The New York Knicks emphatically snapped their four-game losing streak on Wednesday, dominating the Brooklyn Nets 120-66 at Madison Square Garden. The lopsided 54-point victory margin marked New York’s largest in franchise history.
Meanwhile, Brooklyn’s modest 66-point total, which featured just two players scoring in double figures, raised questions about the lowest-scoring game (regular season or playoffs) by any team in NBA history.
How Does the Nets’ 66 Points vs. Knicks Stack Up Among the Lowest-Scoring Games in NBA History?
While Brooklyn’s embarrassing effort against New York, in which it shot just 23-for-79 (29.1%), marked the fewest points posted by a team in the 2020s, it pales in comparison to the lowest point total ever.
Congratulations to the Brooklyn Nets for being the first team in the 2020s to score less than 70 points in an NBA game!
via @statmuse pic.twitter.com/rTayxnxjL4
— WarriorsMuse (@WarriorsMuse) January 22, 2026
The Nets alone have bottomed out worse on several occasions, most infamously during their 78-56 Eastern Conference Semifinal road loss to the Detroit Pistons on May 3, 2004, back when the franchise was still located in New Jersey.
As for the fewest points ever scored by an NBA team in a single contest, that dates all the way back to Nov. 22, 1950. The Fort Wayne Pistons defeated the Minneapolis Lakers 19-18, with the sides registering the two smallest point totals of all time. They are two of only four squads to finish below 40 points, along with the Detroit Falcons (33 points) and Washington Capitols (38 points).
The vast majority of the league’s most meager scoring totals ever occurred around or before 1950, a testament to just how humiliating Brooklyn’s latest performance was as it dropped to 12-30 on the season.
The Knicks outscored the Nets 60-28 in the second half alone and 32-10 in the fourth quarter, with their lead ballooning as high as 59 points late.
Brooklyn star forward Michael Porter Jr., who entered the evening averaging 25.7 points per game and generating serious buzz for his first All-Star selection, was held to just 12 points on 4-for-14 shooting (28.6%). Even so, Porter still managed to finish as his team’s leading scorer.
The Nets’ loss marked their 13th straight against New York, their supposed crosstown rival, and third consecutive overall amid what is shaping up to be another lost campaign. They will look to deliver a far more competitive showing during Friday’s home clash against the Boston Celtics (27-16) in another tough battle against an upper-echelon East opponent.
