After three strong preseason showings, the blue and orange bloom faded from the rose in the Knicks’ last scrimmage. That was an ugly loss to the Washington Wizards, in which both teams fielded their second units, and our heroes were woefully outmatched.
Tonight, the Knicks (3-1) will play their final dress rehearsal at Madison Square Garden with a match against the Charlotte Hornets (2-2).
New coach Mike Brown wanted to use these non-counting games to determine his roster for the season, which starts next week. We hoped this final full week of the off-season would be a confident breeze. The Knicks have legitimate Finals aspirations this year, and we’re fit to pop with excitement.
Now, a few clouds have crept into our sunny skies.
First, some roster uncertainty remains. Malcolm Brogdon was brought in this summer to add veteran playmaking off the bench. This week, he decided that he is _too_ veteran and should retire. Or maybe he caught wind that the Knicks didn’t plan to keep him and bowed out gracefully. Either way, his departure narrowed the competition for a roster spot down to two vets.
Tonight, you can be sure that Landry Shamet and Garrison Matthews intend to impress Coach Mike. Landry seems like the frontrunner for that roster spot, but Garry Bird, man—he can roll.
And then there’s that injury bug tugging at our hem.
* OG Anunoby sprained his left ankle in practice on Wednesday, has missed multiple practices, and is questionable for tonight’s game.
* Karl-Anthony Towns was limited to individual drills this week due to discomfort from a quad strain. The team expects him to return soon.
* Josh Hart suffered back spasms earlier this month in the Abu Dhabi exhibition, and is also dealing with illness—and a splint on his right ring finger.
* Mitchell Robinson was held out of at least one practice this week for workload management, given his injury history.
That means four core rotation players (Anunoby, Towns, Hart, and Robinson) sat out Thursday’s practice. Coach Mike Brown described their participation in the preseason finale as uncertain, calling them day-to-day heading into the regular-season opener on October 22 against Cleveland.
Us, worry about injuries? . . . Not yet.
With the Eastern Conference resembling a smoky, dystopian scene from a _Terminator_ movie, this is our golden chance to win it all. We have a nagging suspicion that the 2025-26 campaign may prove to be a war of attrition, though. Since the Knicks’ core is all zeroing in on thirty, any reports of injuries are bound to give us a momentary tremor.
So, we breathe and remind ourselves that the current injuries are all considered to be short-term. The full complement of players ought to be ready to roll on Wednesday. Coach Brown doesn’t seem to be worried, so we won’t either. Yet.
How about tonight’s Hornets?
Don’t discount them so quickly. The dregs of the league in recent years, those bums suffered 63 losses last season. However, their recent preseason play has shown improved offense and developing chemistry around LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges. After losing their first two tries, the Stingers won their second set, culminating in a 145–116 mauling of Memphis.
Their success largely stems from strong outside shooting and fast-paced offense led by Ball, who has averaged about 15 points and four assists on 61% shooting in limited minutes. Bridges has been their most explosive scorer, averaging around 12 points and eight rebounds while (I’m told) showcasing better defensive effort. [Here’s a CV of his DV.](https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/miles-bridges-domestic-violence-case-timeline-charges-sentencing-suspension-information-for-hornets-forward/) Tidjane Salaün and newcomer Kon Knueppel have also received consistent playing time.
When the two teams last squared off, on March 20, 2025, the Knicks lost 115–98. Ball led with 25 points and eight assists, while Mark Williams and Bridges added double-doubles. OG (25 points) and KAT (24 points, 10 rebounds) topped the charts for New York, but their squad shot just 10-for-39 from three and couldn’t recover after falling behind early.
Tonight’s game means nothing . . . but wouldn’t it be nice to strut into the regular season on the right foot?
Who: New York Knicks (3-1) vs Charlotte Hornets (2-2)
When: Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, 7:30 p.m. ET
Where: Madison Square Garden, NYC
Watch: NBA TV / League Pass / MSG
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