Jalen Brunson sank the game-winning 3-pointer with 6.2 seconds left Friday night for the host New York Knicks, who squandered all of a 21-point lead before edging the Brooklyn Nets 124-122 in NBA Cup Group A action Dennis Schroder's 3-pointer with 12 seconds remaining gave the Nets their first lead since the first quarter.