It was a cool and clear night as the Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks suited up for their final Battle of the Boroughs this season. Last time they played, in December, the Knicks held an 8-19 record while the Nets boasted an elite tally of 10-18. Since then, the Nets have been on one of the hottest streaks in the entire league, winning 16 games; while the Knicks have only won twice in that same span of time. One could say that the rivalry this season has been slightly one-sided, finally in the Nets’ favor.

Of course, one wouldn’t have known that had they tuned in to the first quarter of this game.

D’Angelo Russell, recent national media darling, ran into early foul trouble and sat on the bench for much of the first half. Without Spencer Dinwiddie, who is out with torn ligaments in his right thumb, the Nets’ offense struggled more than usual to consistently put points on the board.

The lackluster defense being played didn’t help Brooklyn’s cause. The Knicks faced little-to-no resistance when attacking the basket. The few times that the Nets did close out on open shooters, they looked as though they were moving through molasses. It was lack of effort combined with increased minutes given to bench players, some of whom may not be fully comfortable in their larger roles.

The second quarter saw the Nets awaken from their stupor to put up some resistance. It wasn’t pretty, but they ended the first half tied at 60-60.

After the break, Brooklyn cleaned up their play slightly by taking better care of the ball and communicating more clearly on defense. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to give them the edge against the other team from New York.

To be perfectly honest, this game wasn’t too exciting. It was slow and it often seemed as if the referees made themselves a central part of the game. It was so slow that the Nets set a record for free throws attempted at Barclays Center. Mitch Creek, the Nets’ new 10-day-contract signee, made his debut where he hit 1-of-2 free throws and was then subbed out. Knicks and Nets fans bizarrely joined forces to chant “We want Kanter!” Slow news day, indeed.

But, ultimately, a win is a win. Brooklyn walks away as the victor of the Battle of the Boroughs and takes the season series over the Knicks for the first time since the 2014-15 season. The Nets’ next stop is at Boston for the third Monday in a row, and they’ll need a better showing than this to walk away with the same result.